Days blurred together on the mountain.
Elara gave up marking tallies on the wall after the first week. Time didn't matter anymore. What mattered were the strange patterns that formed instead: Kael's quiet presence when he lingered in human form, the low rumble of his breath when he slept as a dragon, the warmth of conversations she never thought she'd want to have.
She hated how easily he made her laugh. Hated the flutter in her chest when his golden eyes softened.
But she told herself it meant nothing. He was cursed. She was trapped. Nothing good could come from that.
So when she heard footsteps echoing in the cavern one evening, her heart lurched.
"Elara!"
Her name. A human voice.
She ran toward it before she even thought. And there - sword drawn, armor gleaming in the torchlight - stood Sir Rowan, the youngest knight from her village.
Relief hit so hard it made her dizzy. "Rowan - how are you here?"
"I tracked you." His green eyes swept over her, frantic. "By the gods, Elara, I thought - he didn't hurt you, did he?"
She shook her head too quickly. "No. I'm - " The word safe caught in her throat. Safe? With a dragon?
Rowan stepped closer, lowering his sword. "Come. We'll leave before he returns."
Her chest tightened. She should've felt joy, freedom. Instead, hesitation rooted her feet.
Kael.
Rowan's hand found hers, tugging. "We don't have much time. The beast will notice you're gone."
"Elara."
The sound of her name froze her in place. Kael's voice - deep, furious - rolled from the shadows. His eyes burned molten gold as he stepped forward.
Rowan shoved her behind him, sword flashing. "Stay back, monster!"
Kael's laugh was low and lethal. "You bring steel into my lair?"
"He came to save me," Elara blurted, even as her voice shook. "Kael, wait - "
But Kael wasn't listening. His body rippled, black scales blooming across his skin, wings tearing open with a rush of air that nearly knocked her down. In seconds, the dragon loomed above them, fire simmering between his teeth.
Rowan's knuckles whitened on his sword hilt, sweat beading at his temple. "I'll kill you if I must."
"No!" Elara darted between them, torch shaking in her grip. "Stop! Both of you!"
Rowan's jaw hardened. "Elara, he's twisted you. You don't see what he is."
Kael's voice thundered, reverberating off the cavern walls. "And you - what did you come for? To rescue her? Or to take what's mine?"
Confusion jolted through her. "What are you talking about - "
Then Rowan's eyes flicked. Just once. Toward the piles of gold and jewels glittering in the shadows.
Her stomach dropped. "You don't care about me."
He faltered. "Of course I do - "
"You wanted the treasure."
Kael roared, the cavern shaking, fire spilling from his jaws. Rowan's sword clattered in his grip, but no mortal blade could match a dragon.
Panic surged through Elara. If Kael killed him, the village would have its proof. The monster they feared. She didn't want Rowan's blood on his hands.
"Kael!" she screamed, shoving herself against his scaled chest, her palms burning from the heat. "Don't. Don't become what they already believe you are."
The world held still.
Kael's eyes locked on hers. Fire glowed in his throat, searing bright - then dimmed. Slowly. Painfully. Until it vanished.
A guttural growl vibrated through his chest, trembling against her skin. Then, with one violent sweep of his tail, he sent Rowan sprawling, his sword skittering across the stone.
"Go," Kael snarled, his voice like an avalanche. "Run. And if you ever set foot here again, I will not hold back."
Rowan scrambled up, face ashen, and fled without looking back.
Silence crashed over the cavern. Only Elara's ragged breaths remained. She pressed her forehead to the hot scales of Kael's chest, trembling.
"You could've killed him," she whispered.
His reply came low, rough, dangerous: "I almost did."
When she finally lifted her head, his golden eyes caught hers - and in that moment, she understood. He hadn't stopped for Rowan.
He'd stopped for her.