The Time Tournament (Order of the Dragon #1)

CHAPTER 41

Elena

March 1431

M y eyes felt glued shut. I raised a hand to wipe away the goo around them, but it wasn’t goo—it was some kind of salve. Every inch of my body ached and burned as if being devoured from within. Through the pain, I forced my eyes open and saw a figure. “Killian?”

A hand grabbed me and forced a drink down my throat. I fell asleep.

When I woke up again, everything felt different. The pain eased, but my muscles still ached from not moving for so long. How long had I been out?

This time, when I opened my eyes, it was Killian again. He smiled at me like an angel, his white hair missing the red tips from before. Did I die and go to heaven? Then it all came flooding back—how much I hated him, how much I’d lost because of him. I wanted to turn away, but I had no strength left. He wasn’t an angel from heaven. He was the devil on earth.

“You’re awake,” he said, hope thick in his voice.

“Yeah, I am. Now, you can leave.”

“Not even the force of a thousand suns could drag me away.”

“If you don’t go, I will.”

“You can’t. Your body’s still recovering from the burn wounds. We’re lucky the prismwater axe didn’t work as intended. The giant wound on your back has already healed. Raisa’s done wonders.”

Raisa appeared beside me. I whispered a faint “thank you.”

She signed something.

“She says you’re welcome, and she’s glad she could help this time.”

“You know sign language?”

“I do. Learned it as a kid. From a friend.”

“From Rosalynd? It’s okay, you can say it. It’s not like I have anything to do with you.”

His eyes turned pale, his face twisting with pain. My words hurt him? Since when?

Raisa placed another medicated cloth on me. “What happened to me?”

“You… you lost hope.” The pain in his eyes startled me.

I didn’t remember that. The last moments of the fight were completely erased from my mind. But I did remember just before it—the moment I wanted to die.

“Why did you save me? I was supposed to die.” I stared at the ceiling, trying to hold back tears.

“I couldn’t let you,” he said softly.

“I fulfilled my duty to you and the Fates. What more do you want?” My heart started pounding out of nowhere.

“I want you to live,” he said, his words slicing through the heavy air.

I turned to him. “What if I don’t want to?”

“If you can’t live for yourself, then live for Tarra, for Laszlo’s memory…for me.”

For him? Was he out of his mind?

He looked at Raisa and signed something. She nodded, grabbed a satchel, and left.

I tried to sit up, but the pain was unbearable. Killian helped, placing my legs on the floor. “Where is she going? And why are you staying? You can switch places, you know.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Why are you even here? We’re done. I don’t need you, just like you don’t need me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I need my rider. I already lost one. I can’t lose another. And I can’t lose you.” He turned away, hiding his face as he brought me a cup of water. “Until you recover, I’ll be the one taking care of you.”

“And if I say no?” I challenged him.

“I’m asking you, not as your commander, but as a friend.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “A friend? We were never friends. You just barked orders and expected blind obedience. Like a tyrant.”

He took my hand in his. “Everything you said is true, maybe less about the tyrant part. But somewhere along the line, I found a friend in you. And I want to show you that I can be your friend too.” His eyes were almost watery.

“Why?”

He knelt before me and lowered his forehead to my knees. “I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness. Even if I have to grovel and beg.”

A kneeling Killian was a sight I never expected to see. But it wasn’t enough.

“It’s not my forgiveness you need,” I said.

“I understand. And that will come. For now, I want to start with you.”

He stood up and left. Hadn’t he just said he would grovel and beg? Where did he go?

He returned about five minutes later with a pink and white flower in his palm. “This is a peach blossom. Raisa’s house is surrounded by a peach orchard. Next time we go see these flowers, I want you to walk on your own. Deal?” He outstretched his hand for a shake, signaling a truce.

“Deal.” I shook his hand, and he tucked the flower into my hair. I reached for my braids, but I couldn’t find them.

“What happened to my hair?”

“The tips were burned, unfortunately. If you’ll let me, I can cut them for you and give your hair a fresh start.”

“Why did you cut your hair?” I asked.

“I felt I needed to move on and accept that I’m a Dragon Slayer first and foremost, and then part of the Crimson House.”

“What made you decide that?” I asked.

“We can discuss this later. Right now, you need to rest.”

Did those witches hit Killian with another poisoned arrow? Because I didn’t recognize this version of him.

I glanced down at my body. My entire left arm and leg were wrapped in bandages, as well as my back. I looked like a mummy—more so than I ever did on Halloween. I raised my right arm and searched for my choker. “Is it still there?”

