You do not sound happy.
He begins to flap his wings, and we take off into the sky. The three females follow us, like they’ve done every time, as the other dragons land and pick up their riders to follow us too.
I feel like there’s something behind the way they’re acting. Something I can’t trust.
They have bitten you before, so you are wary.
Right. So, what do I do?
Ebron is quiet beneath me for a long time. He starts the training drills, the female dragons following his every move. In my saddle, I’m able to relax and just enjoy the night air. I even begin to think he forgot about my question, when he begins to speak.
It is a difficult thing to forgive someone after they have betrayed you, but would it help you to know without a doubt that you are meant to be with these men? It is the magic of dragons and riders. You are fated to be together.
We dive down, and I cling to the saddle, my thoughts turning.I don’t know if it helps to know I don’t have any control in this. I’m the kind of person who likes to have complete control over her life.
His laugh is soft in my mind.No one ever has complete control over their life. There is always some element of fate at work. Humans simply do not live long enough to understand that.
Maybe.
Do you like your fated mates?
That question is more complicated than he thinks.I don’t know. Sometimes I like talking to them. Sometimes I like being around them. And sometimes I find them ridiculously attractive. But other times, I just want to punch them so hard in the nuts that they cry and shit themselves at the same time.
Humans are very strange.He sounds a bit disturbed.But it sounds like you have some good things to build on. Try to focus on that.
The thing is, I don’t know if they’re actually trying to build something between us, or if they’re up to something. That means, even if I’m on board with all this crazy mate stuff, they might not be.
Have you asked them what they are doing?
I stiffen, glancing behind me to see the three men following close behind, and the others behind them.No.
Maybe you should.
Shrugging, I say,maybe I will.
Our relationship so far hasn’t been one of trust and honesty, but if I’m going to end up being forced to marry them, it should be. Arthur says I have many different paths in front of me. One path certainly leads to me running away from this whole mess, but another is that I end up married to these three princes and, possibly, a Hollowborn. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take some steps in that direction and just see how it feels.
About tomorrow, Ebron begins.
Every muscle in my body tenses.Yes, are you ready for that?
I do not like the idea of going to a location that my enemies have selected, leaving us vulnerable, and hoping that they do not turn on us. And yet, I understood that there might be certain dangers associated with becoming a dragon at the academy, so I will do as they have asked of me.
I feel the same way, but I do think we need to have a plan. We need to make sure that we stay close to each other and not let them separate us. We also need to make sure they don’t surround us. Basically, if things go south, I need to be able to jump on your back, and the two of us need to get out of there.
If they betray us, we should fight them.
Not when there’s going to be many of them and just us. You remember what it was like the last time you fought several bone wrym.
After a minute, he says,Fine. If things go wrong, we run.
We spend several hours practicing drills. We dive down to the water, then skim right over it. We fly straight up. Ebron leads the female dragons as they flame imaginary targets. Before too much longer, we’re all exhausted and ready for bed. PrinceGareth motions for me to be done, and I communicate with Ebron, sending the twelve of us back to the academy.
We land in the training yard, and I climb down from Ebron’s back. The three female dragons land near us, and we all step back in time for them to come close to each other, rubbing their scales against one another and making strange sounds that even I recognize as sounds of longing. It hurts a little to know that Ebron hasn’t officially claimed them as mates because of me.
The princes come to stand at my side.
Prince Alaric gives me a small smile, and it’s hard to ignore just how handsome his features are beneath the light of the torches. “You did well today.”
