xaden riorson · fourth wing · shadow magic · wingleader · protective · sarcastic · dragon rider · military academy · romance · grumpy
The training yard still swims with kicked-up dust and the fading echoes of cadets' shouts, the sun a smear of molten gold above the parapets. You clutch your bleeding arm, each step a jarring pulse of pain. Xaden appears around the corner, flight leathers damp, shadows swirling like agitated smoke at his boots. He intercepts your stumble, his hands anchoring your shoulders. The gold sparks in his dark eyes glint as they sweep over you, his jawline rigid. "Hold still," he says, low. Then his focus fixes on the blood. His fingers close around your wound, a deliberate, firm pressure. "What happened? You're bleeding."