The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Learning Bonds and Boundaries

EIRLYS’ POV

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I was supposed to have sword training right after my lessons with Solara in the garden. But I was still annoyed-at Callum and Orryx, and even at Evander, who usually came to my defense but had chosen to join in their teasing instead.

So after the morning sessions, I went straight to my room, scooped up Nibbles, and made my way to Solara’s cottage, deciding to spend the rest of the day there instead.

Solara was already expecting me when I arrived at her cottage, Nibbles tucked under one arm. Without a word, she handed me a steaming cup of tea that tasted of lemon and sage and let me settle into the quiet of her sun-warmed garden.

“Care to tell me why you skipped sword training today?” she asked gently, settling beside me.

I had planned to tell her about last night when I found her in the garden-but shame crept in, and I hesitated. What if she made fun of me too, like the others?

I took a sip of tea, hoping it would steady the tight coil in my chest. “I just didn’t feel like dealing with them today,” I muttered. “They were… annoying this morning.”

Solara gave a small chuckle. “You should be used to it by now,” she said. “Callum and Orryx-you

know how they are.”

Instead of explaining, I swept my hair aside and revealed the bruise on my neck. “This is what they were teasing me about.”

Her smile faded. For a fleeting moment, her eyes widened-but she quickly composed herself. Was it the king?” she asked.

”

I nodded. And just like that, the words tumbled out of me. I told her everything-about the kiss, the glow, and how Kierygan had bitten me,

She asked, more than once, if anything else had happened. I assured her it hadn’t. That after the bite, he left the room.

She exhaled, almost too softly to notice, then gave a slow nod. “Good. I mean-not the bite, but…” Her eyes softened. “I’m glad he didn’t take it further”

Silence settled between us, until I finally asked something I’d been wondering ever since that strange, hazy night in Obsidia.

“What… can a kiss lead to?”

That opened the door to a much longer conversation than I anticipated-about relationships, intimacy, boundaries, and mating. Solara spoke gently but didn’t shy away from details. Especially

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Chapter 87: Learning Bonds and Boundaries

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on the last part, where she kept emphasizing, again and again, that I should only do it when I was ready. That it had to be my choice.

I lost count of how many times my eyes widened or how often my mouth fell open. By the end of it,

I wasn’t sure if I was more enlightened or overwhelmed. Suddenly, the idea of kissing Kierygan again terrified me-not because of the kiss itself, but because of where it might lead.

Solara must’ve noticed the crimson creeping up my cheeks.

She laughed softly, her tone kind. “It’s not as terrifying as it sounds, I promise,” she said. “That’s why it matters when and with whom. If it’s the right time, and the right person… it’s not just natural.

It’s beautiful.”

Her words eased some of my fears-if only a little. Eventually, the conversation drifted to lighter things: garden herbs, how Nibbles had nearly chewed through one of Solara’s books, and how Orryx was already demanding a rematch after she’d beaten him on a sword fight.

But our peace was interrupted by the sound of light footsteps and a pointed throat-clearing. We both turned to see Sam lingering at the edge of the garden.

“My lady, it’s nearly sundown,” he said, avoiding Solara’s gaze. “I’d really rather not get in trouble.”

“Right,” I sighed, setting my empty cup down and rising to my feet.

Solara and I shared a hug, then I followed the winding path back toward the palace, Sam trailing a few steps behind me. My thoughts still spun with everything Solara had explained.

But that train of thought derailed the moment we stepped into the courtyard.

A piercing screech shattered the calm.

I looked up.

Kierygan in his dragon form. I didn’t see him at first not until he tore through the clouds above, slicing across the sky like a blade. He plummeted downward, wings outstretched, and landed hard on the cobblestones just a few paces from us.

But something was wrong.

The instant he touched down, he turned-eyes locking on me-and charged.

My breath hitched. For a moment, I thought he didn’t recognize me. Panic surged as I stumbled back, heart thundering, and fell hard onto my back, Nibbles scrambled into my arms, burying himself in the folds of my sleeves to hide.

Sam lunged to help me, but before he could reach me, Kierygan slammed a wing down between us, the leathery arc forming a wall. Then he spun on Sam, teeth bared, smoke curling from his nostrils as a thunderous roar ripped through the courtyard.

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“Your Highness, it’s me!” Sam stammered, his voice shaking. “It’s Sam!”

But Kierygan didn’t stop.

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Then a voice shouted. “Bow your head and step back… slowly,” came a calm, firm voice from the

palace steps. It was Evander.

Sam froze for half a breath, then did exactly as instructed. He lowered his head, palms raised, and

took slow, measured steps away from the winged shadow looming over him.

Kierygan didn’t stop screeching.

Smoke coiled from his nostrils. His claws scraped against the stone, muscles taut and ready to

strike-but his eyes tracked Sam’s every move like a predator, as if weighing whether to give

chase.

Only when Sam reached the edge of the courtyard did the roaring begin to subside.

My heart was still racing as I scrambled to my feet, clutching my rabbit tighter. The shock hadn’t yet worn off, but my voice managed to break through.

“Kierygan!” I called out, breathless. “What’s the matter with you?”

He snapped his head toward me. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if he’d heard the words or just the

sound of my voice.

Then, slowly, like a storm draining from the sky, his eyes lost that wild gleam.

He blinked. Once. Twice.

Then the dragon began to shrink, wings folding in as scales dissolved into smoke and shadow- until Kierygan stood on the cracked stone, breath heaving.

His chest rose and fell in quick, uneven bursts.

I stared at him, still breathless. “Why did you go after Sam?”

Kierygan stepped closer. I barely noticed my own hands trembling until he reached out and took

them gently in his own.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you,” he said, his voice low and tight. “When I’m in my dragon form… I get murderous when someone gets too close to what’s mine.”

His words sank in, slow and heavy.

What’s his.

A lump rose in my throat. My heart fluttered-no longer just from fear.

But before I could ask what he meant, he turned-still holding my hand-and started leading me toward the palace steps.

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“Come with me,” he said, his grip firm and warm. “There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

We passed Evander without a word. He held my gaze for a beat, then gave a small nod. Sam stayed where he was, visibly shaken but unharmed

Near the archway, half-shadowed beside a pillar, stood Mirael. Watching. Her eyes flicked to our joined hands, then to my face.

I quickly looked away.

Kierygan led me through the winding halls in silence, his hand still wrapped around mine, until we

reached his study.

He motioned to a chair. “Sit.”

I obeyed.

But instead of taking his usual place behind the desk, Kierygan pulled out the chair directly across from me and sat down, leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees.

“We visited Greenhollow,” he said. “Ulyanna and 1.”

I blinked. “That’s the village near Morvanya, right? The one hit by the blight?”

He nodded. “Yes. And it’s bad. Ulyanna managed to slow the spread for now, but the ward she placed won’t hold. A few weeks at best. Maybe less.”

I tried to listen. I really did.

But the problem was… he was sitting so close. And talking. And moving his mouth.

And those lips…

Solara’s warnings about intimacy surfaced uninvited, tangling with the memory of last night-the way he’d kissed me, the way he’d tasted. My eyes dropped again, unbidden, to his mouth.

His voice, still speaking about Greenhollow, started to blur, like someone had shoved cotton into my ears. Muffled. Incomprehensible.

My face burned hotter with every heartbeat.

Then his tone cut sharper. “Eirlys.”

I flinched and straightened. “S-sorry.”

“Focus,” he said, firm but not unkind. “This is important. And stop blushing.”

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