Page 39 of Ava’s Love of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #2)

"Come on. We're still too close to the castle." Kilian gently touched her elbow, getting her to focus her attention back on the slope. Kilian was right. If they stayed here, the mages would immediately see the dragons flying in and possibly attack them.

She climbed forward with Kilian, stone by stone, meter by meter. The further they got from their opponents, the better she felt, and the more it sunk in that they had really escaped them.

She was alive, she was breathing, she could see, hear, and smell—especially Kilian, who walked in front of her and regularly turned around to make sure she wasn't falling behind.

She had been wrong. Master Clark's lessons hadn't been in vain.

Although she hadn't been able to use any of the attack techniques in her fight against Elora, her speed and newly gained muscles had been more than useful against the mages.

The same was true for their escape. How often had she crawled in the dust before Magg and then had to pick herself up again?

And how many times had she just done exactly that to survive?

She was still alive only because she had tirelessly gotten back up, no matter how often she had fallen.

She didn't even feel her arms burning, her legs aching, or her breath coming in gasps.

Her body was pumped full of adrenaline that was only slowly ebbing away.

It wasn't until they had been on the move for a while that she noticed it was still night.

Nevertheless, she could see the ground, every stone, every blade of grass that had fought its way up between the rocks.

It seemed like they marched and climbed for hours until they reached a plateau that nestled up against a rocky ridge and featured a small cave.

Kilian took a deep breath and surveyed the area. There was no trace of the castle. "We'll wait for the dragons here."

Ava nodded wordlessly. Her throat burned with thirst, and her chest heaved dramatically. But there was no water. They had no supplies with them, nothing except the weapons and clothes they wore directly on their bodies.

They reached the cave. Kilian had to duck to enter it, but the interior was high enough for him to stand upright. The floor had smooth outcrops with moss growing on top, and the remaining areas were covered with sand and small stones.

He slowly turned to face her. His chest rose and fell heavily as he looked at her. She wanted to say so much to him, wanted to thank him, ask questions, but she couldn't. His gaze captivated her, the heat of his body invited her, called to her, and she could do nothing against it.

She took two steps toward him, and at the same time he closed the remaining distance and their lips crashed together. She opened her mouth hungrily, felt his tongue pushing against hers, his lips moving over hers, and his stubble scratching her skin.

His hands moved up her back, tangled in her hair, and she embraced him eagerly. She ran her hands over his chest, felt the hard muscles working under her touch, and clawed at his shirt.

The kiss stirred her as he stroked along her neck and his lips followed.

He caressed her arms, moved to her stomach, and pushed up the tunic until he was touching her bare skin.

An electrifying tingle followed, heat shot through her lower body, her heart pounding wildly.

He stroked her stomach, her hips, and her lower back.

Shivers accompanied his touches, continuing through her body.

She was on fire, couldn't think anymore, didn't want to.

She ran her hands under his leather clothing, slipped the armor off his shoulders, and pushed the leather vest upwards.

In one fluid motion, he took off the vest and was already loosening the laces of her corset.

As soon as he had untied it, he lifted it over her head, pulling the tunic off with it, and her hair cascaded far over her shoulders.

He gently ran his fingers through the strands, then looked at her admiringly before conquering her lips again.

Ava didn't think, she only felt. She did exactly what she had regretted in the face of death.

She felt, she lived, she opened her heart.

She smelled, she saw, and she loved. She pressed her body against Kilian's, felt his bare skin on hers, felt his hands relentlessly roaming over her body.

Her heartbeat accelerated as he kissed down her neck and touched her in her most sensitive places.

And suddenly it was all so simple. Completely clear.

She gave herself to him. With all her soul, with all her feelings, with all her being.

She held nothing back, immersed herself in the emotions, and cast all doubts aside.

They made love for hours, maybe days. She didn't know. Time and space didn't matter. They were together, they held onto each other, and they gave themselves to each other in complete trust, because that's exactly what you should do when blessed with the gift of true love.

At some point, the sun rose and cast its rays into the cave. They tickled Ava's shoulder and brushed over Kilian's upper arms as they held her. He held her tighter than she had ever been held before. He gave her support, and yet she didn't feel weak or helpless, but stronger than she ever had.

As the warm colors illuminated the rocks and the mist rose, the rocky landscape looked as if they were in an enchanted, magical land. A land where everything was possible, even a love between the two of them.

"You're cold." His voice sounded rough and deep. It vibrated in Ava's body as if he wanted to ignite her desire anew.

"I know, but I want to feel you for a moment longer."

The sentence hung between them and awakened their thoughts, though that hadn't been her intention.

Kilian's grip around her body tightened, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck and deliberately breathed in his scent.

These were the last minutes, for their dragons would arrive at any moment.

They both felt it.

Ava felt Draco's heartbeat merge with hers like a wake-up call, and she could no longer escape into the moment. She pushed Kilian's arm off her body, lovingly caressing the small dragon tattoo on his forearm as she did so, and pulled the tunic closer to slip into it.

Kilian sat down beside her, slowly pulling on his clothes, and looked at her for a long time.

She felt his gaze, avoiding it until she was fully dressed.

Then she took a deep breath and looked at him.

The fire in his eyes immediately sent her pulse soaring to unprecedented heights, which was why she leaned forward once more to kiss him. One last time.

Kilian leaned towards her, cupped her head, ran his fingers through her hair, and gently caressed her cheek.

Eventually, they pulled apart.

She didn't know what to say. There was so much, and yet everything had been said. But there was one thing she had to make clear so he would understand.

"I won't be your mistress."

