Bound By Dragons: A Standalone Fantasy Romance

Bound by Dragons STARRY KINGDOMS OF THE FAE ALISHA KLAPHEKE Copyright © 2023 by Alisha Klapheke All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Cover Art by CoverDungeonRabbit Case Character Art by @allexandracurte and Miblart Editing by Laura Josephson Created with Vellum To all the ladies who long to fly high and breathe fire Contents Foreword 1. Tahlia 2. Marius 3. Marius 4. Tahlia 5. Marius 6. Tahlia 7. Tahlia 8. Tahlia 9. Marius 10. Tahlia 11. Marius 12. Tahlia 13. Marius 14. Tahlia 15. Tahlia 16. Marius 17. Tahlia 18. Tahlia 19. Marius 20. Tahlia 21. Tahlia Starry Kingdoms of the Fae About the Author Also by Alisha Klapheke A Quick Look: The Fae King’s Assassin Foreword Bound by Dragons is set in the Shrouded Mountains, an area within the Realm of Lights—the Seelie Fae kingdom first presented in The Fae King’s Assassin. This novella can be read on its own, but if you have read The Fae King’s Assassin or The Unseelie King’s Rebel, you will enjoy the cameos of places and characters from those books. Chapter 1 Tahlia At twenty-one, Tahlia still had plenty of time to change her fate. She would do anything, sacrifice all, work until her fingers bled to make it happen. Even though she was a half-breed and didn’t have the right blood or the proper ancestors, she was determined to become a Mist Knight and ride dragons into battle. Rubbing her cold hands together, she smiled and imagined the feel of the high-altitude wind on her face, the way it would clean the filth from her cheeks. She’d heard people say rank and money weren't the keys to happiness, but those folks had never had to go without food for days on end or been trapped inside the house with the pigs all winter long. Somehow, she would fly her way out of the life of a lowly squire who picked up after others and away from the poverty she’d lived in since she was a child. Failure was not an option. Her friend Fara held their lady knight’s mare, Daffodil, by the reins. She raised a dark eyebrow and set one purple hand on a hip. “Tahlia, I don’t like that look. That’s the look that says you’re about to drag me into trouble.” A cold breeze blew through the snow-laced pines and pulled a strand of Fara’s hair from behind her dramatically pointed ear. Fara was a full Fae—unlike Tahlia, who was half-human and half-Fae. The horse stomped the ground, nostrils flaring, as if she could sense Fara’s disapproval. Tahlia brushed the mount’s right flank, removing the dried mud the mare had picked up during the journey through the mucky pass into the lower reaches of the Shrouded Mountains. “Oh, you love trouble. Don’t try to deny it.” Frustration itched under Tahlia’s skin. She longed to move this fate of hers forward more quickly. But so far, no opportunities had shown themselves. “I like fun trouble,” Fara said, “and Tahlia-style schemes are less joyful and more we nearly died.” “Well, you have time to prep yourself because I don’t have the plan quite figured out yet.” She snorted. “That has never once stopped you.” Tahlia chuckled as Fara looked down the trail toward the town gate, where their lady had gone an hour ago. “What’s taking her so long?” Fara asked. Tahlia brushed a cluster of burrs from Daffodil’s back leg. “You don’t think she could be seeing him, do you?” Their lady had a former lover in this small mountain town. They’d had an affair when she was much younger, before her father arranged an engagement to a male of his choice. The moment that fellow died from a fever that ravaged their town, their lady informed her father that she would be taking part in the dragon tournament. The lady wanted to become a dragon rider and to be free of her father’s machinations. Tahlia didn’t blame her one bit, and she only hoped the lady’s rise would make her own dream come true that much faster. Fara glared at the town walls as if she could see through them with enough concentrated effort. Neither she nor Tahlia possessed such magic, so all of this was guesswork. Fara groaned. “I think maybe so. She’s never taken this long at market.” “Did you get a glimpse of that message?” A dove had dropped a note at their camp two days ago. “No, but her flushed cheeks pointed to some naughty contents. Stones, do you think she’s left us for good? I can’t handle another day without a meal. I’m not built for this!” Tahlia blew out a breath. “Eh, it’s all right. We will figure this out.” But if their lady decided against heading to the Shrouded Mountains for the event, Tahlia, too, would be stuck in this small dull town for as long as it pleased her ladyship. Tahlia put the mare’s brush in a saddlebag. “I’m going to find out.” “You can’t just walk in there and start asking where she is,” Fara said. “Why not?” At the end of the right fork in the road, two guards stood at the city gate. “Because it could take you hours if not days to find her.” “I doubt that. How hard can it be to locate a female who’s six feet tall and dressed in tourney leathers?” This place would be abuzz with the appearance of a lady knight. Not only was she a noble, but she was female and most knights were male. Fara looked to the sky, her face flushing. “I’m going to kill her if we find her alive.” “I will be back in an hour.” “No, you won’t. Not a chance.” Fara muttered angrily at the ground, lost