The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132: What Must Be Guarded

EIRLYS’ POV

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I stood frozen at the edge of the dock, breath caught in my throat as the island vanished-not sunk, simply gone-before my eyes. A heartbeat later, King Lucius and Prince Draven plunged

into the water.

Kierygan’s dragon dove from the sky with a thunderous cry. The lake exploded in a spray of foam as he struck, talons slicing into the depths. In one powerful motion, he closed his claws around the two men and lifted them from the dark, churning water.

With just two furious beats of his wings, he burst free of the lake’s mist and hurled himself toward the shore. The ground trembled as he landed, dropping the two vampires who tumbled across the damp earth.

By the time I reached them, Kierygan had already shifted back to human form, though his eyes still burned with fury.

“We have to get back,” he snapped, his voice edged with command. “They’ll be after the

second half.”

Lucius gave a grim nod and dissolved into mist. His son vanished a breath later.

Ulyanna seized my hand-her grip firm, thrumming with the heat of her magic. In the same fluid motion, she pulled Kierygan close. I scooped Nibbles into my other arm. A flash of light engulfed us-and when my vision cleared, the cool air of the lake had given way to the heavy scent of candlewax and parchment.

We staggered into the familiar walls of the palace study. The same round table. The same half of the Arcana Omnia, still lying upon it.

And Scylla and Evander, caught in the circle of my magical shield, were still trapped exactly as I’d left them.

Their faces whipped toward me. First came relief, then frustration-for abandoning them and locking them in-and finally, confusion as they noticed the others materializing beside me, all wearing defeated expressions.

Kierygan stepped forward, resting a hand on my shoulder. “You did this?” he asked, nodding toward the shield.

I hesitated, biting my lower lip before meeting his gaze. “I… I had to. Yes,” I said softly, guilt threading through my voice.

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<Chapter 132: What Must Be Guarded

I braced for anger. But instead, he just sighed. “Naughty girl.”

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With a flick of my hand, the shimmer of my ward faded, letting the others step inside the study. Scylla stayed seated, but Evander rose slowly and folded his arms in front of him.

Without thinking, I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around him. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “I just needed to warn them.”

For a heartbeat, he didn’t move-like a hard, cold wall. I worried I’d really made him mad. Then, unexpectedly, his hand came up softly, tapping the top of my head.

“You’re lucky I can’t stay mad at you, Snowdrop,” he murmured against my hair.

Relief caught in my throat. I might have stayed there longer if not for a sharp clearing of a throat behind me.

“That’s enough, Eirlys,” Kierygan’s low, commanding voice cut through. His hand closed gently but firmly around my wrist, pulling me away from Evander.

We all returned to the table, Kierygan guiding me to a seat beside him. Once everyone had settled, Evander leaned forward.

“What was it you needed to warn them about?” he asked, his voice low. Then, sweeping his gaze around the room, he added, “What the hell happened out there?”

King Lucius’s voice was hard, edged with fury. “Those dark witches,” he said. “They have the other half of the grimoire.”

Evander’s face drained of color. “What?” he said sharply. “How?”

My chest tightened, breath catching. “I was too late…” I whispered, my fingers knotting in my lap. “Too late to warn them the island wasn’t real. It was all an illusion.”

Kierygan’s hand found mine and gave it a gentle squeeze-quiet reassurance, as if to tell me it wasn’t my

fault.

A low growl rumbled from the back of Prince Draven’s throat. He had been silent until now, his eyes gleamed like sharpened steel. “We didn’t even sense it,” he muttered, frustration thick in his voice. “How they got past the wards is beyond me.”

Ulyanna placed a hand on his shoulder, grounding him, though her own expression was tight. “The Light Reaper,” she said quietly. “He must have given them more power. You know how his magic works. He feeds on stardust. The same source all life and magic come from.”

Prince Draven didn’t answer, but the hard set of his jaw betrayed both fury and unease. King Lucius let out a heavy sigh. “What matters now is making sure they don’t get the other half,

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<Chapter 132: What Must Be Guarded

no matter what.”

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Ulyanna nodded solemnly. “It’s the only advantage we have left,” she said. “We can’t afford to

lose it.”

“Then we leave for home tomorrow,” Kierygan announced with finally. “Return the tome to the only place it’s truly safe.”

Later that night…

The chamber was hushed, save for the soft rustle of fabric as I folded our garments, smoothing each crease before tucking them carefully into the trunk. Tomorrow, we will leave

Obsidia.

Kierygan stood by the window, tall and still, his silhouette framed in the pale light spilling through the glass. He hadn’t spoken in a while, his gaze distant, as if his thoughts had drifted far beyond these walls.

I pressed a tunic into the trunk, then paused. “Are you mad at me?” I asked quietly. “For running from Evander and Scylla.”

He turned his head toward me, then crossed the room in a few silent strides. Sitting beside me, he sank onto the bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight.

“No,” he said simply. Then his eyes met mine. “I’m not mad.”

A faint breath escaped him, almost a sigh. “If anything… I should be the one apologizing.”

I blinked. “Apologizing? For what?”

“For not trusting your instincts,” he said, his voice lower now. “When you said something felt wrong, I dismissed it. If I’d listened… we might not be in this mess.”

Heat pricked at the corners of my eyes, but before I could find the words to answer, he continued. “Truth is… sometimes I still see you as that fragile, frightened girl I pulled from the tower-the one who needed saving.”

His throat bobbed, as if the words weighed too much to speak aloud. “And because of that… I fail to see what you’ve become. How much stronger you are now. How powerful you’ve grown.”

I shook my head sharply. “I don’t feel strong. Or powerful. Not at all.”

He placed his hand gently over mine. “Just because you don’t feel it doesn’t make it untrue,”

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< Chapter 132: What Must Be Guarded

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he said softly, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “You’ve endured so much. Your light can cure blight… and burn a dragon. And that was before you were free of your shackles.”

He pressed a kiss to my temple. “But more than all of that, through everything, you stayed kind, and pure, and everything good in this world,” he murmured. “That’s real power.”

My throat tightened. “If I’ve endured… if I’ve grown,” I said, hesitating as my fingers curled into his palm, “it’s only because of you. You gave me a new life-a chance to become what I am.”

I swallowed hard. “No matter how strong or powerful you think I’ve become… I’ll always need you. I’ll always want you to protect me.”

Kierygan gently lifted my chin until our eyes met. “Good,” he said, a hint of warmth flickering in his gaze. “Because dragons are instinctively compelled to protect what belongs to them.”

Without warning, his hands closed around my waist and lifted me onto his lap, straddling him with effortless strength. I cupped his face and pressed a soft kiss to his lips-then another, and another. He chuckled against my mouth, a low rumble that vibrated through his chest, and I stole one more, each kiss as fleeting and delicate as petals brushing in the wind.

He drew back just enough to study me, his blue eyes alight with mischief. “Do you remember, ” he murmured, tilting his head slightly, “the first night we were here?”

I shook my head, a little breathless. “Most of it is hazy.”

His mouth curved into a sly smile. “Because you got yourself drunk.’

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