Page 5

We bank toward the lake with our wingbeats matched, past the Tourist Island with its shops shut for the night, and out over the open water. For a little while, Valek and his excuses can stay on the ground where they belong.

Ahead of me, my father tips into a long, lazy turn. I’m pretty sure I hear him laughing. Between teaching at the Academy and keeping quiet around Ash Clan, he hardly ever gets to stretch his wings like this. The rest of the dragons only tolerate him because my mother is beloved and I’m the future alpha. It pisses me off every time. Up here, there’s no one for him to bow to.

I follow him back to Ash Clan and the cabins in the trees. It’s home, or the closest thing I’ve got to one until I build my own with Aya. We touch down at the same time with dirt kicking up around our feet.

Valek waits at the edge of the clearing with his orange eyes on us. There goes my good mood. I pull my wings in tight. My father drops to a knee with his fist over his heart and does the thing I hate most in this world.

He bows his head to Valek.

It’s Ash Clan custom, and I’ve heard it recited since I was a hatchling. Every dragon here shows our alpha respect. Someday it’ll be mine. But my father kneeling for a dragon who can barely stand the sight of him puts fire in my throat and sets my dragon hissing. My uncle hasn’t done a thing to earn it except get born into the right family.

When I become alpha, my father will never bow again. I swear it on Mother Fate.

He rises and claps me on the back. “See you at dinner,” he calls on his way toward our cabin. I watch him walk off with smoke curling out of my nose and ears.

As soon as he’s out of earshot, I turn on Valek. “Does he really have to bow to you all the time? Like some bitch?”

Valek almost smirks. “It is the way of the dragon shifter. You treat your alpha with respect.”

Heat burns behind my eyes. “Seems like you get off on making my father look like a bitch,” I tell him.

He doesn’t bother to deny it. I’m useful to him, and he’ll need me on his side the day I lead this clan. Other than that, he can’t stand anyone with Stormscale blood.

He turns away. “Come, boy. You need more Ash Clan training.”

I plant my feet. “What about my cabin? Is it ready? It’s almost time for me to claim Aya.”

Valek’s scent sours. “About that…”

“Excuse me?” I snarl.

I knew he was circling some new way to be an asshole about me being fated to a wolf shifter. He still won’t even say Aya’s name.

“About what?” I step closer with my wings twitching at my back. “Is my cabin ready for her or not?”

“Well,” he drawls, “Levi isn’t on board with the floor plan.”

My dragon shoves me toward House of Zorah. “Then fine. I’ll go talk to him.”

“No.” Valek blocks my path. “You won’t. You’ll wait.”

“I am tired of waiting.” I lift my wings off my back. “And I’m tired of how you treat my father right in front of me. You like to stick it to Stormscales because of the past, but you forget that same blood flows in my veins.” My dragon roars, and I throw my wings wide open. “I won’t denounce it. Not for you. Not for anyone.”

He doesn’t budge an inch. “Watch your tone with me, boy.”

Being called boy pisses my dragon off worse than it does me. I stare Valek down. “Just give me a straight answer. Is the cabin ready or isn’t it?”

He lifts a hand. “No. We can talk about it⁠—”

But I’m already gone. I tear off the ground and shoot up through the clouds. I keep climbing until the air turns thin and my lungs burn. I don’t fight my dragon when he comes up snarling to feed off my temper. I’m done with Valek and his protocols. I’ve been patient from the time I was a boy writing poems no one answered. All it got me is a cabin that still isn’t ready.

Aya is mine. She’s been mine since before she even knew it. No one else gets a vote on when I go to her, not anymore.

When I can’t go any higher, I roar again. Blue lightning splits the sky in every direction. The clouds boil up around me and answer my rage with thunder.

I hover in the middle of it with my mouth open, static crawling over my skin. The storm I made churns on without me.

Whoa, hold on. I didn’t know my dragon could do all of that.