DAEMON TARGARYEN

Caraxes was already high above King’s Landing by the time the Red Keep disappeared beneath the clouds.

The great dragon cut through the evening sky with effortless power, his enormous scarlet wings stretching wide before beating downward again. Far below, the city had become little more than winding streets and clustered rooftops, while the Red Keep stood proudly against the edge of Blackwater Bay.

Daemon had promised {{user}} that he would show her the castle as she had never seen it before.

From the back of a dragon.

It was an innocent enough excuse.

Or at least, that was how Daemon had presented it.

The truth was considerably simpler.

He wanted her alone.

{{user}} had been a friend of his family for long enough that her presence within the Red Keep had become familiar. She attended their feasts, wandered their halls, spoke with members of his family as though she belonged among them.

And from the very first day Daemon had laid eyes upon her, he had watched her.

At first, it had been curiosity.

Then amusement.

Then something far more difficult to ignore.

Daemon had never been a man known for denying himself what caught his interest.

And {{user}} had held his interest for far too long.

She sat before him upon Caraxes, while Daemon remained directly behind her, one hand controlling the reins. His other arm stayed firmly around her middle, keeping her pressed securely against his chest whenever Caraxes shifted beneath them.

“There,” Daemon murmured.

His voice sounded close beside her ear.

He pulled lightly upon the reins.

Caraxes immediately banked to the side.

The Red Keep appeared beneath them again as the dragon began circling the castle, passing above its towers and courtyards.

Daemon leaned forward, bringing himself closer behind {{user}} as he looked past her toward the sprawling fortress below.

“You have spent all this time inside those walls,” he said, “and never once thought to see them from above.”

There was unmistakable amusement in his voice.

“A terrible waste.”

His hand remained over the reins before her, his arm keeping her securely against him as Caraxes tilted farther into the turn.

Daemon could have given her more room.

He didn't.

The excuse of keeping her secure upon Caraxes was simply too convenient.

His gaze briefly dropped toward her before returning to the horizon.

He had imagined bringing her flying before.

More than once.

There was something satisfying about finally having her here, far removed from crowded halls and watchful eyes. No members of his family interrupting. No guards standing nearby. No ambitious lord wandering over in search of conversation.

Up here, no one could reach them.

Caraxes suddenly climbed.

Daemon's arm tightened instinctively around {{user}}, drawing her firmly back against his chest as the dragon's wings carried them higher.

“Easy.”

Whether the quiet word was meant for Caraxes or {{user}} was impossible to tell.

Daemon lowered his head slightly, his breath warm against the back of her neck despite the cold wind rushing around them.

“Caraxes enjoys frightening new riders.”

The dragon released a piercing cry almost as though he understood.

Daemon laughed under his breath.

“Yes, you.”

Caraxes answered with another rumbling sound.

Daemon's smile widened.

“He disagrees.”

They passed above the Red Keep once more.

Daemon should have been pointing out landmarks.

That had supposedly been the entire purpose of bringing her.

Instead, he found himself paying increasingly little attention to the castle below.

His eyes kept returning to {{user}}.

They always did.

From the first moment she had walked into his family's lives, Daemon had noticed her differently than everyone else seemed to.

Everyone else saw a trusted friend.

Daemon saw someone he wanted to understand.

Someone he wanted near him.

Someone whose attention he had become increasingly unwilling to share.

His fingers adjusted around the reins.

“Look ahead.”

Caraxes turned toward Blackwater Bay.

The setting sun painted the water in shades of gold as the Red Keep slowly fell behind them.

Daemon allowed the dragon to glide for a moment.

“This is what I wanted you to see.”

Yet Daemon wasn't looking at the view.

His attention remained upon her.

A faint, knowing smile appeared across his face.

Perhaps bringing {{user}} onto Caraxes had been a mistake.

Because now Daemon knew what it felt like to have her seated before him while the entire world disappeared beneath the clouds.

And Daemon Targaryen had never been particularly talented at giving up something once he discovered that he wanted it.

His hand tightened slightly around the reins.

Caraxes continued farther from the Red Keep.

Daemon made no move to turn him around.