Vera didn’t know the silver dragon circling the courtyard had rejected every warrior in the kingdom.
She didn’t know the alpha king himself had been watching the trials for three weeks, growing more desperate with each failure.
And she definitely didn’t know that crossing the courtyard with an armful of soiled linens would shatter the quiet, invisible life she’d spent 23 years building.
All she knew was that if she didn’t deliver the sheets to the laundry before the noon bells, Madame Orven would take it out of her wages again.
The mountain hold of Kveth bustled around her, servants and soldiers moving with purpose through the ancient stone corridors.
Vera kept her head down, her footsteps quick and silent.
That was the trick to surviving in a place like this.
Be useful.
Be fast.
Be forgettable.
She’d perfected the art of invisibility since arriving here 8 years ago.
A starving orphan with nothing but her mother’s warning ringing in her ears.
Never let them see what you are.
Above her, the dragon screamed.
Vera flinched, nearly dropping her burden.
The sound was wrong, jagged with frustration rather than fury.
She risked a glance upward.
The beast was enormous, its scales catching the weak mountain sun like hammered silver, its wingspan wide enough to cast half the courtyard in shadow.
It circled again, lower this time, and she could see the empty saddle on its back.
Another trial, then another warrior about to be humiliated.
She quickened her pace.
The dragon trials were none of her concern.
The Alpha King’s troubles were none of her concern.
She was a maid who scrubbed floors and carried linens and pretended she couldn’t feel the pull of ancient mines whenever she passed the dragon roosts.
Almost to the archway, almost safe.
Then Vexerion landed.
The impact shook the stones beneath her feet.
Vera stumbled, her arms tightening around the linens as dust billowed around her.
When it cleared, she found herself staring at a wall of silver scales, each one larger than her hand.
The dragon was looking at her, not past her, not through her, at her, with eyes like molten gold that seemed to pierce straight through her skull and into the secret places she’d locked away since childhood.
Vera’s breath stopped.
Her heart stopped.
Everything stopped except the thundering presence brushing against her mind, vast and ancient and achingly familiar.
Little one, something whispered in her head.
I have been waiting.
Then the great beast lowered its head to the ground and bowed.
The linens fell from her nerveless fingers.
Across the courtyard, someone started shouting.
Chaos erupted.
Warriors who’d spent weeks trying to earn even a glance from the silver dragon surged forward, their faces twisted with disbelief.
Servants scattered like startled birds.
Somewhere a horn was blowing and heavy boots were pounding against stone, and through it all, Vera stood frozen, the dragon’s golden eyes still fixed on her face.
“Move!” she screamed at herself.
“Run! Hide! Be invisible!” But her legs wouldn’t obey.
The presence in her mind had wrapped around her like warm silk, holding her in place with a gentleness that made her eyes sting.
“Do not be afraid,” Vexarion said.
“I will not let them hurt you.
Seize her.
” The voice cut through the chaos like a blade through butter.
Cold, commanding, absolute.
The crowd parted instantly, and Vera watched a man stride through the gap, his dark hair pulled back from a face that could have been carved from the same stone as the mountain.
The Alpha King.
She’d seen him before, of course.
Everyone in Kervth had seen Castian Valdrren at some point, whether presiding over judgments in the great hall or walking the battlements at dawn.
But she’d never seen him like this.
Up close, he radiated power the way a forge radiated heat.
barely contained and dangerous.
His eyes were the pale gray of winter storms, and right now they were locked on her with an intensity that made her want to sink through the floor.
Two guards grabbed her arms.
Vera didn’t resist.
What would be the point? She’s just a maid, your majesty, someone said.
A nobody.
There must be some mistake.
There’s no mistake.
Castian stopped three paces away, close enough that she could see the silver threading through his dark hair, the exhaustion carved into the lines around his mouth.
“I’ve been looking for someone like her for 3 years.
I’d almost given up hope.
” Vera’s stomach dropped.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered.
“I just clean floors.
I’ve never even touched a dragon before.
You didn’t have to touch him.
” Castenne’s voice was quiet, but it carried.
You spoke to him.
I saw your lips move after he landed, and he answered.
The denial died in her throat, because he was right.
She had spoken to Vexerion, not out loud, but in that secret way her mother had taught her before the villagers had come with their torches and their righteous fury.
Dragonkin, someone spat.
She’s a filthy dragonkin.
Burn her before she corrupts the beast.
Vera closed her eyes.
So this was how it ended.
23 years of hiding, of being small and quiet and nothing, all unraveled by a single moment of weakness.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” Vexarion said again, and she felt him shift behind her, scales scraping against stone.
“No one is burning anyone.
” Castion’s voice cracked like a whip.
The next person who speaks will spend a month in the cells.
Am I clear? Silence.
Vera opened her eyes to find the alpha king studying her the way one might study a puzzle.
His gray gaze cataloging every detail of her face.
What’s your name? She shouldn’t answer.
Shouldn’t give him anything he could use against her.
But the guards were still gripping her arms and the crowd was still watching.
And Vexarian’s presence in her mind was pulsing with a protectiveness that made rational thought difficult.
Veyra, she said, just Vera.
No family name.
I don’t have family.
Not anymore.
A shadow of recognition crossed his face or sympathy.
Bring her to my study, he told the guards gently.
She’s not a prisoner.
Your majesty, one of the warriors protested.
She could be dangerous.
We don’t know what she’s capable of.
I know exactly what she’s capable of.
Castion turned away, his cloak swirling behind him.
That’s why I need her.
They marched her through corridors she’d scrubbed a hundred times.
Past tapestries she’d beaten the dust from every spring.
Upstairs, she’d climbed with buckets of water and aching arms.
