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Never. I wouldn’t have let a single one of them touch me.
Those men never wanted to capture me alive. They wanted to hack off my head, carve my heart from my chest, and steal my bloodstained treasure from my cave. That’s how they threatened me. Again and again.
One of the worst bragged about how he had pissed on the corpse of the last dragon he killed. How the dragon before that had been a woman, living among humans, and he wanted to rape her as punishment for pretending. I don’t know what happened to her, but I know what happened to him.
I burned him alive slowly, so he would suffer.
But Rook has been far from evil. Admittedly, he still chained me and dragged me from my cave. He’s still my enemy.
I can’t trust him. I’m tempted by him only because I’m in heat.
When Rook wakes, he pushes himself onto his elbows. He narrows his eyes at the sun brightening the mist.
I look at him as if nothing happened last night. “What’s for breakfast?”
He grumbles a sigh. “Same as before. Minus the rabbit.”
He stalks into the forest, undoubtedly to take a piss. I stand, my legs a little sore from riding, and try to rummage in his saddlebags. I’m too hungry to wait. I don’t make it past the first buckle of the bag before he returns. He glares at me as if I’ve been caught red-handed. Does he keep something interesting in there?
“Wrong bag.” He tosses me a hunk of dry bread, then carves the hard cheese with one of his daggers.
I accept a sliver of cheese. “Thank you.”
He says nothing.
My bladder aches, full to bursting. “Can you untie my legs?”
He frowns. “Why?”
“So I can piss in the woods.”
His frown deepens, but he loosens the knot at my ankles and frees my legs. The rope leaves angry red marks behind. I stalk between the trees without waiting for his permission. Thank God, he doesn’t follow me.
After relieving myself, I return to Rook like an obedient captive.
That’s all he wants from me, isn’t it? Obedience.
He’s waiting by Bolt, holding her reins in his fist. He jerks his chin toward the horse. I let him boost me into the saddle. His hands linger on my waist a moment too long, tightening the knot in my stomach, but he says nothing.
So, we’re back to silence, punctuated by manly grunts. Fine.
We start walking away from the lake and into a thick forest. Mist clings to the spaces between the trees, protected from the sun by lush maples. Moss drapes over their branches like green velvet. It’s between late winter and early spring, when the leaves have returned, but frost still glitters in the shadows.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“The Silver Sea.”
I could fly there and back within a day. Without my wings, I don’t know how long it will take us. What’s locked away near the Silver Sea? What is so important he needs a dragon to melt the lock that binds it? Why me?
I would ask if I thought he would answer.
“Last night,” Rook says. “I…”
He has my full attention. “Yes?”
“I lost control.”
I stare at him, though he avoids looking at me. “But you didn’t even touch me.”
