Chapter 23

In the past few weeks, Dravyn had grown accustomed to Killian attending the occasional meal with his family. With duties and loved ones, Killian did not venture to D'Vaire land daily and mostly ate at another table. Sometimes after supper, Killian would venture to Dravyn's garden to visit him.

Dravyn missed him on the days they were not together. As sheltered as Dravyn's life had been, his melancholy was his first clue that his feelings for Killian were growing stronger. Gone was fear about the sorcerer, and in its place were the first stirrings of affection for the handsome man dedicated to the things Dravyn understood most.

Killian loved plants, and his passion was gardening. The man even claimed to sleep in a tree. If Killian was not coaxing sprouts to flourish, he was with his loved ones. According to Killian, his Council was a family.

Besides rest, Killian did nothing else in his own home or tree. His meals were taken at Castle Leolinnia, along with many other leaders. Dravyn dined with his family too, but he preferred to listen to their conversations rather than engage in discussion.

It kept Dravyn from growing closer to those he cared for, but he did not know how to venture beyond his innate shyness.

Or is it what I've learned from spending so much time alone? he wondered.

"You are frowning," Killian remarked from the chair opposite Dravyn. They were relaxing near the fireplace, where a thriving blaze kept the night chill away in Dravyn's private chamber. It made Dravyn antsy to be so close to the handsome man with the wicked mouth when his bed was nearby, but he was ignoring the desires of his bullocks and keeping his clothes on.

"Am I?" Dravyn asked dumbly, trying to recall his thoughts as he stared into the most magnificent set of earthy brown-green eyes, which were glowing gently thanks to the scattered gold flecks in their depths.

Killian's mouth curved, and Dravyn's mind eagerly supplied erotic images from their past kisses. Curling his fingers into fists, Dravyn dug his nails into his palms to keep from throwing himself at the druid.

"Yes, you were, but you appear to have moved past your upset."

"Have I?"

With a chuckle, Killian nodded. "Your face hides none of your emotions. Right now, your gaze keeps falling to my lips and your cheeks are pink. Are you thinking of our kisses?"

So much color rushed to Dravyn's face that he assumed actual heat was radiating from his skin. "I enjoy our kisses."

"As do I. Before I leave you, we will share more. But I confess, as eager as I am to taste your mouth again, I am equally curious about knowing you."

"I am a simple man, Killian."

"What do you dream of for your future?"

Dravyn's brow creased, and his head bowed. "I already have what I dreamed of all those years in servitude. Outside is a vast garden I can attend to whenever I wish, and I need not stifle my desire to push my abilities. Above my head is a roof, something I was denied at Castle Draconis. The cold is what I recall the most. Is that not odd? My mind set aside that there was a thick chain around my ankle which angered my dragon. All I could think about was the ache in my bones each night the air was frigid. Even in the warm months, I would dread the winter I could not avoid."

"Is it a greater cruelty to deprive a man of his dragon when the creature could readily provide a dozen fires to keep the freezing chill at bay?" Killian grumbled. "I suppose it is foolish to ponder that there may be varying degrees of evil one can force a person to endure. Torture is torture. What you endured was inhumane."

"Perhaps, but it is behind me now," Dravyn replied, raising his head to meet Killian's furious gaze. Something about Killian's presence was reassuring, and Dravyn no longer feared staring into his eyes. Neither did his dragon. The beast was proud of the magical gardener, who ensured Dravyn never had an ache or pain in his body. Each time they met, Killian provided a bit of magick to diffuse the knots in his shoulders he gained from the hard work he put into his garden. "But…some nights, I have nightmares. I wonder what will happen if the dragons find us. Will they understand it is Fate who bestowed a title and gifts upon Aleksander? Or will they condemn him for it and punish us all again?"

"The fear you live with is the same as we have in The Council," Killian responded sadly. "We take a relieved breath each morning we wake without reports of another village burned."

"In Court Ethelin, we had a selfish King who disregarded anyone or anything he did not like. I served him, but I had no respect for him," Dravyn dared to confide. He was speaking of his own uncle. "But one thing we were taught was how dragons were honorable. Dragons were more noble than any other creature. Our kind was supposedly incapable of disgrace. That last one was difficult for me to accept, as I often found King Ethelin to be shameful. But I believed in our integrity. Right up until I arrived at Castle Draconis."

"Do you think of the twists in life that could have changed everything?" Killian inquired. "Imagine if Drystan and Conley had not died. Or if Fate had picked a new Emperor. Where would the dragons be now, I wonder?"

"I dare not think of how things could have turned out differently. It would somehow make the circumstances I endured more difficult if I imagined a better world."

Killian leaned forward and cupped Dravyn's cheek in his hand. The gentle stroking of Killian's thumb on his cheekbone made his heart sigh with happiness and his dragon rumble with approval. "With a life so cruel, you have dared not dream. If we learn nothing else from each other, I hope I can teach you to allow your heart to reach for what it wants."

Dravyn managed to shrug and gave a tiny shake of his head. "It is far too big a risk to dream of anything beyond what I already have."

"What about a matebond? Do you not think of a future with the other half of your soul?"

Swallowing heavily and dearly wanting to break eye contact, Dravyn forced himself to stay in the moment—to not fight the terror of making himself vulnerable to Killian. "My dragon wants it."

"And you? Do you someday wish we can combine our lives?"

"I was raised to honor Fate."

"I do not want you to envision a future with me because a goddess demands it," Killian said gently. "What I want to know is that you, as a man and dragon, want me. Me. A druid with a love of gardening and enriching lives. Is it possible for you to desire something with me beyond a friendship and shared kisses?"