He nodded. "I know." Taking a deep breath, he looked at her before turning his gaze towards the horizon. "If I had a choice, Ava, I would choose you."

But he didn't. A quiet voice in the back of her mind whispered: "See? You're not enough to be lovable." It was the voice she had listened to all her life. The voice that wanted to convince her that she wasn't destined to be loved. As if the higher powers wouldn't allow it.

But she knew how wrong that voice was as soon as she thought of Draco. And Lilly. And the hours that had just passed.

"I know." And she really did. It wasn't about him playing with her, her being a conquest, or having made a mistake. She regretted nothing. She loved him, and he loved her. They had been allowed to spend this one night together, even if their love had no tomorrow.

And the strange thing was that even though she had completely given in to her feelings and still felt them unabated in her heart, she wasn't afraid at all. It strengthened her, it fulfilled her, and for the first time in her life, she felt complete.

She followed his gaze towards the horizon and took his hand. He lovingly stroked her fingers with his thumb before clearing his throat and looking at her seriously.

"To appease the king so that you can continue training at the academy and he doesn't have you killed, I must propose to Amelia in the coming days."

And the wedding would follow soon, for she had experienced firsthand how powerful the mages were.

In the distance on the horizon, Ava spotted a shadow that grew larger. Draco. The moment she saw him, she knew what to do.

"I won't return to the academy."

He whirled around to face her. "Please, Ava. I won't be able to supervise you, but you'll be safe there."

"It's not my destiny to be safe in one place. I need to prepare. I need to learn to fight better. Because if I've learned one thing, it's that I'm far from ready to defeat Elora."

He sighed heavily but said nothing against it. Eventually, he nodded and stroked her hand again, the only touch they still allowed themselves. "How did you escape her?"

Ava looked at her tunic, under which her pendant was faintly visible. It was impossible that Elora's hesitation was connected to it, yet she could find no other explanation. "She spared me. Why, I absolutely need to find out."

Furrowing his brow, Kilian looked at her. "She did what?"

Ava pulled out the chain and played with the broken heart. "It sounds crazy, but I have a feeling it had to do with this necklace. When I fell, the pendant slipped out, and Elora stared at it. Of course, it could have been a coincidence, but I don't believe that. She asked where I got it from."

Kilian furrowed his brow. "May I see it again?"

"Of course." She leaned towards him so he could take the trinket in his hand and examine it from both sides. This time, she wasn't afraid of his proximity. She enjoyed it fully.

"You got it from your parents, right?"

She nodded.

"The alloy is unique. To my knowledge, there's only one blacksmith who combines gold and copper in this way. I looked into it on the day the mages attacked. That's why Allan and I weren't there immediately. So much has happened since then that I haven't had a chance to tell you about it."

Ava perked up. Maybe this was a clue that would bring her closer to her roots. "Where does he live?"

"He runs a forge in Sanbell. It's in the west. It would certainly be a good place to start.

" He looked at her, and she could see in his eyes that he wanted to accompany her.

That he knew it was wrong to let her go alone.

But at that very moment, his dragon also appeared on the horizon, and they broke eye contact.

Silently, they watched the majestic creatures growing larger and heading purposefully towards them. Their wings stretched wide, their scales gleaming in the morning sun and their mighty heads towering over their enormous bodies.

If there was anything worth their sacrifice, it was these beautiful creatures.

Wind picked up as Draco began to land. A tremor went through the earth and intensified when Thalara landed on the plateau a moment later.

In silent agreement, they stood up and walked to their dragons. Before their paths separated, Kilian took her hand and stroked her fingers.

She turned to him as her heart constricted. Tears formed in her eyes, but she swallowed them down. She didn't want to make it unnecessarily difficult for him, because his sacrifice was greater than hers.

He looked at her hand, stroking her fingers with his thumb, and then gazed at her. His eyes were profound, somewhat melancholic and heavy. But then he took a deep breath and smiled at her. "I believe in you, oh mighty Guardian."

She returned his smile. "And I believe in you, oh mighty Dragon Rider."

He bowed before her, kissed her hand, and then the moment had come. He let her go. Infinitely slowly, his fingers slid from hers, brushing over her hand one last time until their fingertips grazed each other and their skin touched for the final time.

His gaze still held her, and for one last time she sank into it and smiled at him, even though her chest tightened.

Then they turned around, mounted their dragons, nodded to each other one last time, and rose into the air.

They flew in opposite directions. Away from each other, even though their hearts belonged together.

But sometimes there was a higher goal, something more important than one's own feelings.

Even if Ava didn't want to believe it. But she only had to look at Draco to understand that this was the case for them.

Her heart clenched, her upper body trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"You don't have to hold anything back, Ava. I'm here with you. We all appreciate your sacrifice."

She pressed her lips together. "Thank you."

The first tear spilled over and traveled down her cheek. It left a salty trail. A trail of longing. A trail of melancholy. A trail of sorrow. Another tear followed, and another, and another, as Ava flew through the air on Draco. For the first time in her life, she held none of them back.

Eventually, the tears were spent, and she felt empty. Her limbs felt limp and drained, her energy depleted.

"You've mourned enough now, Ava. Let's look forward."

She wiped her face with the back of her hand and nodded. "You're right."

"Where are we flying to?"

She cleared her throat. The sound brought her back to the present and helped her leave the pain behind.

"We're flying to Sanbell. There's a blacksmith there who can probably answer some questions about my origins.

" And perhaps also the more pressing question of why Elora had spared her.

Because she could certainly rule out that it had been a spontaneous emotional impulse.

This was Book 2 of the exciting “Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny“ Saga. Ava's journey continues in Book 3 "Ava’s Fire of the Dragons".