Page 3 of Realms of Swords and Storms (Empire of Vengeance #3)

T he sun was high in the sky, its warmth beating down on my bare skin when Sirrax finally woke me, his long tongue buried deep inside me.

Still highly sensitive, I cried out, but this time he was gentle, and the climax that consumed me was more like a refreshing wave than the torrents of the night before.

When his mouth finally left me, I lay there, panting and staring up at the sky. The reality of what we'd done—what I'd done—crashed over me, and I sat up with a jolt.

"We need to go back," I whispered, though the thought of returning to the Academy filled me with dread. "They'll notice we're missing."

Sirrax propped himself on one elbow, tracing lazy patterns across my stomach with his fingertips.

"Don't want to go back," he growled, his golden eyes narrowing. "Academy is prison."

I reached up and touched his face with my fingers.

“We need to go back, Sirrax. We can’t stay here.”

I looked around at our little clearing, suddenly aware of how exposed we were. "And I have no clothes."

Sirrax's lips curved into a predatory smile. "Good. Stay naked. Mine to see."

"Be serious," I said, trying to sound stern despite the heat rising to my cheeks. "What are we going to do? I can't exactly walk back into the Academy with a naked Talfen man and no dragon."

His expression darkened. "Can change back. Hate it, but can."

"You can change at will?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded, though his jaw tightened. "Collar forces form. Without, can choose." He reached out, tracing the bite mark on my neck with gentle fingers.

I sat up, wincing at the pleasant soreness between my thighs. "What happens if they find out your collar is gone?”

His expression darkened. "Kill. Or worse." He touched his neck where the collar had been. "New collar. Stronger. Mind-bind."

Sirrax rose to his feet in one fluid motion, his midnight skin gleaming in the sunlight.

He looked even more magnificent in daylight—all lean muscle and sharp angles, his white hair falling past his shoulders in tangled ropes that seemed to only add to his wildness, but that suited him.

I watched as he bent down and picked up the massive iron collar, frowning.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“Fix, but keep broken.” He looked down at me. “They see collar, not know I can change.”

I nodded.

"It's a good plan. It'll buy us time," I said. I looked over at my ruined clothing scattered across the grass. "But I still need something to wear."

Sirrax's eyes raked over me, hot and possessive. "Mate beautiful without coverings."

"Flattering, but not helpful," I said, trying to gather the tattered remains of my riding clothes. They were beyond repair, shredded by his impatient hands. "I can't return to the Academy naked."

“Fly back, find clothes in stables?”

“I suppose we’ll have to. I’ll just have to be careful no one sees me.”

I stood, wincing slightly at the soreness between my thighs, evidence of our night together. "We'll need to be careful. If anyone suspects what you really are..."

He stepped closer, his heat enveloping me as he pulled me against his chest. "Kill them all."

"Sirrax!" I pushed against him, though I might as well have tried to move a mountain. "You can't just kill everyone who threatens us."

His golden eyes narrowed. "Can. Will. Protect mate."

I sighed, resting my forehead against his chest. How could I explain the complexities of human society to someone who had been trapped in dragon form for who knew how long?

"Violence isn't always the answer. Sometimes subtlety works better."

He made a dismissive sound, but his arms tightened around me. "Your way, then. For now."

I pulled back to look up at him. "How long have you been... like this? Trapped?"

Pain flashed across his features. "Many seasons. Caught young. Collar forced. Trained." His jaw tightened. "Broken."

My heart ached for him. I reached up to touch his face, tracing the sharp lines of his cheekbones and jawline.

"You're not broken," I whispered fiercely. "You're magnificent."

His eyes softened at my words, and he bent to capture my lips in a kiss that was surprisingly gentle compared to the savagery of the night before. When he pulled away, there was something vulnerable in his expression.

"Mate heals," he said simply.

A lump formed in my throat. This creature—this man—had endured captivity, torture, and humiliation for years, forced to serve the very Empire that had stolen his freedom. And yet here he was, looking at me as though I were his salvation.

The implications of what he'd told me were staggering. How many dragons at the Academy were like him? How many Talfen had been enslaved, their true nature hidden behind iron collars? The thought made me sick.

"We need to free the others," I said, sudden determination filling me.

