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DETECT HALF-TRUTHS (WHILE TRAINING YOUR DRAGON)

ARABELLA

I wiped soot from my face and let out a ragged breath.

“Nyx!” I shouted, voice cracking. “Control the flame. Don’t just?—”

Too late. The dummy erupted into a bright column that singed my eyebrows and filled the courtyard with thick smoke. My skin prickled from the heat, sweat trickling between my shoulder blades. I coughed, waving my arms to clear the air.

“Dammit,” I muttered, dropping what remained of the charred pole. “That’s the third one today.”

Nyx perched on her haunches, swishing her tail in smug satisfaction. If dragons could smirk, she was definitely smirking at me.

“Don’t give me that look,” I warned, wiping my hands on my grimy leathers. “We agreed on controlled bursts, remember? Small. Precise.” I held my thumb and forefinger barely an inch apart. “Not ‘incinerate-everything-within-reach.’”

An amused snort escaped Nyx’s nostrils, accompanied by a puff of smoke.

In the short time since Kazimir gave her to me, she’d nearly doubled in size and now stood as tall as my shoulder, wings sturdy and broad enough to force the beastmaster to reinforce the stable doors.

Her attitude had grown right along with her wingspan.

“At least you hit the target this time,” I added drily, “sort of.”

Nyx let out a low rumble, her version of a laugh. Through our connection, I felt bubbles of glee. Chaos was her playground, and she clearly believed I should stop complaining and join her.

“You know Griffin will have my head if we torch all his training dummies before sunset,” I grumbled.

“And then where would we be?” She instantly sent me a flashing mental image of us flying far away, leaving the citadel behind—all freedom and scorching carnage.

“Yes, very funny,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“But we still need to learn control, especially after you ate Griffin’s familiar.

He’s not forgiven you for that... or me, by extension. ”

She rumbled in lazy contentment, as if my scolding was funny. I grabbed another dummy from the nearly depleted stack, half-dreading the next misfire. “Okay,” I coached her gently, “small and precise like we practiced yesterday. One more shot, and?—”

The dragon inhaled, chest expanding. For a moment, hope flickered in my chest—maybe she’d actually do it right. Then mischief lit her eyes.

“Nyx,” I warned, “if you incinerate this one too, I’m telling Griffin it was your idea to practice flame control near his experimental menagerie.”

That gave her pause. With a grudging huff, she exhaled a stream of violet fire that scorched only the dummy’s midsection. I grinned and clapped.

“So you could do it after all!” A burst of pride warmed me. She was a relentless trickster, but she was mine, and I loved her for it.

“Impressive discipline,” a deep voice drawled from the courtyard entrance. “Though I suspect your threat was more effective than your instructions.”

My heart skipped a beat as I turned. Kazimir leaned casually against the archway, arms folded over his chest. Even in the twilight, his presence managed to dominate the space. My traitorous pulse kicked up several notches.

“Sometimes fear works better than reason,” I tossed back, meeting his gaze. “I believe that’s the first rule of being a villain?”

His mouth curved into one of those dark half-smiles that made me want to either punch him or pounce on him. “Would you like to find out what else I know about motivation, Arabella?”

Heat flared across my cheeks. Nyx snorted, tail thumping the cobblestones like she found us both ridiculous. I busied myself brushing ash off my leathers to hide any traitorous flush.

“Not tonight,” I said with a breezy tone. “Unless you came to donate your wardrobe for target practice. Nyx would enjoy torching your shirts.”

“Tempting,” he said, pushing away from the wall and walking toward me with that predator’s grace he wore so well. My gaze settled on the breadth of his shoulders, how the tailored coat hugged his frame. “But I’m here on business.”

My collar suddenly felt too tight. “What business?”

Nyx stepped over, pressing her head into his hip. He scratched her eye ridges, and the dragon nearly melted from delight. She wasn’t the only one purring on the inside.

Kazimir’s expression turned serious. “We’ve had more attacks on our border villages, as well as those that trade with my territories. All within days of each other.”

“More bandits?” I found myself stepping closer, even though my better instincts told me to keep my distance.

He nodded. “They aren’t successful, but the pass offers ideal cover. Morana’s been sending messages for extra men and supplies.”

“You think she’s involved?”

