Page 18 of Court of Secrets and Flames (Dragons of Tirene #2)

Chapter Eighteen

Golden light spills across the sky as I sprint to the fire paddock and its vast expanse of scorched earth and soot-covered stones. Last night’s chill still clings to the early-morning air, but the day’s warmth is already creeping in. I suck up the scent of charred wood and smoke while I hurry to meet the dragons, who’ve banded together to pummel me nonstop with flying images and emotions since the moment they ripped me from a peaceful sleep.

A fresh wave of eagerness slams into me, buzzing through my veins with dizzying force. On my way out of the castle, I debated on stopping to find coffee, but now I’m glad I skipped it. Any more stimulants and I’d probably be hurling in the bushes.

I burst into the paddock to find the reddish-brown female who joined my flight with the orange dragon. “Okay, I’m here! Where’s the fire?” I remember who—or more accurately, what—I’m talking to and cringe. “Just, never mind that last part. What I meant was, what’s the big hurry?”

Not that I need to correct myself since she can’t understand me. Supposedly.

Though I do sometimes wonder if the dragons have a much better grasp of our than they let on.

The female stretches her neck up toward the sky, her pale yellow belly a stark contrast against the ash and blood covered ground. Her yellow wings unfurl like sails catching dawn’s first blush as she swings her massive head toward me. A puff of steam blasts my face.

Lowering her head until it’s level with mine, she regards me with an unblinking golden gaze.

With invisible fingers plucking at my nerves, I dip my chin and wait out the inspection.

After mere seconds, the formidable dragon chuffs and stalks toward me. A silent agreement passes between us as her intent becomes clear.

She will be my mount today.

Impatience sweeps through me, and she chuffs again.

I’m pretty sure that’s dragon for “quit standing around and grinning like an idiot and get your ass in gear.”

My back shrieks in pain as I scale the leg she extends to mount her. The dragon shifts beneath me before I’m fully seated, yanking a yelp from me and a quick repositioning as she lurches forward. Muscles coiled, she launches into the sky, her powerful wings beating out a rhythm that thrums through my bones.

We rise, higher and higher, the palace shrinking below us until it’s no more than a toy castle nestled near the mountains. The horizon unfolds in all its glory, the sun a molten orb spilling golden light over the world.

Here, among the clouds, I let the wind chase away the stress of failed abductions, unfamiliar surroundings, and confused hearts. None of that can reach us up here, where I’m untethered. Unburdened. A creature of the sky.

The dragon’s joy mirrors my own, and I draw strength from her confidence. Air whips through the loose tendrils of my hastily assembled braid, offering me peekaboo views of green and brown patchwork land stitched together by threads of silver rivers and winding roads.

Excitement and pride thrum from her, louder than the wind, along with an image of a scaled egg. When I put the pieces together, I can’t hold back a little squeal.

“You’re pregnant! Congratulations!”

Wait, does one congratulate a pregnant dragon? Oh well, too late to second guess now.

I can’t wait to see her baby.

She snorts, a puff of smoke curling from her nostrils. A twinge of unease knots in my stomach when I realize that I know next to nothing about dragon gestation or child-rearing practices. How long does a dragon pregnancy last? And once the eggs come out, how long until they hatch? Do mated dragons remain together forever or part after breeding? What do hatchlings eat?

So embarrassing. Only a really shitty dragoncaller wouldn’t know the answers to such simple questions. I have a lot of catching up to do.

She catches the thermal currents, and we ascend higher, the earth stretching out beneath us like a painter’s canvas. The dragon responds with a gentle tilt of her wings, banking toward the light of the rising sun.

We soar together, two hearts beating as one, and joy bubbles up in my chest. “I’ve got to admit, when we first hit the air today, I was a little bent out of shape. With the way you and your scaly friends were invading my brain this morning, I thought there was some kind of emergency.”

She jerks her head and arches her back, the powerful ripple traveling down her spine. “Yes, I get it now. This is really nice. But maybe we could sleep in just a little longer next time? I could definitely use more?—”

A shriek from my own lips cuts off that thought when, out of nowhere, the dragon barrel spins and launches me off her back. For a fraction of an instant, my body feels weightless.

Then gravity seizes me, and I fall from the sky, the rushing air drowning out everything else while pain explodes through my body like a sudden hurricane.

The dragon’s red scales gleam in a sunbeam above me, where she’s hovering like everything’s fine.

After all the attacks and assassination attempts, the thing that’s going to end me is a godsdamned dragon joyride.

And I didn’t even get a chance to say my goodbyes.