Page 45 of Three Scorched Kingdoms

She tosses me a smirk before turning back to the empty stalls.

“One, two… Six. There are six dragons in your family?”

“There were. A few generations back. But not since then.”

“So many,” she murmurs.

“Now, only two.” I can’t stop myself from wincing. “And if we don’t win my crown back from the council, we may be the last.”

She places a hand on my arm. “You will. We will,” she corrects. “Together.”

I wait for her to mention the library, but she doesn’t, and I exhale. It’s a problem that isn’t going to fix itself, but I don’t want to think about it today. “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?”

I wink. “A ride.”

I watch as the innuendo sinks in. Her cheeks flush, and she glances around, her voice hushed as she says, “This isn’t any better than our bedroom. Not when anyone could walk in and see us.”

“Which is why I was thinking I’d shift and you could fly with me for a bit.”

“Oh!” She winces, and her cheeks are as red as tomatoes. “Ah, can you forget I just said all that?”

“Not a chance,” I say smugly. “Besides, you’re on the right track. That’s still the end goal.”

She groans and then looks around again, but we’re completely alone here—for the moment. I step into the stall before I can change my mind and hike her dress up against one of these walls. When I begin stripping out of my clothes, Paige’s expression pinches.

“Um, is there a saddle? Or a harness or something?”

“Nope.”

“How am I supposed to hang on?”

“I won’t let you fall.”

“And if I happen to, you’ll catch me with your claws and not impale me.” She gulps.

“If you’re too scared to, I understand,” I say in the same tone I would use with Leo when I want to goad him into doing a dare.

“I’m not a child,” she protests, eyes narrowing. “And I’m not falling for that tone either.”

“So you don’t want to see the kingdom you’re going to rule someday?”

“No, I want to.” She bites her lip. “Will we only fly near the castle?”

“We will not go near the orcs,” I assure her.

“What if I want us to?” she asks.

I shake my head, ready to argue if necessary. “You aren’t ready to fight them yet.”

“I’m not asking to fight. I just… I want to see their camp—and their weapons—for myself. If I’m going to damage them, I need to know how to prepare. How to hit them and where.”

I remember what she did to the birdhouse and nod slowly. “All right. I’ll take us as close as I can without being spotted.”

“Thank you.”

I bring her hand to my mouth and brush a kiss over her knuckles. “I’m not sure I could refuse you anything. Now, do you trust me to take you for a ride?”

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