Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
Ryse’s golden eyes flashed.
“Because I don’t trust him around you,” he growled. “For the Goddess’s sake, he left a necklace of bruises around your throat, Auri!”
As he spoke, he reached out to trace the dark bruises on my tender flesh with one finger.
The simple, gentle touch made me tremble, but I tried to ignore the way my heart was pounding.
“But he’s only going to hate me more, now,” I pointed out. “You’ve made him an outcast—a rider without a Wing.”
“Someone will take him eventually,” Ryse said, frowning. “In the meantime, I’ve had M’alex speak to his dragon. He’ll be reigning her in, which ought to put a check on Larson. I also let him know if he lays a single finger on you again, M’alex will let me know and he’ll be sorry.”
It was a convoluted chain of communication, but I guessed it made sense. If Larson tried to hurt me, his dragon would feel it. And if M’alex was keeping an eye on her, he would know it too and then he would relay that to Ryse, who would come after Larson.
And all because of me.
“I don’t understand.” I shook my head. “Why, Ryse? Why do you care what happens to me? You barely know me—I’m just a runty little First-year without a dragon.”
His eyes flashed again.
“Don’t call yourself that. You’ll grow—you just need more of the Dragon Custard. And you’ll get a dragon—I meant what I said, you won’t get less than a Gold-wing.”
He had a lot more faith in my bloodlines than I did.
I shook my head again.
“You still didn’t answer my question. Why are you so set on protecting me?”
Ryse’s eyes slid away from mine and he ran a hand through his hair, which made his chest muscles flex. I tried not to look.
“Remember when I told you I always listen to my dragon?” he said at last.
I nodded.
“Yes.”
“Well…for some reason, M’alex thinks you’re important.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling with the gesture. “I don’t know how or why—I’m just doing what he tells me to.”
“Oh…all right.” I didn’t know why I felt let down. Had I been hoping that Ryse was interested in me and wanted to protect me because he had some kind of feelings for me?
But that was crazy because he still thought I was a male, I reminded myself. I was lucky that M’alex had taken an interest in me. Otherwise, it would be me against Larson, and I knew who would win in that situation.
“I’m flattered that your dragon likes me so much, but I can stand on my own two feet,” I told him at last. “You didn’t have to put me in your Wing—was that M’alex’s idea, too?”
Ryse nodded—a little too quickly, I thought.
“He wants me to keep you close to me,” he told me. “Again, I don’t know why. Maybe it has something to do with your, uh, ability. Being able to feel dragon emotions, I mean.”
I sighed. This again.
“Is it really that unusual?”
“I told you, I’ve only read about one other person who had it,” Ryse said seriously. “I need to go back to the library and see if I can find that text,” he added, more to himself than me. Then he frowned at me. “How could you not know it was unusual?”
“My br—I mean my sister had it too,” I said. “We grew up feeling the emotions of our father’s dragon.” I shifted and wrapped my arms around myself. “Of course, most of what we felt was rage. My father was always so angry after he got demoted to Wide Sweeps and F’lorn fed off his anger and amplified it. Which made him even angrier and it went on and on and on like that.”
Ryse’s golden eyes softened.
“That’s a bad cycle to get into,” he said softly. “A rider has to keep control of his emotions—otherwise he and his dragon can go into a downward spiral pretty quickly.”
I thought of the final downward spiral my father and his dragon had taken…thought of their broken bodies at the bottom of the ravine… It took some effort to push the bad memory away.
“Well, I just thought it was normal,” I said. “But we’re getting off topic—I need to be able to stick up for myself.”
“And you will be able to,” Ryse told me. “Because starting tomorrow, you’ll be training with me every morning.”
“What?” I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”
“The Second-year’s weight room,” he told me. “It’s located on Level Two, down the hall from here.” He gestured down the hallway that led away from the Cook-pot. “You’re going to meet me there an hour before First Bell every morning and we’re going to make you strong enough to stand up for yourself.”
“But—” I started to protest, but he put a finger to my lips to stop me.