House of Dragons (Royal Houses #1) - K.A. Linde Page 0,27

off to the side and watched. If he needed something, well, she was here. That was her duty.

It was another hour before he stalked out of the ring, grabbing a jug of water on the way out. He said not one word to her, but she followed him all the same. He walked straight into his room, and before she could even think to ask him a question, he slammed the door in her face. Gods, he was stubborn.

Kerrigan swore under her breath. He wasn’t going to change his mind today. She’d go and do her cleanup with the dragons. Maybe tomorrow he’d want her help.

He didn’t want her help.

Not the next day or the one after that. Or any of the days up to the ceremony.

She was so frustrated with his behavior that on the last day, she decided not to go see him at all. Helly was forcing them together to see if something from her vision came of it. But she didn’t particularly enjoy being treated like an idiot or received taunts about being a stupid half-Fae. He was doing just fine on his own as far as she was concerned.

So what if the servants avoided him? Maybe he’d earned it for being such an ass.

Mistress Moran had given her the last day off her punishment. No more cleaning out muck for her. Not when most of the Dragon Blessed were spending the day getting pampered for the ceremony tonight.

Kerrigan’s stomach twisted. Tonight was the night. The night she’d join a tribe, and her real life would begin. No more helping to raise the dragons or prodding tutors or etiquette lessons. No more flying.

Her heart constricted at that thought. It was the worst of them all when she thought of leaving the relative safety of Draco Mountain for the relative safety of a tribe. No flying.

Truthfully, she wasn’t supposed to have flown as much as she had. But it was exhilarating… and if it was off-limits, which made it all the more exciting.

So, while Darby spent the morning soaking in the underground baths, Kerrigan headed up, up, up to the dragon aerie. The wind whipped through the open mouth of the cave entrance. She’d braided her hair back, but it still snagged on her curls, twirling it around her face. She tried to tuck it behind her short pointed ears. Not that it did much good.

Deciding to ignore it, she stepped inside. Her heart pitter-pattered as she stared at all the gorgeous dragons who were in the aerie that morning. She recognized the five tournament dragons. They stood before Mistress Helly’s dragon, Tavry, and seemed to be receiving their own instruction.

Dragons spoke mind to mind, so Kerrigan didn’t know what he was saying, but all five dragons were rapt with attention. Even Netta, who was always the most prone to trouble.

Kerrigan skated around the training and walked through the maze of dragons.

A few whispered, Hello, in her mind as she passed them.

Another dragon she knew offered her a ride. She grinned and kept walking. It felt nice to be up here. She was more at peace here. More like how she felt in the Wastes. The dragons didn’t care that she was only half-Fae. Everything not dragon was the same to them.

She came back around to the front and saw that the five tournament dragons were now gone. Tavry stood regally at the entrance, his keen gaze staring out across the valley below.

Dragon Blessed Kerrigan of the House of Dragons, it is always a pleasure to have you in the aerie.

Kerrigan bowed her head to Tavry. “Thank you, Tavry. What are you doing with the tournament dragons?”

He inclined his head. More training before our own celebration. Do not concern yourself with it. Why are you among us? Is today not the Dragon Blessed ceremony?

“It is,” she conceded. “And I know that I should be preparing myself for it. As you are clearly preparing your kind. But I wanted one last look over the aerie before I have to leave this place.”

Tavry softened at her words. You will be greatly missed among the dragons, Kerrigan. You have a true heart. If a mischievous one.

She laughed. “That seems fair. And thank you, Tavry. I will never forget the time we flew together into a new world. It will be my most cherished memory.”

Would you care to fly through our world?

She brightened. “I thought you were training?”

I can spare some time for someone who loves flying as much as I