Dragonbound: Birthrights (Book 2)

It was sometime just before dawn, the sky still dark as the birds sang quietly outside. Davin lied on his back, the floor killing his shoulder and his spine. Sitting, the blankets fell from his naked chest to his lap.

The cold air hit him, but he welcomed it. His eyes drifted over to Kiaran as she slept, her blanket tucked against her chest, her arms wrapping tightly around it. She seemed to glow beautifully in the dim light, her scars highlighted.

Most men liked flawless skin, dainty features, elegant voices. Davin always found them too often. They were everywhere--several on each street, and even more once he became king. Curtsies, polite smiles, gentle speaking. It was all so fashioned and boring.

Kiaran, however, was intelligent and completely her own person. Though she was strong and powerful, she held an elegant poise naturally. She was like no one and didn’t wish to be so. The scars and tattoos on her body that most were turned away from...He loved them. They told a story, each of them standing for something she’d been through. Good or bad, it shaped her into who she was.

Davin found his way out of the inn, sitting on a bench against the wall just outside. He had felt broken, his dreams taunting him with dead eyes and bleeding mouths. His chest burned with acid, his hands trembling slightly.

He could still smell the blood that smeared across his face and he could feel it crusting on his skin. It wasn’t the fact that he had killed in battle...It was the fact that he killed in battle for Murdock.

It sickened him the more he thought about it. Often, he would shove the ideal aside. It was useless to dread on such things. However, on such nights as these, he couldn’t avoid it.

He had killed too many to count in battle. But he had killed more than he could admit outside of that. Special missions for his king at Alana’s or Walter’s sides. It was disturbing to think of it and down right sickening. That man was not worthy to kill others for. He fought for the king as he should have, but he trudged on like a dog covered in mud hoping for some hearty scraps.

His fingers dug into his thigh as he gripped it tightly, trying to wait for his anger and guilt to subside. He stared at his calloused fingers, which only fueled him further. They were scarred, worked hard, not from an honest work. But from a sword always in his grip. A sword covered in blood and flesh and bone marrow.

Suddenly, his attention was snapped to his feet where Nurra crept toward him in the shadows of the town. He slinked forward, one step at a time, very cautiously. Davin watched the little dragon, his brows lowering. Holding a hand out, he allowed Nurra to climb up his arm and sit in his lap. Curling his tail around his talons, Nurra trilled softly, as if to comfort him.

Davin shook his head, his heart sinking. His arms draped across the back of the bench, one hand rubbing his jaw where his beard grew thick. As he inhaled, his chest expanded, broadening.

Trying to keep his mind off such iniquities, he watched the sky where little birds darted back and forth. Nurra watched them as well with a sense of longing. His wing shifted; the nub where his other used to be flexed pointlessly. Scars lined his back and side where he had been wounded while protecting Kiaran.

He wanted to protect Kiaran with the same kind of fervor that Nurra had. He watched the dragon--who watched the birds with the need to fly with them—and the need to be at Kiaran’s side to fight for her washed over him. Both Davin and Nurra needed something that was outside of their grasp.

The sun began to rise, the sky a deep orange and gold color, a few pink clouds stretching across the scene. The rays have yet to hit the road, keeping the bottom half of the buildings shaded while the tops glowed yellow.

The door beside him opened and Davin looked up to find Kiaran walking to him. She was barefoot, wearing only her leggings and tunic, her hair in a mess as it fell down her back.

His heart skipped as he watched her walk toward them. She still seemed half asleep, her eyes hardly open as she rubbed them. Davin’s lips formed a soft, hardly noticeable smile. He wondered if she was aware of her beauty or if she denied it. Did she realize the pull she had on men’s eyes? Did she know the pull she had on him? Surely she did.

She sat beside him, surprised to find Nurra in his lap. As she touched his wing, she spoke to him in Draken. He trilled and moved to her legs, curling up into a ball and closing his eyes. “Is the floor too hard to sleep on?” she asked. Her voice was low, as if she were afraid to wake the city.

“No,” he shook his head. “Not at all.”

“Why are you awake so early?” she asked, her stunning eyes shifting to him.

He parted his lips to answer, but found himself pausing. “...It was a difficult night,” he finally said.

“...Difficult night...” she breathed. She could tell something was bothering him, something deep within him. It was flashed across his damp eyes and his fake smile. Not to mention Nurra, the dragon of calmness, was with him. Never before had Nurra enjoyed Davin’s company—he tried often to keep the human away from Kiaran. However, he was comforting Davin. “What is wrong?” she asked flatly.

“I wouldn’t want to burden you,” he answered. She had been forced to kill her entire life. She was the last person he should complain to.

“It isn’t a burden if I asked to know what is wrong,” she answered. “You can tell me, Davin.”

“I know,” he muttered. “I have found that one of the worst things in life is ending someone else’s.” Her eyes were glued to him, curious as to where this was going...But also fearful. She had ended so many lives. She knew it wasn’t targeted at her, but it was still alarming. He tore his eyes from her, staring at his hands that sat limply in his lap. “I’ve killed many people, Kiaran. More than you have.”

