Page 36 of Veiled

Jada’s mouth curves at whatever Zephyros is telling her, “He’ll tolerate you. For now.”

He lets out a shaky laugh. “For now is good enough.”

Working our way through the half circle we formed, Matt is up next.

“Go on. Follow the same steps.” She says with a slight head jerk.

“Hey big guy, we were told to think of this like a speed date, so I should probably let you know up front that I’m open to try new things, but burning is on my 'Hard-no' list.” He jokes.

I immediately want to palm my face. Clearly, our plunge into the river caused lasting damage. No one in their right mind would make BDSM jokes to a dragon.

To everyone’s surprise—including Jada’s—Zephyros closes his eyes and leans slightly into his hand as he chuffs.

Behind me, Sasha squeaks, “That’s a good sign, right?”

Jada tilts her head, faint amusement in her voice. “Looks like he likes him.”

“I’m a great date, of course he likes me!” Matt says as he comes back to our semi-circle.

Sasha’s turn comes next, though she doesn’t volunteer. Jada simply looks her way expectantly.

Sasha’s eyes widen. “Me?”

“You,” Jada confirms. “He won’t bite. Probably.”

Sasha swallows hard and steps forward, clutching her notebook like a shield. Zephyros lowers his head, eyes glinting like liquid silver. When Sasha reaches out, she hesitates an inch from his scales.

“Go on,” Jada says quietly. “They can smell fear, but they also understand respect. You’re doing fine.”

Sasha exhales slowly and lets her fingers touch the dragon’s neck. Her face lights up, disbelief melting into wonder. “He's warm,” she whispers.

Jada smirks. “That’s because he’s alive.”

That draws genuine laughter from the group—even Sasha’s nervousness cracks into a grin as she steps back, not wanting to be by Zephyros any longer than she has to.

Finally, Jada turns to me. “Alright, let’s see what he thinks of you.”

I step forward, trying to steady my heartbeat. Up close, his sheer size makes my chest tighten—his head alone could easily crush me. But there’s something in his gaze that doesn’t feel dangerous. It feels curious.

I raise my hand the way Jada showed us—palm open, fingers together, and let instinct guide me. The dragon lowers his snout until it’s inches from my chest. His breath stirs my hair. He exhales, slow and steady, the warmth rolling over me like a pulse. And his nose bumps against my sternum once, deliberate and heavy, before he pulls back.

Jada studies us both, eyes narrowing slightly. “Interesting.”

“Interesting how?” I ask carefully.

“Zephyros doesn’t usually bother greeting more than one person,” she says. “He’s picky and kind of a grump.”

Before I can reply, a sharp whistle echoes across the field. “Charlie Company, rotate to another Bravo rider!” Lorenson calls.

Zephyros lifts his head, wings rippling in the light, and for a second, I could swear his eyes track me as I walk away.

We move to two more dragons before class is over. Watching their eyes, gauging their temperament, and trying to get a little more comfortable being around them.

Sasha grabs my sleeve as we are dismissed for the day. “I can’t believe that just happened. I touched real dragons!”

“Are you considering riding for your track now?” I ask, surprised by how closely her elation matches Matt’s and my own.

“Most definitely not. There is still no way I want to get on the back of one of those giants. But maybe I can pet yours if you bond?”