Page 41 of I Dream of Dragons

“No, but like with Remi… I had a hunch you could do it.” His shock gives way to pleasure, judging from the tilt of his lips, and a hint of an emotion I can’t name warms his dark eyes. Pride? It can’t be. “Though I still don’t know how you can.”

I debate telling him that I also heardhisvoice inside my head, but as he turns something catches the light on his neck. Scales? I reach out and touch them, follow them with my fingertip up to his jaw. “Scales… You’re finnfolk, too?”

“It’s not scales, it’s just marks.” A stillness comes over him. He moves subtly away. “What do you mean by ‘too’?”

I swallow hard. “You know what I am.”

“Do I? I have a pattern of scales on my skin because I’m Athdara, the dragon speaker, because I carry Phaethon inside me, but you… You’re human. You were under a spell, but you are yourself, you’re human, and?—”

“I’m not mortal,” I whisper.

“I know that,” he snaps. He was pale before but now his skin is a stark white under the black swirls on his cheekbones. “I know. Fuck… What was I thinking? Of course you’re not mortal.”

Movement out of the corner of my eye distracts me, and I turn toward the drak only to find him slowly, painstakingly lowering himself to the ground. Like an oversized dog preparing for a long wait. Even the way he lowers his head between his front legs reminds me of the palace dogs back home.

But Jai puts a heavy hand on my arm, strong fingers gripping painfully. “Don’t toy with me, don’t… Rae, please. Don’t lie about this. Tell me the truth. Are you finnfolk?”

“How do you think I pulled you up from the deep?”

He flinches. “White hair,” he whispers, barely audible. “Like something old and dead.”

The horror in his dark eyes chills me. I never thought my true nature would disgust him so much. I never thought he’d flinch from me.

I also never thought I’d care how he feels about me, yet here we are.

Regretfully, I shrug his hand off me. “You’re not the only one who died and came back, it’s not your privilege, you?—”

“You’re not…” His shadows writhe around him, slamming into the drak who lets out a screech, shoving more loose earth and rocks over the edge of the platform. A whirlwind is forming around him, lifting his hair. “Not her.”

I recoil. “Calm down. Jai…”

His fists clench and unclench at his sides, a low growl rumbling out of his chest. He looks like a feral beast straining at the leash. The shadows still whip around him, still send pebbles crashing.

After long moments, he grimaces and lets out a long breath. “My mistake.” The wind drops, the shadows dissipate. “Since I saw you I thought time can turn back. But that’s not possible.”

I shake my head. I still don’t know why he’s so upset. “No, it’s not.”

His fists clench and unclench at his sides.

“The key,” he says after a while. His voice is as curt as it is hoarse. “It will help you ride the drak. I never use one.”

“But you’re a dragon summoner.”

He inclines his head in a slight nod, face still hard. “I am, though as you know that’s Phaethon’s power, seeping into me. Use the key to lock the harness, and don’t let go of the reins. Keep your knees tucked in and your head low.”

“I’ve ridden horses,” I say, pulling the key out of my belt.

He gives a dry, incredulous laugh. “I bet you have. But if it escaped your Godsdamned attention, draks aren’t horses. The wind factor matters, as does the speed. Trust me on this.”

I would. He’s not only a dragon speaker, but also a dragon rider. He knows what he’s talking about.

I’m still confused and angry about his previous reaction, though, so I lift my chin and look away without replying.

Stop it, I chide myself.You thought he’d guessed already what you are, but he hadn’t. That’s hardly grounds for a dispute. After all, you wanted to keep your nature a secret.

Do I trust him not to go tell the king about me? About his help, about the drak he called down for me?

No choice but to put my faith in him now, right?