“Yes. Amazingly, it didn’t burn. Your helmet protected it. When Raisa wanted to take it off, I stopped her.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“Rest now.” He lay down beside me, careful not to touch my bandages.

This was the weirdest thing ever. Killian and me in the same bed. Was this a nightmare?

“I thought I lost you, and I never want to feel that way again,” he whispered.

“How long have I been out? ”

“Three weeks. Burn wounds take a long time to heal, and they’re incredibly painful. Sometimes people die from the pain rather than the wound itself. Raisa gave you a potion to keep you in a longer sleep, just to spare you the worst of it.”

“Three weeks? I missed Laszlo’s funeral?” Tears welled up as the realization hit me.

“Don’t worry. We honored him the best we could.”

“How is his family? His mom, his sisters, his aunts?”

“They took it hard. But we did everything we could to ease their pain.”

“I want to go to his grave.”

“We will. But first, you need to get better.”

“And Tarra? How’s her leg?”

“You’ll be happy to know she has a metal prismwater leg now. Danko made her a custom one. She’s been proudly showing it off to everyone, especially Soraya.”

“Did she tell Lord Valkorian about her and Soraya?”

“Not yet. They’re waiting for the right time.” He trailed a finger lightly on my unbandaged arm.

I stiffened, and he stopped.

“Did we win?”

“We did. The ignition ceremony will take place in a few weeks.”

“Do I need to be there?”

“Only if you want to.” He closed his eyes. “Now that you know everything that happened, I think it’s time for you to sleep.”

How could I sleep with him lying next to me? “Umm, I might need the bed to myself.”

“There’s only one bed. You’ll have to deal with it.”

“Hey, I’m the wounded rider here. Don’t I get a say in this?”

“No.”

Still as infuriating as ever.

The next day, he poured hot water into a bucket and handed me a rag. “Until now, Raisa was the one bathing you. From now on, you’ll have to do it yourself. Or would you like me to help you?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No,” I yelped, snatching the rag from his hand. “I can take care of myself just fine.”

“I’ll still need to wash your hair. Raisa makes the best-scented soaps in the land. I could also cut it today if you’ll let me.” He brushed some of my burnt strands behind my back, and the gesture startled me.

“You’ll have to get used to my touch, Elena.” The way he said my name, his voice lowering a notch, did things to me I didn’t want to acknowledge. Did he know the effect his low tone had on me? “So, what are we going to do?” he asked.

“Do what?” I asked, still dazed.

He smiled softly. “Are we cutting your hair today or not?”

“Cutting hair.”

Killian grinned—a sight I’d never thought I’d see. “Good choice.”

He helped me undress, though with minimal touch, and handed me a towel to wrap around my body. He always looked away during moments when I risked revealing more than intended. He gently lifted me and carried me outside. As he sat me on a chair, he hung a bedsheet to give me privacy. Killian thought of everything.

I washed my face and the exposed skin, being careful not to touch the bandages.

“Make sure you keep those bandages dry,” Killian said, though it sounded more like an order.

“I know,” I retorted.

“I’ll check later.”

“Are you testing my washing competence? Do you want to take over or something?”

“No, no. Of course not. I’ll just change the bandages if you touch them by accident.”

I needed time to adjust to Killian, the overbearing friend, just as much as I’d had to adjust to Killian, the overbearing commander. “I’m done washing.”

“Good.” He helped me wrap my body in the long towel and carried me to a bench. This time, he lay me on it, gently placing my hair in a fresh bucket of water, then soaked the entire length with a cup. Afterward, he lathered my hair, massaged my scalp, and rinsed it. Although his hands were calloused, his touch was unexpectedly gentle. Not once did he pull on my hair, not even by accident. Each time his fingers brushed my nape, a shiver raced down my spine.

When he was done, he helped me to a sitting position and began drying my hair with a towel. Then he took a pair of shears and asked, “Ready for a new cut?”

“I am. ”

The first snip was barely audible, just a soft clink of the shears. Then came the crisp crunch of my hair being cut, and another, until I saw clumps of burnt hair falling at my feet. When I looked, he was already done. He’d kept it at shoulder length, more than I could’ve asked for. Still, it brought tears to my eyes.

“Thank you.” I blinked away my tears.

“It’ll grow. In no time, you’ll have your luscious long hair back.”

“You’re right.”

“Would you like me to braid it?” he asked. Killian braiding hair? He did have long hair himself, but I never saw him do anything with it.

“No, leave it as it is. In my time, I always wore my hair loose. I miss that.”

“Then we’ll leave it as it is.” He began combing through my hair.

