Page 71 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

He set down his cup. “I have to say, the dragon is impressing me. All this help he has brought in, Kiera. And it’s the flyers, no less. I’d never have thought they had it in them. I’m reluctant to admit it, but I may have misjudged them all.”

“To be honest, I was shocked to hear that you approved of any of it.”

“I was hesitant at first,” he admitted. “But he makes a very persuasive argument, that dragon of yours.”

“Dragon of mine?” I asked, slightly aghast. He truly seemed quite taken with Jaxus, which I didn’t know what to do with.

“You are bonded, are you not? It is out of our hands now.”

“I’m just surprised how well you’re taking it, that’s all.” He hadn’t reacted at all how I imagined to any of this. He took it in his stride when I broke it to him that I would have to become a ryder, which I thought would cause so many issues.

“What would you have me do? I had your future planned out, but the Goddess had other ideas.” He was right. No fae could argue with what the Goddess decreed.

But still, I thought there would be some resistance.

“I just expected—I don’t know what I expected.” It turned out the only one resisting had been me.

“If you have to be bonded to a flyer, at least it’s one with a keen mind and a backbone,” he mused.

Now he was impressed with a flyer’s ideas. What was next? A cross-discipline training program? I almost laughed at the very thought.

I knew that Jaxus thought such a thing could one day be possible, but he was still new to our ways.

“He’s certainly no average flyer,” I agreed.

“He’s a breath of fresh air, for sure. Take advantage of that, my love. We don’t get many new ideas around here and it’s even harder to get the elders to listen. He’s a good match for you.”

I frowned. “What are you suggesting?”

“Only that you are well suited. He is driven and bright, just like you. Don’t squander it by doing the same thing we’ve always done. Change only happens when someone is brave enough to step outside the lines.”

I studied him. He was serious.

“I think he’ll be good for you.”

Good for me? What was he saying? He knew as well as I did that my future was mapped out.

Pushing those thoughts away. I returned to my notes. “You really think there will be anything here that can help with this?” I looked at him, pointedly not voicing what we both knew. He’d sent Jaxus on a fool’s errand because there would be nothing of use in that sanitized collection of knowledge the King kept.

He shook his head, confirming what I suspected. “You’ll need to look elsewhere for what you seek.”

I nodded. “That could be a problem.”

I couldn’t just go home. I would need to go alone, and Jaxus was a shadow I couldn’t shake. But I was finding more and more I didn’t want to. Which left me with another problem. I couldn’t have a ‘thing’ with my flyer. I had obligations, a duty. Casualflings were fine, but getting involved with someone I was bonded to for life wouldn’t work because it could never come to anything. And if my father knew I had those thoughts, I was sure his attitude would change.

My father put his hand on my knee. “He’s your bonded flyer, Kiera. You know you can trust him with our knowledge. It’s the nature of the bond.”

I was stunned. “The council would never approve.” I couldn’t believe he even would, let alone the old-fashioned, uptight elders of the clan.

“The council doesn’t have a say over what the Goddess manifests. And whether they approve or not, our bloodline has been appointed custodians of the archive, not them. The only elder you have to convince is?—”

“Gran,” I finished.

He nodded once.

I couldn’t believe he was suggesting it. I had thought that avenue of research was closed to me while Jaxus was helping me, but maybe?—

Our bond wasn’t going to change. One day I would have to make his introduction to the clan and deal with the inevitable stir it causes.