Soul Bound

Chapter 4

I scratched my head. The seriousness of his tone made it sound like this whole conversation had been leading up to this moment. But what it all meant was completely lost on me. "Okay, bonded? We didn't even talk last night. If anything, Erika bonded with him more than I did. All he did was safe my life--which I'm grateful for--but I doubt I'll be seeing him again. He seemed angry we'd disturbed him."

Grayson shook his head at me. "No, you Bonded. You're Bound to him the same way I am Bound to Eran." He pulled up the hem of his shirt to reveal a set of abs I could clean my laundry on all day; however, they were tainted by an array of scars that spoke of many years of pain and suffering. He drew my attention to a few in particular; a stab wound right below his ribs and several long cuts along his stomach from the swipe of a blade. They all had the same scaly texture as my scars. "Before I joined the Dragon Knights, I lived. . . a very different life," he explained vaguely, no doubt to save me the horrors of his past. "It took its toll on me. I was angry all the time, at myself, at my family--at the life I'd been dealt. I did horrible, unforgivable things to deal with my rage, but it only made things worse. One night, I'd had enough. I walked away from my family estate. I had no intention of returning, no true destination in mind. I just had to leave." Grayson turned to his partner, reaching out to stroke the scales on Eran's long neck. When he told me of his tale, his voice was distant, his eyes far away, as if he was lost in his thoughts. . .

°•° °•°

Grayson hiked the woodlands of his kingdom for days, going where ever he felt like for once in his life. He hunted and gathered his own food, made his camps every night then dismantled them in the morning. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but it was freeing, empowering. He loved every minute of it. He made sure to cover his tracks so his family couldn't find him. He hadn't anticipated being followed from above.

Eventually, he'd found himself on cold, rocky shores. He wasn't sure what had drawn him there. Perhaps it was the vacancy of this barren area. Perhaps it was lure of the ocean, its ceaseless waves promising an end to his suffering.

He wasn't given much time to contemplate his reasonings for being here. A shadow swept overhead then a gust of wind threatened to force him onto his knees. With years of training behind him, he whirled to face the beast, sword steady in his hands. The last thing he expected to see was a wild dragon. They had left his kingdom for more fruitful lands long before he was born.

They stared at each other, watching, waiting for the other to strike first. The dragon was far larger than any he had seen on the dragon farms across his kingdom. Its jagged horns ran from the tip of its nose, which held the biggest, along its spine, down to the asymmetrical spikes at the end. If it wanted to kill him, he was certain no amount of skill on his behalf would be able to stop it. 

Its emerald green eyes were locked on him unblinkingly. Everyone knew dragons were intelligent creatures; this one was no exception as it studied him coldly. It knew who it stood before and didn't care. And yet, "You've travelled far from your home without provisions, human."

"What of it?" he snapped to hide all the questions riddling through his brain. What business did this dragon have with him? Why did it even follow him? Was it one of his father's, one he hadn't seen before? It bore enough scars to be one of his.

An amused glimmer shone in its eyes. "I can think of only one reason why a human would do such a thing: you are running and do not wish to be weighed down by frivolous baggage." The seemingly attentive dragon cocked its head to the side, examining him closely, curiously. "Question is: why are you running?"

Not one of his father's spies, then. If it had been, it would have tried to drag him back home by now. 

Grayson licked the sweat off his lips, unsure what to make of this creature. Clearly, it didn't feel the slightest bit threatened by him and seemed to even find him amusing. Did he entertain the dragon for a short while? It wasn't often one found themselves in the willing company of a dragon, after all, and what was it going to do with the information if he did tell it the truth? "I'm done being a coward. Somebody needs to stop my father. If no one else will do it, I will."