House of Shadows (Royal Houses 2)

“Fine. That sounds nice.”

He blew out an exasperated breath. “Why are you always so much trouble?”

“It’s what makes me so endearing, princeling.”

He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Half an hour, Kerrigan, and then we’re going to the House of Shadows. You need to be ready.”

Then, he stalked away from her, leaving her floundering with the door. She glared after him. It would have been nice to stay within the confines of the mountain, where she was safe. Except she wasn’t safe. If there was someone working with Basem Nix within these walls, no one was safe.

Not that it’d be better in the House of Shadows. She’d be lucky if she ever came out of there again. She could snub Fordham, but despite their problems, she owed him. He’d offered her a spot in the House of Shadows when he could have left her to languish in Bryonican high society. It didn’t redeem him of everything else though.

He’d lied to her the entire time they were together. He’d been exiled from his people and decided to join the dragon tournament to earn a place back in the House of Shadows. It was the only reason he’d been able to leave the magical spell that had trapped them. Neither of them knew what would happen next. If they’d welcome him back. If he’d be able to leave again. Where it put them.

Kerrigan cursed again.

She didn’t want to think about them. And the fact that there was no them.

But she couldn’t stay here even if she was mad at him. She was a member of the House of Shadows. She wouldn’t let Fordham face it alone.

So, she changed into her traveling gear, plaited her obnoxiously tangled hair down her back, and grabbed the bag she’d packed yesterday. She opted not to eat anything. Not with how her stomach was behaving. Then, she headed up to the dragon aerie. The brighter and brighter it got, the worse her eyes watered, and the more painful her headache, but she hadn’t doubted Fordham when he said that he would leave her. He was a man of his word… until he wasn’t.

Kerrigan eased past the row of dragons. Some of them said hello as she passed, but most were still sleeping. Then, she found her dragon.

Her dragon.

It was still unbelievable to even think that at all. She’d loved flying from the moment she arrived in the House of Dragons. She’d thought that her last flight was a month ago, and now, she had her own dragon that she could fly whenever she wanted.

“Morning, Tieran,” she said as she approached the midnight-blue dragon.

He was small for his kind, smaller even than normal, but he was quick and determined.

Ah, so Fordham got your lazy self out of bed, he spoke directly into her mind.

And also a jerk.

She sighed. She wasn’t ready to deal with Tieran’s behavior today. They’d never liked each other, and honestly, she still didn’t know why he’d picked her in the dragon tournament. He could have had Fordham or any of the other competitors. Instead, he’d picked her. So, here they were.

“Let’s get this over with,” she told him.

She could have sworn that he rolled his gold slitted eyes as he turned away from her.

“You made it,” Fordham said stiffly.

He’d thrown a thick cloak over his silks. Even in the heart of summer, it was cold in the skies. She’d forgotten hers. Great.

“I’m all ready to go.”

Fordham reached into his pack and tossed her a cloak. “Figured you’d forget yours.”

She bit her lip. “Thanks.”

Their eyes met across the short distance. Tension sparked between them. She wanted to go to him, to bridge that space, like they had in the gazebo of her father’s Row mansion. The taste of his lips still lingered. After a month of her visions constantly pulling them together, them learning not to hate each other and then to trust each other, only for her to be rejected …

It still panged in her chest when she looked at him. He’d wanted it too. She knew that he had, but it couldn’t happen. Fordham was cursed to hurt anyone he cared about. Even though she would risk it for him, he wouldn’t risk it for her. And didn’t that make all the difference?

She averted her gaze and settled instead on his dragon. “Good morning, Netta.”

The red-jeweled dragon inclined her head. Kerrigan, it’s always a pleasure.

See, why couldn’t she have gotten Netta as her dragon? Netta was as mischievous as Kerrigan had ever been. They would have been a perfect pair.

“Let’s get going. We have a few hours in the skies before we reach the House of Shadows,” Fordham said.

Kerrigan secured her pack to Tieran’s back. Fordham must have already attached a saddle for her comfort. Her throat tightened up, and she tried to ignore how much she wanted to fix this between them. But it couldn’t be fixed. That much was clear.