Dragon’s Breath
Chapter twenty-three

Startled at my new revelation, I slowly peel myself from Flavius. Our breath comes out in short bouts as we stare into each other's eyes.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," I say, my hands still buried in his hair, lightly stroking.

"How long exactly have you been waiting to kiss me," he asks, chuckling.

"I am not speaking of the kiss, what I mean is I've waited for you, my mate, a long time."

"Mate?" He says puzzled.

Smiling I grab his hand.

"Come, we have a lot to talk about," I say.

Silently, he follows. Leading him down a stone path in the palace garden I take him to a bench that sits shaded by a large weeping willow.

"We dragons have always been good at hiding our way of life. Part of that being mates; mates or soulmates, is the person the goddess of our creation has gifted us," I tell him.

"So, you're telling me that some goddess has given me to you?" He asks.

I laugh, "When you put it like that, it makes it almost sound heinous. Let me tell you a story so you may better understand," I say.

"Actually you might recognize the first part of this story," I tell him.

"And why is that?" He questions.

"Because the goddess in this story is Alira the same one that the Fires were named after," I say.

"I had no idea," Flavius responds.

"Alira plays a major part in dragon culture. Anyways back to the story, I was going to tell," I laugh at myself for getting distracted.

He nods, urging me to continue.

"Thousands of years ago, before dragons or humans walked the Earth, there was a goddess, Alira. Alira was the goddess of war, fire, and wrath. Though she was powerful, she was also lonely and jealous; many of the other gods had created their own races to live on earth, such as the fae and the elves. Alira wanted the creation of her own. Thus, she made dragons. She was very proud of her creation, as the dragons were everything that the other races were and more; they were beautiful, strong, intelligent, and could use magic, but they were also filled with rage. The other gods disliked the dragons, for they were destroying the Earth, so they went to Alira and told her that if she could not control what she had created they would remove the dragons. So, Alira devised a plan; she made it so all dragons had a soulmate. Their soulmate would be the only one who could quell their anger, but there was a catch: if a dragon could not find their mate by the age of fifty, they would lose and power and die."

Pausing for a moment I take a breath.

"But soulmates were not just created so that dragons had someone to keep them under control, soulmates were also to be their life long partners. So when I say I've waited my whole life for you I mean it quite literally," I say softly.

Flavius sits next to me in silence for a moment.

"So, our relationship is based on the will of some goddess?" Flavius asks disheartened.

My breath catches as my heart tugs in pain.

"No, our feelings are genuine; not all mates love each other, love takes time, love cannot be forced, and love has to be worked on. My parents may be mates, but they do not love each other. they are only together out of necessity," I explain.

"I think I understand, but why is it now that you are figuring this out? Why not sooner?" He questions with an arched brow.

Laughing, I scratch the back of my head.

"I guess you could say I ignored all the signs that were right in front of me. I realized it now because being with you made the world fall away, I completely forgot why I was angry," I tell him.

Smiling, he slings an arm around my shoulders.

"I'm glad to hear that," he whispers.

There is something about the way he smiles, that causes birds to escape from the pit of my stomach, and toppled the sun from atop the sky and into my heart. He has the kind of smile that makes you feel happy to be alive, and just that little bit more human.

Our moment is interrupted when Daniel comes bounding down the gardens path, hollering our names.

"Nora, Flavius!" He reaches us nearly out of breath, a radiant smile lighting his face.

"So, I wanted to tell you that we got the information we needed. Gwen plans to use Nora's and Geoffrey's wedding to kill the king and prince Geoffrey so she's that only one left to take over the throne." Daniel pauses here, trembling ever so slightly.

"Flavius, may I talk to you for a moment?" He asks.

His eyes flash to me.

"Alone." He states

Flavius clears his throat standing, giving me an awkward glance. I shrug in response and nod my head encouraging him to go.

Watching them retreat a safe distance from me, they begin to talk. I stare on, watching Flavius stiffen and then become pale. I listen as he suddenly raises his voice, giving me only a snippet of the entire conversation I'm so desperate to hear.

"Is he insane! I- I don't know if I can do that," Flavius shouts bewildered.

