Free Bound to the Dragon King by Caroline Hale Page A

predicament.”
    “Hopefully?”
    “What can I say? My powers are still broken, we’ll see how the spell holds up.”
    “They’re a little tight,” Ash says, adjusting himself.
    “Yeah, they sure are,” I reply, biting my lip. There is no way in hell I’m ever getting this man a shirt to wear. Ever. “Are we going back to your lair now?”
    “You’re worse than I am,” he laughs, raising an eyebrow and flashing me cocky grin that drives me crazy. “No, we’re not. I can’t fly that far yet.”
    “Oh. Well, um… the bracelet isn’t ready yet, so I guess we’ll walk.”
    “No, we won’t. It’s at least a hundred miles away.”
    “What?” I exclaim. “Where are we?”
    “Outside Sedona. I already set up a camp, it’s not far. I don’t want to be around humans right now. And there’s food.”
    “Food, huh?”
    “I hope you like steak.”
    “I love it.” That put a big smile on his face. He’s so adorable. “But only if it’s super fresh,” I tease him.
    Shaking his head, his eyes fall to the ground guiltily. “I always aim to please.” Asher’s fingers interlock with mine as we takes one last look around the graveyard. “How is the concealing spell holding up on this place?” he asks.
    It’s hanging by a thread, but I don’t want him to worry. “Good enough for now. Ash…” I trail off, unwilling to ask him.
    “What?”
    “Never mind. Where are we headed?”
    “No, what did you want to say?”
    “It’s just… I was at Georgia’s house and there are so many fascinating ingredients for casting spells. Eye of newt, toe of frog, that kind of thing. So, I was kind of wondering…”
    “If you could have a little powdered dragon bone to add to her collection?”
    “No. To start my own.”
    “Well, when you put it that way how can I refuse?”
    “Really?”
    “Sure. It is quite powerful, as I’m sure you can tell. It used to be extremely popular, that’s part of the reason we hid this place so well.”
    Of course they didn’t want their bones used that way. “I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry.”
    “No, you should have some. Do you have a preference?”
    “Yes, actually. Over there,” I reply, pointing in the direction of the ancient dragon Asher was investigating when I came here.
    “Illuzuras,” he whispers, nodding. “That makes sense.”
    Oh, crap. I probably just asked for a chunk of his favorite uncle. “Why?”
    “He’s the oldest one here, by far. And he was married to a powerful sorceress who supposedly resurrected him after he fell in battle, which gave him an unusually long life span.”
    “Supposedly? So you didn’t know him?”
    “I did not. He’s a relative, but he’s been dead for nearly ten thousand years.”
    “Wow.” No wonder there’s such a strong energy pulsating from that one.
    Asher strides over to the remains of his ancient kin, sliding his hand up one of the spines on the skeleton’s back. “Does it matter where it comes from?” he asks.
    “I don’t think so.”
    He cracks off the tip of the spine and clenches his fist. “Do you have a vessel of some sort to carry this?”
    “I do,” I answer, fishing around in my pack for one of the jars I bought at the marketplace. Asher holds his hand over the opening and a line of white powder trickles into the jar. I can’t believe he’s strong enough to crush that by hand, even with his powers depleted. Maybe he really could take on Arralt on his own.
    Asher scoops me into his arms when we’re ready to leave, unwilling to let me walk even the short distance to the camp in the canyon below us. My feet are so sore from walking all day, I don’t even protest. There’s a fading campfire waiting for us, but I don’t have the heart to lecture him about wildfires right now. He’s been through enough today and he obviously set all this up for me.
    The steak is absolutely fantastic and I’m famished. Asher has such a satisfied expression as he watches me eat. “Sorry I couldn’t