Page 9 of Wild Bond (Wild Bond #1)

T hrowing myself on my bed, I winced as I rolled onto my back and stared up at the stone ceiling of my bedchamber, trying not to think of the horrible day I had just had.

It had been over two weeks since my first flying lesson with Rake—it still felt strange . . . and thrilling to call him that, even in my head—and it had been long and exhausting. Daisha, Warran, and several of the other prospects had taken it upon themselves to remind me, every time we sparred, that I was inadequate and inept compared to them, though my own skills were improving . . . marginally.

Today’s class had been even worse. Knife throwing, I had learned, came rather easily to me. The blades felt natural in my hands, though they were smaller and lighter than the daggers I was used to. After a few practice rounds, I had soundly beat out everyone in the class. Trenton had given me my first ever words of praise from him, a robust ‘well done’ and that apparently was unacceptable to them.

Con was the only one that made my time with them bearable. He’d helped me see to my wounds after a particularly nasty bout with Warran, where he nearly beat me unconscious. Even with his help, and my accelerated healing, my jaw still ached, and I was sure my knuckles were still bruised under the skin. I thought of putting on the salve Dembe had given me—some concoction made from the saliva of some creature I couldn’t remember and didn’t want to think about—but even that sounded too exhausting.

Then Skye chirruped, and I begrudgingly sat up on my elbows to look over at her. She was in her minor form and sat on the open window ledge, her small body framed by the late evening sky that was quickly turning to dusk behind her.

“What is it?” I asked aloud. I could feel her sudden excitement in the bond.

She looked outside then back to me several times before I grasped what she wanted.

“You want to go flying?” I asked. “Now?”

She blinked once and tilted her head as if to say, Why not?

I could think of several reasons. Zade had warned me away from leaving the compound, and Rake had flat out told me I wasn’t allowed. If the council found out I had left without another rider accompanying me . . . But the pull to escape, to fly, was nearly irresistible. It wasn’t like I would be venturing into the city or anything, and I had been here long enough that I wasn’t worried they would throw me back in a cell. If I was caught, I might get in trouble, but I wasn’t afraid of a little punishment. I had endured worse at Master Safan’s hands than anything they would likely do. And it would just be a short flight. No one would even notice we were gone.

I forced myself not to think on the events of the day as I sat astride Skye. Instead, I concentrated on the sensation of flight. All the tension and worries that I battled on the ground literally dropped away, until there was only this.

I knew this had the potential to become my new favorite pastime. Skye was pleased at being able to share this part of herself with me—this thing she loved so much.

Thank you, I thought to her. She hummed low in her belly, and I felt it against my legs and barely heard it over the wind. The thrill of flight was pulsing in my blood, and I knew it wasn’t just Skye’s emotions bleeding into mine as we soared away from the city. I loved this—the sheer freedom, the feel of the night air all around me, and being above everything.

Part of me knew that I probably shouldn’t be flying alone yet. I had only had a few flying lessons at this point and still didn’t have a saddle, but I wasn’t worried. I trusted Skye.

My thoughts drifted to Lessa. I was itching to search for her, and I wondered if now wouldn’t be a good time to start.

Skye suddenly tensed underneath me, her head snapping to the side, and I was jerked back to the present. A complicated mix of feelings assaulted me from her. There was annoyance, wariness, and was that anticipation ?

Skye, what—

But then I heard it. The wing beats that didn’t belong to her. No. These belonged to a much larger dragon.

Skye relayed her impression of the scent that came to her on the wind. Smoke and cedar.

Naasir.

I swear I almost heard the name in her mind. It surprised me since I hadn’t heard any words from her since the council meeting when she couldn’t take her eyes off Varron’s jewelry. Something close to a tremor went down her sinuous spine as she caught the scent of the male. And I became conscious of the fact that she gained so much more from that one sense than I ever could.

I glanced over as the dragon himself came into view. His black wings and scales seemed to merge with the night around us so that there were a few seconds where I could barely make him out against the sky.

However, most of my attention was focused on the man on his back. The sight of his rider gave me a tremor of my own. Rake, clad in his usual dark attire, almost disappeared into the night as well. That stern scowl and the anger in those burning blue eyes couldn’t be missed, though.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Rake called as Naasir came up alongside us. The dragons’ wings glided within a few inches of each other, but never actually touched.

I shrugged, going for nonchalant. “Skye and I just thought we’d enjoy the night air.”

He nearly growled. “You’re too inexperienced to be flying alone. Especially at night and without a saddle.”

