Kingdom of Shadows and Wings (Dragons of Tirene, #1)

by Nina Frost

“A distraction sounds good. Something to take your mind off everything tonight. Any idea where we can find alcohol?” Pulling away, Olive exhales a hiccupping breath and jumps to her feet. “Come with me.”

Abel guffaws. “Steal tokens? Who’s gonna steal tokens from Thorne? If he catches you, you’re liable to lose an arm.” My heartbeat quickens. “Thorne has them?” “Last I heard, anyway. I guess it makes sense, since he’s in charge of the alicorns.” Nick chortles. “Poor alicorns. I know he’s an amazing rider and all, but Thorne is one grumpy bastard.” “He’s not grumpy all the time. And he’s super gentle and patient with animals.” I recognize my mistake too late. All three of my wide-eyed friends swivel to gawk at me. Olive gasps, while Nick begins to sing. “Somebody has a cru-ush!”

“Oh, I’ve got a good one! Lark, your dare is to sneak into Sterling Hottie-Pants Thorne’s room and steal one of those off-campus tokens.” With an animated gasp, I do my best to feign shock. “What? Are you nuts?”

Abel shakes his head. “This is just plain sad.” “Agreed.” I huff out a laugh. “But fine, I’ll do it.” While far from foolproof, using our little game of truth and dare as a cover story if Thorne catches me in the act is better than nothing. “Go on then.” Nick shoos me away. “You don’t have all night.” “Okay. Here I go.” Olive gives me a drunken wave. “Don’t get caught.”

Through the cracked right door, a silver glimmer catches my eye.

Peering closer, I discover the silver chains aren’t chains at all, but ribbons threaded through tiny holes in the bronze coins. Some appear long enough to wrap around an alicorn’s neck. Sure enough, when I pick one up, I spot the word Flighthaven stamped into the metal. Score. Quickly pocketing two, my attention snags on the papers. What could those be? Curious, I stroke the thick parchment with my fingertips. A hand clamps down on my shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing in my room?”

Nerves mix with the heady feeling from the alcohol as I whirl to face Instructor Thorne. “I…” The words die on my lips. He’s shirtless, a pair of loose black pants slung low over his hips. Holy hells.

“Axton. I asked you a question.” My head jerks up. “I…um…you did?” A hint of amusement flits across his face. “I’ll ask you again. What are you doing in the room at this time of night?”

“I was going for a walk…and I thought I’d visit the alicorns.”

“Right.” Thorne’s mouth tips up in a smirk. “Because you’re so fond of them.” I cast a longing glance at the door. “I never said I wasn’t fond of them.” “Pretty certain that was exactly what you meant when you fainted and later bailed from Zephyr’s back. And that still doesn’t explain why you’re in my room.”

“Have you been drinking?” Thorne inches closer, dipping his face toward mine and sniffing. “You have.”

Instead, I tilt my chin up, standing on my toes to whisper in his ear. “There’s only one way for you to know for sure.” He jolts when my lips brush the shell of his ear, and my breath catches in my throat. Did I really just say that? Thorne rears back like I’ve burned him, his dark gaze full of shadows and desire. I lick my lips, and he groans. My stomach dips at the hungry noise.

Thorne breaks the silence first. “We can’t do this.” “I know.” “This is a terrible idea.” “The worst.” I wet my lips again, and he releases a ragged breath. “Fuck it.”

AHHHHH!!!! yay!!

Before I comprehend what’s happening, he winds my braid around his fist and tugs, yanking my head back. And then his mouth slams into mine.

He tastes like danger and whiskey, and I can’t tell if he’s been drinking too. Reaching up, I run my fingers through hair every bit as soft and silky as it looks. This is utter insanity. And I never want it to end.

Pleasure coils low in my belly. I grind my pelvis against him, and his hips rock into me as he kisses me harder. A moan escapes me. I lower my hands to his shoulders, my fingers tracing the curves and dips of his back. Thorne stills under my touch. In the next heartbeat, he jerks away, retreating until he’s no longer within reach. I instantly miss the warmth of him. The demanding press of his lips on mine.

“This was a mistake.” He clenches his jaw, and a hardness creeps into his features. “It will never happen again.” The words pummel me. I do everything in my power not to flinch. His hot one minute, cold the next act gives me whiplash. I struggle to keep the hurt from my voice. “It didn’t feel like a mistake to me.” “Well, that’s exactly what it was. You just caught me in a moment of…weakness.”

