Page 9 of Feralheart

The priestess smiled at the child. “Approach, Petra Valis, and claim your birthright.”

Her mother’s hand fell away as the girl stepped forward.

I was seven when they collared Aristus. Everyone said you didn’t forget your bonding. But when I reached for the memory, I only found the blur of my mother’s approval. The priestess’s smile. Nothing else.

I told myself that was normal.

The priestess lifted the Unity Band, and the hatchling froze. Its eyes fixed on nothing. Its breathing picked up rapidly.

My chest tightened. Something about this felt wrong.

The common woman’s hands jerked back from the hatchling’s flank. For half a second, her mask cracked, and grief flashed across her face, quickly smothered.

Then the band closed around the hatchling’s neck.

The priestess smiled. Lady Valis wept with joy. And little Petra reached out to touch her dragon’s snout.

“The bond is made,” my mother announced. “Welcome, Petra Valis, to the ranks of the high elite.”

Applause filled the chamber, along with magical sparks that snuffed out when they hit the stone floor.

I clapped with everyone else, but my attention remained on the hatchling, which hadn’t moved since the band closed. It went dead behind the eyes while Petra stroked its snout and laughed.

Disgust crossed the commons woman’s face before her expression took on the mask I’d seen a thousand times on her people. The one that meant a servant had an opinion they couldn’t afford to voice. She spoke in a low tone to the man, and his head jerked. He gave her a sharp look, his eyes flicking toward the nobles still clustered around the bonded pair.

The group dispersed; the child skipping from the chamber with her mother. A celebration no doubt waited back at her home. The priestess, Lord Holmen, and my mother left through a door in the back of the room, their heads bent together in conversation.

The male commons led the newly bonded dragon out of the chamber, toward the aerie, while the woman left through the side door.

I followed her, telling myself I needed to ensure order. Servants spreading discontent during sacred ceremonies couldn’t be tolerated. It was my duty as crown prince to address disruptions before they became problems. The fact that I was lying to myself should’ve been the first warning.

I intercepted her in the corridor outside the preparation chamber.

When she saw me blocking her path, she came to a stop, lowering her gaze to the tile floor.

Three steps between us. Close enough I could see the pulse jump in her throat.

“Your Highness.” Her voice came out neutral. “Can I help you in any way?”

Lady Chambers, one of the members of my mother’s council, passed us, her gaze skimming over both of us before she continued down the hall and rounded the corner.

“What did you say during the ceremony?” I asked the commons woman.

“I don’t understand, Sire.”

“To the other servant. After the band was placed.”

Her shoulders drew back slightly. A tiny movement, barely visible, but I’d been trained to read bodies. She was deciding what to say and how much truth she could afford.

“I commented on the hatchling’s condition,” she said. “It was nothing important.”

“You looked disturbed.”

“Did I, Your Highness?”

I swore a subtle challenge came through in her tone.

My jaw tightened. “Explain.”