I swatted the air. “We’re fine. Skye is an experienced flyer.” I felt Skye’s annoyance that he would question her flying ability. I rubbed the side of her neck in consolation, reassuring her that I trusted her implicitly.

“But you’re not,” he reasoned in exasperation. “And Skye has hardly any experience flying with a rider. What happens if you fall?”

“Skye is fast. She would catch me.”

He glared, and Naasir huffed as if he shared his rider’s frustration. He glided closer to Skye, and she snapped her jaws at him. The male responded with a low, warning growl, but then retreated slightly.

Rake looked down. We were flying just over a forest now, the canopy of treetops maybe fifty feet below us. “Not at this height. Land!” he ordered sharply. “You can fly back to The Tower with me, and Skye can follow.”

I glared back, suddenly not caring if he was my superior as well as my flying instructor, only caring that he was interrupting what felt like the first peaceful moment to myself—well, including Skye—that I had had since being here. “I’ll just fly back on Skye.”

His face became thunderous. “Land. Now , Rin!”

I opened my mouth to protest when I suddenly heard a call of distress in the distance. My head whipped around toward the sound.

“What was that?” I called.

Rake had heard it, too, his keen gaze staring in the same direction.

Then it came again. Louder this time. It sounded odd, almost muffled in a way, but somehow familiar. It sounded like the cry of an animal—a large animal.

My blood went cold. “Was that a dragon?”

Skye quickly sent me images of dragonscales, blood, and what I thought was metal, all things she could scent. From what I gathered, she did smell a dragon, and the metal . . . I had no idea what that meant.

“It’s a dragon,” Rake confirmed, no doubt having gained much the same information from Naasir. “Go back to The Tower,” he commanded. “Naasir and I will go and investigate.” He didn’t even look at me as he spoke, still focused on the source of the sound.

“What? No! I’m coming with you.”

He did look at me then. “That’s an order, Rin.”

“But—” I protested, but he ignored me. Naasir flapped his mighty wings, and they were gone.

Skye was just as irritated at being left behind. We hovered in place for a moment as we watched them go, both fuming.

Then her head turned slightly back toward me. A slitted green eye met mine.

Follow? The single word came in the bond.

I nodded and bent down lower over her back. Follow.

I could have sworn her teeth flashed in a toothy grin before she faced forward and flew after them.

Skye and I caught up with the males just as they were landing in a space of trees near where the sound was originating from. Skye landed beside Naasir and lowered swiftly to the ground so I could slide off her back. Even so, it was quite a way down, and I stumbled a little when my feet hit the soft earth.

A large hand gripped my arm to steady me, and I glanced up to meet Rake’s hard gaze. “I thought I told you to go back.”

“You also said you wanted me to land,” I said. “I’m merely following your first order.”

His scowl returned, and I found myself wanting to reach up and smooth it from his perfect brow, and then maybe run my hands over the scruff on his jaw.

I mentally clamped down on that line of thinking and tried to focus on what we were doing—or more specifically, why we were here. “That dragon sounds distressed. What if Skye or I can help?”

He stared at me for a moment longer, then growled low, “Fine, but stay behind me.”

I nodded and did just that as we approached the clearing in the trees where the sound was coming from. Naasir and Skye were now both in their minor forms, each moving silently through the underbrush at our sides. I could feel Skye’s curiosity, but also her wariness as we reached the edge of the tree line.

My mouth nearly gaped in horror at the sight that met my eyes. A dragon lay in the tall grass at the center of the clearing. Chains covered its body and were connected to thick metal stakes that had been driven into the ground.

The dragon was male, about Skye’s size when she was in her natural form, and probably no more than a few years short of maturity. His brown wings were folded in and pinned to his back. His jaws were muzzled shut and his yellow eyes were rounded and wild with fear. In the dark, I could just make out how the dragon had managed to gnaw through part of the muzzle over his mouth, the metal black and charred in places, no doubt what enabled us to hear his distressed call.

I glanced over at Rake and saw his jaw flex, he was clenching his teeth so hard. The anger at the person responsible was evident in his eyes. I was just as furious, but also shocked.

No one captured or held a dragon against its will.

Ever.

Unless you were in combat or a life-threatening situation, killing or capturing a dragon was an offense punishable by death across all of Palasia, not just in Baldor. They were too valuable, too revered, and not to mention too powerful to disrespect in such a way.

“We have to free him,” I said to Rake, my tone urgent, though I was mindful to keep my voice down in case we were not alone in the woods. Whoever had captured the poor beast might still be nearby, and the young dragon was making plenty of noise as it was.

In the bond I told Skye, Keep an eye out for anything suspicious or anyone approaching.

