Page 45 of The Cursed Queen

"Surely someone with your ethereal beauty has women throw themselves at you," I stated, this time knowing what I said and didn't care. I simply spoke the truth.

"You think a have a gaggle of women fighting for my attention?" Ryu snorted as if the notion was ridiculous.

"You don't?"

"Not even close." Ryu chuckled. "I'm considered an abomination among my peers."

"Excuse me?" I asked, my voice raising. "What in all of Iferia would make them consider you an abomination? How dare they? I have half a mind to go after everyone who would say such a thing to you!"

Ryu's eyes widened at my outburst. Hell, I surprised myself. I couldn't fathom what would make others deem him an abomination when he looked nothing short of beautiful. While I didn't know him that well, it still didn't sit right with me.

Ryu froze for a few seconds before startling himself back to reality. He coughed just as regained composure. "Well, as much as I appreciate you willing to go to war for me, how about I help you learn to control your dragon first?"

"That sounds better," I said, thankful for the change of subject.

I followed Ryu through a stone corridor that took us outside. Once I was close to the mouth of the cave, I looked down and wish I hadn't. I never would've realized it inside the mountain, but I was high in the sky. As in, the grassy terrain and any sign of villages were much too low for me to see through. One slip, and I'd crumble to nothing. I shivered and glued myself to Ryu.

"Calm yourself, Sera," Ryu soothed. "You won't fall."

"Then what are we doing here?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"We're going to start with teaching you how to use those wings of yours."

"What?" I started backing away from the crazy shifter and the mouth of the cave. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, absolutely not. No, I refuse."

Ryu jogged over to catch me, taking my hands and trying to gently pull me back inside. "Come on, it won't be so bad. And I'll be with you the whole time."

Was he insane? "Did you not hear me? I said no. Furthermore, no!"

"Sera, really, it will be all right. I'll shift and you'll be on my back the whole time. With our mental bond, you'll be able to hear my thoughts like you've been able to hear Andriel's. Have faith in me and have faith in yourself."

It wasn't that I didn't have faith in Ryu; it was more that I didn't have faith in the strength of my wings. Trying to learn to control them was hard enough. Moving my wings took muscles I had never had before. My body wasn't used to the new ligaments that were now connected to my back. I wanted to learn, but I was afraid to.

Sensing my fear, Ryu said, "A dragon's first flight is always frightening, but over time, we all learned to ride the wind as easy as breathing. And soon you will too. Trust me."

I had to do this. If I could learn to fly, I'd be one step closer to returning to the Zeffari Kingdom and rescuing all those poor shifters still under captivity. I needed to do this, for their sake and my own. I took a couple of breaths to slow my racing heart, then stood taller.

"Okay, I can do this," I said, sounding more confident than I felt.

"Perfect," Ryu beamed at me, then immediately jumped out of the cave.

I screamed his name, rushing towards the edge to see him drop. I was about to shout for help when I noticed Ryu's body was soon engulfed in blue flames. It erupted and grew in volume,then shot upward as a bluish-green dragon broke through and took to the sky. My mouth hung open in shock as I took in the majestic beast that was all Ryu. He flew in a slow circle, then flipped backward before diving towards the mouth of the entrance, where he hovered in front of it, his reptilian eyes on me.

"Sorry if I startled you," the sound of Ryu's voice echoed in my head, the same gruff bravado that masked Andriel's voice when he spoke telepathically.

I hadn't appreciated Ryu's dragon form before, but now it was right in front of me and I was amazed by its beauty and how it differed from Andriel's dragon. Much like the man himself, his dragon was much leaner than I'd seen, more serpent-like. The scales along his body were mostly the color of jade, but as his body moved under the light of the sun, the colors shifted to a shade of blue that reminded me of the ocean. His face also had spiked features that were more akin to silver, which gave the appearance that he was wearing a helmet. His horns were also curved differently from mine. Instead of arching back on his head, they curved outward, then up and looped to the center, taking the shape of a disconnected heart. I then looked at his wings, which continued to flap to keep him airborne. The sails were ochre colored.

"Beautiful," I breathed out.

My hand went out tentatively, resting against the top of his snout. As expected, he was warm to the touch. My heart fluttered from the contact, urging me to draw closer to him. I needed to be near him. I needed to feel his warmth all over. Ryu seemed to also feel the effects of our fated bond. His eyes, which were a swirl of blue, green, gold, and violet in this form, hooded with affection. Words like mate and mine echoed throughout my mind.

He must've forgotten what we were supposed to have been doing, as did I, if I were honest. When the spell was over, he brought his head back, only to hold out his massive claw in front of me. It barely fit the mouth of the corridor and looked like it could crush me with ease.

"Get on,"Ryu's voice rang.

Right. He was supposed to teach me to fly.

I gulped, but stepped into his open palm. His claws didn't close around me like my fears expected it to. Instead, he hoisted me up and rested his claw against the spot between his neck and his wing. I was afraid to move. One wrong step I could plummet to my death.