Oro
“I’m not a kid!” Cinder said, energy flaring around her in anger.
Grim raised an unimpressed brow. “Yes. You are.”
Cinder tilted her head at Grim, then. “Hey! You’re her husband!” she said. “You’re . . . the villain! The one we were preparing to fight against!”
Grim nodded without a word. If he had feelings about being called a villain, he didn’t show them.
Cinder made a face. “But she’s so nice! Why would she marry . . .” Her nose scrunched. “You?”
Grim looked over at Oro. “We really need her?” he asked flatly.
Oro nodded.
He sighed. “Isla . . . likes her?”
Oro nodded again, narrowing his eyes at the Nightshade since Cinder could obviously hear them.
Grim ran his hand down his face, looking monumentally irritated. Then he sighed again, knelt to her level, and said, “I have a dragon. Want to meet him?”
Oro rolled his eyes as Cinder proceeded to retract all her previous assumptions about Grim, correct as they were. With a flick of Grim’s hand, Wraith appeared in the skies above, making the ground tremble when he landed.
Cinder screamed with joy, sparks streaming from her in ribbons. Fearlessly, she hurled through the air on a stream of energy, landing between the dragon’s eyes, her arms wide in an embrace.
Wraith went cross-eyed then sighed, settling on the ground. He didn’t seem to mind as Cinder clumsily climbed onto his back. “I want to fly!” she commanded.
Grim began to protest—when Wraith shot into the clouds. Grim and Oro looked at each other, frozen, their eyes wide.
A moment later, Oro was shooting toward the clouds as Grim portaled away.
Oro raced through the skies like an arrow, cursing Grim, cursing Isla for marrying him, cursing Cinder for being so impressed with a dragon. But mostly hoping Cinder was okay. Almost worse than that fear was the realization that Maren would skewer him if she heard about this.
But when he reached them, he found Grim on the dragon with Cinder. And the girl was lighting up the sky in silver, her joy permeating even the clouds.
Oro sighed, his entire body melting in relief. He slowly made his way back to the ground. They didn’t have time for this, he knew. All their futures were uncertain. But Cinder was only a child. This moment of joy was worth it.
Wraith managed to dredge up half a field with his talons as he landed. Cinder was beaming. She slid down Wraith’s nose and landed on her feet. “I always wanted to ride a dragon!” she said. “I’ve seen so many of them!”
Grim frowned. “You have?”
“In my dreams,” she said confidently.
Grim glanced over at Oro, who shrugged a shoulder. “She says she’s been dreaming about another world her entire life.”
Grim’s brow furrowed, like he was deep in thought. He looked over at the girl again. “You want to help us?” he asked.
She nodded vigorously.
“Good,” he said. “Because that wife of mine you mentioned? The one who’s very nice?”
She nodded again.
“I would like to get her back.”