The castle she knew by heart suddenly felt foreign, hostile.
the familiar walls closing in around her.
Castian’s study was smaller than she’d expected, warm, too, with a fire crackling in the hearth and shelves lined with books and scrolls.
Maps covered one wall marked with pins and colored threads.
A desk sat beneath the window buried in papers.
“Leave us,” Castan said.
The guards hesitated.
“Now they left.
The door closed with a heavy click, and Vera found herself alone with the most powerful man in the kingdom.
Her pulse racing so fast she could feel it in her teeth.
Castion didn’t speak immediately.
He crossed to a side table, poured two cups of wine, and held one out to her.
When she didn’t take it, he set it on the desk between them.
You’re afraid of me.
You just had me dragged here by guards, so yes.
His mouth twitched.
Fair point.
I apologize for the dramatics, but I couldn’t let you disappear before I had a chance to explain.
Explain what? Why I’ve spent three years searching for someone with your gift.
He sat on the edge of the desk, his posture deceptively casual.
Why Vexarian has refused every writer since my father died, waiting for you.
Why, you’re the only person in this kingdom who can help me find my sister.
Vera’s breath caught.
Your sister Isella.
The name came out rough, scraped raw by years of grief.
She was taken during the Black Hollow raid 3 years ago, 16 years old.
The dragon saw everything, but no one has ever been able to access their memories.
His gray eyes bored into hers until now.
The pieces clicked into place with horrifying clarity.
You want me to bond with your dragon? She said slowly to see what he saw that day.
I want you to help me find her.
Castian leaned forward.
And I’m willing to pay any price you name.
Any price.
The words hung in the air between them.
Heavy with promise and danger.
Vera’s mind raced.
She should refuse.
Should find some way to convince him she wasn’t what he thought.
That Vexarion had made a mistake.
that she was just a maid with no gifts at all.
But even as she thought it, she felt the dragon’s presence stirring at the edges of her consciousness, patient and warm.
He speaks the truth, little one.
His sister lives.
I have seen her.
How? Vera demanded silently.
How could you know that? Because I still feel her.
Not a rider bond, but the protective bond I formed when she was a child.
faint now, stretched thin by distance and time, but not broken.
Vera pressed her palms flat against her thighs to stop them from shaking.
“The gift I have,” she said carefully, not looking at Castenne.
“It’s not just speaking to dragons.
When I bond with them, I can see through their eyes, feel what they feel, access memories they’ve buried.
” She swallowed hard.
It’s also why my mother was burned alive when I was nine.
Castian was silent for a long moment.
When he spoke, his voice was softer.
I know about the purges, the superstition that dragon kin bring bad luck, corrupt the beasts, invite darkness.
I know your mother wasn’t the only one.
He paused.
I also know it’s all horseshit.
Dragon kin are rare, valuable, and the people who hunted them were afraid of what they couldn’t understand.
Vera finally met his eyes, and yet you still want to use me.
I want to ask for your help.
There’s a difference.
Is there? You’re the alpha king.
If I refuse, what happens? He held her gaze without flinching.
You walk out that door.
Go back to scrubbing floors.
I’ll make sure Madame Orven never troubles you again, but that’s all I can offer.
His jaw tightened.
I won’t force you, Vera.
I’ve done a lot of things in three years I’m not proud of, but I won’t become the kind of man who enslaves people with gifts.
She searched his face for the lie, for the crack in the mask that would reveal the monster beneath.
All she found was exhaustion and grief and the brittle remains of hope.
Why haven’t you given up? She asked quietly.
It’s been 3 years.
Most people would have mourned and moved on.
Castian stood abruptly, crossing to the window.
With his back to her, he seemed smaller somehow, less like a king and more like a man carrying a weight too heavy for one person.
Because she’s not dead.
I know she’s not.
His voice dropped.
Because the dragons still grieve for her.
They’ve been circling the castle every dawn since she was taken, searching for something they can’t find.
And because I made her a promise the night before the raid, I told her I’d always protect her.
His hands clenched against the stone sill.
I failed that promise once.
I won’t fail it again.
The raw conviction in his voice cracked something open in Vera’s chest.
She thought of her own mother holding her close in those final moments before the mob had broken down the door.
Hide your gift.
Live your life and never let them make you small.
She’d kept two of those promises.
Maybe it was time to break the third.
Seven days? She heard herself say.
Castion turned, his expression unreadable.
Give me seven days to access Vexerian’s memories.
If I can find where your sister was taken, you help me disappear afterward.
New name, new life, somewhere far from here.
That’s all you want? A fresh start? That’s all I’ve ever wanted? He studied her for a long moment.
Then he crossed the room, pulled a knife from his belt, and drew the blade across his palm without hesitation.
Blood welled up, dark and red.
I’ll do better than a handshake.
He held out his hand.
Blood oath.
Unbreakable.
Seven days of your help and then everything you need to vanish.
You have my word as Alpha King.
Vera stared at the knife he offered her.
Her mother’s voice screamed warnings in her mind.
But beneath it, Vexerian’s presence pulsed with something that felt almost like approval.
Trust him, little one.
He is not like the others.
She took the knife.
The cut was quick, sharp, a bright line of pain across her palm.
When she pressed her hand to Casten’s, his fingers closed around hers, warm and calloused and steady.
The oath flared between them, magic sealing the promise like a brand.
But beneath it, wrapped around it, something else ignited.
A recognition that shot through her bones like lightning.
A connection that went deeper than magic, older than oaths, more fundamental than blood.
Her vision blurred, her breath stopped.
And in that suspended moment, she felt Castian’s heartbeat sink with hers, two rhythms becoming one.
His hand tightened on hers, his gray eyes widening.
