I lifted a hand to the shimmering silver scales of his snout as he swung it down to rest on the ground at my feet.“We’ve been over this, Theo. You held no malice in your heart when you let the women go, thinking you were offering them mercy. We all make mistakes—it’s learning from them so they aren’t repeated that matters.”
“So, what now?” the woman asked, lifting a shaking hand to tuck a strand of her pale blonde hair behind her ear. “Can I go home?”
I tilted my head at her question as my eyes swept over her injuries. The blood that soaked into the edges of the ripped sections of her clothing made them seem worse than I’d originally thought, but I still wanted her to be cared for before we had an escort take her home.
“Will you consider staying and letting us tend to your wounds and provide you with a safe place to rest before making the journey home?” I asked, tentatively hoping she’d trust us after we’d protected her. “We have an inn for humans in town that will have everything you need. You’ll be safe there until you feel wellenough to travel back. We will, of course, assign a guard to your carriage at that time.”
Though we’d come far in a short time in unifying our people after the curse broke, it was slow-going enough that any non-bonded humans rarely or purposefully journeyed to us here. I wouldn’t be surprised if she resisted, not trusting the other drackya here.
Her lip quivered at my offer before her hand lifted to brush against her eyes misting with sudden tears. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”
“Oh,” I answered lamely, shocked at her willingness to trust us, and the drackya in town, after what had just occurred. I was quick to correct my tone, not wanting her to misunderstand me. “I mean, that’s great!”
A soft smile pulled at her lips as I walked toward her, gesturing toward the path that would have us in town within minutes, as we were at the edge of the forest already. “If I may ask, what made you agree to stay?” I asked hesitantly as we began to walk side by side. “I can only imagine your distrust of our people here after what just happened.”
She was silent until we drew to a stop atop the hill that overlooked the bustling city. “I figured that in the end, there are always going to be good and bad souls, no matter the appearance of the body they’re trapped within—humans and dragons alike.”
“There is hope for the future of Andrathya, after all,”Kaida said, praise filling his words as he ambled to my side, the ground trembling lightly.“We must keep moving forward.”
He’d grown so wise, so quickly. I leaned against his leg as I answered,“You’re right. We can’t give up now.”
“Wait—” I called out as the woman began toward town on her own, realizing I didn’t even know her name. “What’s your–”
“Sylvie,” she provided, cutting me off as she looked over her shoulder at me. “I’m sure I can find the inn on my own. You’ve done enough. Thank you, all three of you.”
As she turned back and began her walk, my eyes began to burn with tears as we watched from afar. The second she crossed onto the cobblestone paths, people rushed to her side to offer assistance, quickly walking her down the road to the inn.
This was what we’d fought so hard for.
“Can I shift back, now?”Theo asked, drawing my head to find him behind us.“You know I hate being seen in dragon form next to Kaida when we’re in town.”
“No. If I’m not allowed to be naked in front of others, then neither are you. We left in such a hurry that we forgot a change of clothes. We can go home now, though. She is in good hands.”
He grumbled in my mind before I climbed up Kaida’s tail to my seat.“You never ride me anymore, wench.”
My head whipped to him just as he hunched down, preparing to launch into the sky.“Last night begs to differ.”
“I think my memory needs a refresh when we get home.”
As we quickly soared through the sky toward our castle, I reminded him,“No time for that. We’re already running late. We need to fly to the southern castle. Brenson’s wedding is this evening, or did you forget?”
His response was dry as we landed on our balcony.“Forget is a word for it.”
“He is literally getting married to Mira tonight,”I scoffed.“When will you ever accept him as a friend in my life?”
“Ask me in another year,” he retorted after shifting back, making me shake my head.
Men.
Kaida snorted out a puff of icy air as I dismounted, as if I was going to forget to give him a goodbye kiss. I never did.
I pressed my lips to his snout.“Behave yourself. Treat her with respect and she will come around eventually.”
Despite being invited to the wedding, Kaida had opted to stay behind, suddenly finding himself fascinated with a sweet water dragon that had been born the winter after him. It continued to boggle my brain how quickly dragons developed physically and mentally. If he were a human, he’d be considered a large toddler, but within his species, he was the equivalent to an adolescent.
Selfishly, I wasn’t ready to share his time, but he deserved to find love. One day, when Theo and I were no longer here, despite our extended lives, Kaida would need the love and support of a mate to fill the rest of his days with happiness. Though he was likely still many, many years away from choosing a mate to settle with for life, I couldn’t believe it was even on the horizon.
A heavy knock echoed through our room as Kaida took off. I turned toward the sound, finding Theo already pulling on pants before padding over to the door. He yanked it open, and in true Tillie fashion, she wasted no time bustling through the room.
