AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Arden’s husky laugh makes me look at him as he spreads his arms out on the back of the sofa, parting his thick legs, too. Something about that pose makes him unbelievably attractive, and I want to crawl onto his lap like a puppy. Wow, I think I’ve drunk too much. I don’t even attempt to hide how much I find him attractive as I meet his eyes. He runs his eyes slowly up at me. Appreciatively. “You can ride my dragon any time you like, but not when you’re drunk, princess.”
He rises to his feet. “You can ride all three of us if you wish. Well, maybe not Grayson. He never really does allow anyone that close. He much prefers to watch.”
My cheeks heat as I think about the possibilities of that. Of them.
Emrys’s arm wraps around my waist. “Stop with the flirting, asshole.” He looks down at me. “Come with me. My dragon is the best.”
“Hey, no, that’s not true!” Arden disagrees, climbing to his feet after us as Emrys leads me away. Grayson doesn’t move from the couch, so I’m guessing he’s not coming with us. Part of me wishes that he would. I’m really curious about what his dragon looks like. Emrys leads me through a door that goes to a massive open archway of the tower, with nothing but a ledge balcony to stop me from falling.
Emrys kisses my cheek quickly before he jumps out of the arch, my lungs stopping for a second, right before he transforms mid-air like he did before, mist spreading around him like smoke. Arden runs past me, jumping after Emrys, mist spreading around him too, until two massive dragons fill the air. They take my breath away with how magnificent they are. Dragons are real and they are better than I ever could have imagined.
Their colours contrast with each other. Arden’s dragon is all black with red-tipped scales that shine like rubies in the moonlight. Emrys’s dragon is pure silver like I’d imagine air to be, and he matches the moonlight above. Night and day, black and silver. Emrys’s dragon flies closer to the castle before landing on a ledge just below where I am, making it easy for me to jump down. Even as drunk as I am, I’m still nervous about jumping. I lean over the edge, feeling my heart thump in my chest before I jump down onto his back, almost rolling up onto his wing. I grab hold of his scales and pull myself back on his back. Fuck.
This close, his scales seem to glitter under the moonlight, and I stroke my hand over his back. Emrys lifts his head, letting out a long roar that hurts my ears before he jumps off the castle and into the air. A part of me knows I should be absolutely terrified of this. I’m riding a fucking dragon! A dragon! But it feels…right. Like I’ve always meant to do this. Or I’ve lost my mind in the race, with all the death and hot dragon shifters stuff. I laugh, holding on tight as Emrys swoops down into the mountains, the cold air biting against my cheeks. Arden flies just behind us, just as swiftly as Emrys.
Their dragons are nearly the same size, but Emrys’s scales are smoother, and he doesn’t have any spikes like Arden’s. Arden’s dragon moves to fly above us, tilting upside down. I chuckle as he spins in a circle around Emrys, who snaps at his tail as it narrowly passes his mouth. I scream as Emrys suddenly dives into the mountain, swinging us around it, and we come face to face with a dragon I’ve never seen before on the other side.
But I know him.
I know those eyes.
Grayson’s dragon is massive, far bigger than Emrys and Arden. He’s a deep, forest green with a grey-tipped tail and grey feet. He’s absolutely gorgeous. His wings are covered in tiny little scars that make them glisten like snow, and I wonder what the hell happened to him once more. Grayson’s dragon roars, echoed by Arden and Emrys. I laugh and wave to Grayson as Emrys turns us back to fly around the mountain range. Grayson jumps off the cliff and flies with us through the mountains. I let go of Emrys’s scales for a minute and hold my hands at the side and scream at the top of my lungs.
I may have been kidnapped. I may not want to be here, but riding dragons is so fucking cool.
CHAPTER 10
My mouth is dry as I wake up, and my head is pounding. Absolutely pounding. Everything comes back to me as I rub my forehead, looking around the kings’ room where I got shitface drunk last night.
Oh, my god. I asked to ride their dragons. Oh, my god, I did ride their dragons. We flew around the island for hours and hours until I passed out on Emrys’s back, and he must have brought me back here. I barely remember passing out, but someone has given me a pillow and a blanket, taken my boots off, and tucked me. The blanket smells like a put-out fire. Arden.
I climb to my feet and look around the room, noting the clock and the window showing the sun high in the sky. Crap, ten o’clock! I’ve definitely missed my training with Grayson, and I’m going to be late for my tutor lesson. Shit. I quickly pull my boots on and run my fingers through my messy, wind-swept hair before running out the door that appears for me. “Thank you, castle!”
I run down the corridor, grab the banister of the staircase, and rush up. I get all the way to the top, breathless, and halt. Desmerda is already waiting for me, her arms crossed, her white cloak pooling at her feet. The door behind her is shut tightly. I don’t know how long she has been waiting, but I doubt saying sorry is going to help. “Come with me.”
I pause, a bad feeling nagging at my chest as her eyes shine with anger. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I overslept.”
“Follow,” she purrs, turning from me, the feeling in my chest smacking like a drum, telling me that I shouldn’t ignore this feeling. My hands are clammy as I follow her against my better instincts. The castle feels like it gets colder by every second as I walk behind her down two corridors. Something in me tells me to run, but I don’t. I stupidly walk with her. She leads me around the main classroom and to another oak door, which leads into a smaller room.
The moment I step into the room, icy mist surrounds me like a vice, and I scream in unbearable pain as it attacks every inch of my skin. I fall to the floor with a thump, sucking in a deep breath. The mist tightens itself into ropes around my body, pulling me upright. Desmerda walks over to me, her eyes like rubies. My feet lift off the ground, so I’m floating in front of her, at the same level. “You are late for my lesson, and I warned you there would be punishments. I am your tutor, and you will learn a lesson.”
“Wait—”
Mist wraps around my mouth, gagging me. I try to scream as I panic, struggling against her magic, but nothing comes out. I can’t scream. I can’t move. Tears fall down my eyes as she rips the back of my shirt. Something like a whip lashes against my skin, and I mentally scream in pain, crying against the gag. The mist pain was like a bee sting, but the whipping…it’s worse. I cry, weep, and beg through the terrible pain, but no sound comes out around the gag. I feel trapped, bound, powerless as she hits me over and over again until I feel my back wet with my blood. Until the room spins. Until I can’t smell anything but my own blood in her vicious attack.
She doesn’t stop hitting me until everything goes fuzzy, and time seems like it fades. My body feels weak, and the mist disappears. I slam hard on the floor, gasping for air, crying out. Desmerda kicks me onto my side, looking down at me. My blood is sprayed across her white clothes and face, but she smiles.
She enjoyed hurting me.
She almost looks drunk on the pleasure of hurting me. “Do not be late for my lesson again. Tell your friends what the punishment is, and don’t try to heal yourself with tonics. I’ve made sure they won’t work. Good luck surviving the next test in this state.”
“No…no…,” I breathe out through gritted teeth. She walks out of the room, leaving the door open. I don’t know how long I lie in a pool of my own blood before I manage to find some strength to rise to my feet. Every step is painful as I get to the door, clinging to the wall to hold me up. The door leads me straight into the corridor that leads to my room. “Thank you.”
The corridor seems to get warmer as I limp down to my room. I don’t get to my bed before everything goes black and I smack my face on the floor.
“Ellelin, wake up!”
Cold hands shake my shoulders as I blink my eyes open a few times, smelling smoke in the air. Is my room on fire? I cough, covering my mouth, and my mummy looks down at me. Her black hair is messy, like she just woke up. She scares me. “Mummy, why are you scared?”
