Page 26 of Ava’s Love of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #2)

Ava took a long shower before going to dinner.

There, she waited for an opportune moment when her friends were laughing loudly at one of Ralph's jokes.

Unobserved, she snuck over to the pots, grabbed a slice of bread and a bowl of stew, and disappeared unseen.

Although Kilian wasn't there yet, he would surely join the others soon.

Draco was waiting for her at the exit of the arena. He had read her thoughts and knew her destination. "I'll accompany you to the rocks."

Ava shook her head. "I need to be alone."

"But the mages —"

She placed a hand on his scales, which gleamed purple. "We both know they're not nearby at the moment. But if they show up, you can come to me immediately."

He sighed, sounding for the first time since his transformation like the dragon child he technically was at two weeks old. "I don't like it when you're sad."

"But I need to deal with it and learn to fight, otherwise I don't stand a chance against Elora.

See you later." She patted his belly—she couldn't reach his head anymore—before starting her climb.

Effortlessly, as if she hadn't spent two consecutive days in hard combat training, she scaled the cliffs and sat down on the edge.

With her legs dangling over the abyss, she took the bowl of soup and began to eat.

The soft clinking of the spoon echoed through the night.

The sound kept her company, like a friend.

Kilian was a good trainer, as was Master Clark, so she wouldn't shirk the exercises. But at least in her free time, she wanted to avoid him, even if that time barely amounted to an hour—excluding sleep time—because of the hours-long training.

It felt good to look into the night, to observe the vastness of the landscape and gaze at the stars. However, since looking at the firmament immediately made her think of the dragon fighter, she averted her gaze and bit into her bread.

She heard the sound of footsteps, then turned around quickly and froze. Kilian stood behind her, also holding a bowl of soup and a slice of bread.

"Looks like we had the same idea." Smiling, he sat down beside her.

"Why don't you find another cliff then?"

When their eyes met, they both had to grin—which was not good at all, so she turned her attention back to her stew.

"Because the most beautiful view is here."

Her cheeks reddened, yet she looked up. There was a hunger in his eyes that her loins immediately responded to. Better to change the subject before they did something rash. She tilted her head towards the cliffs.

"The mountain dragons live up there, right?"

He nodded. "It's one of the last retreats because no human can reach it. That's why we hid Draco with them."

Surprised, she raised an eyebrow. "He told you his name?" But then she waved it off. Why was she still surprised? After all, he had immediately told Kilian that she had returned as soon as he'd found out. "I never thought dragons were such gossips."

Kilian's lips curled slightly. "He's worried about you."

"That's not surprising, because I'm no less worried about him."

"You don't need to be. Everything will be alright."

She shot him a casual look. "Because you'll soon marry the princess and save the dragon world?"

He nodded seriously and calmly. "I'll do everything in my power to ensure a safe future for all of you."

She believed him. "Why are you sacrificing yourself for everyone else?"

He took a bite of his bread—perhaps to avoid answering? But she didn't change the subject, looking at him expectantly until he had swallowed the bite.

"It's my duty."

"I see. And in this world, the individual life counts for nothing compared to the greater good.

" Inevitably, she thought of Rob, who had tried to kill her out of a similar understanding, but she pushed the thought of him aside.

She didn't want the conversation to ebb away, nor did she want to take out her frustration on Kilian.

His sacrifice was so much greater than hers, for she didn't have to marry someone she didn't love.

"Where are you from, anyway?"

A relaxed expression spread across his face that she had never seen before.

"From the south, south of Talus. There, the days are longer, the air warmer, and the people happier.

My parents owned endless fields of lavender and olive trees.

They produced the best oil and even sold it at the royal court. Those were good, carefree times."

He took a deep breath, as if smelling the scent of his childhood. At the same time, a melancholic expression appeared on his face. Ava couldn't blame him. The description sounded so idyllic that she wished she could have experienced that time too.

"What does a child do in a land full of dragons and magic? Did you go to school or did you have to work early?"

A smile flitted across his lips as he scooped up a spoonful of soup. "I was in school, played pranks with my friends, and tried to find dragons."

"Was it your dream from childhood to be a dragon fighter?"

"It's a great honor, and every child knows that.

But no, it was never my dream. I always wanted to be like my father.

He whistled all day, turned his face to the sun, and told me lots of great stories.

He and my mother loved each other, danced at village festivals, and spent evenings together under the starry sky.

When the harvest was over, he would drive his cart to the royal court and return with the most exciting things.

In my eyes, he was the happiest man in the world. "

She smiled. "Sounds like you could use a vacation to visit your family."

He shook his head, the smile fading from his lips. "Today the area belongs to the mages."

She looked at him in dismay. "Is your family safe?"

"The entire village, at least almost." He gazed into the distance, his thoughts elsewhere, then blinked and spooned some soup into his mouth. After swallowing, he didn't continue his story, and Ava didn't want to push him.

Something must have happened that had turned the dreamy country boy into a hardened dragon fighter. Perhaps the conflict with the mages, the loss of the lands...

"Where does your family live now?"

"My mother moved north to live with my sister, my father didn't survive the times."

"I'm sorry." She briefly touched his hand, but quickly withdrew her fingers, though the urge to cheer him up remained.

