Page 48 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
The simple loyalty in his statement moved something within her. This wasn’t the impersonal calculation of a ruler maximizing advantage, but the fierce commitment of a leader to his people. She knew most would rather cut off any caught by the enemy as sacrifices—one man’s life wasn’t worth the cost of many.
Only heroic—and faithful—leaders would entertain a rescue mission, where the results may not have the best outcome.
Moonlight spilled across the balcony as clouds parted overhead, bathing them in silver luminescence.
Below them, the central cavern of Dralux Mountain hummed with activity even at this late hour. Dragons in various forms moved with purpose—warriors training and artisans crafting armor for their brethren.
It reminded her that in a couple days they would be facing the Celestorian forces.
“Your people are beautiful,” she murmured, watching a group of leatherworkers and metalworkers strap on a plated mask on a large dark copper dragon with bronze wings. “So different from how Earth’s myths portrayed dragons.”
“How did your world see us?” Ignis asked, genuine curiosity in his tone.
“As monsters, mostly. Beasts to be slain by heroes,” she replied, watching his reaction carefully. “Though some cultures revered dragons as symbols of wisdom and power.”
A soft rumble of amusement escaped him. “Both contain elements of truth. We were once a fierce species, respected by many and worshipped by the human kingdoms. But we were too prideful for our own good. Our unique relationships with humans—an intimate rider relationship—made us believe they would never betray us.”
“Did dragons ever have a rider partnership with another monster species?” She tilted her head slightly, brows knitting as her eyes searched his face for more. “I can’t recall ever reading such a thing in the tomes—and yet, I haven’t had time to return to the library with everything going on.”
Ignis’s gaze dropped to his people below as he shook his head, a quiet frown tugging at his lips. “Sadly, most prefer to have their feet firmly on the ground. The only few interested were the elves and even then, such bonds were few and far between before halting when the Great Sundering happened.”
“That’s unfortunate.” She followed his gaze and watched the newly geared copper and bronze dragon take off, circling lazily around the large secluded crater. “I can’t fathom what it would be like to fly with such an intimate connection.”
She turned to face the alpha dragon king, the last pure-bred of his line, and found herself studying Ignis’s profile as he continued to watch the activity below.
She took in the sharp angles of his face, the way moonlight caught on his ruby scales, the contained power in his large frame even in this half-form. All increasingly familiar—and somehow, more appealing—as she began to see him in a different light.
His looming presence felt like a pull—gentle, comforting, constant, and unexpectedly alluring—everything that she dared to crave.
His gaze brushed over her, a softness settled in his eyes when they met hers, barely visible—quickly buried. “We could be something extraordinary, if only—”
Without conscious decision, Sora moved from her seat to the stone bench where he sat.
“Sora?” Her name emerged as a question, uncertainty threading through his usually confident tone as surprise and something darker flickering in his crimson eyes.
She shook her head slowly, palm finding the warmth of his scaled face. The contact sent a jolt cascading through her, settling like liquid fire in her core.
His restraint was palpable, a force of will she could almost taste in the air between them. Always holding back, always giving her choice, always respecting boundaries she herself wasn’t sure she needed anymore.
“I’m tired of wondering,” she whispered, leaning closer. “Tired of analyzing this pull between us, categorizing it as biology or prophecy or coincidence.”
His breathing deepened, the scent of midnight stone and ancient fire intensifying around them. “What do you want, Sora?”
The simplicity of the question cut through her remaining hesitation.
What did she want? Not what destiny demanded or biology dictated—but what she truly desired?
“You,” she answered, and closed the distance between them.
Her lips met his maw, and the world fell away. Not the hesitant exploration of their first kiss at the Selection Ball, but certainty—deliberate choice meeting absolute recognition.
For a heartbeat, Ignis remained perfectly still, as though afraid any movement might shatter the moment. Then his control broke. His arms encircled her, pulling her closer with hunger long restrained, as a dark growl radiated deep within him.
Heat from his scales matched the fire building beneath her own skin, washing away her doubts in its molten wake.
Her fingers dug into the scaled ridges of Ignis’s shoulders, anchoring herself to him—responding to his touch as naturally as breathing.
She shifted, swinging one leg over his lap, straddling him with a boldness she barely recognized as her own. This wasn’t lust—or notjustlust. It was deeper, more profound—a recognition that she didn’t care what he was.
