Chapter 106 I bled for her, can you do so?
"Esperanza," Orion said, his voice smooth and dangerously casual, "you are the Golden Dragon. Your light is ancient. But these serpents? They are the most ridiculous creatures. Truly."
He paused, casting a sidelong, pitying glance at Ezra. "In fact, they are even more ridiculous than the 'King' himself."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Esperanza looked at the vein throbbing in Ezra’s temple, then back at Orion’s smug, untouchable face. She could feel the "Golden Dragon" within her stirring, not out of fear of the serpents, but out of frustration with the two men in front of her.
"Orion," she whispered, her voice low and warning. "You are playing with fire. And Ezra..."
Ezra stood up slowly, his shadow looming large and jagged against the wall. "You think I am ridiculous, demon?" he hissed, his voice vibrating with a low, draconic growl. "Why don't you show me how 'ridiculous' I am when I'm tearing those psychic wings off your back?"
The tables have turned, and Ezra is playing his cards perfectly. He realized that the best way to defeat a "psychic demon" isn't with a sword it’s with the very affection Orion is clearly desperate for.
The shift in the room is electric, but this time, the heat is coming from Ezra’s smug satisfaction.
Ezra leaned into Esperanza’s touch as she brushed his hair, the tension in his shoulders melting into a deliberate, cat-like grace. A playful, sharp smirk spread across his lips—a silent victory directed straight at Orion.
"I am so sorry, Ezra," she whispered, her voice a soothing balm against the insults he’d just endured.
Ezra looked up at her, his eyes softening into a mask of wounded innocence that he knew would drive Orion mad. He could feel Orion’s gaze burning into him, a mix of jealousy and disbelief, and it only made Ezra’s flush of triumph grow warmer.
"That hurts me," Ezra said, his voice dropping into a mock-pout. "I am the King... but disrespecting a King is so bad, isn't it?"
He looked like a misunderstood saint, his eyes darting to Orion with a teasing glint that said: She’s touching me, and you’re just a spectator.
Esperanza, completely caught in the moment of comforting him, caressed his cheek. "I can understand," she murmured, her thumb grazing his jawline. "And no one is going to disrespect you, Ezra. Not while I’m here."
Orion’s jaw tightened. He could read the "engrossment" on Ezra’s face, and it wasn't just satisfaction it was a challenge. He had tried to use the Serpent Twins to scare them, but Ezra had used vulnerability to win.
"A King who hides behind a woman’s hand," Orion muttered, his voice thick with a new kind of bitterness. "Is that the 'Golden Dragon's' champion?"
Orion ignored Ezra’s smug expression, his focus narrowing entirely on Esperanza. The air around him stilled, the teasing light in his eyes replaced by a hauntingly serious depth.
"Can we start further?" Orion asked, his voice low and magnetic. He reached out—not to touch her, but to command the space between them, pulling her attention back like a physical tether.
Esperanza pulled back slightly, her hand still resting near Ezra’s cheek, her eyes narrowing. "But you are not doing as you promised," she said, her voice laced with disappointment. "You promised me answers about the bridge and the serpents, not a performance of insults."
The critique hit him harder than any of Ezra’s glares. Orion’s gaze softened instantly, a flicker of genuine regret crossing his face as he looked at her.
"You’re right," he whispered, his shoulders dropping. "The ego is a loud neighbor; it drowns out the truth. I promised to show you the way to the Serpent Twin Bridge. I promised to show you why your soul recognizes a place you’ve never been."
Orion leaned in, his eyes glowing with a faint, silvery hue. "If you want to see the 'further' I speak of, I cannot just tell you. I have to show you. But it requires you to trust me more than you ever have."
Ezra’s hand tightened on the chair. "Show her? Show her how? We aren't leaving this room with you, demon."
Orion didn't look at Ezra. He kept his eyes on the Golden Dragon. "I don't need her to leave the room. I need her to close her eyes."
"How are you going to do that?" Esperanza asked, her voice cautious as she felt the shift in Orion’s energy.
Orion didn't look at Ezra. He kept his gaze locked on hers, his voice dropping to a low, intimate hum. "When you were injured... I let my blood flow into your wound so it could heal. We are bound now, Esperanza. My essence is the map."
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the sound of Ezra’s breath hitching. Ezra’s blood didn't just boil; it turned to lava.
"She got injured? How?" Ezra growled, the sound vibrating from deep in his chest.
He didn't wait for an answer. He moved like lightning, his hands snapping out to clutch Esperanza’s arms from both sides. His grip was firm not to hurt her, but as if he were trying to physically tether her to the earth, to pull her away from the "poison" Orion had put in her.
Ezra ignored Orion for a split second, his eyes searching Esperanza’s face with a desperate, wild intensity. "When? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? Why did you let him touch your blood?"
He turned his head slowly toward Orion, his eyes glowing with a faint, dangerous amber light. The "Dragon" was no longer just a title; it was a threat.
"You put your filth inside her," Ezra hissed, his voice trembling with the effort not to strike. "You didn't heal her. You branded her."
Orion stood his ground, a small, knowing smile touching his lips. "I saved her life, King. While you were busy being 'ridiculous,' I was the one who bled for her. Can you say the same?"