Chapter 85: Seduction

Lena

The musty smell of ancient books and crackling fire enveloped me as I sat across from Hunter in his vast library. My shoulders ached from pouring over dusty manuscripts for hours, yet I was no closer to uncovering the mysterious secrets of bonding between dragon and keeper.

Hunter droned on about obscure rituals, deliberately speaking in vague generalities that revealed nothing of true import. I stifled a yawn, struggling to focus. This lesson was proving as fruitless as all the rest.

"The keeper and dragon must willingly open their minds to each other during the bonding ceremony, merging as one consciousness..." Hunter trailed off, seeing my eyes glaze over. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"Now, in rare cases, a gifted keeper could overpower their dragon's own will for a time through the link. But that practice has long been forbidden..."

I sat up sharply, scattering papers off my lap. Forbidden? This was the first concrete hint he had revealed about controlling a drag