Page 10 of Wild Bond (Wild Bond #1)

T he blood drained from my face at his words, and I could tell through the bond that Skye was listening intently to our conversation and just as disgusted at the thought as I was.

All the magic in Palasia came from the land itself, and by extension, it’s magical creatures. Humans did not innately have their own magic, other than what they could use through the byproducts of magical creatures or the creatures themselves. The capturing, buying, and selling of these creatures was an everyday occurrence all over Palasia and wasn’t illegal, except when it came to dragons.

“Magical creatures are how we access magic,” Rake continued, “and dragons are the most powerful magical creatures of all. Even one dragon would be worth its weight in gold. A dragon’s teeth and scales alone would be worth a king’s ransom, and dragon blood can be used in a wealth of potions, let alone the rest.”

Naasir growled behind me at his words.

I fought to push past the bile rising in my throat as I got just the smallest glimpse into what knowledge Rake was privy to, and what he must encounter on a daily basis as the spymaster. “So— that’s what you think this is about?”

“Not necessarily,” he said, his tone brooding. “The fact that they didn’t kill the dragon outright makes me think this is something else.”

I couldn’t even begin to fathom what that might be. “What?” I questioned.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. But regardless, we should go. I don’t want whoever did this coming back and finding us here. You don’t need to be mixed up in whatever this is.”

I looked at him blandly. “I can take care of myself.”

His eyebrow raised. “In many respects, yes. You can defend yourself, or at least that’s what Dembe tells me, but you and Skye both have a wild streak and a disregard for your own safety. Need I remind you that this all started because of your reckless flying habits?”

I scowled at his accusation and was still trying to decide which part of his statement to protest first when he continued, “Now get on the dragon.”

It was at that point that I became aware of Naasir standing not two feet behind me. When had that happened?

“You know, it’s kind of creepy how silently you both move. Something so massive shouldn’t be so quiet,” I said in an effort to cover up how flustered I was.

“Get on the dragon, Rin,” Rake ordered again, not amused, or at least, I didn’t think he was. It was kind of hard to tell with how stoic he looked all the time. At least around me.

“And you’re very bossy,” I added.

“Now, Rin!”

“Fine!” I griped, turning to face the equally stoic dragon at my back. But I couldn’t help myself as I grumbled, “Maybe you should be grateful for that reckless disregard for my own safety, otherwise we wouldn’t have even found the dragon.”

He didn’t say anything, obviously not willing to concede my point. I sighed and went about the arduous task of climbing on the dragon. I was careful to avoid the spikes along his spine. Naasir was much bigger than Skye, much higher off the ground, and I immediately began to feel uneasy about this whole idea. I couldn’t help remembering the last time I had been this close to Naasir, and he had been blocking my escape.

I opened my mouth to protest and say I could just wait for Skye to come back when Rake swung his leg over the dragon’s back and strapped his legs into the saddle behind me. The saddle was only made for one rider, so I was left to wiggle uncomfortably on the hard scales, trying to find a spot that didn’t make me feel like I would fall off.

I gasped as a warm hand pressed against my belly, and I was pushed back securely into a hard chest. “What are you doing?” I demanded, perhaps a little too breathlessly.

I heard a soft, deep chuckle in my ear.

“We wouldn’t want you to fall, now would we, little thief?” Rake murmured.

A riot of tingles raced up my spine at his words.

Naasir rose to his feet and extended his wings.

My anxiety spiked. “Don’t you dare let go!”

Rake’s hand pressed even tighter against me. “Never,” he replied.

Then Naasir launched into the air, and I couldn’t muffle my scream.

I heard Rake laugh this time. I could feel Skye’s worry through the bond at my fright, though it was muted due to the growing distance between us. I reassured her as best I could.

Once we were airborne and had leveled out in the sky, it wasn’t so bad. It felt much the same as riding on Skye, though Naasir didn’t seem to be as fast as she was. We didn’t speak, and before I knew it, we were landing in the main courtyard of the rider compound.

The Tower grounds were nearly deserted. They were lit only by the moon and stars overhead and a few lit sconces along the inner walls. I could still see pretty well, however, and began to wonder if my improved eyesight didn’t have something to do with my bond to Skye.

The moment I could, I hopped, or rather slid, off Naasir’s back. I caught myself this time and mumbled a lame “Thanks for the ride” in Rake’s general direction, before making a beeline for the trainee barracks.

