“The belief is, the better they fight, the more likely a dragon will want to bond with them, and a Moon God will bless them,” Cash said as he came up behind Nollie.
My gaze narrowed, but he didn’t leave, just smirked at me as he came to her other side.
“And they burn if they don’t?” she guessed.
“You’ll see for yourself tomorrow,” I replied, my tone sharp as I looked back toward the projection.
“What do you mean bond?” Nollie asked, instead of taking the hint.
I didn’t respond, just kept staring at the fighting.
“I’d be happy to tell her, Arrik, if you don’t want to,” Cash taunted.
“Go back to your drinks,” I snapped.
Cash looked from me to Nollie, a fucking smile donning his face that made me want to punch it off him.
“You know where to find me, convict, if you get bored of him.”
Chapter Nineteen
Human Manipulation
MAGNOLIA
Arrik waited until Cash walked back to the sofas before he turned to me. “It’s called aVinculum bond. It forms between a rider and a dragon when the union is blessed by one of the Moons. If you aren’t selected by a dragon or if a bond doesn’t form, you don’t get a redo.” His voice was low, something that happened every time Cash came around. “So this might seem silly to you,” he added, “but all those riders down there are fighting for their lives. They aren’t just here for your entertainment.”
“I never said they were,” I snapped back. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I didn’t choose to be here.”
“You could have run.” His voice lowered, like he didn’t want anyone to overhear us, even though everyone was too busy in their own conversations, and then some of his anger clicked.
No one was paying attention—the food, the drinks, the gowns, everything about this tournament screamed it was all for show.
I recalled breakfast, how Arrik was the only one at the table not taking side bets on who would survive.
This hit a nerve with him.
It made me wonder how his tournament went and what he had todo to survive because the amount of death I’d seen so far was brutal. Riders were hacking into other riders with such fervor that it made the entire thing gruesome.
“Right,” I rolled my eyes, drawing my thoughts back to his comment. “Because I’m going to trust you and cross the Drakin Mountains to get into Inyaerille. I don’t believe anything you say.”
“Then don’t ask me questions.”
My fists curled at my sides as I fought the urge to punch him. Instead, I walked toward the back of the balcony where Cash was. If Arrik wasn’t going to answer my questions, Cash already insinuated he would.
“Hey, convict,” Cash smirked as I approached him.
“Mind if I join?”
“Getting sick of Arrik that fast, huh?” He leaned back on one of the lounges, a drink in his hand, a smile on his face, and a pretty blonde next to him.
“He’s the equivalent of talking to a brick,” I said, and the blonde nearly lost her jaw with how much it dropped. “So yeah, it didn’t take long to get sick of him.”
Cash grinned, rising from the plush sofas to stand, forcing me to tilt my head up. “I knew I liked you.” He gestured toward the refreshment tables. “Let’s get you a drink.”
I hesitantly took one from him, not that I planned on drinking it, but just so I had something to do with my hands. I swore I felt pale brown eyes burn into me from across the balcony, but if Arrik was watching, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of looking back. He could think whatever he wanted. It was obvious the two of them hated each other, and I wasn’t going to be tossed around like a pawn in whatever was going on between them.
“So what do you want to talk about, convict?” Cash asked before taking a long sip from his drink.
