Chapter 120 CHAPTER 120
He held me for longer.
He kissed my forehead and then my nose. I tensed for what I thought was coming next but he pulled back.
“I'm sorry, I brought you here to show you the sunrise but here I am,” he sniffled, “ruining everything with my sob story.”
“You're not ruining anything, I don't know much about you and I'll take every opportunity to do that. And don't be angry at your mother, she's not been handed good cards. You should do something about that man she's with though.”
“But she loves him,” he said but even he didn't believe it.
“There's something called a trauma bond. Until he's out of the picture, she might never heal.”
He nodded and wrapped one arm around my shoulder and we stared off in the distance together.
Quiet.
It's never quiet with Florian, he's always had to be talking or making a joke. But maybe his soul sensed what was about to come and wanted to soak in the moment.
I tried opening my mouth to tell him why I'd come here but I just couldn't and after a while, I began feeling suffocated.
“I should go to the library,” I said.
“You're going to see him?”
“Jealousy looks cute on you,” I tried joking.
“Can't blame a man. I'm going to come ask him how he did it.”
I stilled.
“How he did what?”
“Convinced you to accept the bond.”
“No –”
“I can sense the hesitance in your eyes but I'm not accepting no for an answer Alira,” he declared, grabbing me in clenched fists, “we're meant to be together and I understand that all of this is different and even strangers but you're used to that, aren't you? You always take everything in stride, why stop at me?”
“Florian you don't understand, I –”
“Don't worry, I'll find a way to convince you. Okay? Don't stress about me, just please, don't shut me out. Give me a chance to woo you.”
“Florian…”
“I deserve that, halfling or not, I deserve to have someone who sees me the way you do. Don't push me out and force me to live this life alone. I've been alone all my life Alira, I don't want you to pity me but I just need a chance.”
He was breathless, his rings glinting in the sunlight as he pushed a stray strand of silvery hair from his face.
I thought about it, really did.
In my head, it'll be really straightforward, I'll tell him I'm leaving and that he can't come with me as Zade is and he'll understand.
But I know he won't.
And despite the fact that looking him in the face felt like falling on the sharp end of a knife, I look at him and lie.
“You can try to change my mind. I'll keep an open mind.”
I hate how lies come easily to me these days, hate how as his eyes light up with hope and excitement, I easily mirror it.
He hugs me and I wrap my hands around him, while he believes this is a new beginning, I know it's the end.
The hug deepens as my body misinterpreted this as a signal for other things.
Florian's tongue licked at my neck and the confusion intensified.
He moved back from the edge of the mountain and pushed us to stand, and he hugged me tighter.
A moan slipped out of both of us simultaneously and my brain went on vacation.
My hands roamed around his back and I bent my neck to the side to give him more access.
I completely forgot that I was supposed to be pushing him away, that this was goodbye.
My hands pulled at his hair and a groan that sent ripples of lust through me came out of him.
“Princess, if we don't stop now…”
The warning was clear and I took it.
He's right to be sensible and stop this before I add more to my guilt plate.
It'll be horrible to go that far with him here on this mountain and then leave afterwards, never to come back.
So I ate the food he'd brought for me and I listened to him talk about the few happy memories in his childhood days.
In the end, he tried to convince me to get on his dragon again but beyond my fear of heights, I feared connecting with the dragon as I somehow did with Valyra.
What if he reads my thoughts?
Slowly, I climb down from the mountain and he goes before me to catch me if I fall.
I don't, thankfully. I was tired of giving him grief.
“Here's my stop,” he said when we got back to the dragon Pens.
“Alright then. I'll see you.”
“Of course Princess. I'm going to woo you in a way no one has ever done before, prepare to be swept off your feet,” he said with glee.
And I laughed, then quickly turned around so he wouldn't see me shedding tears.
I was halfway gone when I realised I hadn't returned the sword I'd gone to give him.
Kovar's now in the 13th level of the dungeon which even though I've never seen it, sounds dreadful but I won't be needing the sword anymore.
I walked back from the path from the Admin building back to the dragon Pens, avoiding people.
Once I sighted the building, I crouched low, going to where I smelled the scent of Zephyr. Now that I'd become lightly acquainted with him, I could trace Florian through him. His scent was stronger.
I found Zephyr but not Florian, making me bristle with irritation. I wanted to do this and quickly head back; I needed to avoid Valyra as much as possible.
My head was filled with the events of the morning and unfortunately, that connected with the plans Zade and I are brewing so the earlier I get out of here, the better for me.
Although my senses were overwhelmed by the scents of the dragons, I was able to find Florian’s, needle in a haystack style.
So I hid behind rocks and ran around till I got to the other side.
Then I looked up.
A gasp escaped me at the view in front of me.
There was a lady with curly black hair and a taller frame, almost the same as his.
I could measure this accurately because she was standing on her tippy toes, kissing Florian.