Page 64 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

“I don’t have to do anything,” I joked. “You’re doing my job for me.”

He downed half of his drink in one go and scowled at the floor. Last week, he’d returned to the wrangler school to attempt to bond another dragon. It hadn’t gone well, and he’d been sent back to Ember Ridge with a second failed attempt on his record.

“Maybe I’m the kind of person that can’t bond a dragon.” He prodded himself in the chest. “Maybe there’s something wrong with me. I’m just not cut out to wrangle.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I mean it. I’m done with chores and being told I’m not ready.” He took another swig of his drink. “I’m going to go home and learn how to mend shoes with my uncle like my parents always wanted.”

I gave him my most serious look. “Dalton. You don’t want to be a cobbler.”

“Yeah, well…” He picked at one of the patches on his tunic. “We don’t always get what we want, do we?”

I opened my mouth and closed it again, a painful ache throbbing in my chest as we sipped our drinks in silence. He was right. But my problem was unsolvable. His wasn’t. He just required more time. More patience.

“I understand that you’re frustrated,” I said after a beat. “You have every right to be. But don’t give up now when you’re so close.”

He grumbled.

I nudged his shoulder. “I mean it. Think of everything you’ve learned in the past year. Think of how you’ve grown.” I poked him in the chest near his heart. “All of those things prepare you to be in the sky. The right dragon will recognize that one day. I promise.”

Dalton’s cheek twitched, his frustration fading to something else. He blinked quickly, like he was fighting off a wave of emotion, then he nodded.

Now we were getting somewhere. “Plus, you know what they say.”

“What?”

“Third time’s the charm.”

Dalton sat up, a grin tugging at his lips. “They do say that.”

As we worked our way through our drinks, we talked about letting him take a few solo flights with Min around the valley. That perked him up even more, and he finally started sounding like himself.

“Another?” he asked. “It’s my round.”

I downed the rest of my drink, handing him my tankard. As I waited for him to return, my gaze roamed the pub. On the second pass, I heard a familiar laugh—Matty. My eyes chased the sound, landing on a circular table in the far corner where the crew from the infirmary was gathered. Matty’s barking laugh echoed above the din.

But my attention was immediately on Eden and her blond hair shimmering like gold in the lamplight. I studied her smile and the flush in her cheeks and listened to the giggle that slipped past her lips.

My chest clenched.

I wanted to be the one to make her laugh like that.

“You should just go talk to her.”

I almost jumped out of my seat after being caught. Dalton stood there, holding a fresh drink out to me. I chuckled uneasily and took the tankard from him, gulping a few mouthfuls. “What?”

Dalton cocked his head and gave me a flat look. “Eden? That’s who you’re staring at, isn’t it?”

“I—” What use was there in lying? I clearly hadn’t been as subtle as I thought.

“Go chat her up the way you want to.”

“It’s not that simple,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Because…” I exhaled a heavy breath. Because the thought of being with me terrified her. “Sometimes there are things that keep people apart. And no matter how you try to reason with yourself, they just can’t be overcome.”