Page 92 of The Bond That Burns

We’d met on the hill below the school, near the greenhouse. The rocky space was wide enough for him to land. And I didn’t think either of us really wanted to spend more time in the Dragon Court.

I’d eyed him covertly before I’d started my ascent up his side. He looked healthy and well-fed. I had no doubt he was a skilled hunter. Not that breathing fire necessarily required a lot of skill unless your target was small. Which then made me wonder what he’d been hunting. So far, I’d been too scared to ask. I decided he probably enjoyed a nice leg of lamb as much as most carnivores.

We sped over another mountain. But the beauty of the view was lost on me. I’d just told Nyxaris what I’d learned in the dossier, conveniently leaving out the part about highbloods wanting to make me into their rider thrall and steal my body. Not only did that sound like a ridiculous piece of fiction when I said it out loud but it was also not going to happen. Rodriguez and I would stop them. Somehow.

I clutched Nyxaris’s scales more tightly. I’d even call in the calvary if I had to and go to Blake. He was an arrogant asshole, sure, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was courageous. He might not like me, but I knew he didn’t want me dead.

As for Kage and his offer to help me anytime? I was still on the fence about that.

When it came down to it, maybe there was something to be said for the devil I already knew.

I shifted around a little. At least ten minutes had passed since I’d finished recounting details. Nyxaris’s silence was ominous. But if he was going to flip me off his back and eat me, he would have done it already.

Are you ever going to say something?

Ever? Most likely. ‘Ever’ is a very long time. As for whether I shall speak toyou, here, this evening...

He was not happy. That much was clear. Because of what I’d learned? Had he wanted to hide who he was from me?

This, he said slowly,was not what I asked you to find.

His words made me bristle.So you didn’t want me to know the truth, is that it?

The dragon’s neck snapped back towards me and I saw the molten fury in his eyes.This was not the truth I needed.

The raw pain in his voice cut through my fear.

Nyxaris turned his head back to the horizon, but a subtle tremor betrayed his confusion of emotions.For years I slept in stone. Irecall fire. Blood. Voices I no longer recognized. Now you come to me with this... this truth.

His wings beat harder, forcing me to grab at a spine on his neck to stay steady. Still no saddle. At this rate, I doubted there ever would be one.

What do you mean?I asked, after waiting a few more moments.Are you saying it’s all lies?

He growled.If it is the truth, it’s one I would rather have left forgotten.

I swallowed, my grip tightening. His anguish rippled through him, as tangible as the icy wind biting at my skin.I’m sorry. But I had to tell you.

Yet even now I was keeping other truths from him. Ones which concerned my survival. I wasn’t sure if Nyxaris was someone I could fully trust with my life yet or not. We’d already been forced to depend on each other more than either of us seemed to want to.

After a long time, Nyxaris’s voice returned to my mind, quieter this time.Does it frighten you?

I blinked.What?

What you’ve learned about me,he clarified, his voice strained.Do you fear me now?

I almost laughed. I had good reason to fear him before. But I knew what he meant. Did I fear him? The image of him raining down fire on riders and dragons flashed through my mind. But he’d also shielded me from the Tribunal’s wrath. He’d never harmed me.

I don’t know what to think, I admitted.I made you a promise. I told you I’d help you find out what happened to you and the others. I still intend to do that.

My words lingered in the cool night air.

A human who keeps a promise.Nyxaris made a low rumbling sound.It’s more than I could have hoped for.

My heart twisted at the melancholy I sensed behind the words.I’ll figure this out. For both our sakes. I won’t let you down.

In my heart, I knew it was true. I didn’t know exactly what we were to each other. There was no bond between us. But at some point, I’d started to think of the dragon as less of an adversary and something closer to a friend.

Sure, he might have been a mass murderer in his former life. But he had no memory of it. And after all, I didn’t come from exactly a virtuous bloodline either. My father, Arthur Pendragon, had committed terrible crimes. But in the end, he’d done something right. So, was I really one to judge? Maybe Nyxaris deserved a second chance. Maybe he’d been punished enough.

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