Page 38 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
"Where's the egg?"
"I spread a blanket over it, otherwise the bright glow would give you away. It shines like a lantern."
Ava felt around in the darkness until she sensed the curve of the shell, and she lifted the blanket on one side. Kilian was right. The egg shone brighter than a thousand-watt string of lights, so she quickly let the fabric slide back over it to keep it hidden.
"Is it so bright because of the cave?"
Kilian nodded. "It will hatch soon."
The thought made her smile. What would happen when the little one broke through the shell? What would it look like? Like a chick?
Ava sighed in joyful anticipation of this magical experience, noticing that the warrior hadn't taken his eyes off her. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought it would be too conspicuous if the country's most popular dragon fighter left his fans."
Amused, he raised his dark eyebrows. "You've only just woken up and you're already ready for battle?"
"I know how to defend myself."
He leaned forward slowly. "What are you defending yourself against so fiercely?"
Caught off guard, her heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure. Which was apparently only moderately successful, as she saw a grin playing on his lips. No doubt about it, he was aware of his effect on women. But would've had to have been blind not to see how the ladies threw themselves at his feet.
To make her opinion clear, she looked at him steadily. "I'm defending myself against being patronized."
"Highly commendable."
Was he flirting with her? And was she flirting back? She averted her gaze resolutely and rubbed her arms. Itwas entirely unwise to get more closely involved with him. After all, she would soon return to her world, and she didn't want a relationship. "What time is it anyway?"
"Just after midnight."
"Why aren't you lying in bed?"
"You surely meant to say 'in your bed,' right?"
She laughed involuntarily but didn't answer, which made him smile as well.
"I told her I'd come by." He nodded towards Lilly.
"Which was apparently sensible, seeing how well our watch system works." She looked at the little girl, who was sleeping deeply and soundly. They had agreed that the girl should wake Ava by evening at the latest, which she obviously hadn't done. Either she had wanted to keep watch through the night herself or hadn't even lasted until evening.
"I won't argue with that, especially since it was amusing to watch you sleep."
He had watched her sleep? How long had he been there and... watched over them?
He leaned forward, his voice lowered. "Let's go to the cave entrance so we don't wake her. I need to talk to you."
When she nodded, he placed his hand on her lower back. She enjoyed the touch, even though she knew it was unwise.
The moon shone brightly and illuminated the entrance of the cave, where they sat down and looked at the sky. The firmament was studded with stars. Inevitably, she thought of the flight they'd taken on the dragon and how close she and Kilian had been. Her gaze fell on his hand, which he had placed right next to hers.
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around her raised knees. "What's this about?"
Kilian kept his focus on the forest, then turned to her after some time. "According to the prophecy and your appearance, you come from another world. I don't know what ties bind you to it, but you should consider staying here."
She lifted her eyebrows in surprise. He wanted her to stay? Did his intense looks mean something? Nonsense. She, a completely normal woman from another world, was certainly nothing more than a plaything for this Casanova!
Why else would he try to dissuade her from leaving? She was overcome with nervousness, which she didn't want to show him. So she put up the wall that she had been building for years, ever higher and more unshakeable, and pushed all her emotions behind it. "Why should I?"
"You're the first dragon guardian in centuries. We don't know how the birth of the young one will affect the other dragons, but it could give them hope. Combined with your gift as a guardian, there's a possibility that confidence will grow and dragons will reproduce again."