He felt it, too.
Neither of them spoke.
The fire crackled.
The wind moaned outside the window, and between their joined hands, something ancient and inevitable wound itself around them both.
Mate, Vexerian whispered in her mind.
I told you I had been waiting.
When Castian finally released her hand, his voice was rough.
Tomorrow, he said, “We start tomorrow.
I’ll have quarters prepared for you.
Anything you need?” Vera nodded, not trusting her voice.
Her palm burned where his blood mingled with hers.
Her whole body burned like she’d been standing too close to the sun.
She turned to leave, desperate for air, for space, for time to understand what had just happened.
Vera.
She stopped, her hand on the door.
I felt it, too.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Whatever that was, I felt it.
She didn’t turn around.
didn’t trust herself to look at him and not fall apart completely.
“Good night, your majesty.
” She fled before he could respond, her thoughts reeling and the dragon’s laughter echoing through her skull.
“This is going to be interesting,” Vexarion said.
Vera didn’t answer.
She was too busy trying to figure out what she’d just agreed to and why part of her already didn’t want to leave.
The quarters they gave her were larger than any space Vera had occupied in her entire life.
A bed piled high with furs dominated one wall.
The frame carved from dark mountain oak.
Tapestries softened the stone depicting dragons in flight against sunset skies.
A copper tub sat in one corner, steam rising from water that smelled of pine and something sweeter, more delicate.
Fresh clothes had been laid out.
Riding leathers in deep green, a cream linen shirt, boots that looked like they’d actually fit.
Vera stood in the center of the room, afraid to touch anything.
His majesty said, “You’re to have anything you need.
” The servant who escorted her, a woman with kind eyes and silver streaked hair named Dorwin, gestured toward a bell pull near the bed.
Ring if you want food, more water, company, anything at all.
I’m a maid, Vera said stupidly.
I should be the one answering bells.
Darwin smiled.
Not anymore, dear.
Not for the next seven days, at least.
She paused at the door.
For what it’s worth, we’re glad you’re here.
The king hasn’t had hope in a long time.
You’ve given him that.
Then she was gone and Vera was alone with the impossible luxury and the dragon’s presence humming at the edge of her mind.
You should rest.
Vexarian said, “Tomorrow will be difficult.
” “What exactly happens tomorrow? You will enter my memories.
See what I saw the night Isela was taken.
” A pause heavy with something she couldn’t name.
It will not be pleasant, little one.
I must warn you of that.
Vera sank onto the edge of the bed, her legs suddenly weak.
I’ve seen unpleasant things before.
Not like this.
Dragon memories are not like human ones.
They are deeper, rawer.
You will not simply watch.
You will live it.
Feel everything.
I felt her stomach clenched.
And afterward, afterward, you will need care.
The bond will drain you.
Castion knows this.
He will be there.
Something about the way Vexarion said the king’s name made her skin prickle.
You keep pushing us together.
Why? The dragon’s laugh rumbled through her skull.
Because I have waited three centuries for a rider, and I will not let stubbornness ruin what fate has finally provided.
Before she could demand clarification, exhaustion crashed over her like a wave.
The fear, the revelation, the blood oath, the bond, all of it pressed down on her at once, and suddenly the bed looked more inviting than anything had in years.
She bathed quickly, scrubbing away the sweat and grime of her old life.
The water was perfect, hot enough to ease her aching muscles, but not enough to burn.
When she finally crawled between the sheets, the furs wrapped around her like an embrace, and she was asleep before her next breath.
She dreamed of fire.
Dawn came gray and cold, mountain mist pressing against the windows like ghostly fingers.
Vera dressed in the riding leathers, surprised by how well they fit.
When she looked in the polished metal mirror, a stranger stared back.
Not a maid, not an orphan, someone else entirely.
A knock at the door made her jump.
Enter.
Castian stepped inside, and her traitorous heart lurched at the sight of him.
He wore simple clothes today, dark trousers, and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
His hair was loose, falling past his shoulders, and there were shadows under his eyes that suggested he hadn’t slept any better than she had.
Ready?” he asked.
“No.
” His mouth curved slightly.
“Honest, I appreciate that.
” They walked together through the castle, and Vera noticed how people looked at her now.
Not through her, not past her.
At her, with curiosity and weariness, and something that might have been respect, it made her skin itch.
The dragon roost was carved into the mountain itself, a massive cavern with openings that looked out over the valley below.
Six dragons rested on stone ledges, their scales catching the weak morning light.
Sapphire, copper, deep forest green.
But [snorts] Vexerion was the largest, his silver form coiled in the center of the space like a king holding court.
Little one.
His mental voice wrapped around her like warm smoke.
Come.
Castian touched her elbow lightly.
I’ll be right here.
If it becomes too much, just say stop.
I won’t let anything happened to you.
You can’t control dragon magic.
No, but I can catch you when you fall.
The simple certainty in his voice made something flutter in her chest.
She pushed it down ruthlessly.
Vera approached Vexarian.
her pulse quickening.
Up close, the dragon was even more magnificent.
Each scale perfectly formed, his golden eyes ancient and knowing.
“How do I do this?” she whispered.
“Place your hands on my head.
Open your mind.
” “And hold on.
” She pressed her palms against the warm scales above his eye ridge.
The connection hit her like a thunderclap.
Night.
The castle burning.
screams echoing off stone walls.
She is seeing through Vexerian’s eyes, feeling his wings beat against smoke thick air.
Below, raiders pour through the shattered gates, their armor black and their faces hidden behind masks carved to look like skulls.
There, a girl running across the courtyard, Isella, 16 years old, with Castenne’s gray eyes and hair the color of spun gold.
She is screaming for her brother, but the raiders are faster.