“You were the one who came in here like…like this.” I gesture to his bare torso. He raises an eyebrow. “Like what?” “Half-naked.” Despite the heat creeping up my neck, I meet his gaze. “It’s my room. And you were the last person I expected to find in here. So you’re going to tell me, Duchess,” he levels me with a steely glare, “what you were doing in my room in the middle of the night.”

Exhaling, I settle on telling him a partial truth. “We were playing a drinking game, and I was dared to come in here. That’s all.” When he says nothing, I ramble on. “I never would have come in here otherwise. I swear.” “I see.”

Two steps away from freedom, I spin to face him. “Do you think the king would send his men to assassinate someone for defecting?”

Thorne doesn’t speak for several moments, his expression unreadable. “You would be shocked at the awful things a king orders his people to do.”

“Why, though? Why would he do anything like that?” I shake my head. “He’s always been good to my family.” Thorne’s face darkens with anger, and he narrows his eyes. “Thank you for that reminder.” “Wait, what?” Grabbing my arm, he half drags me toward the door. “And should you get the notion to hook up with someone, I suggest you go find a fellow recruit.” He opens the door. “Because I’m not on the menu.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re the last person I want to hook up with.” “Could’ve fooled me five minutes ago.” Lip curling into a sneer, he gives me a shove and closes the door.

As if that’s not bad enough, a familiar figure enters the arena and stalks toward me. “Fledgling Axton!” Oh, boy. Angry doesn’t even begin to describe Instructor Thorne’s expression right now. He’s livid. A muscle ticks in his jaw. His mouth sets in a hard line.

He stops a few paces away. Muscular legs planted shoulder-width apart. Thick arms crossed over his chest. “You missed our meeting this morning. Why?”

“It wasn’t intentional.” He studies me with cool appraisal. “Is that so?”

“Yes, sir, that’s so.” As much as I’d like to tell him to kiss my ass, I know better than to let my temper run wild in front of another instructor and dozens of peers. “I overslept.” “Oh?” A ghost of a smirk plays at his lips. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m exhausted from all the training I’m doing to catch up.” No way in this realm will I admit to being such a whiskey lightweight. “On top of that, I had to deal with an obnoxious asshole last night, which probably didn’t help.”

“You blew off this morning’s meeting because you were too tired? What are you going to do if you get tired during battle? Take a nap?” Several fledglings cackle as Instructor Kinneck strides up. “Is everything all right?” “Everything’s fine.” Thorne’s attention never strays from me. “Just dealing with an insubordinate student.” Insubordinate? “I’d hardly call oversleeping insubordinate…sir.”

“If you can’t manage to get your lazy ass out of bed on time, how do you expect to excel in your training?”

“Why, I figured I’d just follow some good advice and find some other fledgling to help me.” After tossing his words from last night back in his face, I loop my arm through Olive’s. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Olive’s looking a little pale, so I’m taking her to the infirmary to get a tonic for the pain.”

“You can do this.” Though the words are more for me than for Zephyr, I keep my voice soft and soothing as I pat his neck. “We’ll stay low to the ground. And we’ll be back before anyone misses us.” I take a deep breath and ease myself into the saddle. “Ready?” A lazy drawl interrupts my monologue. “Nice pep talk. Truly inspirational.” I freeze as Sterling Thorne emerges from the shadows. “What are you doing here?” “What am I doing outside the alicorn stable? The place where I often work and sleep? Do you really need me to answer that?”

“Don’t let me interrupt…whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I think this just might be the first time I’ve seen you speechless.” “I…” I what? Don’t mind me. I was just sneaking out for a late-night flight? “You know,” he tilts his head, “this is starting to become a habit.” “What is?” His smile widens as he gestures toward the building. “Your nighttime visits. Sneaking around.”

“In the middle of the night?” He leans in and inhales. “Have you been drinking again?” “No! Of course not.” “All right. No need to get defensive. It was a legitimate question after…well, you know.” He pauses, but when I stay silent, he continues. “So tell me, what were you really doing out here? And don’t lie. I know you stole two tokens from my room.”

“Okay,” I take a breath and try to steady my nerves, “I might as well tell you. I was going to take Zephyr on a little flight, um…home.” When his jaw drops, my explanation tumbles from my mouth. “Just for tonight! We were going to turn right around and come back.”

“What in the hells were you thinking?” I knew it was only a matter of time before that calm charade of his shattered. “Yes, I’m serious.” The words come out a hiss. “Believe me, I know the risks. I just⁠—” “Oh, do you?” He yanks me from the saddle, holding me tight even after my boots hit the dirt. “Fuck, Lark, you’ve never even been on a solo flight before. You’ve never even been more than ten feet off the ground!”

