Page 85 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

He flipped to a weathered page, covered in elegant, flowing script. “There’s a record here of a rider who struggled to bondwith their dragon. It says, ‘When the beast resists the bond, it is not always rejection. Sometimes, it is a war between the past and present. A dragon does not serve a rider who does not know who they are.’”

My stomach twisted uncomfortably. “What in the name of Korhan does that mean?”

Cordelle shrugged. “Maybe Kaelith is waiting for you to figure that out before she fully accepts you.”

I scoffed. “I know who I am.”

“Do you?” Cordelle’s voice was softer now, his gaze almost… sad. “Because you don’t act like someone who does. You fight like you’re trying to prove something. You’re loyal to a father who betrayed you. And now, you’re thinking about breaking into a dungeon because of a suspicion.”

My fingers curled into the blanket beneath me. He wasn’t wrong.

Before I could answer, Jax stepped out of the washroom, running a towel through his damp hair.

“Damn, that water’s cold as shit,” he muttered before tossing himself onto his bed.

“Where’s Tae?” I asked, eager to change the subject.

Riven smirked. “He has a... meeting with a noble from Crownwatch.”

“Zander?” I asked.

Naia waggled her brows. “Probably the lady who said hi to him the other day.”

“Oh.” I smirked. “It would have been funnier if it were Zander.”

That earned a round of laughter from the room.

Cordelle, however, just watched me, thoughtful as ever. He let the conversation flow around us, but I could tell he wasn’t going to drop this.

Jax dropped his towel and proceeded to get dressed. Most of us looked away, but Ferrula stared at him.

“It’s a shame,” she said.

“That I am so good-looking?” Jax responded as he fastened his pants.

“That we are in the same squad and that you are so young.”

Jax pulled on his shirt. “You are thirty. I’m only three years younger than you. Besides, rules were made to be bent… or broken, depending on how persuasive you are.”

Ferrula smirked. “I bet we’d break more than just protocol.”

Jax laughed, and Naia grunted. “Hell no. We are not placing do not disturb signs on the door. It’s bad enough sharing the bathroom,” she said.

“And I see enough of Jax’s naked ass,” Riven added.

“It’s actually a nice ass,” Ferrula added.

“Thank you, Ferr,” Jax said, lying down on his bunk. He turned toward us. “Cordy, what are you working on?”

Cordelle pulled out his personal journal. “I wrote another poem, do you want to hear it?”

“Of course, my man.”

Cordelle cleared his throat before he spoke.

“I reached for you with open hands,

a whisper longing to be heard.