A man grabs her, throws her over his shoulder.
Vexerion dives, fire building in his throat, but something slams into his side.
Another dragon.
Wrong.
Corrupted.
Its scales dull and its eyes empty.
It tears at his wing with mechanical savagery.
He falls.
The world spins.
And through the chaos, he hears a voice, cold and commanding.
Get her to the ship.
Lord Theon wants her unharmed.
Lord Theon.
The name burns into her mind like a brand.
Vera came back to herself gasping, her knees buckling.
Strong arms caught her before she hit the ground.
I’ve got you.
Castenne’s voice rough with concern.
Breathe.
Just breathe.
She couldn’t stop shaking.
The smoke was still in her lungs, the screams still in her ears, and underneath it all, Vexerian’s grief howled through her, raw and unhealed.
“Lordan,” she managed.
“That name.
Do you know it?” Castion’s arms went rigid around her.
“Yes,” he said, and his voice had gone cold as mountain ice.
“He’s my uncle, my mother’s brother.
He’s been on my council since my parents died.
” The world tilted.
Vera gripped his shirt, trying to anchor herself.
He took her.
He planned the whole raid.
I saw.
Slow down.
Castion lowered her gently to the ground, his hands cradling her face.
You’re burning up.
We need to get you inside.
No.
Listen to me.
She grabbed his wrists, forcing him to meet her eyes.
The dragon that attacked Vexerion.
It was wrong.
corrupted somehow, empty, like something had hollowed it out.
Horror dawned across Castian’s face.
That’s not possible.
Dragons can’t be controlled.
They choose their writers freely.
This one didn’t have a choice.
Vera’s voice cracked.
I felt it, Casten.
It was screaming inside.
Something had enslaved it.
She speaks the truth.
Vexarian rumbled.
Dark magic.
Old magic.
the kind that was supposed to have died out centuries ago.
Castian’s jaw clenched so hard she could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin.
My uncle has been advising me for 3 years sitting at my table offering comfort.
His voice shook with barely contained rage and the whole time he’s had my sister.
We don’t know where yet.
I only saw fragments.
Then we need more.
Not today.
Vera tried to stand and her legs buckled again.
I can barely I know.
Castenne swept her up before she could protest, carrying her like she weighed nothing.
Today you rest.
Tomorrow we continue.
She should have argued, should have demanded he put her down, that she could walk, that she wasn’t some fragile thing that needed carrying.
But her head was pounding.
Her body felt like wet cloth.
And his arms were warm and steady and safe.
This is embarrassing.
She mumbled against his chest.
You just relived a dragon’s worst memory.
I think you’re allowed to be tired.
I’m not tired.
I’m Her eyes fluttered closed.
Fine.
Maybe a little tired.
His laugh was soft, barely more than a breath.
Sleep, Vera.
I’ve got you.
She did.
Before we continue, please take two seconds to like this video.
Three days passed in a blur of visions and recovery.
Each morning, Vera entered Vixarian’s memories, pushing deeper into that terrible night.
Each time she saw more, the ship that had carried Isella away, the coastal route it had taken, the fortress where they had first imprisoned her.
>> [snorts] >> And each time she emerged shattered, only to find Castillian waiting with water and warm blankets and a steadiness that made her chest ache.
He never pushed, never demanded more than she could give.
When she stumbled, he caught her.
When she woke gasping from nightmares that weren’t her own, she found food waiting outside her door.
still warm, small kindnesses that accumulated like snow, slowly burying her defenses.
On the fourth evening, she found him on the roof of the dragon roost, silhouetted against a sky blazing with stars.
“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked, settling beside him on the cold stone.
“I keep thinking about Theon.
” Castion didn’t look at her, his gaze fixed on the mountains.
All the times he’s been in this castle.
All the meals we’ve shared.
The advice he’s given me.
His hands clenched.
He held Isello when she was born.
Taught her to ride her first pony.
And the whole time you couldn’t have known.
I should have.
His voice cracked.
3 years.
She’s been alone for 3 years because I trusted the wrong person.
Vera thought about her mother, about the neighbor who had smiled and brought bread every morning, then led the mob to their door that night.
“Sometimes the betrayal is the point,” she said quietly.
“It’s easier to destroy someone from inside their walls.
” Castion finally looked at her.
The starlight caught his eyes, turning them silver instead of gray.
“You sound like you understand.
” “I do.
” He was quiet for a long moment.
Then slowly he shrugged off his outer coat and draped it over her shoulders.
The fabric was warm from his body.
Smelled of pine and leather and something uniquely him.
You’ll freeze, she protested.
I run hot wolf blood.
He smiled slightly.
Benefit of being what I am.
She pulled the coat tighter anyway, her heart doing something complicated in her chest.
Can I ask you something? Anything.
The bond.
She forced herself to say it.
The thing that had been hovering between them since that first night.
The mate bond.
You’ve barely mentioned it.
Castian’s expression shuddered.
Because it doesn’t matter.
How can you say that? Because I made you a promise.
He turned to face her fully, his eyes fierce.
Seven days, then you’re free.
The bond doesn’t change that.
I won’t use it to trap you, Vera.
I won’t become another person who takes your choices away.
Her throat tightened.
And if I don’t want to leave, the words escaped before she could stop them.
Castion went very still.
What? I said, her voice shook.
These past few days, you’ve been You haven’t treated me like a tool, like something to be used and discarded.
You’ve been kind, patient.
You carry me when I fall and bring me food when I’m too tired to eat.
And you look at me like She stopped, her courage faltering.
Like what? His voice was rough.
Like I matter.
Not for what I can do.
Just for me.
Castenne moved closer.
Close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him despite the mountain cold.
