Page 24 of Wicked Depths

I push off the chaise. "I’m coming with you."

She stops, looking over her shoulder.

"No."

I blink. "No?"

"You will stay here."

I scoff. "I will not."

Nyxara’s glare sharpens. "I will not waste time keeping you alive while I fight."

I lift my chin, voice a quiet challenge. "Then don’t waste time at all."

Her claws twitch. "This is not a game, Vaela."

"Oh, but it is," I counter, stepping forward. "And we are playing it together, remember?"

Her eyes flash with something close to rage. "I will not be responsible for your death."

"You won’t have to be. I can take care of myself."

She lets out a sharp, humorless laugh. "You think I’ll risk you using this as another attempt to escape?"

"You truly don’t listen, do you?" I take another step, my voice dropping lower, softer but no less dangerous. "I can’t leave. I won’t break our bargain. I gave you my word. Do you doubt me already, Dragon Queen?"

Her jaw clenches.

I press the advantage. "How am I supposed to help you win this war if you refuse to let me leave the castle?"

Silence stretches between us.

"Fine," she bites out.

Satisfaction curls through me. I follow her out of the chamber, down the winding halls, through the open doors to the courtyard. She exhales slowly, bracing herself. Then, her form shifts.

The sound of cracking bone, the rush of heat, the surge of magic.

Black scales ripple over her skin, spreading like liquid obsidian. Her body stretches, twisting, growing. Wings unfurl, vast and powerful. Emerald eyes blaze with fire and hunger. Talons scrape against stone, and her tail flicks, powerful and deadly.

She is magnificent.

Nyxara lowers herself.

"Get on."Nyxara’s voice commands in my mind.

I don’t hesitate. The moment I climb onto her back, her wings beat hard, lifting us into the sky. The castle vanishes beneath us, the trees a blur of green and shadow. The wind whips against my skin, the scent of rain thick in the air. I grip the ridges of her scales, exhilaration thrumming in my veins. Below, the forest stretches vast and endless.

I lean forward, pressing against the warmth of Nyxara’s body.

"Let’s hunt."

She tucks her wings and dives.

The air howls around us, whipping through my hair as we plummet toward the earth. I press myself tighter against the scaled ridge of her back, my arms locked around her as the speed steals the breath from my lungs. Below, the vast sprawl of Nyxara’s realm stretches endlessly in every direction, an untamed, hauntingly beautiful expanse of deep, mist-draped forests and rolling black hills. The rivers carve silver veins through the landscape, glinting beneath the pale light of the moon feeds into vast lakes that shimmer like obsidian glass.

It’s breathtaking—wild and vast, untouched by human greed. A realm ruled by magic. By creatures of legend. By her. And yet, humans have dared to trespass.

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