She was stunned. Never had Davin spoken of his kill count. It never seemed to be an issue to him. She knew of the instance where he had killed two hundred men in a single battle...But how many had he actually killed?

“...But you are a soldier,” she said, her voice hardly working. It was a soldier’s job to kill in battle.

“I was Murdock’s knight,” he answered sharply. “Murdock’s! How could I justify the deaths I’ve caused through his order? I cannot! That is the issue, Kiaran.”

“I understand you are upset...but you did what you had to,” she tried to help, though her words were less than useful. He shook his head and she added, “I’ve gone through this very thing.”

“You didn’t have an option in the matter,” he snapped. “I chose to work for him. You had no choice.”

“But still, it hurts the same,” she said, her voice rather harsh. They shot each other a glare and then she asked, “Davin. Why did you join the king’s order?”

He was silent for a long time. He had always assumed it was to give his father something to be proud of. That was his answer, then he added, “I...had a desire to help, though...” He sighed sharply and ran a hand over his hair. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he clasped his hands together, staring at them. “Though I didn’t want to fight...I wanted to do something else. I wanted to protect, not kill. Not for a monster.”

“Did you know Murdock was a monster?”

“Not at first, but there were a few signs.”

“You are just.” She hesitated, her hand pausing in the air as she wished to comfort him. Resting her hand on his forearm, she found it to be a ginger touch, soft and it made him visibly calmer. “You have done only the right thing, and for that, you should feel proud. When the chance came, you proved yourself to be better than Murdock. Faced with the same choice to be corrupt, you chose to turn away from it.”

“To hide like a coward,” he scowled, keeping his head bowed.

“No,” she said quietly, leaning closer. He could see her in his peripherals, which only forced him to face her. “Not a coward. You are wise, Davin. You knew something was wrong so you left to find answers.”

It seemed that no matter what she said, he would not accept it. She was puzzled—did he think he should be better, somehow? It was impossible. He was already as perfect as any man could be. Her hand was still on his arm, feeling his muscles relax the longer she kept it there.

Nurra slinked away, finding that Kiaran was doing a better job at calming Davin than he was. Some dragon of calmness he was—Nurra grunted and flicked his tail, darting toward the alley.

Golden light finally peeked from the top of the wall, stretching down the streets and flooding them. Davin’s heart sank further as the desire to pull her close filled him. He nearly gripped her to pull her into a kiss, but he remained motionless, his eyes stuck on her.

It would not be wise.

He had things he had to focus on, he had an entire kingdom he had to try to protect. He had a curse to end. He could not afford to set it aside just for a romance that might not even work out in the end. It had gotten to the point where he was willing to give up his position as king so that he might stay with Kiaran.

But that was unacceptable.

With every bit of his strength, he looked away and leaned back in his seat. He watched the sky, as if searching for answers. She pulled her hand back to herself and followed his gaze to the lazy clouds. The air was cold, though it didn’t bother either of them.

“I am glad we found each other,” Davin said softly.

“As am I,” she nodded. “I was worried you might have gotten yourself into trouble.”

“I didn’t mean in Trindal,” he answered. The moment he said it, he felt his heart sink a bit. Flirting was so natural at times, he could hardly keep himself from doing it with her--especially her. Any other woman he could refrain--he was always good with his words, but never found a reason to be so flirtatious. Her eyes moved to him and he said, “I am glad our paths have crossed.”

She watched him for a long moment and finally agreed. “As am I.”

They remained quiet for a long while. Kiaran was finally beginning to fully wake as the sun filled the city with light. “It was amazing seeing through the trees as you did,” Davin stated. She allowed a small smile and nodded her head.

“Along with that, Kriettor had blessed me with Uvara Sor. Fire eyes. I can see as dragons do when I wish it,” she said. “I can read their script that only dragons can see, invisible to human eyes.”

“You truly are extraordinary,” he shook his head in wonder.

A few people began to stir as they worked in their shops, opening doors and windows and sweeping their stoops. “What are our plans?” Davin finally asked. She slowly turned to him and he said, “We are meeting your brother. Then what? Where will we go?”

She clutched her jaws tightly, her teeth gripping at one another with such force she was afraid they’d break. Releasing her clench, she said, “I don’t know...I cannot stay out here for long. My country is in the beginnings of a war. But I know I must continue forward. I need to go to Priuti, see for myself what Princess Danalla had done...But I would surely be recognized there.”

After a moment, Davin stood and said, “Well, let us go back inside...so you can put your shoes on.” She glanced to her feet, wearing a slight smile. “Then, perhaps we could go and find some supplies. Either way, no matter what we’ll do, we will need supplies.”

“Yes,” she nodded, standing with him. Without her boots, and as Davin wore his, she stood several inches shorter than him. She felt small--that was rare to her. She usually towered over women and some men were only a bit taller.

When he looked to her, she allowed a soft smile.