His hand came up slowly, giving her time to pull away, and cuped her cheek.
“You do matter.
” The words sounded like they were being torn from somewhere deep.
“You matter more than you should.
More than I have any right to want after 4 days.
But Vera, I need you to understand something.
” She couldn’t breathe.
What? If you stay, it’s because you choose to, not because of the bond, not because of obligation, because you want this.
Want me.
His thumb traced her cheekbone.
I won’t settle for anything less.
Her chest tightened with emotion she couldn’t name.
The tension between them almost palpable.
And if I’m scared, then I’ll wait.
He leaned closer, his breath warm against her skin.
I’ll wait as long as you need.
I’ll prove every day that I’m worth the risk.
Just don’t run yet.
Give me a chance to earn you.
No one had ever asked to earn her before.
No one had ever looked at her like she was something precious instead of something dangerous.
Vera closed the distance between them and kissed him.
Castian made a sound like a man drowning and dragged her closer, one hand tangling in her hair and the other pressing against the small of her back.
He kissed her like she was air and he’d been suffocating for years.
Desperate and reverent all at once.
When they finally broke apart, both gasping, he cradled her face in his hands.
“I’m going to need you to do that again,” he murmured.
“Just to make sure I didn’t imagine it.
” She laughed, the sound startled out of her.
You’re ridiculous.
Probably.
He kissed her again, softer this time.
But you like me anyway.
I must be losing my mind.
Join the club.
His arms tightened around her.
We have matching symptoms.
They stayed on the roof until the cold finally drove them inside, hands intertwined, something fragile and new blooming between them.
At her door, Castianne kissed her forehead with a gentleness that made her eyes sting.
“Tomorrow,” he said.
“More memories.
But tonight, rest.
Dream of something good for once.
I don’t think I know how.
Then dream of me.
” His smile was crooked, almost shy.
I’ll try to make it worth your while.
He left before she could respond, and Vera leaned against her closed door, touching her lips and wondering when her simple plan for escape had become so terribly complicated.
The fifth morning brought the worst vision yet.
Vera sank into Vexarian’s memories, expecting more fragments, more pieces to assemble.
What she got was something far more horrifying.
A laboratory carved into black stone.
Glass containers line the walls and inside them dragons.
Not whole dragons, pieces.
Scales floating in amber liquid.
Eyes preserved like specimens.
Hearts still beating despite being disconnected from bodies.
The stands at a table, his silver hair immaculate, and his hands steady as he works on something she can’t quite see.
A man in healer’s robes hovers nearby.
The girl is becoming a problem, the healer says.
She refuses to eat, refuses to cooperate.
She’ll cooperate soon enough.
They doesn’t look up.
Once her brother is dead and she’s the only legitimate heir, she’ll have no choice.
I’ll rule as regent, and when my son comes of age, the marriage will secure everything.
And if she continues to resist, then we break her the same way we break the dragons.
The finally raises his head and his eyes are cold, empty, utterly devoid of humanity.
Everyone has a limit, even stubborn little princesses.
The healer shifts nervously.
What about the new dragon kin? The girl Vexerian bonded with.
If she accesses too many memories, she won’t live long enough to be a problem.
Damon returns to his work.
I’ve already made arrangements.
The poison should take effect within the week.
Vera slammed back into her body, screaming.
Vera.
Castion caught her as she convulsed, holding her tight against his chest.
What is it? What did you see? She couldn’t form words.
The horror was too fresh, too overwhelming.
Dragons butchered for parts.
Asella being starved into submission.
And somewhere in this castle, poison waiting for her with her name on it.
He knows.
She finally gasped.
They knows about me.
He’s already Her throat closed.
Panic clawed at her chest.
Castion’s hands gripped her shoulders, forcing her to meet his eyes.
Breathe.
Look at me.
What did you see? She told him everything.
the laboratory, the preserved dragon parts, the plan to kill him and force Isella into marriage, the poison already in place.
By the time she finished, Castian’s face had transformed into something she barely recognized, not the patient man who’d held her on the rooftop, not the gentle soul who’d carried her when she fell.
This was the Alpha King, cold and lethal, a predator preparing to strike.
Rogar, he called, and a warrior appeared at the entrance to the roost.
Seal the castle.
No one enters or leaves without my direct order.
And bring me everything Vera has consumed in the last 3 days.
Food, water, wine, all of it.
Your majesty.
Now the warrior vanished.
Castion turned back to Vera and beneath the ice she saw fear.
He won’t touch you, he said, his voice low and fierce.
I swear on everything I am.
He won’t hurt you.
He’s been planning this for years, Castenne.
He has dragons under his control, enslaved.
If he has more of them, then we end him before he can use them.
How? We don’t even know where his laboratory is, where Isella is being held.
Castian’s jaw tightened.
But we know someone who might.
Famon’s son has been conveniently absent from court for months, officially visiting relatives in the eastern provinces.
You think he’s with his father? I think he’s exactly where Isella is.
And I think it’s time we paid them both a visit.
He took her hands, his thumbs tracing circles on her wrists.
But first, we make sure you’re safe.
I won’t go anywhere until I know the poison hasn’t already.
I feel fine.
Tired from the visions, but fine.
Humor me.
His voice cracked slightly.
Please.
I just found you.
I can’t.
He stopped, swallowing hard.
Let me protect you.
Just this once.
The raw vulnerability in his eyes broke something open in her chest.
Okay, she whispered.
But then we plan and when we move against the I’m coming with you.
Vera, she’s your sister, but those dragons are my kin.
What he’s doing to them? Her voice hardened.
I won’t hide while he butchers more of them for parts.
Castion studied her face for a long moment.
Then slowly he nodded.