“Why are you being so nice to me, Commander?”

“Call me Killian. We’re friends now, remember?”

“Fine. Why are you being nice to me, Killian?”

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Elena. Most of them were final. You’re my second chance. And I sure as hell don’t plan on screwing this up.”

Time passed, and each day, Killian became even nicer than the day before. Someone must’ve zapped him with something and scrambled his brain because this was not the same man I used to know. He helped me stand up, take my first steps, and despite the constant pain, he was by my side at every turn. Though I could see he wanted more, he only touched me when absolutely necessary. At night, he insisted on sleeping next to me, but he never once crossed a boundary. Even when I subtly hinted at it and even when he had to bear through a hard-on.

Each day, I grew more and more accustomed to his constant presence, to the point where it felt like we were husband and wife. Sometimes, it even leaned into grumpy couple territory when we bickered, but even our bickering was more of a playful tease.

He helped me dress and undress, brought me food, fed me, and washed my hair. I knew Killian was repenting for his mistakes, but was there something more? No, no. That couldn’t be possible. He would never look at me that way. Even two strangers could be physically attracted to each other without being in love.

Several times, Tarra and Soraya flew over to check on me. Tarra’s girlfriend could land a dragon better than I could. Tarra and I talked about Laszlo and how much we missed his awkward jokes. She made him a shrine next to her mother. We planned on visiting it once I healed. She also showed off her cool bionic leg. That Danko was the blacksmith genius we all needed.

Killian flew Kovak and Novak over to see me. Novak even hugged me—until he heard Killian’s growl. Officially, they came to talk with Killian about dragon house matters, but unofficially, they wanted to check up on me and probably figure out why Killian chose to take care of me instead of letting Raisa handle it.

Raisa and Rosalynd also checked in on me, with Raisa confirming that my wounds were healing very well. Killian even brought Patches—Tarra must’ve told him. And he didn’t hesitate to fly him over in his giant dragon claws. Patches and I snuggled for a bit before he went hunting for fresh flies.

The only one who didn’t visit was Lord Valkorian, which I thought was odd. He always doted on me like a father, so I assumed he’d be the first to check up on me. But Killian said he was busy dealing with Vlad II and the Wallachian throne. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to claim the throne now that we’d won the tournament, but Vlad II still hesitated.

In the meantime, I practiced walking. After weeks of perseverance, and with Killian’s support, I finally walked to the orchard on my own for the first time. And what an orchard it was—the most stunning trees with the most gorgeous flowers. A path of petals beneath my feet led me through the orchard. The blossoms covered nearly every inch of the trees in warm pastel colors, reminding me of the cotton candy Petra and I used to love eating. The fragrance brought back memories of spring walks with Mel. The furry-bottomed bees hopping from one flower to another only spread the aroma further. The gentle hum of their wings, along with the rustle of leaves, transported me to a serene haven, like the times I walked through the forest with my parents. Every step reminded me of the best memories I had, nudging me to make new ones just as beautiful.

“It’s so interesting how nature, despite being so cruel sometimes, spoils us with such beauty. Even the greatest hardships can be eased by views like this,” I said as Killian, with his hands behind him, followed.

“I don’t know. I feel like my view is better.”

Was he flirting?

“What are you saying?” I asked.

“I’m saying I like what I see in front of me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.” He smirked.

“I can’t recognize you anymore. You’re like a changed man.”

“I’ve always been this man, Elena.” He walked closer. “You just never met him because I never let you. I never let anyone. But you forced me to face who I’d become, and I didn’t like the monster I saw in the mirror. For that, I’m forever grateful.” He took my hands in his and locked eyes with mine.

“What are you saying, Killian?”

“I’m talking about you. About the poem. About us.”

“There is no ‘us.’”

“It doesn’t have to be this way. The moment I risked losing you, I realized how much I care about you. How much I love you.”

“It’s because we went through a traumatic event. We’ve lost so much. It will pass.”

“You know how to push me, make me question everything, but I’m not falling for that trap.” He took another step closer, standing just a breath away from me.

Cupping my cheeks, he said, “You are my undoing and my completion, my destruction and my revival. With just a flick of your finger, you can shatter me and restore me. Despite it all, being with you is where I belong.”

I lost it. I threw myself at him with reckless abandon.

“No,” he murmured, gently pulling me back.

“No? Didn’t you just declare your love for me?”

He smiled softly. “You need to understand, kitten, that the moment you agree to be with me, you become mine. And only mine. You must think very carefully if you want to take this step. Once we cross this line, there’s no turning back.”