Treasured by the Dragon

Ch 30: Beloved

Bandits. Gods, when will you give me a fucking break?

My face is as still as stone and my eyes just as impassive while I curse the divine assholes that continue to make my life hell.

Not only is Irving pissed and likely on the prowl for our corpses, but we also have a band of ruffians who will sooner cut our throats than hear an excuse. At least Irving likes to torment before stabbing the blade in. Bandits won't be as sadistically playful.

We'll need time to find our way out of here. Time we don't have given how unimpressed our caretaker is with my story. Will she, and the whole town, turn on us once they realize we aren't who we claim to be?

"Don't worry, dear," she says without realizing how much I have to worry about. "Those bandits need us for food. They're far too lazy to work the fields or tend to animals. They also depend heavily on Lara's medical skills. So long as we provide, they'll let us live. Don't let it weigh you down any more than you already are."

I lean back into my pillow and try to embody the comfort she wishes upon me. However, the effect is skin-deep and my bones still rattle with dread. My nerves are fraying, and I fear my hold over my sanity may break at any moment.

I need Cephias to wake up.

No person should go through what I've gone through and I doubt any human body could survive the crushing stress. But somehow, I found strength in my dragon's arrogant smirk.

Despite being a fearsome beast, Cephias looks at me with humor and interest in his red eyes. He could've killed me at any point during our time together, but he didn't. And if I can have someone like that on my side, then there's room to hope.

However, without him, I realize just how small I am.

"Rest some more. You're both recovering, so let your body do its work."

I want to fight her. I want to pull the needle from my arm, drag Cephias out of the hospital, and disappear into the woods. Anything is better than staying right where we are, like two sitting ducks with two different hunters circling our pond.

But the pillow is soft, the blanket is warm, and her voice is sweet. My eyelids won't listen to my commands and I drift back into an all-consuming sleep.

***

I awake to the sound of birds.

Sun drifts in and I turn toward a nearby window where a yellow-bellied little ball of feathers sings its morning greeting. Branches fracture my view through the small window, but I still spot low buildings and patches of farmland past my tiny songstress.

For a moment, I recall home, but I shoo those thoughts away. Not because they threaten my eyes with a fresh wave of tears, but because the Akarna throne doesn't feel like the safe haven I once believed it to be.

Instead, I think of a new home, one where my room is in a mountaintop castle and snowfall glitters in the morning sun. Picturing that place leaves a knot in my throat, so I push that image away as well and instead turn my attention to my companion.

His chest rises and falls with an even breath. His lips part to allow the air passage and his sealed eyelashes kiss his cheeks. Color has returned to his skin and his dark hair draws delicate swirls against it.

Despite the broad shoulders peeking out from beneath the heavy blanket draped over his body, he looks fragile and calm. It's hard to believe he is a beast capable of burning this building to the ground.

I rather like this side of him, even if the other has saved me on more than one occasion.

I prop myself up, being mindful of the IV in my arm this time. Then I push my blanket to the foot of the small bed and find myself clothed in a simple white frock. My legs swing around to face Cephias and a small smile touches my lips. I push myself from the—