Page 12 of Crown of Slumber

I stiffened, glancing up. I had been so captivated by the silver dragon that I hadn’t noticed several other dragons had come toinvestigate, including the black one I’d seen roaming the skies… with the blond woman still atop him. Her wild and unruly hair had a tint of orange to it, and her bright blue eyes were blazing with accusation as they fixed on me. Her freckled nose wrinkled with disdain.

Well, shit.

I wasn’tsure how long Mal and I flew—it felt like only minutes, but I knew it had to have been an hour or more, judging by the violent shivers I couldn’t escape. Even if my mind didn’t notice the cold, my body still did. If I flew for much longer, the chills would make me sick.

With a sigh I nudged Mal’s belly with my leg. “Time to descend, Mal.”

He growled with displeasure but arced to the left, pitching downward. We’d flown too far once before, and I’d been ill for two weeks. Mal wouldn’t risk it. Not only because he cared for me, but because I was his only rider; he couldn’t bear to be grounded for that long.

Dragons didn’t necessarily need riders, but they preferred it. It made them feel safer, knowing we were on their backs. Samiria had once told me that, long ago, there had been fae beasts that roamed the skies, hunting dragons. The dragons had bonded with the fae who possessed the strongest magic and were best suited to protect them. Generations later, it was still their instinct to bond with a rider before taking to the skies.

Which made little sense to me. I had yet to manifest any fae magic, much to my confusion and frustration. I also had no memories of my childhood, which led me to believe some kind of horrible magic had manifested itself early on, and I hadn’t been strong enough to handle it.

Perhaps I was just broken.

I once tried to teach Gigi how to ride. I managed to secure heron a mild-tempered Greyback named Jorey. But once she was harnessed in the saddle, Jorey refused to move. I wasn’t sure how, but I could understand his intention: he would not ride with someone who didn’t trust him.

So, for now, I was the only rider. I tried to ride as many of them as I could to keep them content. Most often, it was just me and Mal; he was the only dragon restless enough to demand a ride every day. The others were satisfied with weekly rides. Sometimes even less frequently than that.

Mal smoothly glided through the sky, sinking lower and lower until he landed just in front of the grove. I stayed atop him as he clambered into the forest, both of us breathless from our flight.

“That was incredible, Mal,” I said with a grin, patting the side of his neck. “Your wing movement has improved. That was the smoothest ride yet.”

Instead of purring with delight, Mal’s entire body went tense and rigid. His claws dug into the soil, and his back arched with a growl. I stiffened, my legs tightening in the saddle as I scanned the forest for the threat. My skin prickled with awareness, my heart thundering.

It didn’t take long to notice the stranger. He was tall and muscular, adorned in riding leathers and polished boots. His burgundy coat was finely crafted and worthy of a high lord, at the very least. He stood by Jorey, his hand outstretched to pet the Greyback. To my surprise, the dragon lifted his head, eyes closing as he allowed this stranger to run his fingers down the silvery scales.

My eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” My voice was harsh and echoed in the forest.

The stranger turned. He had chestnut hair that swept over his forehead, mussed and untidy. His green eyes surveyed the woods with part amusement, part curiosity. His tan skin was only a few shades lighter than his hair.

“Apologies,” he said lightly. “I was on my way to the palace and found myself here. These creatures are beautiful. Quite breathtaking.”

“Step away from him,” I snarled, dismounting from my saddle and storming toward Jorey.

The man lifted his hands and withdrew from the Greyback. “Forgive me. The dragon seemed to like it. If he’d recoiled, I would have stopped.”

I faltered at that, glancing down at Jorey. His eyes had opened, his snout lifting as if searching for the warm hand that had been stroking him moments ago.

My mouth opened, then closed.

The dragonlikedthe stranger.

This had never happened before. The dragons were only ever comfortable around me and Samiria. Gigi, they tolerated, but begrudgingly.

So how had this stranger calmed them so effortlessly?

Who the hell was he… and why was he here?

My eyes swept over his belted leather tunic and vest and polished leather boots. Nobility, most likely.

My heart sank. “You are here to court the princess, then?” He was just like Sir Levin, trying to catch a glimpse of the dragons. Only this one was bold enough to sneak into the hatching grounds. Why the dragons hadn’t roasted him, I had no idea. My hand absently began stroking under Mal’s chin. He stood stiff and alert, his eyes pinned on the stranger.

“No,” the man said, straightening and placing his hands behind his back. Nobility indeed. “I’m in the Summer Court on business.”

My eyebrows lifted as I turned to face him. “Really? What kind of business?”

A wide smile spread on his face, the gesture so natural that it seemed perfectly suited to his features. As if a smile belonged there and always would. His eyes crinkled, the green in them seeming to deepen with his amusement. “Ah, well, I can’t just share all my business dealings with strangers, now, can I? Who areyou?”

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