Page 33 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Kilian took a few steps into the room and stared at the wall, arms crossed over his chest, as Marcus's footsteps faded away. Ava unfastened the clasp of her cloak and pulled it off her shoulders. She couldn't help but think of how Kilian had fastened the brooch earlier.

As the cloak landed on the chair with the bag, Kilian turned around. The glow of the dragon egg illuminated the room and his handsome face, yet she couldn't read him. His expression was inscrutable. Not cold, but distant. As if he were just as good as she was at building high, thick walls.

She didn't like being in the dark and hearing hints that she didn't understand. That was why she would ask him directly. Now. But somehow the words wouldn't come out, as if her body refused to get the answer to the question her heart was asking.

She pulled her shoulders back, straightened her spine, and finally her lips obeyed her commands again. "Why does Marcus keep saying I should ask you about your future plans?" She tried to sound nonchalant, yet the serious tone was unmistakable.

Kilian's features darkened. His jaw clenched. "Ava, I never wanted to give you the wrong impression. You're a special woman, but I'm not the right man for you."

Eyebrows raised, she held up her hands defensively. "I'm not interested. In any man. I have enough on my plate." She waved it off and took a few steps, but when she stopped and looked at the dragon fighter again, they both knew it was a lie.

He observed her closely before continuing.

"The survival of our world, the world of dragons, hangs by a thread.

Two hundred years ago, Thalgor killed almost all the dragons, which is why there are only a limited number left.

Their magic is no longer enough to keep this world alive.

The ice dragons are considered extinct. No wonder only a few dragons engage with humans and trust them, even though we used to be an unbeatable team. "

Ava shifted her weight from one leg to the other and crossed her arms loosely over her chest. "I've heard about that." The fate of the dragons touched her, yet her voice sounded strangely hollow. But internally, she had already distanced her heart.

"The dragons distrust King Eldric, but he possesses the Chalice of Eternal Power.

Because the magic of the few living dragons isn't enough to maintain the boundaries of the world, we depend on the power of this chalice and thus on the king's cooperation.

Only if the strongest dragon forms a connection with royal blood will our world survive.

This connection needs trust as its foundation. "

Ava just listened, knowing that the part she wouldn't like was coming next.

Kilian ran his hands through his hair before letting them fall loosely beside his body and looked at her steadily.

"My dragon, Thalara, is the strongest. She distrusts the king, which is why she hasn't been able to form an effective blood connection with him in the chalice.

There's only one way I can get her to do it, because if she doesn't, our world will die. "

"And with it all the dragons."

He nodded. "There will be no more dragons, none at all, and that's something I can't imagine for my people or for these strong, powerful, beautiful beings."

His words echoed his desperation, his fervor to fight for the dragons and the people of this world. To dedicate his life to this fight. Yet she thought she saw a wistful spark in his eyes.

"Thalara will only trust the royal house if I show her that the royal family is trustworthy. And I can only do that by... entering into the eternal bond. I will marry the king's daughter."

Ava turned pale. All her insides contracted and her heart tensed, as if it had suddenly shrunk. How could someone break your heart when you hadn't even given it to them yet?

"The agreement was made a few days ago. We tried everything, searched for alternatives, in vain.

It's the last option." He stepped closer and there was a heaviness in his eyes that was mirrored in hers.

"I never wanted to pretend, never wanted to give you hopes, because unfortunately I wouldn't be able to fulfill them.

I'm the strongest dragon fighter in this realm and yet I can't do what I want. I have responsibilities. I—"

Ava raised her hand. "Stop!"

He came closer, his shoulders sagging, regret on his lips. "Ava, I—"

"Stop! You don't need to say anything else.

I understand." But one word in particular echoed in her mind.

He had referred to the upcoming marriage as an agreement.

She suppressed the impulse to wrap her arms around herself, instead pointing at the dragon egg, outwardly strong and composed even though her innermost self was trembling.

"I've also taken a dragon into my heart, so I understand you.

You must do what you must do. It's good that I know now. "

The coolness in her words made him take notice and he stepped back.

He looked hurt, as if she were the one who had just revealed that she was already promised to someone else.

But this expression disappeared before she was sure she had really seen it.

Immediately he was wearing the impenetrable mask again, the one she had first known him by, the one that kept everyone emotionally distant from him—perhaps for the simple reason that he couldn't afford feelings.

He nodded towards the dragon egg, his brow furrowed. "Marcus said the hatchling will emerge soon."

She stiffened. Matter closed. Strictly speaking, she was grateful that he changed the subject. "The dragon hatchling told me he was almost ready, but that was in the cobbler's house. His glow has grown weaker since then. He needs to feel safe to grow."

Kilian stretched his body and drew himself up to his full height. "I'll stand guard at the entrance all night. Tell him that. As soon as he hatches, Thalara will take him to the mountains to the other dragons. He has nothing to fear." More quietly, he added, "And neither do you."

