The metal cooled my fingers as I eased it over her shoulders. The chains shimmered between her shoulder blades, linking the pauldrons in place. Mine were thick, layered with carved gold plates. Hers gleamed with coin-sized scales, shaped like dragonhide—graceful but strong.
I took my time fastening each clasp. With each one I stopped, waiting for her to take it back, to change her mind or tell me she didn’t want it.
Yet she never did.
When I hooked the final chain, something shifted in my chest—a deep, resonant note of finality. It was done. No undoing it now. Not after the treaty. Not after the ceremony. After yoking her to Radaan’s future—she was mine, and I was hers.
She laid her hand over mine, the gesture firm, mirroring what I’d done with Greaves. She held tight, as if she knew exactly what twisted in my gut.
“Argos awaits,” Nereus murmured.
The black dragon let out a low growl and shifted, presenting his shoulder. He climbed with ease, the fluidity in his movement defying his age. Nienna pressed her lips together in a tight smile before moving to him, grasping one thick, scaled leg.
I would ride in his claws. The insult chafed, but I shoved it down. For Nienna, I would–
A scream tore through the air, sharp and ragged. Heads snapped toward the Nest.
Kalepsi leaned over the edge, her mouth open in fury. Deep violet scales rippled under the light, golden horns flaring as she thrashed. The frills lining her neck flared wide, catching the sun.
Argos stirred on the landing, his head lifting toward her. She bellowed again, leaning so far out that stone pebbles skittered loose, tumbling through the air. The crowd below scattered—parents shielding children, bodies rushing the throne room for cover.
Ivory teeth flashed as Kalepsi flung her wings open, sky glowing through the stretched violet membrane.
Nienna moved to my side. Argos huffed, then stepped off the edge, vanishing in a sweep of scales. The female glided down to take his place, landing hard enough to rattle the stone beneath us. Slightly smaller, but no less imposing.
Her tail swept side to side. Pupils expanded, locked on Nienna, then narrowed with precision on me. I wasn’t sure which was worse—riding in the claws of a dragon who loathed me, or climbing onto one who answered to no rider at all.
Nienna stepped forward and placed a hand against Kalepsi’s shoulder. Her gaze lifted to the beast’s face, which chuffed, breath huffing from flared nostrils larger than my skull. After a long, tense moment, she lowered herself to the stone.
Without hesitation, she climbed onto her back with practiced grace. I shifted my stance, eyes tracking the huge claws tipped with golden blades. She settled between the dragon’s neck and shoulder, her form tucked neatly in the curve of muscle. The beast turned to me, lips curled in an open snarl. I didn’t move. Every second with these creatures felt like a test I hadn’t studied for. Dragons bowed to no human expectations.
With an abrupt jerk of her head, Kalepsi growled—an impatient hatchling daring me to hesitate.
“Kallias,” Nienna called from above.
My stomach dropped. She expected me to join her.
I trusted her. That would have to be enough. If she believed I belonged up there, then I’d follow her into the sky.
For her, a Radaanian King—born to walk the earth—climbed onto the back of a dragon.
“Dragons and their meddling,” I muttered, hauling myself up. It wasn’t graceful. Draconis made it look easy. Only years of battle-trained agility saved me from slipping as I found the space beside her. I settled in behind, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“She’s letting you ride,” Nienna breathed. The wonder in her voice drifted away in the wind.
My thighs bracketed hers. I held her close, my chest pressed against her back. One hand braced against a smooth scale, its surface slick beneath my palm.
“Like a horse?” I muttered.
The dragon jerked, jostling us both. My boots slid, struggling for grip.
“A flying one.”
Kalepsi dipped her head, and the motion pulled us with her. My stomach heaved as gravity yanked us into a plunge.
Instinct screamed to lean back. Nienna’s hand shot out, dragging me forward. Strands of her hair whipped free from the braided crown, stinging my face. My chest slammed into her spine. Together, we flattened against a wall of muscle and gleaming violet scale.
Wings snapped wide—massive, sun-drenched sails cracking open. The rush of air howled past. In an instant, Kalepsi leveled out, and my insides lagged behind, still plummeting.
