Page 43 of Golden Queen (Idrigard #1)

I laughed uncomfortably, having once again forgotten the ever-present cuffs that had been on my wrists for as long as I could remember. "It's intended to be protective, though I don't know whether it really does anything at all."

"In Nightfall, the only ones who wear these cuffs are bound criminals—people who have been judged guilty of a crime and had their magic bound while they serve their sentence in prison."

I pulled my hand back, toying with the golden cuff, somewhat offended by the implication.

"The rulers of Windemere have worn them—"

She cut me off. "Are you sure, Your Majesty? Because I have never heard this about the kings of the Godsgrass Kingdom."

"What are you implying?" I asked, more than slightly annoyed at her tone by then.

She smiled. "I am not implying that you are a criminal," she laughed. "I am sorry. Sometimes I am much too blunt. Juriae is always chastising me to take more care with my words."

She reached down and took my hand again, placing her other one on the skin above my shirt collar. She let just her fingertips touch the flesh over the hollow at the base of my throat and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she said, "What I am implying, dear sweet girl, is that someone has bound you just the same."

"I'm not—" I began, but the words cut off abruptly as some memory came back to me—something buried in my mind.

A flower, dead and wilted, hanging down the side of a crystal vase. And then it wasn't anymore. It stood straight and pure white, the petals fanning out in a lovely halo around the black center. And Markus was angry—angrier than the small version of me had ever seen him.

I shook off the thought, even as another began to filter in; glass raining down onto the head of that sniveling Tudemond of Balus who had the nerve to pinch me under my arm when I would not show him my teeth.

Cazmiri's eyes softened. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "Take them off Aelia of Windemere. Show them who you really are."

And then she swept out into the hall before I could formulate a response.

By the time we reached the top of the sweeping staircase under that glittering crystal chandelier, I had once again forgotten about the gold cuffs that lay on my wrists.

Io stood at the bottom of the stairs. His dark eyes slid up to meet mine, watching me as I descended. The look sent some delicious jolt of warmth running down to my toes.

I took the hand he offered, and we left the manor house, angling down the steps and striding to the western side of the property.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Just past the trees," he said, giving me a grin that told me he wouldn't tell me more. I had my suspicions, though, as we entered the forest I could still hardly believe existed in my crowded city.

Soft, green-tinted light filtered in from the thick canopy overhead. Long, draping vines dangled from branches; moss, lichen, and rich loamy earth underfoot—things that I had sadly only ever read about—things that made me realize how sheltered I had truly always been.

The trees began to thin, and my first glimpse past them confirmed my suspicion. Dark, inky-black scales ran down the huge body of a dragon slumbering in the sunshine streaming through a break in the trees.

The clearing was small. I could see broken branches all around the edges where his huge body had apparently crashed through, taking parts of the forest down with him.

He was alone, and I wondered for a moment where the other dragons were. But then my mind was cleared as Io pulled me past the last of the trees, and Veles swung his big head around to look at me.

Io didn't hesitate. His steps did not even falter as he approached the beast, who was large enough to swallow us both, probably without even noticing as we slid down his massive throat.

But I did hesitate, pulling on the hand that was clasped in mine.

Io smiled. "Don't worry. He will all but ignore you. He rarely lowers himself to notice anyone, but even if he does, he won't harm you since you're with me."

"Would he if I was not with you? Taiger said dragons don't harm people." I thought my voice sounded a tad frantic to my ears.

"Not on purpose," he said with an apologetic grin. "But even so, Veles is a grumpy old dog. I would not approach him alone."

I still hesitated, so Io turned to me, giving me a look. "Do you really think I would put you in any danger, Sera?"

I smiled wanly. "No."

I reluctantly allowed him to lead me forward. Veles was watching us warily as we approached. His massive green and gold-flecked eye tracked me across the clearing. When we were no more than a yard away, he lifted his head and pointed it directly at me.

Enormous nostrils flared as a low, deep rumble sounded in his body, seeming to vibrate the ground under our feet.

Io raised his hand as though to pat the dragon, but he stilled it in midair as Veles angled his head more fully in my direction, scenting me.

Warm air buffeted my face as his big head came even closer, and then my own hands were on his massive face as Veles pushed against me, almost purring like a cat.

His scales were smooth and bumpy—like living stone as I ran my hand along his snout.

I laughed as he shoved against me, nearly sending me off my feet. "Hello to you too, Veles.”

I turned to find Io watching me with a mixture of shock and pleasure. "He...apparently likes you." He shook his head wonderingly.

Veles huffed. The force of air from his massive nostrils startled another laugh from me. I almost would have believed he was agreeing with Io's assessment.

The dragon raised his head high above me abruptly, forcing me back a step.

He shook, a single quick turn of his head back and forth, and then he turned to move away.

I thought perhaps the introduction was over and he was leaving, but then he slid his head and neck down to the ground, lowering his entire body until I saw the black leather straps of his saddle just before me.

I looked at Io, hardly daring to believe what I was seeing. "Is he...?"

"Offering you a fucking ride?" Io finished, his face a mask of shock. He looked at Veles, puzzled, and I knew why. A bonded Darkwatch dragon did not suffer another on his back. I had known that even before Taiger explained it.

Darkwatch dragons were proud creatures—not to be mistaken for dragons like mine who were more in service to their masters. Darkwatch dragons bonded deeply with their rider, and they would never suffer under the yoke of any other, even for a short ride.

The orphaned baby Taiger had been the sole exception to the rule when Veles had carried Io and the child back to Dragon's Reach.

I looked at the saddle, terror and exhilaration warring in my chest. "Can I?" I asked.

Io laughed. That laugh—the one that perhaps I now knew had been the sound of my own heart shattering into pieces so that it could be remade around the image of him with that smile spread across his gorgeous face.

"After you, Dragon Tamer," he said, with a flourish.