Everyone pointed fingers now that he was here—but the blame belonged to me. I tasted passion, lust, and demanded more when it wasn’t mine to take. This disaster was my fault, and he bore the burden of it without protest.
“You cannot change the past, Nienna,” Edith whispered, pinning the braid around my head with tender precision. “All that’s left is forward.”
She tugged back my chair, and I faced her, eyes itching and blurry. “Go check on your dragon,” she said. “She’s been inconsolable.”
I forced my feet beneath me, bottling up the pain as I stood. If Kallias was resigned to trust his gods, then I’d trust mine.
The walk to the Nest was quiet. Even the torches along the Spire walls flickered with unease. As I cleared the corridor, a cold gale barreled into me. Kalepsi’s tail lashed, nostrils flaring. The violet queen snapped her jaws in my face—sharp and sudden. A reprimand.
“Did you call me just to scold me too?” I bit out, tears streaming. I was so sick of crying. It couldn’t change who I was or what would happen tomorrow.
She hissed low, curling her lip to flash teeth—a sign she wouldn’t put up with my irritation.
“Am I not enough for you either?” I shouted. “No wings or fangs. No magic. You claimed me as your own, and I have nothing to show for it! A princess of a starving island and a worthless broken heart of dragons!”
Kalepsi threw back her head, rearing up. Her forelegs slammed into the stone at my sides, bones scattering like brittle leaves. Throwing her muzzle at my body, she bellowed, the clamor splitting the night. My ears rang.
I didn’t flinch, baring my broken soul to her.
What good was I? What purpose would I ever serve?
Worthless. Shattered. Unprofitable.
Another roar tore from her throat. The force ripped strands loose from my braid. She snapped her jaws and swept a claw toward me. I braced—but she caught me in her grip and yanked me upward.
I clutched her scales, heart slamming against my ribs. She bolted for the Nest’s edge.
Then threw me.
Wind tore at my skirts, my hair, ripping the breath from my lungs. I tried to scream, thrashing midair to find a grasp. A snarl split the sky—Kalepsi dove, wings tucked, eyes locked on me. She shot past, twisted, and caught my fall with her back.
I slammed into the hard ridge of her spine and scrambled for a grip. Still diving, she didn’t slow. My knees clamped tight to her neck, muscles shaking. My pulse beating through my throat.
Above us, Argos let out a furious bellow; Kalepsi ignored him. She leveled out over the rooftops, wings slicing through the wind. My weight forced downward—once again in subjection to gravity.
Terror chased the grief out of me. I’d never ridden her—or any dragon—alone. One wrong move and I’d tumble off her back. I pressed flat, making myself as small as possible, heart hammering against her scales. The beat of her wings thundered through my body as she soared toward the sea.
The first Dragon’s Heart vanished into a whirlstorm, never seen again.
Was that what I wanted? To disappear?
Would anyone notice I was gone?
Mother loved me. I knew that. She saw something in me—though I couldn’t guess what it was anymore. Father would pluck the moon from the sky for me, if I asked. Ronan, for all his mischief, would stand between me and death. He’d protect me with his life.
Kalepsi crooned, the sound vibrating through her chest and into mine. She cocked her head, vivid eyes tracking Argos above.
A chirp to my left—Tsunami. She cut into the sky, her body alive with motion, weaving like a snake through star-dappled air. She caught my gaze, flared her wings, and spat a burst of fire, diving through the flames. A trill followed, pleased with herself. She rolled midair, gliding on her back before plummeting toward the city.
I had my family. I had the dragons.
But I wanted Kallias.
A pang of sorrow scored through me, grounding my racing heart. I desired what wasn’t mine—lusted after someone who I should have never considered. Now, I ruined both of our lives.
Kalepsi huffed, banking before she reached the sea. I yelped, thighs locking tight as the turn yanked me sideways. A scream clawed its way out when her wing dropped in a heavy downbeat—K’lan spread beneath us, every roof and tower laid bare. She leveled out, giving me a breath’s reprieve, then banked again over K’bar.
I frowned. Realization crept in.