After that, they become too quiet for me to hear. They finish speaking in hushed voices and when they're done Flavius heads back over to me, reclaiming his seat.

"The king says you can take the next few days easy Nora," Daniel shouts returning the way he came.

"What was all that about?" I question quirking an eyebrow. Giving an awkward smile Flavius ruffles his curls.

"Ah, well his majesty just had a message for me," he stumbles out.

My jaw clenches and my eyes narrow ever so slightly, he's hiding something. But since it was a message from Gregory the only thing I can do is trust in him.

"Since I've told you a story, it's fair that you tell me one as well," I say changing the subject.

Flavius shifts to face me.

"What kind of story do you wish to hear?" He asks.

"Tell me the story of your life, what was it like to grow up here in this city? What was your childhood like? I want to know everything," I say excitedly.

He lifts his head up staring at the sky his eyes suddenly fill with sorrow.

"My childhood wasn't the best, my mother died when I was seven years old." He pauses, not once looking at me.

"How did your mother die?" I ask.

"Working at a brothel, she could have died from a number of things. At a young age, my mother was sold by my grandfather to the brothel that caused her to meet her end. And my father, well, he could be any man living in this godforsaken city," he spits out bitterly.

Sadness flows through me like a never-ending river, I place a comforting hand on his shoulder and give a gentle squeeze.

"I'm so sorry," I say.

Turning to me he gives a dazzling smile.

"Don't worry too much about that, it was a long time ago. After my mother passed it was actually Neron that took me in. He taught me everything I know. If it wasn't for him, I most likely would have spent my life stealing off the streets," he tells me.

"I had no idea Neron was so much older than you," I say with surprise, I assumed they were around the same age.

"He's not too much older. Only ten years," Flavius states.

A sudden thought comes to mind, and I can't help but ask, "How old are you, little human?"

Looking at me, he raises an eyebrow, placing a hand of his heart in mock offense.

"Don't you know it's rude to ask someone there age?" He says playfully.

I slap him on the arm lightly.

"If you tell me how old you are, I'll tell you how old I am," I offer with a smile.

"I'm twenty-seven," he says.

"Wow, such an old man," I tease.

"You were supposed to tell me how old you are, not mock me," he says.

I laugh. "Alright, alright, I'm twenty-four," I say.

"Really now?" He drawls.

"Why on earth lie?" I say.

"Maybe you want to make yourself sound younger," he jokes.

Scoffing, I shove him playfully. "Shut up."

He turns to me, grabbing my chin and pulls me forward.

"Make me, " he says huskily.

He should know by now to never challenge me. I swiftly move forward, putting my hands on his face. I capture his mouth kiss him deeply. Taking hold of his bottom lip I pull it roughly between my teeth. I pull away and stare into his shocked eyes. My lips twist up into a smirk.

"What, nothing to say?", I draw teasingly.

"What can I say, you're a great kisser," he replies with a wink.

"Thanks, I've had practice," I tease.

"Really?" He questions surprised.

"You really want to know?", I tease.

Before he can respond I change the subject.

"I'm bored, let's go for a walk," I say, tugging on his arm, standing up. He gets up and I lead him down the stone path, out the garden, and into the woods.

"Ellie, you've never told what was your childhood like," he inquires.

My childhood. I think back the days of endless training, and lonely nights. There was but one light that shone through my childhood. Until it was snuffed out.

"Growing up in the horde, I spent most of my time learning proper etiquette and how to fight. My father would force me to train from dusk till dawn until my hands were blistered and bloody, and I was collapsing from exhaustion, all so he could have the perfect child. I would work hard without complaints, thinking that if I got just a little stronger, a little faster, that he would acknowledge me," I tell him solemnly.

Flavius takes my hand into his own, intertwining our fingers. A comforting warmth spreads through me from the small action.

"When I said tell me of your childhood I meant tell me of the things that bring you joy, not pain," he says.

Flavius spent the rest of the afternoon and late into the evening wandering about the vast forest, exchanging stories from our childhoods. I finally feel that I know him as more than just a human, or a blacksmith. I know him as a person. I could not be happier with this man, my mate.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter don’t forget to like and comment.- Ray

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