Page 125 of Feralheart

Kerrel flew his dragon back and forth above the shore, sawing on the reins, trying to urge the beast out over the water. His dragon swept lower, so low Lady Severine had to duck.

She shook her fist at him and shot me a glare. “You did something, didn’t you?”

The anger in her eyes could sever my spine. I understood why she was furious. If Fenian could fly this way, what did that mean about their bonds? Their entire system had been built on domination, and without it, they were nothing but commons with a handful of magical abilities.

“He’s trying to change things,” I said, lifting my chin. “You should be supporting him, not making this harder.”

“Fuck that,” she growled. “We’re not changing a damn thing.”

“Then you’ll die like the others.”

Selira’s satisfaction hummed through our connection.

Told you. Feral does not die. It sleeps and now awakens.

I sensed the words weren’t directed at me but at Aristus.

The mist surged, frustrated, seeking easier prey. It found it in the dragons and riders who hauled on their reins. Some made it to the opposite shore, but others died, their screams cutting off when they were sucked down into the water.

Selira’s gnashed her fangs and clawed at the sand. No listen. Fly free!

I pressed my palms to her neck where the scales met muscle, and warmth flooded through me. The red lines across my palms glowed, sending soothing warmth through our bond.

Lyndie’s eyes locked on my hand.

“You’re using magic, but you’re commons,” she said. “How?”

The scale at my neck burned hotter, a warning. I’d been too obvious. Stupid. I’d assumed no one would know what I was doing.

My spit had turned into a rock I couldn’t swallow down. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,”

“But I…saw.”

Everything inside me screamed. Lyndie would remember. Would Lyndie tell?

Commons with magic didn’t get disqualified, they disappeared.

They’d ask questions first. Where did you get it, who taught you, and what else can you do? Then I’d vanish into whatever hole the crown kept for people who threatened their careful order.

My mother had hidden hers her whole life. Long sleeves in summer. Treatments in darkness. She’d died with ruined palms no one questioned because commons women’s hands were supposed to look like that.

And I’d just exposed myself to a woman who forgot nothing.

Lyndie met my gaze one more time before turning back to the lake. “We need to cross before that thing decides we look tasty enough to climb up onto the shore.”

Just because she wasn’t shouting it out, telling the watching world, didn’t mean she wouldn’t use this against me. The knowledge sat between us now, a blade she could draw whenever she chose.

“I’ve… I’ve got to try,” Kerrel called out, swooping his dragon overhead once more.

“Drop your reins,” I shouted. “Let your dragon guide you!”

He didn’t even glance my way. Kicking his dragon, he yanked the reins to the right, urging the beast out over the water.

“Kerrel, no,” Reece bellowed. “Come back!”

More dragons burst from the sand, flying beside him, aiming for the other side. The mist snapped up, reaching for the lowest-flying dragons. Elite teams scattered, self-preservation making their motions jerky.

Kerrel’s worn-out dragon started lagging behind.