Page 69 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

He reemerges, and I resume our conversation as though we didn’t just experience some weird hand-touching event. “Then what could have happened to her?”

“A recruit anonymously reported her sneaking out one night to meet someone.” He shrugs. “Most likely, she left of her own accord.”

No.Leesa isn’t a deserter. I don’t believe it. But maybe I should pray that I’m wrong. After all, deserting is better than dead.

I swipe at the tears in my eyes. “Thanks for telling me what you do know.”

With a grunt, Thorne shoves the wheelbarrow forward. I follow, pushing the lighter second wheelbarrow to the cell holding the black dragon. I’m not sure if it’s the dark color or the bigger size, but this one appears more formidable than the others. As we approach, my pulse climbs.

The gold pupils stare at the meat, transfixed. The beast’s quickened breaths hiss through the enclosure, and its jaw clicks. As I watch, I can almost feel his intense hunger, to the point that my own belly rumbles and a sudden desire to eat grips me. Devastation floods my veins over how trapped these magnificent beasts are. How depressing such a life must be.

Shortly after we entered the aerie, my head started pounding and spinning, and now it’s hurting worse than ever. Trembling, I rub my throbbing temples as colors, followed by fuzzy images, flash behind my eyes. I picture myself soaring through the sky. Feeling the windwhooshpast and hearing my own jubilant roar. These images bleed together, creating a dizzying array.

Thorne steps closer. “Are you all right?”

Wincing, I continue to massage my temples in slow circles. “My head is killing me.”

I sense Thorne studying my profile. “Did you take your eyril today?”

The odd question stills my fingers. “Doesn’t everyone at Flighthaven?” The evasion rolls off my tongue.

He lifts a shoulder. “At Flighthaven? Maybe. Other kingdoms? Not necessarily.”

What does that mean?

He dumps the last load of carcasses into the dragon’s pen. Through the bars, Thorne rubs the black dragon’s leg. The creature swings its massive head toward him and emits a sound similar to a purr. Even with my skull threatening to split in two, I can’t help but smile.

Thorne has a gentle way with animals that puts them at ease.

Not that it matters. Even if Thorne isn’t quite as horrible as I originally believed, he’s a distraction I can’t afford.

Especially since I need to find a way to steal an alicorn right out from under his nose.

The pain in my head ratchets up. I do my best to hide my discomfort, but I’m not sure how successful I am given the glances Thorne keeps shooting my way. Like they sense my pain, the dragons all stare at me too. I’m happy once Thorne announces we’re finished and leads me to the front door.

Outside, the vice-like grip on my skull weakens, taking most of the dizziness with it. Thorne’s observant eyes continue to bore into me. “Feeling better?”

I nod. “Weird, right? Maybe damp air and the smell of dragon bodies just doesn’t agree with me.”

“Has that triggered a headache or one of your dizzy spells before? Damp air and certain scents, I mean.”

“Not sure. There often doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to them.” Not exactly true. Since starting at Flighthaven, I’ve noticed a link between my weak spells and my attempts to either access or suppress my magic. Not like I can share that information, though. “Now that you mention it, I do seem to get headaches more often around animals. Maybe it’s an allergy or something.”

“Maybe.”

His tone lacks conviction, and I hastily change the subject. “Anyway, thank you for bringing me to visit the dragons. I know you didn’t want to, but I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me.”

As I beam at him, I can almost see the walls go up. His mouth thins into a line, and his jaw tenses. “Don’t do that.”

I frown. “Do what? Thank you?”

“Paint me as something I’m not.”

With that enigmatic line, he pivots and starts striding off. Perplexed, I holler at his back. “Like what?”

“Like the kind of guy who does things out of the goodness of his heart. You’ll end up disappointed.”

I watch him stalk off, torn between irritation and sadness. Irritation, because I find his mood swings from decent human to total asshole tough to follow. Sadness, because he seems to believe he’s the worst sort of man. Granted, he can be a real dick sometimes, but there’s more to him than that. Beneath that outer layer of pure jackass, Thorne possesses some admirable qualities. When I consider the notion that he might not agree, my chest aches a little.

---