Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 505(@250wpm)___ 421(@300wpm)
“Oh, he’s itchy,” I said, stepping towards him. “He wants me to scratch his eye ridges.”
Ryse’s black eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Wait—how do you know that?” he demanded.
I frowned at him as I stood on my tiptoes to reach the itchy eye-ridge—a bony protuberance just above the enormous eye.
“I just felt it—felt what he was feeling. Don’t you?”
“Well yes, but I’m his rider!” he exclaimed.
I wasn’t sure what he was getting worked up about.
“Yes, I know—what’s your point?”
“My point is, how can you feel what another rider’s dragon is feeling?” he demanded.
I shrugged.
“I’ve always been able to feel dragon emotions—can’t everyone?”
“No, they fucking can’t!” He still looked shocked, as though I’d said something unbelievable. “So you’re telling me you can feel the emotions of every dragon here?” he demanded.
“Well, sure.” I looked at him in confusion. “Dragons have such strong feelings they send them out to everyone—isn’t that right?”
“Yes, but not everyone can feel them all the time.” He shook his head and pointed at one of the blue dragons who was shifting from foot to foot as his rider mounted. “What’s he feeling?”
“Easy—he’s impatient.”
“You could tell that from the way he’s shifting around, though,” Ryse said, frowning.
“Yes, but you can feel it too,” I pointed out. “Just like I could feel the love between you and M’alex a moment ago. He absolutely adores you, you know. And I can tell you feel the same for him.”
His cheeks went abruptly red for some reason.
“Wait—are you telling me you can read my emotions too?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “I just felt the love flowing between you and your dragon. I’ve never felt anything from any human before unless they’re with a dragon. My father and F’lorn, his dragon…”
But I trailed off, not wanting to remember the awful rage that ruled our house, especially after my father started doing Wide Patrols and looking for any remaining Madlings. It had been a demotion that was beneath a member of a Great House, and he had never gotten over his fury.
“So you can only feel what I’m feeling when I’m having feelings for my dragon?” Ryse demanded. He seemed very focused on whether I could feel his emotions or not for some reason, I thought.
“Yes, I suppose so.” I shrugged. “I’ve never felt anything you’re feeling up until now.”
“Good,” he muttered, and his cheeks went red again. Was he blushing? Why? What emotions did he not want me to know about? I wished I knew but of course I couldn’t ask.
“Look, M’alex is saddled now.” I pointed to the leather saddle which was placed at the hollow between the last neck spine and the beginning of the dragon’s broad back. “Can we go up?”
“Yes, I guess so.” Ryse ran a hand through his hair and cast me a sidelong look, like he wasn’t sure what to think of me now. “What is M’alex thinking now?” he demanded abruptly.
“I don’t know—I can’t hear dragon thoughts—I can only feel their feelings.”
I was still surprised that other people didn’t have the same experience I did. Auren had been able to feel the feelings of dragons too. We’d often huddle together in bed at night when we were children, frightened of the rage coming from F’lorn. So I’d just assumed that everyone could feel dragon emotions.
“Okay then—how is he feeling now?” Ryse asked.
I looked at the big Dragon, who actually winked at me—one golden eye closing slowly.
“He’s amused,” I reported. “He thinks your reaction to me is funny, I think. He doesn’t understand why you’re so offended.”
“I’m not offended. Just…surprised. I’ve only heard of one other person who could feel dragon emotions and that was in an old book I read a long time ago, when I was a kid.” He shook his head.
“Do…you not want to fly with me now?” I asked hesitantly. Maybe I was too weird for him—too strange for him to want to be around me.
“No, no—nothing like that. You just surprised me—that’s all.”
He paused for a moment, and I could tell that M’alex was saying something to him.
“Yes, you did tell me she was special,” he murmured. “I just didn’t really understand why until now.”
My heart started beating a little harder.
“Who…who are you talking about?”
“Who do you think? You,” Ryse said, looking down at me. “M’alex has had an interest in you since you first came here. He saw you during Receiving Day and he’s been talking about you ever since.”
“Yes, but…” I coughed because my throat was suddenly so dry. “You said ‘she’ just now.” His dragon didn’t know my secret—did he?
“Oh, that’s just how he talks. Dragons don’t always distinguish between male and female humans,” he told me. “To them you’re either their person or you aren’t. They don’t care if you’re a woman or a man, as long as you’re bonded to them.”