Page 105 of A Bond so Fierce and Fragile

“I. Am. No. Princess. I seek no power. And I wouldnevertake away your choice. Never!” She hated how her lip trembled at the end, but Auphore was getting too close to her own frustrations.

She was the one without a choice.

“The stone chose her,” Merrick growled. “It was for a fucking reason it chose her—chose anyone!—for the first time in centuries. If Rioner and the others win, they’ll come for you. He doesn’t like having enemies—albeit enemies in hiding—anywhere in the world. He’ll kill every last one of you.”

Ydren let out a soft whimper, and on reflex, Lessia stretched out her hand to place it on the wyvern’s snout.

Ydren didn’t like this, either, and Lessia could tell it unsettled her, being this close to her own species—the sense of not belonging anywhere radiated from the creature right into Lessia’s heart.

“Who is that?” Auphore demanded. “Who are you, young wyvern?”

“Her name is Ydren,” Lessia answered when Ydren refused to even look his way, the younger wyvern shaking so hard the water around the ship was disturbed.

“I saved her,” Raine added. “Her mother and family were captured in the last war, and a group of shifters killed them. I was able to get Ydren out, and she’s been staying with me ever since.”

Auphore didn’t look at Raine as he spoke again. “But you’ve chosenher? Answer me, young one!”

One nod was what Ydren gave him, and Lessia moved closer to her, not fully understanding whatYou’ve chosen hermeant, but feeling some type of way all the same.

“Why? Why her?” Auphore began swimming closer before Lessia ordered “Stop!” as she pulled at the gilded thread she could still feel whispering between her fingers.

“You will not hurt her, or any of the others here.” Lessia didn’t recognize her voice as the words left her lips.

It was cold and demanding and… sounded all too similar to her uncle’s.

Auphore’s eyes went between her and the violet wyvern, his maw opening and closing the same way his leathery wings did.

Merrick made a move to say something, but Lessia placed her other hand on his arm and shook her head. She didn’t know why, but she could feel that Auphore needed the time.

Her eyes flicked to Frelina and Raine, and they seemed to understand what she wanted as well, moving their gazes to watch the group of wyverns around them instead.

Lessia counted her heartbeats while she waited.

Thud.

Thud-thud.

Thud.

She’d counted all the way to a thousand when Auphore finally spoke again.

“For the young one, we will come as witnesses.”

Her brows furrowed as she lifted her gaze to the wyvern elder. “What does that mean?”

“If you allow Ydren to come back to her family, we will come to the battle. We will stand behind your army, every single one of us. But we will not fight.”

“You…” Merrick seethed, but Lessia squeezed his arm again.

“Thank you,” she said quickly.

She’d take it. Rioner wouldn’t know the wyverns weren’t going to fight, and it might scare enough of his people that they could take out the others.

Lessia shot Ydren a quick look when a strangled, sorrow-filled sound vibrated in her long throat. “But Ydren decides for herself if she wants to go. If she wants to stay with us after—that is up to her.”

“We would never force her. We just want our family together. You, out of anyone, should understand.” Auphore bowed his head for a moment before whipping it back forcefully, and by the way the wyverns dispersed, Lessia guessed it was some kind of order to leave. “I heard you’re heading to the Lakes of Mirrors. May I suggest Ydren stays with us for that? It’s quite… uncomfortable over there.”

Lessia tried to ignore the urge to ask if she could also stay—hide under the protection of these beasts forever.