Page 23 of Tempest Rising

Theron turned to face me, his expression hardening once more. “This is where riders who have already bonded with their dragons train. There are no second chances here, Tess. You screw up—you get hurt. Or worse.”

I felt a jolt of nervousness, but I refused to let it show. “I’m not afraid,” I said, my voice steady.

His eyes darkened, and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of something—concern, maybe, though it vanished just as quickly. “We’ll see about that. Let's begin your assessment.”

Without warning, Theron snapped his fingers, and the air around us seemed to vibrate. A moment later, a loud, deafening roar echoed through the Arena, and I instinctively braced myself as a massive form swooped down from the sky.

Chapter 10

Theron

There Tess stood—small, fragile, and yet somehow unafraid. She looked up at Yrden with that irritating mix of awe and certainty, as if she hadn’t yet grasped the weight of what it meant to stand here, in this arena, with a dragon like him.

She shouldn’t have been so calm. Yrden wasn’t a creature to be taken lightly. But there she was, smiling up at him like they were old friends.

"This one is bold, Theron,"Yrden’s voice resonated through my mind, deep and gravelly, like the rumbling of an avalanche. Despite the gruffness of his tone, there was a hint of interest—a spark of curiosity that rarely surfaced except in battle."She doesn't cower. I like that."

I clenched my fists, hating the slight jolt of heat that spread through my chest at Yrden's observation.Get it together.“Don’t get attached,” I thought back testily, keeping my mental tone sharp. Yrden didn’t need to indulge her foolishness. "She has no idea what she’s doing."

"Perhaps not,"Yrden replied, his molten amber eyes glinting as steam curled from his nostrils."But ignorance is not the same as weakness. Strength comes in many forms, Theron. Even you were once untested."

He wasn’t wrong, but I hated hearing it. Tess’s stubbornness was one thing—I could chalk it up to youthful determination. But Yrden’s approval? No. That was rare, and it unnerved me.

Yrden let out a low rumble, his massive head dipping slightly in acknowledgment.

I felt the tension in my jaw tighten. Yrden wasn’t usually this friendly. He was a dragon of few affections, a beast who had seen more battle than most in his long lifespan. He wasn’t supposed to be making exceptions.

Not for her.

And neither was I.

Yet here I was, betraying myself all over again with a sharp, visceral pull I couldn’t quite shove down.

Tess.

My traitorous gaze locked on her, tracing every seemingly effortless movement—the subtle curve of her shoulders as she stood firm, the braid loosely keeping back that maddening cascade of wavy brown hair with its rebellious streaks of purple. All it would take was the faintest brush of wind to scatter it again.

I closed my eyes for half a second, hoping the fleeting image might burn itself away. But it didn’t. Nothing about her ever did.

Yrden’s molten presence felt like an inferno beside her, yet she stood there—still and unwavering. I exhaled sharply as I folded my arms, careful to keep my irritation tightly bound within my chest. But my magic betrayed me—intangible and unpredictable, it stirred faintly, reacting to her like it had found some kind of match. It felt like a tether I couldn’t sever, no matter how much I tried.

I fought the rising frustration at the thought. She’s human—idiotically fragile in our world. My instincts for protection, my need to guide, were just that. Instinct. Obligation at best.It’s not her fire—her maddening resilience. It’s certainly not…

No. I wasn’t going there.

“Go ahead,” I said, my voice emerging rougher than I intended. My arms tightened across my chest, as if crossing them might shield me from my own turmoil. “You seem to think you can handle this, so let’s see it.”

Tess turned to me, her golden-brown eyes locking onto mine with a flash of challenge that stole the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Defiance glinted behind them, a stubborn promise that she refused to let me intimidate her.

Damn it. That look.

I felt my jaw tighten instinctively at her audacity. I should have been angry—furious that she continued to push past boundaries she didn’t fully understand. I was furious. And yet, buried within the searing pulse of that fury lived something far more primal.

Something dangerous.

Her steps were hesitant now, her shoes dragging slightly in the sand. But like hell if that would stop her. Tess squared her shoulders, exhaling deeply as she approached Yrden with her hand raised, her palm open in quiet offering. The curve of her fingers trembled—subtle, but there. And yet, despite the flicker of vulnerability, she carried herself with the calm resolve of someone determined to tame a storm.

Without thinking, my fingers flexed until they curled into fists, a traitorous rush of heat rippling through me. Whether it was anger or something darker, I couldn’t tell anymore. Yrden’senormous snout dipped until it hovered just inches from her palm, his molten gaze narrowing in earnest curiosity.

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