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“Beautiful name,” Evie assured, standing straight once again, but her hand instinctively travelled to her side. She was still in pain.
“Could we talk, please? I know you are busy, but I’d like to have a moment,” I asked, stepping closer, only to have Kingston stop between Evie and me.
“Of course,” she replied from the other side, and loudly cleared her throat. “My lovely guardian, will you kindly step away? Please…”
Kingston turned to look at her, and the look she sent him said she wasn’t really asking. Grunting something under his breath, the giant stepped aside, letting her walk closer.
“We will leave you now, but I’m glad you found a new friend,” Evie offered to Elie, then silently regarded Imogen, who nodded. She would help him from now on. “Please remember to come every day to spend time with Sky so you can get used to each other, that way when you reach the age and become a warrior, you two will be fully in sync.”
“Thank you so much for this, Princess,” Mila offered with tears in her eyes too, and Evie nodded, squeezing her arm.
“My pleasure, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” Waving goodbye, she turned and motioned for me to walk with her.
Kingston followed at our heels.
“You may walk behind us, but this is a private conversation so we would appreciate some space.”
He snorted as though saying‘good luck with that’, and only gave us a couple of feet of space. Evie winked at me, humor dancing over her features. I couldn’t help but chuckle at their banter, they were more like family than a guardian and a princess, and a part of me appreciated that he protected her like that.
Silence danced between us while we made our way to another fountain, taking two of the stone benches that were around it. I would have liked to share one with her, but Kingston glared at me, forcing me to change my mind.
Evie’s hand lifted, waving him away, and she scooched over to the end of her seat, so we would be closer. I wondered if this was how people dated in medieval times, with a chaperon making their lives impossible. Mr. T was our chaperone.
“Will you tell me about this place, about your people… and my parents?” I asked in a low tone, looking at Kingston from the corner of my eyes to make sure he wasn’t listening.
He was, but to my surprise, he turned, pushing Evie’s guard several feet away, and out of the small plaza so they couldn’t hear us. With a heavy sigh, Evie stood, silently motioning for me to follow, and stopped next to the fountain. Leaving my spear on the bench, I went to her.
“This world used to be the most beautiful place…” she began, extending a hand towards the falling droplets. “This was long before I or my parents were born, so I never had a chance to see it for myself. But my parents told me the most wonderful tales, passed down onto them by my grandparents, and it was almost as though I could see it through their eyes,” she explained, her gaze lost in the light of the past.
“It is so beautiful now, it’s hard to imagine it being anything more,” I admitted, feeling the bronze baby fuzz on my shoulder, so I reached for him, lowering him to the fountain. Something told me he wanted to play in the water.
“I know.” Evie smiled, briefly glancing at me. “But it was. Dragons were truly free then, no oppressors, no riders, nothing other than them gliding across the bright blue sky. You know, the legends of old considered them our gods.”
“Really?” I asked, stepping closer, already captivated by the story.
“Yes. Not the regular creatures that you see among us or out there in the lands, but theElementiCaelestes.It means theElemental GodsorCelestials,” she explained. “We had Ignis, the fire god. Aqua, the water god. Terra and Glacies—”
“The gods of earth and ice?” I ventured a guess, even though Latin was never my forte in high school.
She smiled, pleased I was paying attention. “Yes. Now we call themthe Elders, but back then, it was said that together they fashioned this world, and filled it with their most precious creation.”
“The rest of the Dragons?”
“No. With us, the Soulris.”
“Is that the name of your race?” I asked, filled with intrigue and wonder, but she shook her head, playfully biting her lower lip.
“That is the name ofour race,” Evie corrected, reminding me this was my world too, and damn it, if the way she looked at me didn’t make me want to kiss her. She was definitely flirting.
I threw a sly glance over my shoulder to see if I could steal a kiss, and was met by Kingston’s menacing scowl. It was like the man could read my damn thoughts. Making a face, I focused on Evie again, finding that she had begun to walk along the large fountain. I instantly followed, and the bronze baby swam after me, his wings splashing water everywhere.
“Soulris was born from the phrase,Anima mate de Superis.It meansSoulmate of the Celestialsin the old tongue.”
“Wait, but not romantically, right? Cause that would be awkward,” I joked, hearing Evie laugh while she shook her head.
Stopping on the other side, she faced me, ignoring the people who walked in the market behind us.
“As in their companions for life. Dragons were born to nurture and protect this world above all, butthe Elderscreated us for their sons and daughters to never be alone. That is the reason each Dragons can choose one of us, and form an unbreakable bond that will last until our last breath. They can feel our hopes and fears, they sense our emotions and needs as though they were their own. They are tuned to us in a way that can never be broken.”