Together then.
Together.
He pulled her close, and she let herself sink into his warmth, drawing strength from his steadiness.
The fear was still there, coiled in her gut like a serpent.
But beneath it was something else now.
Fury, purpose, the burning need to see Thean answer for everything he’d done.
And for the first time in her life, Vera wasn’t facing that fight alone.
The poison was in the honey.
Rogar’s investigation revealed it within hours.
a slow acting toxin mixed into the jar that had been delivered to Vera’s room on her first night.
She’d used it in her tea twice, only twice because she preferred things bitter rather than sweet.
That preference had saved her life.
The serving girl who brought it has vanished, Rogar reported, his weathered face grim.
But we found correspondence in her quarters.
Payments from an unnamed source.
Instructions written in a cipher we’ve seen before.
Fame in cipher, Castian said flatly.
Yes, your majesty.
Vera sat by the fire in Castian’s study wrapped in furs despite the warmth.
The knowledge that she’d been two spoonfuls of honey away from death kept washing over her in cold waves.
“How long do we have?” Castion asked before Theaman realizes his plan failed.
Days at most.
He has eyes everywhere.
Then we move tonight.
Vera’s head snapped up.
Tonight? We don’t even know exactly where his laboratory is.
We know it’s on the eastern coast.
We know his son is there.
And we know Isella is being held somewhere nearby.
Castenne’s eyes found hers.
Vexerion can track the corrupted dragons.
Their wrongness leaves a trail he can follow.
He speaks the truth.
Vexarion confirmed in her mind.
I have felt them for years.
A wound in the fabric of what dragons should be.
I can find them.
How many warriors? Rogar asked.
20.
handpicked people you’d trust with your life and mine.
That’s not many against an unknown number of enslaved dragons.
It’s enough if we have surprise on our side.
Castion stood his whole body radiating controlled violence.
Faman thinks Vera is dying.
Thinks I’m distracted and grieving.
He won’t expect us to strike first.
And if you’re wrong, Vera asked quietly.
Castenne crossed to her, kneeling so their eyes were level.
Then I’ll burn his fortress to the ground myself.
But I’m not wrong.
His hand covered hers.
I’ve spent three years being careful, being patient, playing the game by his rules.
It ends tonight.
She saw it in his face.
The exhaustion, the grief, the barely contained rage.
Three years of searching.
Three years of polite dinners with the man who’d stolen his sister.
Three years of not knowing.
Then I’m coming with you.
Vera, don’t.
She gripped his hand tighter.
You promised we’d do this together.
I can communicate with any dragons we encounter, even the corrupted ones.
Maybe I can reach them.
Break through whatever Theon has done.
And if you can’t, then at least I’ll have tried.
” Castion searched her face for a long moment.
Then he exhaled slowly and leaned close, his brow touching hers.
“If anything happens to you, it won’t.
You can’t promise that.
Neither can you.
” She pulled back to meet his eyes.
But I’d rather face danger with you than hide somewhere safe while you risk everything alone.
His laugh was rough, almost broken.
You’re infuriating.
I’ve been told.
I mean it as a compliment.
I know.
He kissed her then, hard and desperate, like he was trying to memorize the taste of her.
When he pulled away, his eyes were bright.
Stay close to me tonight.
No matter what happens, I will.
Promise me.
I promise.
They flew out under cover of darkness.
Vera mounted behind Castion on Vexarian’s back.
The other dragons carried warriors in pairs, their wing beats silent against the star-strew sky.
The wind was bitter, cutting through her leathers, but Castenne’s body blocked the worst of it, solid and warm against her chest.
Southeast, Vexerian directed.
The corruption grows stronger.
They flew for hours, the landscape below shifting from mountains to forests to the dark shimmer of the sea.
Finally, as dawn began to paint the horizon gray, Vera saw it, a fortress carved into coastal cliffs, its black stone towers reaching toward the sky like grasping fingers.
There, Castenne said, Rogar, take half the men around to the eastern approach.
Wait for my signal.
And if there’s no signal, then burn everything that isn’t my sister.
The warriors split off, their dragons peeling away into the mist.
Vera tightened her arms around Castian’s waist.
I can feel them, she whispered.
The enslaved dragons.
They’re in so much pain.
“Hold on to yourself, little one,” Vexarion warned.
“Their suffering will try to pull you under.
” They descended toward a narrow ledge below the main fortress where shadows pulled thick enough to hide their landing.
Castion dismounted first, then reached up to help Vera down.
His hands lingered on her waist.
Last chance to stay with Vexarion.
Not a chance.
His smile was fierce.
That’s my girl.
They moved through carved tunnels following the pull of wrongness that Vera could feel like a hook in her chest.
Twice they encountered guards and twice Castian dispatched them with a speed and silence that reminded her exactly what he was.
Alpha predator king.
Then they rounded a corner and all the air left Vera’s lungs.
The laboratory was worse than her visions had shown.
Dozens of glass containers lined the walls, each one holding dragon remains in various states of preservation, [snorts] and in the center of the room, chained to a stone platform, was a dragon unlike any she’d ever seen.
It might have been bronze once, now its scales were dull, its eyes empty, its wings hanging limp and broken.
Tubes ran from its body to strange machines that hummed with dark energy.
It was being drained, used, hollowed out while still alive.
Gods, Castian breathed.
Vera moved without thinking, crossing the room to press her hands against the dragon’s snout.
The mind she touched was shattered.
Fragments of personality scattered like broken glass.
But beneath the damage, something still flickered.
“Help!” it whispered.
“Please make it stop.
I’m here,” she said aloud.
“I’m going to help you.
Just hold on.
How touching.
” The voice came from everywhere and nowhere.