Dravyn's heart thundered in his chest, and his palms were sweaty, but he raised a trembling arm to rest his hand atop Killian's. "I have not learned as much of you as I would like, but I already consider you a friend. The only thing keeping me from dreaming of a future with you is not knowing if we share the same desire."

Killian's smile was brighter than the roaring fire nearby. "I hardly want to wake from the dreams I have of us, and I am not known to sleep well or often."

"I cannot say how a future would work or how soon—"

"Shh, it's okay. There is no rush. We have a great deal to learn and to figure out if we wish for a successful future. You need not apologize for the complications of our lives."

"Thank you for understanding."

Lifting his hand from Dravyn's face, Killian traced his fingertips across Dravyn's lips. Dravyn trembled and unconsciously wavered toward Killian as his arm dropped to his lap.

"Scoot your chair closer, Dray. I would kiss you now."

Happy to oblige, Dravyn hurried forward and ignored the screech of wood scraping wood. Killian cupped Dravyn's neck and sealed their mouths together. With his dragon growling with approval, Dravyn surrendered to the tender onslaught of Killian's tongue. It was a paradise Dravyn had never understood existed until they shared their first embrace. Perhaps now he could admit to himself that he'd forever crave the magick they created together.

◆◆◆

Dravyn grinned, and delight surged through him as he enjoyed a beautiful melody in his beloved garden. A few feet away, a druid sat in the dirt and used his bountiful sorcery to combine two different flowers into a new plant he hoped would provide unique blooms of blue and black. They were lilies, and Dravyn had nourished them from seeds provided by Killian. He'd barely mentioned his desire to create something for the D'Vaire name before Killian was on the ground, aiding Dravyn in his endeavor.

"I can teach you to do this without magick," Killian said, glancing up and smiling at what had to be the unmistakable interest in Dravyn's eyes for both the small sprout and the gorgeous man tending to it.

"You can?" Dravyn asked, hurrying to Killian's side and plopping down next to him between the flourishing lilies.

"Yes, it takes a great deal of care, but I have no fear you will neglect the plant. You will use grown plants and wait patiently for them to meld instead of what I am doing with this fresh growth."

"I will not fail the plant," Dravyn promised.

"I believe you, and if the plant does not flourish, we can try again or alter our plan so it can survive. It is best to do this indoors, perhaps, but since we do not have that option, at least we do not have the sun burdening us or raindrops pelting the tender petals."

Dravyn sat in rapt attention as Killian explained how the plants should be of a similar stalk size and showed him how to slice them after he used magick to cleanse everything. Once the new bond was secured with a tiny bandage, Killian leaned upon his sorcery again by creating a tiny dome over the fragile leaves.

"We need to build you a room outdoors for the best results," Killian said. "This way you could bond several in case some of them do not survive the process."

Although Dravyn had plenty of brawny dragons around who could aid him in building something, he did not want to burden any of his family. It would be easy enough for him to pick up some tools and craft a small building for himself—because he desperately wanted to try out his new skill, and plenty of ideas were rushing into his mind.

"Yes, I think I could do that," Dravyn murmured, already plotting where best to put the new structure and reminding himself to get Aleksander's permission before placing anything on his land.

Killian leaned close and kissed Dravyn gently. "I love to see the joy on your face whenever you are out here in your garden."

"It is a boon to know someone who has the same love for gardening as I do," Dravyn said. "But I daresay I know little else about your life."

"I disagree. I've told you what I do with my time. Where I take my meals. Even the history of my evil parents."

"Perhaps, but I struggle to understand some of what you've told me. It is hard for me to comprehend the responsibility of tending to thousands of people. At the dance, I was so overwhelmed by your vast power I do not think I took in much of the event."

"You will have to attend again. I was barely more than a boy when the mantle of leadership was placed upon my head. So much has happened since then, it is difficult for me to recall my life before I was a ruler. For me, it is no burden. But I feel shame. No matter how hard I try, my people suffer. At my side are leaders in the same predicament, and we share our grief. Together, we decide how to approach the future. I am not in it alone."

"You love them."

"I do. It is odd because dragons have hurt our people, but I am also grateful to them. My mate is a dragon. So were the Reverent Knights. Without Drystan and Conley, the losses would be far greater. I do not know what it does to their souls to be asked to harm the people they once led, but they do it willingly to spare even a single Council life."

"I wish they had not died."

"Me too. We were there that day to beg for an alliance. Knowing the men they are, I'd like to believe we could have come up with an arrangement benefitting everyone. I believe the dragons would have joined The Council."

Dravyn bowed his head. "Perhaps you and I would have not gone more than a century and a half without speaking."

Killian smiled and lifted Dravyn's chin to kiss him again. "A pretty thought. A lovely dream. One I would have liked. But it was not our destiny. Fate did not wish it for us. My hope now is to overcome the obstacles we face to build a matebond that will please us both."

Shuffling closer to Killian, where they still sat in the dirt, Dravyn smiled. "I have started to dream of it."

"Dream bigger, Dray. But keep me there by your side as you do."

Killian cupped Dravyn's cheek, and Dravyn willingly swayed toward him for a tender kiss that cracked his heart wide open. Instead of a roar, his dragon rumbled a note that flowed with the beat of the garden Killian was helping Dravyn tend. It was a moment of harmony, which Dravyn had barely understood he needed until Killian reentered his life. Dravyn was not fond of the idea of losing it.