“I’m well aware.”

“Just tell me what possessed you to sneak out, tack up an alicorn, and risk your life. What’s so important to you?” I angle my head away and study the ground. “You wouldn’t understand.” “Try me.” He cups my jaw and brings it back so he can look me in the eye. “People are depending on me.” I squeeze my eyes shut, a lump forming in my throat at the thought of so many people without food. “I help with a food pantry, and I got a letter today. There was a fire, and” when I open my eyes, the fury on his face has faded, “they need my help.”

“You were right. It’s a reckless plan, but I can’t let those children…any of those people…go hungry.” Still silent, he releases me and motions toward Zephyr. Is he mocking me? “I don’t understand.” “I’ve done some shitty things in my life.” He works the muscle in his jaw. “But I’m not going to add to that list tonight. Get on.” My own jaw drops. “Really? You’re…going to help me?” He rolls his eyes. “Don’t sound so shocked, Duchess. Who am I to deny hungry children food? Besides, you can make up for missing your lesson this morning.” He motions toward Zephyr again. “Now get on. We don’t have all night.”

Before I can get comfortable, he vaults onto Zephyr behind me. I sit up straight, trying not to wiggle as his hard body presses up against me. “What should I hold onto?” “Either Zephyr’s mane or the pommel.” He reaches around me and picks up the reins, encircling my waist with his other arm. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.” “For some reason, I’m not so sure about that.” The words spill from my lips before I can stop them. He’s actually helping you, and you just keep baiting him. Perfect. “You wound me.”

“Ready?” “I am.” I suck in a breath, nerves fluttering in my belly like tiny butterflies. “And I promise to behave. For the rest of the night, at least.”

He tightens his grip on my waist. “If you wanted to hold my hand so badly, why didn’t you just say so?” I release a shaky laugh. “You wish.” This man is full of contradictions, riling me up one minute and putting me at ease the next. “You can relax, you know. If you sit that stiff the whole time, you’re going to have quite the backache later.”

Hehe

“You okay?” Thorne’s deep rumble pulls me back to reality. “Yes.” “Are you sure?” He gives me a gentle squeeze. “Because you’re awfully quiet. And that’s not like you.” “Just enjoying the flight.” I twist around to catch a glimpse of his face under the starlight, a little surprised to find genuine concern there. “You act like I talk nonstop.” “Wellll,” he draws out the word, “you do sometimes. Especially when you’re pissed and hurling insults.”

“Maybe if you weren’t such a hard-ass all the time, I wouldn’t be pissed.” Thorne tsks and shakes his head. “And here I thought you promised to behave.” I roll my eyes, then twist back around to face forward. “Oh, please. If I were misbehaving, you’d be the first to know.” He barks a laugh, and I can’t help but think that he doesn’t do so nearly enough. “Noted. Now tell me where this friend of yours lives.”

A few tables away, a young woman with a low-cut scarlet gown and lips painted to match sits atop a man’s lap. Her companion whispers something in her ear as his thumb skims across the underside of her breast. She arches her back, blond curls cascading down her shoulders as she giggles. I can’t wrench my eyes away as the man’s hand trails up the woman’s bare leg and vanishes under her skirt. What would Thorne do if I climbed into his lap like that? Would he protest, or would he engage in scandalous activities?

“It’s not polite to stare.” My face burns, and my gaze snaps to his. “I know. Sorry, I⁠—” “I’m only teasing.” I could get lost in his throaty laugh. “I doubt they’re very aware of their surroundings at the moment.” “Oh.” I twist my hands in my lap, fighting the desire to pull my hood over my head and hide my face. “That’s twice tonight.” “What?” “That’s the second time you’ve been speechless. And I find it rather adorable.”

“Why would you find that…adorable?” He shrugs. “You just look so innocent when you’re at a loss for words. It’s endearing.” Innocent? Endearing? He’s describing a five-year-old girl. My nose wrinkles. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Would you care for an ale, Lady Lark?” “I’d love one. Thank you.” He sets the frosty mug in front of me, then hands one to Thorne as he sits and claims the last one for himself. Thorne nods his thanks, raising the glass to his lips and taking a measured drink. “Careful, it’s strong. Wouldn’t want you to find yourself in a compromising situation. Another one, anyway.”

“Is that why you started a food pantry, Royce?” “Oh, no. It wasn’t my idea.” His face flushes as his lips curve into a grin. “The pantry was all Lady Lark.” I wave off his praise. “It was a joint effort.” Still smiling, Royce shrugs. Thorne studies me, his face a mixture of emotions I can’t name.