Vera spun to find Theon emerging from the shadows, his silver hair perfect, and his expression utterly calm.
Behind him, a young man with his father’s eyes watched with cold amusement.
“Uncle,” Castian said, his voice flat with hatred.
“Oh, nephew.
” Famon smiled.
I must admit, I didn’t expect you so soon.
The poison should have kept your little dragon kin occupied for at least another week.
Sorry to disappoint.
Oh, I’m not disappointed.
Merely adjusting.
Feman gestured, and more guards poured into the room, filling every exit.
You’ve saved me the trouble of having to hunt you down.
Where is Ella? Castian’s voice cut through the tension like a blade.
Vera saw his hands flex at his sides, claws threatening to emerge.
Safe.
Famon clasped his hands behind his back.
Which is more than I can say for you, I’m afraid.
You really should have stayed in your castle playing at being king while adults handled the real work.
The real work? You call torturing dragons real work? I call it progress.
They’s eyes gleamed.
Do you have any idea how much power is contained in a single dragon? The magic in their blood, their scales, their hearts.
Your father was too soft to see it, too bound by tradition and sentiment.
But I’ve spent 30 years studying what they really are, and I’ve finally found a way to harvest it.
Vera’s stomach turned.
You’re insane.
I’m practical.
Theonman’s gaze shifted to her and she felt the weight of his attention like ice water down her spine.
You, on the other hand, are an unexpected complication.
A dragon kin with a true bond.
Do you know how rare that is? How valuable.
I’m not a resource to be harvested.
Everything is a resource, girl.
It’s simply a matter of perspective.
Castian moved, placing himself between Vera and his uncle.
This ends now.
Release Isella.
Surrender and I might let you live long enough to face trial.
Feman laughed.
You’re outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and standing in the heart of my power.
What exactly makes you think you’re in a position to make demands? This Castian raised his hand.
Outside, a horn sounded.
then another.
Then the entire fortress shook as dragon fire exploded against its walls.
Rogar and the others they’d reached position.
Chaos erupted.
Guards rushed toward the exits.
Tamman’s son shouted orders that no one followed.
And in the confusion, Castian shifted.
Vera had never seen an alpha transform before.
One moment he was a man.
The next he was something else entirely.
a massive wolf with silver black fur and eyes that burned like winter stars.
He tore through the guards like paper, all fury and fang, clearing a path toward the door.
“Getella!” he snarled, his voice still recognizable despite the wolf’s throat.
“Third floor, east tower!” Vera ran.
The fortress was a maze of black stone corridors, but she could feel Vxerion’s presence guiding her, showing her which turns to take.
She climbed stairs two at a time, her lungs burning, her heart racing.
Third floor, East Tower.
The door was locked.
She slammed her shoulder against it once, twice, three times until something cracked and it burst open.
The room beyond was almost comfortable, a bed, a chair, a window overlooking the sea.
And standing in the center, thin and pale but very much alive, was om.
The girl’s voice was hoarse from disuse, but her eyes were sharp.
My name is Vera.
Your brother sent me.
A wave of emotion crossed as Cella’s face.
Hope raw and painful.
Castenne, he’s here.
He’s downstairs fighting your uncle.
We need to go now.
Isella didn’t hesitate.
She grabbed Vera’s hand and together they ran.
They made it halfway down the stairs before Theon found them.
He stepped out of an al cove, his perfect composure finally cracked, blood smearing one cheek and fury twisting his features.
You’re not taking her anywhere.
Watch us.
Vera pushed Isella behind her, her mind reaching out desperately for Vexarion.
But the dragon was outside, too far to reach in time.
Faman advanced.
I’ve spent three years on this plan.
Three years of patience, of sacrifice, of watching that idiot nephew of mine stumble around pretending to rule.
I won’t let a servant girl and a broken princess destroy everything.
Then you should have picked better enemies.
The voice came from behind Thean.
He spun and Casten’s fist connected with his jaw hard enough to send him crashing into the wall.
Isella.
Castian’s wolf form had receded, leaving him battered and bloody but standing.
Are you hurt? I’m fine.
Is Ella’s voice cracked.
Castion, I knew you’d come.
I always knew.
I’m sorry it took so long.
Brother and sister stared at each other.
Three years of grief and hope compressed into a single moment.
Then the moved.
He pulled something from his coat.
a shard of crystal that glowed with sickly green light and thrust it toward Isella.
Vera reacted on instinct.
She threw herself between them, feeling the crystal pierce her shoulder instead of Isela’s heart.
Pain exploded through her hot and wrong, and she heard herself scream, “Veyra!” Castion caught her as she fell, his face a mask of horror.
behind him.
Is Ella grabbed a torch from the wall and swung it at the with all her strength.
The old man stumbled, lost his footing, and tumbled backward down the stairs.
The crack of his neck breaking echoed through the stone corridor.
Then everything went dark.
Vera woke to warmth and the smell of pine.
She was lying in a bed softer than clouds, her shoulder wrapped in clean bandages.
Sunlight streamed through an open window carrying the sound of dragons calling to each other in the distance.
You’re awake.
Castian sat beside the bed, his eyes red rimmed, his hair disheveled.
He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
How long? She managed.
3 days.
The crystal was laced with the same corruption used on the dragons.
We weren’t sure.
His voice broke.
The healer said if you’d taken a direct hit to your heart, you wouldn’t have survived.
But I didn’t because you’re either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.
He took her hand, pressing it to his lips.
I haven’t decided which.
Can I be both? His laugh was wet, his eyes shining.
Definitely both.
Vera struggled to sit up and he helped her, piling pillows behind her back with exquisite care.
Isella.
She’s recovering.
Weak from years of captivity, but strong.
