Chapter 13

Wings Above the Night

For the next three days, Kael avoided her.

Not completely.

That would have been easier.

Instead, he existed around her in the most frustrating possible way. Guards suddenly appeared before Evelynn could wander too far into the palace. Meals arrived suspiciously on time. Fires in her chambers never went cold. And every time she looked out across the snowy courtyards below, she occasionally caught sight of a massive black dragon circling somewhere high above Black Citadel before disappearing back into the clouds.

Watching.

Always watching.

It was deeply annoying.

Also strangely comforting, which was even more annoying.

By the fourth night, Evelynn had become so restless she nearly started arguing with the furniture for entertainment. The palace library had helped for a while, but most dragon books seemed determined to either confuse or emotionally intimidate her.

Ancient war histories. Dragon bloodlines. Poetry that somehow sounded threatening.

Very on brand.

Outside her windows, snow finally stopped for the first time in nearly a week. The sky beyond Black Citadel stretched dark and clear beneath sharp silver stars.

Evelynn stood near the balcony doors staring out toward the mountain cliffs when someone knocked once against her chamber door.

Then entered without waiting.

Of course.

Kael looked less exhausted tonight.

Still dangerous. Still unfairly intimidating. But calmer somehow. He wore a long dark coat instead of royal armor, black gloves covering his hands while faint gold firelight caught along the sharp edges of his jaw.

His eyes moved briefly toward the open balcony.

“Come with me.”

Straight to the point as usual.

Evelynn narrowed her eyes immediately. “That sentence has historically led to very stressful experiences.”

Kael looked unimpressed. “You survived them.”

“Debatable.”

Still, she followed him.

Mostly because curiosity remained her single worst personality trait.

The palace corridors were unusually quiet this late at night. Most servants had already disappeared into lower quarters while dragon guards standing watch along the walls lowered their heads immediately as Kael passed.

Evelynn noticed several glancing nervously toward her afterward.

Apparently palace gossip remained thriving.

Wonderful.

Kael led her upward through a section of Black Citadel she hadn’t seen before. Higher and higher through winding stone staircases until cold night air finally swept through an open archway ahead.

A rooftop platform.

No—

a landing platform.

The circular black stone terrace overlooked the entire city from terrifying height while massive iron braziers burned with controlled golden dragonfire around the edges. Beyond the cliffs, endless mountains stretched beneath moonlight and drifting silver clouds.

And standing at the center of the platform—

was Kael’s dragon form.

Evelynn stopped walking immediately.

Even after everything she’d already seen, the sheer size of him still stole breath from her lungs.

Massive black scales reflected silver moonlight like polished obsidian. Folded wings rested against the stone platform large enough to shadow half the terrace. Smoke curled faintly from his nostrils while gold eyes watched her carefully.

Not threatening.

Waiting.

Evelynn folded her arms automatically. “You know, most people use carriages for transportation.”

The dragon blinked once slowly.

Then lowered himself slightly toward the platform.

Realization hit.

“Oh no.”

The dragon made a low sound in his throat.

Impatient.

Definitely impatient.

Evelynn looked over the edge of the platform toward the terrifying drop below.

“No.”

The dragon stared at her.

She stared back.

“…absolutely not.”

Another low rumble.

Judging.

Honestly impressive.

Evelynn pointed accusingly at him. “You are the size of a natural disaster.”

The dragon remained entirely unsympathetic.

After several more seconds of losing an argument against a giant reptile, Evelynn finally muttered darkly, “If I die, I’m haunting you personally.”

Then very carefully climbed onto his back.

Warm.

That surprised her immediately.

Despite the cold mountain air, heat radiated constantly beneath the black scales. Strong muscles shifted powerfully underneath her hands while she awkwardly tried figuring out where exactly humans were supposed to sit on dragons.

No instructional manuals existed for this.

Kael turned his massive head slightly toward her.

Then without warning—

jumped.

Evelynn screamed immediately.

The platform vanished beneath them as enormous wings exploded outward into the night sky. Wind slammed violently against her while Black Citadel dropped away beneath them in a dizzying rush of black stone and gold firelight.

“Oh my God—”

Another powerful wingbeat carried them higher.

And higher.

The city spread below like something out of myth. Endless black towers pierced through drifting clouds while golden dragonfire lit the streets beneath like rivers of stars. Dragons moved through the night sky around them, distant shadows gliding between moonlit clouds.

Evelynn’s death grip tightened desperately against Kael’s scales.

“This is horrible!”

The dragon made a sound suspiciously close to amusement.

Traitor.

Wind tore through her hair while cold air burned her lungs. But slowly, somewhere between terror and altitude, something unexpected happened.

The fear faded.

Not completely.

But enough.

Because the view became impossible to ignore.

Mountains stretched endlessly beneath moonlight like silver waves frozen in time. Thick clouds drifted below them now instead of above, glowing pale beneath the stars while distant dragonfire flickered through the darkness far below.

They flew higher still.

Until eventually Black Citadel itself disappeared beneath cloud cover.

Evelynn slowly loosened one hand from Kael’s scales.

The sky above them looked endless.

For the first time in weeks, the world felt quiet.

No palace walls.

No politics.

No terrified servants whispering behind corners.

Just wind, clouds, and wings cutting through moonlight.

Beautiful.

Dangerously beautiful.

Kael glided smoothly through the night air before eventually leveling out above a vast sea of clouds glowing silver beneath the stars.

Evelynn stared speechlessly.

“…okay,” she admitted softly. “This is slightly less terrible now.”

The dragon’s shoulders shifted faintly beneath her.

Satisfied.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get smug. I’m still emotionally against this.”

A low rumbling sound vibrated through his chest again.

Definitely amusement this time.

Evelynn rested one hand more carefully against the warm scales near his neck while staring out across the endless cloud sea around them.

Then quietly asked:

“Do you come up here often?”

For a long moment, only wind answered.

Then Kael’s voice entered her mind unexpectedly.

Low.

Deep.

Close enough to feel.

When the palace becomes too loud.

Evelynn nearly slipped off the dragon entirely.

“Oh that is deeply unsettling.”

Another rumble of amusement.

You get used to it.

“Absolutely not.”

Still…

She looked around again at the endless stars reflected across the clouds below them.

And for the first time since arriving at Black Citadel, Evelynn realized something dangerous.

She was beginning to understand why dragons hated cages.