Chapter 14 #2
The heat radiating from him is immediate; it’s like standing beside a furnace.
“Find your comfort limit,” Jada says. “Then take one more step forward.”
Sasha makes it about three paces before muttering, “Nope,” and backing off. Matt lasts longer but winces when the air around his arms ripples with heat. Oscar, ever the perfectionist, stands stone-still, sweat trickling down his temple, but refusing to move.
I take slow, measured steps forward, counting my breaths. The air vibrates, heavy with energy. My skin tingles—not from pain, but from something electric humming beneath it.
“If you look closely, you’ll see that dragon scales are alive. A dragon’s scales regulate heat and magic. When scales dull, they’re tired or conserving energy. When they spark, it’s a warning.
“Any questions so far?”
“How do you talk with him without being bonded? I thought there was only a mental connection established after fully bonding,” Sasha asks.
“In order to have a constant bridge of communication, you do need to be bonded. But dragons can open that bridge before bonding using their magic for short periods of time, when they want to. Most of them find it more annoying waiting for us to figure out what they want than merely opening the bridge and telling us.”
“You said most, why do some not want to open the bridge if it makes life easier?” I follow up.
“Honestly, because some of them just think of us as pests wasting their time unless we can make it through training.
“Now, who wants to touch a dragon?” Jada asks.
“I’ll go,” Oscar says, trying for confidence but sounding a little too breathless.
Jada nods, “Good. Palm open, fingers together. Slow movements only.”
He does as told, extending his hand toward Zephyros’s shoulder. The dragon’s head swivels slightly, nostrils flaring as he leans in to scent him. For a tense heartbeat, the entire field feels silent. Then Zephyros exhales softly through his nose, brushing Oscar’s arm with warm air.
Jada’s mouth curves at whatever Zephyros is telling her, “He’ll tolerate you. For now.”
He lets out a shaky laugh. “For now is good enough.”
Working our way through the half circle we formed, Matt is up next.
“Go on. Follow the same steps.” She says with a slight head jerk.
“Hey big guy, we were told to think of this like a speed date, so I should probably let you know up front that I’m open to try new things, but burning is on my 'Hard-no' list.” He jokes.
I immediately want to palm my face. Clearly, our plunge into the river caused lasting damage. No one in their right mind would make BDSM jokes to a dragon.
To everyone’s surprise—including Jada’s—Zephyros closes his eyes and leans slightly into his hand as he chuffs.
Behind me, Sasha squeaks, “That’s a good sign, right?”
Jada tilts her head, faint amusement in her voice. “Looks like he likes him.”
“I’m a great date, of course he likes me!” Matt says as he comes back to our semi-circle.
Sasha’s turn comes next, though she doesn’t volunteer. Jada simply looks her way expectantly.
Sasha’s eyes widen. “Me?”
“You,” Jada confirms. “He won’t bite. Probably.”
Sasha swallows hard and steps forward, clutching her notebook like a shield. Zephyros lowers his head, eyes glinting like liquid silver. When Sasha reaches out, she hesitates an inch from his scales.
“Go on,” Jada says quietly. “They can smell fear, but they also understand respect. You’re doing fine.”
Sasha exhales slowly and lets her fingers touch the dragon’s neck. Her face lights up, disbelief melting into wonder. “He's warm,” she whispers.
Jada smirks. “That’s because he’s alive.”
That draws genuine laughter from the group—even Sasha’s nervousness cracks into a grin as she steps back, not wanting to be by Zephyros any longer than she has to.
Finally, Jada turns to me. “Alright, let’s see what he thinks of you.”
I step forward, trying to steady my heartbeat. Up close, his sheer size makes my chest tighten—his head alone could easily crush me. But there’s something in his gaze that doesn’t feel dangerous. It feels curious.
I raise my hand the way Jada showed us—palm open, fingers together, and let instinct guide me.
The dragon lowers his snout until it’s inches from my chest. His breath stirs my hair.
He exhales, slow and steady, the warmth rolling over me like a pulse.
And his nose bumps against my sternum once, deliberate and heavy, before he pulls back.
Jada studies us both, eyes narrowing slightly. “Interesting.”
“Interesting how?” I ask carefully.
“Zephyros doesn’t usually bother greeting more than one person,” she says. “He’s picky and kind of a grump.”
Before I can reply, a sharp whistle echoes across the field. “Charlie Company, rotate to another Bravo rider!” Lorenson calls.
Zephyros lifts his head, wings rippling in the light, and for a second, I could swear his eyes track me as I walk away.
We move to two more dragons before class is over. Watching their eyes, gauging their temperament, and trying to get a little more comfortable being around them.
Sasha grabs my sleeve as we are dismissed for the day. “I can’t believe that just happened. I touched real dragons!”
“Are you considering riding for your track now?” I ask, surprised by how closely her elation matches Matt’s and my own.
“Most definitely not. There is still no way I want to get on the back of one of those giants. But maybe I can pet yours if you bond?”
“When she bonds,” Matt corrects teasingly. “Every one of those dragons we observed gravitated towards her.”
“They did that with you, too!” I protest.
“Well, I didn’t say bonding was out of the question for me.” He says with a wink.
“I wonder if dragons have best friends?” I question aloud.
Sasha laughs, “I can see it now. The four of you, taking on the world with dark humor and dragon fire.”
My smile doesn’t fade as we head back towards campus. The closer we get to the barracks, the more the real world starts to settle back in, and I remember I need to text Zeke about our school supplies.
After last night, I am sure the offer to hang out has been rescinded, though he seemed nice enough that he would probably hang out with me in uncomfortable silence just so he didn’t hurt my feelings by backing out.
I bite the bullet and shoot him a message asking if he wants me to grab all of our supplies while I’m in town this weekend, and he can pay me back for his half.
Not even a minute later, my phone vibrates, and he’s accepted.
It looks like both of us were eager to avoid the awkwardness.
I put my phone away and turn to Matt and Sasha. “Hey guys, I am going to get my lab supplies on Sunday for Combat Med. You guys want to ride together? We can grab some lunch after?” Secretly hoping that at least one of them will save me from going to town alone.
“You know you don’t even need to ask, I’m in,” Matt assures me as he wraps his arm over my shoulders and kisses my head.
“Me too,” Sasha says, looking between us with a raised brow and her voice laced with amusement. “You guys know your friendship is like…really weird, right?”
“Yup,” we say in unison.