Page 78 of Redeeming the Dragon

“Lorna.” Feebly, he lifted a hand, attempting to touch my cheek. He lacked the strength. His hand dropped.

“No, Kidron…”

“Lorna. L-listen,” he said, his voice broken, his breathing ragged. “N-no one could have f-fought for me as you h-have. No-none has ever f-fought for me l-like you. All my l-life…”

He stopped, too feeble to continue.

“Kidron,” I begged, leaning over him, compelling him to look at me. If his eyes were locked with mine, he could not die, could he? “Kidron, listen to me. Don’t go. Stay with me. Stay,” I sobbed.

“L—Lorna…”

My mind was floundering. Grief was overwhelming. The weight of knowing he was slipping away crushed my spirit. I had fought everything up until this point. How did I fight death itself?

Shockingly, it was Atora who provided the answer. She stooped beside me, holding something soft and white in her hands.

“I do not wield magic as my mother did,” she said, “but I’m acquainted with it from having spent my life with her. If this shirt was so central to the two of you, can it assist?”

I glanced up at her with swimming eyes. I saw no duplicity. No malice. No cruelty. Only sympathy and even hope.

Grateful, I accepted the shirt, turning and throwing it onto his chest, over the wound, using it to staunch the bleeding.

Help me, Powers of Good,I interceded, then did the final thing I could think of to save his life.

The shirt beneath my hands, my hands over his wound, I bent and pressed my lips to his.

There was no explosion. No lightning. No loud clap of thunder.

Please,I interceded.Help me redeem him from the curse. And, if not, take my life instead. Let him live. Who am I? A chieftain’s daughter on a tiny island who enjoys sewing. He is the son of the Warkin Highest. Takeme rather than him.

The queen of the fairies had told me,Your gift is one of persuasion, but it is not necessarily in the words you speak. It is in the actions you undertake.

When I uttered those fateful words, I felt my body abruptly began to weaken. Sorrow permeated me, yet it was mixed with hope.

All is well,I thought, drooping against Kidron’s bloody chest.I will happily make this sacrifice. I will die and he will live. This is as it should be.

Even as I accepted the inevitable, my fingertips began to itch. Magic raced up my arms to my heart; from my heart and into my chest; up my neck and into my kiss. Kidron had gone utterly still. His lips were cool. Not cold—cool. And yet…as I kissed him, his lips began to warm. My strength was also returning, but I feared to hope…

Until I felt him breathe.

His chest rose and fell beneath my hands.

And then he raised an arm, sliding it around my back. Encouraged, I continued to kiss him, even as a sob escaped. This time of relief. Of joy. And when I felt his mouth move beneath mine, weakly returning the kiss, I reached up with my free hand to cup his jaw, relishing the feel of his beard beneath my palm, as I completed the kiss with every ounce of love and bliss and relief in my soul.

Finally, I broke the kiss, laughing while I wept, wiping the tears away with my palm.

“Lorna,” Kidron said, with a smile that was both gentle and possessive. “Curse it, I’m weak.” With the hand still on my back, he pulled me back sharply to his chest with far more strength than I would have thought. “I promise, I’ll do better soon,” he said in a tone meant for me. “Far better.”

A sly thrill coursed through my being. I knew exactly what he meant, and I was ready for that too. “I love you, Kidron, son of theWarkin Highest,” I said, drawing back to gaze into his golden, slitted eyes. “We have broken the curse. But you’re not free yet.”

“Am I not?”

True confusion showed on his face. I held up my hand, pointing to the finger on which wedding rings were traditionally worn.

“Soon, you’ll place a ring there, and you and I will be bound together for the rest of our lives.”

“Oh, is that how it will go?” he smirked. “Usually, the man requests the woman’s hand in marriage.”

“I have saved you how many times now?” I laughed. “I am not ashamed to say that I’ve earned your hand in marriage.”

---