Pride crept into his voice.
She killed the man who kidnapped her.
Swung a torch at him without hesitation.
Good for her.
She wants to meet you properly.
Thank you for saving her life.
Castian’s thumb traced circles on Vera’s palm.
I want to thank you, too, but I’m not sure words are enough.
You could try anyway.
He met her eyes and the raw emotion there made her breath catch.
You threw yourself in front of a weapon for my sister, a girl you’d never met.
You nearly died for my family.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
You’ve given me everything I thought I’d lost.
How do I repay that? You already have.
Vera reached up to touch his face.
You gave me a choice when everyone else tried to take them away.
You saw me as a person, not a tool.
You made me believe I could be more than just a maid hiding from her own power.
You were always more than that.
Maybe, but you helped me see it.
Castian leaned forward, his lips brushing her temple.
The seven days are up, he said quietly.
The oath is fulfilled.
You’re free to go.
I know.
The gold is waiting.
New identity papers, everything you need to disappear.
I know that, too.
He pulled back, his eyes searching hers.
But, but I don’t want to disappear anymore.
Vera smiled, feeling tears prick her eyes.
I want to stay with you, with Isella, with Vxarion and the dragons that need someone to speak for them.
Hope flickered across Castion’s face, fragile and desperate.
You’re sure? I’ve spent my whole life running from what I am, hiding, being small so no one would notice me.
She took his face in her hands.
I’m tired of being small, Castian.
I want to be brave instead.
And I want to be brave with you.
He kissed her like she’d handed him the sun.
Tender and fierce and full of promise.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, his smile was brighter than she’d ever seen it.
“Marry me,” he said.
Vera laughed.
“Shouldn’t you ask more formally? Get down on one knee.
Present a ring.
I’ll do all that later.
Right now, I just need to know.
” He pressed another kiss to her forehead, her cheek, the corner of her mouth.
“Marry me, Vera.
Bond with me.
Let me spend the rest of my life being worthy of you.
Yes.
The word came out without hesitation.
Yes to everything.
From somewhere outside, Vexarian’s roar shook the windows.
Finally, the dragon said, “I was beginning to lose patience.
” One month later, the bonding ceremony was held at dawn when the light turned the mountain peaks to gold.
Vera wore deep green silk that matched Vexerian saddle leather.
her hair woven with small white flowers that Isella had picked herself.
Castian wore formal black, the crown on his head gleaming in the early light.
But it was his eyes she focused on, storm gray and shining with a joy that made her heart feel too large for her chest.
They spoke their vows before the assembled court, promising partnership and choice and love freely given.
When Castian slid the ring onto her finger, she felt the mate bond settle fully into place.
Not a chain, but a bridge connecting them while leaving room for each to remain whole.
“I choose you,” he said, his voice carrying across the silent crowd.
“I choose you back,” she answered.
“Today and every day after.
” He kissed her as the dragons overhead released plumes of fire into the sky, a celebration visible for miles in every direction.
The feast lasted until well past midnight.
Isella dragged Vera onto the dance floor repeatedly, her laughter ringing out as she spun them both in circles.
The corrupted dragons, slowly healing now that the machines had been destroyed, called to each other from the roost, their voices stronger every day.
Later, much later, Vera and Castenne slipped away to their chambers.
He loved her slowly, reverently, whispering her name like a prayer against her skin.
And she loved him back with everything she had, finally believing she deserved this.
Afterward, they lay tangled together in the moonlight.
“Tell me something,” Castion murmured, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on her shoulder.
something I don’t know, Vera thought for a moment.
When Vexerian first bowed to me, I thought my life was ending.
I thought everything I’d built, all those years of being invisible, were destroyed.
She turned to look at him.
I didn’t realize it was actually beginning.
His smile was soft.
And now, now I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Seen, known, loved.
She pressed closer.
You gave me a choice and I used it to choose you.
Best choice you ever made.
Second best.
His eyebrow rose.
What was the first? Not putting honey in my tea.
Cast’s laugh rumbled through both of them, warm and bright and full of life.
Your turn, she said.
Tell me something.
I knew you were special the moment Vexerian bowed.
Before I knew about your gift, before the bond, just watching you stand there terrified but refusing to break.
He kissed her hair.
I thought she’s a survivor.
Someone who’s faced the worst and didn’t let it make her cruel.
And I wanted to know you.
Just know me.
Well, his grin turned wicked.
Wanting to know you became wanting you fairly quickly, but I tried to be subtle about it.
You failed completely.
They fell into comfortable silence, the sounds of distant celebration drifting through the window.
Outside, Vexerian’s shadow passed across the moon.
His presence a warm hum at the edge of Vera’s mind.
“Happy, little one?” “Yes,” she answered.
“Finally, yes.
” She thought about the woman she’d been one month ago.
invisible, afraid, certain she’d never be free.
That woman wouldn’t recognize her now.
But that was the thing about dragons, Vera thought as sleep pulled her under.
They didn’t just breathe fire.
They burned away everything false.
Everything small.
Everything that kept you from becoming who you were meant to be.
And from the ashes, something new could rise.
The sun rose over Kervth, painting the mountains gold.
In the dragon roost, Vexerion stretched his silver wings and called out to greet the dawn, his voice joined by a dozen others, healed and whole and free.
In the royal chambers, Vera woke in her mate’s arms and smiled.
She’d walked into that courtyard expecting nothing more than another day of drudgery.
Instead, she’d found a dragon who saw her worth, a king who earned her trust, and a love that finally felt like home.
The beast had bowed to the quiet maid, and in doing so, he’d changed everything.
Fair trade, she thought, pressing a kiss to Casten’s sleeping face.
Fair trade, indeed.
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