Page 28 of Eluvonia
“Uh… just stretching my legs?”
Before she can reply, Declan emerges from behind a half assembled tent, his casual stance and amused smirk adding insult to injury. “Going somewhere, Aer?”
I sigh, defeated. “Just… exploring.”
Declan raises a brow, unimpressed. “Sure you are. Kaida told me and Shura here to keep an eye on you.” He grabs my arm—not harshly, but firmly—and steers me back to the crate.
“It’s like he knew you’d try to run.”
I open my mouth to argue, but Declan raises a brow, cutting me off before I can even getthe first word out.
“Don’t lie. Look, Aeris, I get it. This whole situation sucks—for you, for Kaida, for everyone. But Kaida’s been my best friend since we were practically hatchlings. He comes first. Always.”
With a resigned sigh, I drop back onto the crate, the wood creaking beneath me. Declan’s not cruel—not like Kaida. There’s no sneer, no barely-contained loathing in his voice, just blunt honesty. And the nod he gives me, it’s not dismissive. It’s almost friendly. Almost.
“Stay put, yeah?”
He turns like he’s about to walk off, but instead of leaving, he surprises me by plopping down beside me. Just sits right there on the crate like it’s the most natural thing in the world, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his brown boots scuffing the dirt.
“You’re not good at following orders, are you?” Declan grins sideways at me, his golden hair falling into his eyes.
I snort, repositioning to sit cross-legged. “Depends on who’s giving them.”
“Fair.” His grin widens, all sharp teeth and easy mischief. “Kaida warned me you had a mouth on you.”
“Oh, I bet he had all sorts of nice things to say.” I roll my eyes. “Your best friend’s a real charmer.”
Declan laughs, the sound warm and surprisingly infectious. “Kaida’s about as charming as a wet boot. Don’t take it personally—he hates everyone.”
“Yeah, well, he’s doing a stellar job of making sure I hate him back.” I brush a strand of red hair out of my face, the tension in my shoulders easing just a fraction. “You’ve known him forever?”
“Since we were both too small to fly. Back then, we werejust two scrappy disasters trying to set everything on fire.” Declan leans back, propping himself up on his elbows, the movement easy and relaxed. “Kaida had this brilliant idea once—said we needed to ‘test our bravery’ by sneaking into the treasury.”
He grins, eyes bright with the memory. “We didn’t even make it past the outer hall before we triggered some kind of trap. Got doused from head to toe in green slime. Took a week to wash it off.”
I raise a brow. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah. Turns out my father knew exactly what we were up to and set the trap himself—said it was to ‘teach us a lesson.’” Declan even throws up air quotes, shaking his head. “Personally, I think he just wanted a good laugh.”
I choke on a laugh. “Kaida? Mr. Scowl and Glare got stuck in slime?”
“Couldn’t wash it out of his hair for days. He cried, by the way. Full-on baby Dragon tears.”This memory seems familiar to me. Why?
I laugh harder at that, the image too good to resist. “I need proof.”
“Trust me, if I had a way to capture memories, I’d play it back for you on a loop.”
It’s strange, laughing like this. Sitting next to a Dragon, one ofthem, and actually… enjoying it. Declan’s nothing like Kaida. Where Kaida’s all rigid authority and thinly-veiled disgust whenever I breathe too close to him, Declan’s relaxed, open, even funny. It throws me off balance, but not in a bad way.
“You’re not what I expected,” I admit after a beat, my voice softer than I mean it to be.
Declan raises a brow. “What, you mean because I’m not trying to rip your throat out?”
“Something like that.” I shrug. “Kaida acts like being near me is a personal insult to his entire bloodline.”
“Kaida’s… complicated.” Declan’s smile fades just a little, but there’s no bitterness there. Just understanding.
“He’s got a lot riding on his shoulders, most of it forced on him before he even had a chance to figure out who he was. Doesn’t excuse him being an ass, but—”