His words lingered, attempting to build a connection between the two of them, but Ava turned away. Tense, she stared at the dragon egg, literally holding her breath until his footsteps announced that he was leaving the room.

As soon as the sound of his boots faded away, she turned around. Her legs felt too weak to carry her, and her back too powerless to remain upright.

They had no future.

Heavens, why was she acting like this? She had only known this man for a few days, and she wasn't even interested in a relationship!

Before the emotions could wash over her like a wave again, she sat down next to the egg and stroked its scales. Tears threatened to steal into her eyes. She fought them down, fiercely determined not to think about what had happened. "Did you hear what he told me?"

"Everything." The high voice sounded sad. Perhaps it was this sympathetic tone that made her fully realize what Kilian had said.

Disappointment threatened to overwhelm her again, but she didn't allow it. As she fought against it, her chest tightened. She'd thought she'd suppressed all feelings, as she was so good at doing.

This wasn't like her. She was strong. She was independent. She didn't want to get involved with anyone anyway. And that's how it would remain!

When she spoke again, she had herself under control and focused her attention on the dragon she was responsible for.

"I mean that he's protecting you. He's the strongest dragon fighter, little one.

He'll take good care of you. And as soon as you hatch, Thalara will take you to safety. She's the largest living fire dragon."

"But I want to stay with you forever. Don't you feel it? We belong together."

Yes, she felt it, but perhaps this was normal for a dragon guardian.

For the little one, however, everything would change once he had broken through the eggshell.

"The most important thing is that you're protected, right?

And right now, I am protecting you with the strongest dragon fighter along with his dragon. Have faith."

The egg's glow intensified. Before long, it would be blinding, and she would have to look away.

But she kept her focus unwaveringly on the egg and her inner world on the connection to the little one.

For just as she gave him strength, he gave her strength too.

She embraced the emotions they shared, the special bond, and felt a love like never before in her life.

"You're safe, have faith. I'm so looking forward to seeing you in all your glory. I want to see how beautifully your scales shine in the morning sun, to stroke them and find out if they feel similar to an eggshell, and I want to look at your face. Believe me, it will be so beautiful."

The egg glowed even brighter, and her heart expanded. The second pulse she felt within sped up, becoming more powerful, thundering. The moment had come. Finally. She felt it. The young dragon was ready.

Lilly quietly entered the room and stood beside her. "Is he hatching?"

Nodding, Ava moved aside a bit so the girl could sit with them. "We're watching over you, little one, we're here to welcome you. You can come out of the egg now. Everyone's ready, everyone's excited to meet you."

She had no idea where her words were coming from.

Deep inside, she seemed to know what the dragon needed to hear to finally break through the shell.

As if it were knowledge from her ancestors stored in her cells.

But she wasn't just saying it to encourage the dragon to hatch.

She was saying it above all because that was exactly how she felt in her heart.

The purple shimmer grew stronger and stronger, engulfing the entire room and radiating into the corridors. As if from far away, she heard Marcus's footsteps, but they didn't come to them and moved away instead. Probably to give the dragon the necessary peace.

Ava stroked the scales, which now seemed as translucent as wax paper.

She felt a flurry of excitement and the next moment a piece of the shell cracked open.

A tiny talon appeared, looking velvety soft, then withdrew again only to break through the shell once more with even greater force, this time in a different spot.

A second talon broke its way to freedom.

It cracked and crackled until the upper part of the egg was broken through and there appeared a tiny dragon head, barely the size of a tangerine, with a piece of eggshell lying on top.

Laughing, Ava pulled the shell off its head and the dragon squeaked with joy.

It was a soft, high-pitched squeak. He didn't have to look around for her and instead, with his first glance at the world, looked directly into her eyes.

A feeling of happiness flowed through her, enveloping her body like a protective cocoon.

The connection they had forged strengthened into an inseparable bond as they looked into each other's eyes for the first time.

She held out her other hand and turned the eggshell so he could step out of the debris. He crawled onto her hand, so small that he fit on it like a newborn kitten.

His scales shimmered with the same color as the egg had before—a strong, warm purple.

Maybe that meant he would become a fire dragon, like Kilian's.

Ava gently stroked his dragon scales. They felt cuddly soft, as if they were fur.

His head and back were covered with spines, but they were so pliable that they bent to the side when touched.

His tail was also covered with scales and spines, and at the tip were three bulges.

Ava looked at him, her vision blurred by abundant tears. "You're beautiful."

"So are you, Ava." Tears glittered in his eyes, which shimmered gold.

Overjoyed, she pulled the baby dragon to her chest. She cradled him lovingly in her warm hands and her gaze fell on Lilly, whose tears were running down her cheeks.

"Thank you for letting me be here." She only whispered.

"I'm glad you came." With those words, Ava opened an arm and Lilly also snuggled up to her.

So they sat close together for a while—a dragon child, a lost girl, and a woman searching for her rightful place in the world. And in that one moment, she knew she had found it.