I told myself I wasn’t being a coward for not even looking him in the eye, but I knew I was. Because suddenly I couldn’t face him. I felt so flustered when I was around him. He made me feel too many conflicting emotions. Most of all, he made me feel things towards him that I couldn’t be feeling.

I decided the further away I got from Kyan Rakim the better—for both of us.

“Rin, wait!” Rake called.

I heard the thunder of Naasir’s wings behind me and knew the dragon had taken flight.

I kept walking and tried to ignore the fact that I was blatantly ignoring my superior again , while also trying to ignore the small thrill that went through me whenever he said my name.

Nope. Definitely not thinking about that.

Once again, I didn’t even hear him behind me, and so I gasped when his hand grasped my arm and spun me around to face him.

“Rin,” he repeated, his tone slightly exasperated again.

“What?” I snapped, yanking my arm out of his hold, though he honestly hadn’t been holding me that hard.

He stared down at me with some unnamed emotion in his eyes. “Promise me you won’t go flying on your own again. Especially not without a saddle. Not until you’re ready.”

“And when will that be?”

Those maddeningly perfect lips tipped up slightly. “When I say you are.”

A hot flare of annoyance ran through me at his words. I didn’t like being told what to do, especially after the last two years when I had had absolutely no control over my life. But then the more logical part of my brain chimed in and reminded me that he was my flying instructor, and a leader on the rider council. If anyone had the authority to give me orders, it was him . . . several times over.

I sighed. “Don’t worry, Commander. I have no plans of falling to my death anytime soon. I just needed to get out of the barracks for a while.”

“Why?”

I stared up at him. “Why what?”

Sometimes I forgot how massive he was, but I was reminded of it now when he was so close. His broad frame towered over me as I stared up into those ethereal blue eyes. “Why did you have to get out of the barracks?”

“Well . . . I—uh . . .,” I scrambled to think of how to answer, my mind immediately going to the incident with Warran and the other prospects, but I wasn’t going to tell him about that. “I—I just don’t like being cooped up in my room for too long. Not when I could be outside. Not after . . . well . . .” for some reason I didn’t want to say the word prison . “Not after where I’ve been,” I finished lamely. My hand rubbed anxiously at the scar on my forearm, and his expression softened slightly as I trailed off, but then I watched it harden again when I opened my big mouth and continued, “So no need to worry about your newest trainee. I know every rider is a useful tool to you and the council. I won’t do anything to jeopardize myself.”

His whole frame seemed to stiffen at my words. “Is that what you think? That the only reason I would be concerned about you is because I only see you as some kind of asset? That the only value you have to me is in how useful you are as a rider?”

I swallowed hard at the sudden ferocity in his words. “I would say that is exactly what I think, but based on your reaction, I’m going to go with . . . no?”

He obviously didn’t appreciate my sarcasm, because in the next instant he bent down until his face was very close to mine. So close I could feel the heat radiating off his body and caught a hint of that intoxicating scent of his.

“I wish that was all I felt when I thought of you.” His eyes studied my face. “It would make things so much easier,” he murmured, this last part almost under his breath. Then his gaze dropped to my lips, just like they had during our first lesson.

Everything inside me went still at his words and the flash of something molten in his eyes. He couldn’t be implying what I thought he was, could he?

His eyes strayed once again to my hair, his hand coming up to tug on one of the loose silvery strands. “This damn hair,” he muttered softly, staring hard at it, almost as if it had offended him in some way.

My brow wrinkled in confusion. “What’s wrong with my hair?”

A hint of amusement lit his eyes before he pulled back, his hand dropping to his side. “Absolutely nothing.”

I swallowed. “It’s late. I really should get some sleep. I have training bright and early tomorrow, and I’m behind enough as it is, so . . .” I began to back up a few steps. Rake didn’t say anything and, once again, I couldn’t read the expression on his face or the storm of emotion in his eyes. “So, goodnight,” I finished, mentally kicking myself for acting like such an idiot around this man all the time.

“Goodnight, Rin,” he replied, the faint words reaching me as I turned and fled, walking briskly back to my quarters. When I climbed into bed sometime later, I refused to think about the events of the night; especially not captured dragons, black markets, or molten blue eyes.