Page 82 of A Witch and Her Dragon
But again, my gaze goes to the sky, searching unceasingly for Raelan.
Searching for my dragon.
Chapter 36
Raelan
I WAIT. I BIDE MY time. Alina needs to be far, far away. She needs to be safe.
As I’m jostled along in the back of the wagon, each bump rougher than the last, I think about the decisions I’ve made, the choices that have been laid out before me.
When the king first called me into his study to assign me the duty of being Alina’s knight, I could’ve told him no. I had every opportunity to tell him the truth. But I was terrified of how he’d react—perhaps unnecessarily so. Since picking me up off the streets of Wysteria when I was just a boy, he’s shown me nothing but kindness and understanding. My time training in his guard hasn’t always been easy, and I had to struggle at first to catch up to the other boys in my group, the ones who’d been training since they were seven, but he was always there, always watching, always encouraging me to do my best.
And I realize now that he was instrumental in molding me into the man I’ve become.
Maybe part of my secrecy was not wanting to disappoint him. I felt almost ashamed for having discovered my bond with Alina, some voice deep inside telling me I’d never be good enough for her. She’s a princess, and I’m just a man who has to fight day in and day out to keep a beast locked inside.
My dragon snarls at that thought. It wants to be free. It yearns for it, like any caged thing. And rightly so. We all want freedom.
In my lap, my fingers curl into tight fists.
When first presented with the Veiled Hand’s letter, the king seemed hesitant to acquiesce to their demand, though I could see the pain in his eyes. At the end of the day, Alina will always be more important to him,shouldalways be more important to him, yet I knew it pained him to think he’d have to trade me for her.
And seeing that, I knew that I’d misunderstood him all along.
I recall what he said in the study just before the letter arrived.
Son, I don’t go back on my promises.
He ensured me my family will be safe. And with that final chain having been snapped, I feel I am finally free to do what I must.
And I must fight back.
We have been traveling for some time now. And with Alina traveling in the opposite direction, putting twice theamount of distance between us, I am no longer in danger of hurting her.
Which means it’s time.
All the rage I’ve been fighting to keep locked inside, all the yearning and heartbreak and terrible anger, is finally allowed to flood through my body.
Immediately, my skin warms, my heart starting to pound. The chain about my neck burns.
But this time, I don’t try to clamp down on my magic, don’t attempt to force it into submission. This time, I will fight to break free. It’s my only chance.
My dragon coils. I call to it, trying to pull it through my bones. It snarls and writhes. It wants to tear through me, to shatter these chains into a million pieces, to deliver justice upon those who dared touch my princess.
My mate.
The chain burns hotter. It scalds me, sending the scent of charred flesh up my nostrils, undoing all the careful work Alina did in trying to heal me.
Still, I draw on my magic. I imagine bursting free, unfurling my wings, screaming my anger into the sky.
Faster, faster. My heart is galloping now.
The sizzle of magic against my throat makes me scream. It’s excruciating.
Somewhere outside the enclosed wagon, someone asks, “What was that?”
“Should we check on him?” another voice says.