Sirrax's eyes widened slightly. "Dangerous."

"So is everything worth doing," I replied. "I won't leave them enslaved now that I know the truth."

A slow smile spread across his face, fierce and proud. "This why mate. Brave heart."

The sudden sound of distant voices froze us both. We turned toward the source—somewhere beyond the trees that surrounded our clearing.

"Imperial soldiers," Sirrax growled, his body tensing. "Patrol."

Panic flared in my chest. "They can't find us like this."

Sirrax nodded, stepping back from me. "Change now. Fast."

I watched, mesmerized, as his body began to shift.

Unlike the painful transformation of the night before, this one seemed smoother, more controlled.

His skin rippled, expanding outward as his form grew.

Bones elongated, muscles bulged and reshaped.

He grew larger, limbs elongating, face extending into a muzzle.

Wings erupted from his back, unfurling like great sails.

Within moments, the man was gone, replaced by the massive dragon I had known for months.

Sirrax lowered his head, nuzzling against my naked body with familiar affection. The sensation was different now, knowing what I did, knowing who he truly was. I stroked his muzzle, marvelling at the strangeness of it all.

Bending down, I picked up the iron collar from the ground where he’d dropped it and set it around his neck once again. Pulling some leather cord from my riding clothes, I bound it tightly, holding it in place, but making sure the two ends didn’t meet.

A wave of revulsion passed through me at the thought of putting him back in chains, but I pushed it aside. For now, survival meant secrecy.

Quickly, I pulled on what was left of my clothes. I wasn’t exactly decent but at a glance when I was high up on his back, people might not notice.

"Let's go," I said, climbing onto his back.

The feel of his scales against my bare skin was a strange new sensation—familiar yet utterly different after knowing the man beneath the dragon. I could feel his muscles coiling beneath me as he prepared to launch us into the air.

The voices grew closer, and Sirrax tensed, his head swinging toward the tree line. I leaned low against his neck, aware of my complete vulnerability.

"Go," I whispered urgently. "Now!"

He launched himself skyward, wings beating powerfully as we rose above the trees. Below us, I could just make out the glint of armour as Imperial soldiers moved through the forest.

Too close. We'd been too careless.

The wind whipped against my naked skin as we soared higher, the chill making me shiver despite the heat radiating from Sirrax's body.

I pressed myself flat against him, trying to absorb his warmth while remaining as inconspicuous as possible.

The thought of someone looking up and seeing a nearly naked woman riding a black dragon was almost laughable, if it weren't so dangerous.

The morning air stung my skin, but I barely noticed it, my mind racing with everything that had happened, everything I'd learned.

Dragons were Talfen. Talfen could become dragons.

The Empire had enslaved an entire race, forcing them into animal forms to use as weapons, as mounts, as beasts of burden.

The revelation made my blood boil with fury.

I'd thought I understood the Empire's cruelty when they'd enslaved me, but this. .. this was beyond comprehension

We flew fast and high, the Academy coming into view as the sun climbed higher in the sky. The familiar spires and training grounds looked different to me now—no longer a place of learning but a prison where beings like Sirrax were enslaved for Imperial glory.

How will we fix the collar? I thought to myself. I couldn’t bear the idea of entrapping him once again, even if I did steal time away from the academy to let him have his freedom.

Metal bends. Will make look whole but catch will stay broken.

I physically jumped at the sound of his voice in my head, and the rumble of laughter that came from his chest vibrated up my legs.

You can hear my thoughts?

That's how bonding works, little mate. We are one now.

I grinned.

We are going to leave everyone at the academy in the dust. Then my smile faded. It’s a shame each dragon and rider at the academy weren’t mates. It would be so much more effective if each pair could share thoughts, especially in battle.

Not need to mate to bond. Different, but still hear.

So a rider could bond with their dragon but not be their mate.

Is so.

Then why doesn’t the Empire allow the real bond between dragon and rider?

Collar stop shifting, also stop bonding. If bond allowed, dragon tell rider of shifting.

Of course, I realised. The Empire couldn’t allow their precious secret to get out.

They couldn’t admit that the Talfen they fought could be captured and forced into this kind of slavery, or that the Talfen had dragons of their own.

It would cause panic. Imperial citizens already believed the Talfen were monsters.