She looked into the distance, where mountains and fields were faintly visible in the darkness.

"I imagine the whole realm to be breathtakingly beautiful.

I'd love to see it all someday, the north, the south, everything. "

"I'll show it to you." He grasped her hand but immediately pulled back, as if he hadn't meant to touch her and as if the words had slipped out without him consciously speaking them.

Nevertheless, she returned his smile. It felt good to talk with him alone, far from dangers, prophecies, and obligations. As if under this starry sky, there was just the two of them and anything was possible. But she didn't want to let the opportunity to ask questions slip away.

"Won't you be missed soon as the leader of the royal forces?"

He nodded. "I'll fly to the base in Talus tomorrow and sort everything out for my absence. Then I'll come back. Allan will accompany me and help secure the area so you and the other cadets can focus on training."

He wanted to leave—did that mean the mages would seize the opportunity and attack?

Involuntarily, her gaze flitted to the arena and the dark shadows surrounding the training grounds.

She didn't want to share her fears with him; he had his own life and wasn't responsible for her fulfilling her destiny.

So she didn't look at him and kept her worries to herself.

Unexpectedly gentle, he stroked her hand. "I'm staying with you, whether you want it or not, Ava." Even when she wasn't looking at him, he could read her like an open book.

"I'm sure the king wouldn't approve of that."

He looked at her intently. "That doesn't matter. I'll prepare you for the fight against Elora. If I could, I'd fight it in your place, but for some reason, fate has assigned this task to you."

Yes, because her parents had brought her into the world of humans.

Involuntarily, her hand moved to the necklace with the pendant in the shape of a broken heart.

She had always believed it was a symbol that she wasn't lovable, but now she wondered if it rather symbolized how hard it had been for her parents to leave her behind.

Kilian followed her movements with his eyes. "Who gave you the necklace?"

She smirked. "Jealous?"

"Yes!" He laughed, Ava joined in, although they both felt it wasn't a joke.

"I think my parents gave it to me." She said it without pain, without frustration, but with the feeling that her parents had loved her.

Just for that, the time with Master Clark had been useful.

And she realized that this was the first time she had shown the necklace to anyone.

Except for Aunt Helen, no one had ever seen it.

"What was your childhood like?"

Ava took a deep breath. Strangely, she felt ready to tell him about it.

She trusted him, and besides, he had told her about his childhood days too.

"My memories only go back to the day Aunt Helen found me in the forest. At first, it wasn't easy, but she's incredibly kind.

She took care of me as if I were really. .. family."

They exchanged a brief smile before Ava continued.

"As soon as it turned out that I had been abandoned, she did everything humanly possible to keep me with her.

I was shocked at the time, but she pulled me out of that state.

She let me design the display window of her decoration shop, even though I have absolutely no talent for it.

It looked terrible, but she left it that way anyway. " She laughed to herself.

"Sounds like a great woman."

She nodded, filled with deep gratitude for her aunt.

"At school, I was a loner and made it through out of necessity, but after classes, I always went to her shop.

She taught me how to arrange bouquets, which I'm still not good at, but it was fun.

After closing time, we usually walked along the river together.

I enjoyed collecting stones even then. That's why we were there daily, and no matter how many stones I brought home, she never complained or asked me to take them back.

" She played with the broken heart on her necklace, letting it slide through her fingers, which drew Kilian's gaze to the piece of jewelry again.

"The pendant is a rare piece, not normal gold, it seems. May I take a look?

" As he reached out his hand, she leaned forward and placed the trinket in his palm.

She was careful not to accidentally touch his hand and didn't raise her gaze, for his face was too close.

The intimate conversation had created a familiarity between them that made it even harder for her to resist him.

His scent enveloped her and pulled her like a magnet, getting her heartbeat to fall out of rhythm.

To keep him from noticing her distress, she looked at the pendant lying in his hand. Gently, he stroked the half heart with his thumb, as if it were an unimaginably precious treasure to him too.

"Beautiful."

She couldn't help it, she had to lift her gaze and found herself staring right into his face.

His eyes glowed darkly in the starlight before he looked at her lips.

She couldn't help but look at his too, which parted slightly.

But Ava pulled back and took the pendant from his hand, her fingers brushing his. The only touch she allowed.

"It's late. I should sleep, because my merciless trainer has summoned me to the arena before sunrise."

He cleared his throat, once again the cool dragon leader the world knew. "If he gives you trouble, let me know, and I'll have a serious word with him."

Smiling, she looked up and discovered a restrained grin forming behind his stubble. "I will. Good night, oh mighty dragon fighter."

"Good night, oh fascinating Guardian." There was admiration in his eyes, which made it harder for her to say goodbye, but he quickly hid it again behind an impenetrable mask. The mask of the dragon leader who knew his responsibility.

With a brief wave, she stood up and began her descent. Reaching the foot of the rocks, everything within her urged to turn back and look at him. She didn't want to, but she couldn't resist. She had to see him one last time tonight. Just from a distance.

When she turned around and tilted her head back, she saw his silhouette looming atop the cliff. And although they were meters apart, she felt his penetrating gaze resting unabashedly upon her.