I felt her acknowledgment. She immediately began to prowl around the edge of the clearing, her manner alert, and her watchful eyes glowing in the night.

I turned back to see Rake staring at the brown dragon before glancing down to Naasir. I knew they were communicating, because a moment later the black dragon grew to his natural size and boldly moved toward the chained dragon.

The much younger male whimpered at Naasir’s approach and seemed to shrink in on himself. His large eyes stared warily up at the larger, dominant dragon from underneath the chains, uncertainty and fear etched in every taut muscle.

I made to step forward, my heart going out to the distressed male, but a strong arm blocked me.

“Don’t,” Rake murmured.

I looked over, surprised to see he now stood so close beside me. I hadn’t even heard him move.

“Let Naasir handle this. The male is wild and nearly feral in his current state. We would only be in the way.”

I nodded and swallowed hard, trying valiantly to ignore the warm tension in my body that his nearness seemed to create.

Naasir growled and made a few odd sounds deep in his throat as if communicating with the scared dragon. The other dragon whined once then went still as Naasir extended his long neck downwards and began yanking the metal spikes out of the ground with his teeth.

“Why didn’t he just shift to his minor form and free himself?” I asked, the thought just occurring to me.

“Because something was preventing him,” Rake answered.

Confusion raced through me. “But that’s not possible.”

Rake didn’t respond as the younger dragon shook himself free of the chains, then used his powerful forelegs to claw off the charred muzzle. My chest expanded in relief as he got shakily to his feet. I then watched him kick away a glowing white stone that had been lying on the ground beneath him. He hissed angrily in its direction then roared in triumph at his newfound freedom, a small flame jetting from his throat.

Before I could comment on the glowing stone, Rake spoke. “Have Skye escort the dragon back to his nest. You can fly back with me on Naasir.”

“Why not have Naasir go with him?”

“Naasir is the one with a saddle. We need him to fly us back.”

I saw his point and repeated his request to Skye.

As we watched the male fly off and eventually disappear into the night sky, my beautiful jade dragon not far behind him, I felt the knowledge and relief that the male dragon would be okay begin to fade and be replaced by anger and questions.

I stared at Rake. “Who could have done this? And . . . and why ?”

He shook his head, and I could see a matching fury burning in his eyes. “I don’t know.” He strode over to where the dragon had been held, and I followed.

Both dragons had searched for a scent trail around the site but hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary.

“Whoever did this has resources and plenty of coin,” Rake declared from where he was crouched, scanning the ground.

“How can you tell?”

He gestured to the chains strewn around him. “Chains of this size and quality don’t come cheap, and the metal looks new.”

I glanced down at the thick, shiny metal and knew he was right. Then a thought occurred to me. “Do you think that poor dragon has been here ever since the Exodus?” The idea horrified me. The Bonding Celebrations had been nearly a month ago.

Rake rose to his feet and nodded slowly, his expression hard. “I would assume so. Whoever did this most likely captured him while he was heading to or from the Nest.”

I watched as he strode several feet away, then picked up the white stone from among the grass. As he walked back over to me, I asked warily, “What is that?”

The stone was smooth like a river rock and fit in the center of his palm. It was no longer glowing, but still shimmered with an opalescent sheen.

Rake regarded me as if deciding whether to answer, then said, “This is Moonstone. A stone that’s been touched by one of the fae and imbued with their power. It is the only thing in Palasia that can stop a dragon from using their magic. The instant it comes in contact with their skin, it begins to glow and prevents them from breathing fire, shifting, or even healing at their normal rate.”

My entire body chilled at the revelation, and Skye recoiled in the bond. “I-I’ve never heard of anything like this before,” I swallowed hard. I had heard of fairies, of course, and knew they were surprisingly powerful for their small size, but I had no idea their magic was capable of something like this.

Rake’s expression was grim. “That’s because dragon riders have purposely kept it secret. Only we know of its applications. And Moonstone is extremely rare, so even if someone did know, it would be nearly impossible to come by.” He clutched the rock in his fist. “The fact that whoever did this knows what Moonstone can do, and has access to it, is very concerning.”

I couldn’t help but think that was an understatement. “But I still don’t understand why. Why would someone risk capturing a dragon? What could they have to gain that would be worth that risk?”

Rake was silent for several beats. “The only reason I could see would be the black-market trade.”

My eyes widened. “People sell dragons on the black-market?” I had bought and sold several items myself on the market, usually things I had stolen that were too expensive or recognizable to be sold on the street, but I had never heard of dragons being sold there.

“Not dragons,” Rake clarified with a grimace, “dragon parts .”