His tone chilled. “I think Morana does whatever’s best for Morana. She’s allied with me right now because I’ve given her no other choice. The instant something better comes along, she’ll take it.”

“Or,” I ventured, “my father’s behind these raids, using King Auremar to stir up trouble.”

Kazimir nodded, taking a seat on a stone bench and gesturing for me to join him. I hesitated, then sat, leaving a deliberate sliver of space between us. He was way too tempting at close range.

“I’ve sent more patrols along the trade routes, though that might not please Morana.”

“She can cope,” I said, letting some of my frustration mellow my voice. “Isn’t that what you do—force others to cope with your decisions?”

Kazimir ignored my barb. “Tell me, Arabella,” he said, looking at the burned remains of the dummies, “if your father did succeed. If Auremar sent his forces to ‘save’ you, would that make you happy?”

The question rattled me. I stared at the courtyard stones before answering. “No. It wouldn’t.” The words sounded raw, even to my own ears. But I had no illusions about what life would be like if I returned to Solandris.

I looked up to find Kazimir studying me.

“What?” I inhaled the faint stench of burnt straw still clinging to the humid night air.

Nyx snorted beside me, her smoky breath huffing across my leg.

I drew my shoulders back, reminding myself to hold steady.

“What?” I repeated under my breath, as if Kazimir’s gaze were an interrogation.

A flicker of something stirred in his expression. “You answered quickly, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m not about to pretend escaping back to my father would be a dream come true.” My voice felt smaller than I intended, but I kept talking anyway. “I know exactly how that story goes. I’ll always be just another pawn in his scramble for power.”

I brushed an ember off my sleeve. Part of me wanted Kazimir to stop looking at me that way, to stop dissecting my every word. Another part found it comforting, being truly seen, even by a villain.

“Besides,” I added self-consciously, “I’m married to you, aren’t I? It’s not like I’m available.”

Kazimir’s gaze was unrelenting, full of a hunger that made my stomach flutter. He reached out, fingers brushing my chin, forcing me to look him straight in the eye. “What’s mine,” he said softly, “stays mine.”

That quiet promise—I should hate it, right? But instead, something in me loosened, like I could exhale after holding my breath for too long. I tried for a scoff, or at least a clever retort, but all I managed was a shallow breath.

“Arrogant warlord,” I murmured at last, voice rasping.

“Always.”

An uneasy silence settled. Eventually, he stood, glancing up at the emerging stars. “I’ll leave you to your training. I have some research to do on our situation at the borders.”

The subtle tingle behind my eyes alerted me to a part-truth, part omission. “Right,” I said softly. “I’ll see you later, then.”

Without another word, he turned and strode back into the fortress, coat tails swaying. My gaze tracked him until he disappeared. Nyx nudged me, a knowing look in her silver gaze.

“Yes, he’s hiding something,” I told her, sighing. She blew a faint bit of smoke. Smug creature. I forced my attention back to the new dummy. “All right, one more attempt before we call it quits.”

I braced the dummy upright, and Nyx eyed me with that cheeky glint. “You’re on my side,” I reminded her. “Aren’t you?” Any illusions I had of being in complete control vanished under her playful stare.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” I muttered, mostly to myself.

“He kidnapped me, put a macabre ring on my finger, and then acted surprised when I didn’t immediately jump into bed.

As if I’d fall all over him just because he’s the mighty Dark Lord.

” I planted the dummy with unnecessary force.

“Yes, he’s attractive, but that’s—” I blew out a breath. “It’s just biology.”

Nyx issued a disdainful snort that almost sounded like laughter. “You hush,” I snapped, rubbing a spot of soot off my leathers. “Sometimes, for three seconds, I almost forget how much I hate him.”

The dragon swished her tail skeptically. She wasn’t fooled by my deflections any more than I was. I still couldn’t figure out Kazimir’s real game—he wanted me for my bloodline, but sometimes he looked at me like he actually wanted… me.

What’s mine stays mine.

I sighed. “All right. Small and controlled, remember?”

Nyx inhaled, then promptly unleashed a massive jet of flame. The force knocked me flat on my back. When the flames died, the dummy had been reduced to a smoldering mound of char.

The dragon ambled over and peered down at me with veil-thin amusement. Her expression practically said Oops .

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled, picking myself off the flagstones. “Perhaps we’ll save what’s left of Griffin’s dummies for another day.”