Chapter 20
RAFAEL
The look in Aisling’s eyes echoes something deep in my soul—a sense of deep sadness, like this is exactly what she wants in life but knows it’s not hers to keep. And of course it’s not.
When the weekend is over, Riley will go back to her parents, and Aisling will be stuck here with me, reinforcing the fact that the alliance between our families is very much alive.
With a squeal, Riley jumps to her feet and turns to face us. “Now it’s time to decide who guards the castle,” she explains.
She stands in the center of the sitting room, one sock half-off, curls wild, eyes bright with authority.
The pillow castle we’ve built leans dangerously to one side, all turrets and bravado. But she couldn’t be more proud of our creation as she considers what to make each of us.
“You’re the dragon,” she announces, pointing at me. “Because you’re really big. And scary.”
Aisling winces. “Riley.”
“It’s a good scary,” Riley says immediately, as if she anticipated the correction. She plants her hands on her hips, chin tipped up. “Because your job is to protect the princess, even though everyone thinks she needs rescuing.”
Something warm and absurd unfurls in my chest, and I smile crookedly, caught up in the little girl’s vivid imagination. “I see,” I say gravely. “And does that make you this princess I’m supposed to protect?”
Riley gives me and incredulous look, like I’ve just asked the most obvious question and clearly gotten the answer wrong. She turns and points directly at Aisling.
“No, silly, she’s the princess.”
Aisling stills.
The room goes very quiet for a fraction of a second.
Then Riley barrels on, climbing onto the couch and striking a heroic pose. “I’m the knight,” she declares. “I came to save her.”
Aisling laughs, a little breathless. “My hero. You must be very brave.”
“But,” Riley adds, wagging a finger at me, “I’m not gonna kill the dragon.”
I raise a brow. “No?”
“No,” she says decisively. “When I see he’s a nice dragon, I’m going to befriend him.”
Something tightens low in my chest. “A wise choice.”
She beams. “You must be lonely if you’re a dragon,” she observes solemnly, climbing down from the couch to rest her tiny hand comfortingly on my shoulder.
The innocent, unassuming gesture might as well have gutted me, and for a moment, it feels like I can scarcely breathe. Aisling’s gaze snaps to me, and I swallow painfully as I quickly try to pull myself together.
“That’s true,” I concede. “Not many people are willing to befriend someone so mean and scary.”
“But you’re not really mean,” Riley says with grave understanding. “And now that we’re friends, that means you can tell me anything.”
“Yeah,” I agree, at a loss for how I’m supposed to play the big, scary dragon who’s not really mean. “Like what?”
“Well, how old are you? That’s an important thing for friends to know.”
I nod sagely. “Very old,” I say. “Ancient. Wise.”
She gives a toothy grin, revealing a gap where she must have lost one recently. “I’m old and wise too. I’m four,” Riley adds proudly, holding up her fingers.
Aisling’s shoulders tense slightly, her breath hitching, and when I glance at her, her smile falters for half a heartbeat before she smooths it away.
Did she forget her sister’s birthday or something?
I clock the reaction, but before I can pull on the thread, Riley is already moving, the story carrying her forward like a tide.
“Do you like music, Dragon?” she asks suddenly, whirling toward the baby grand piano in the far corner of the room.
“Oh, yes, all dragons love playing music,” I confirm.
She looks at me, then back at the piano, eyes huge. “Can you?”
“I can.”
Aisling turns to me, surprised. “You can?”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” I say lightly, giving her a wink as I come to my feet.
Riley bounces. “Play! Play!” she insists, taking my hand to drag me toward the piano. Her tiny fingers are just big enough to wrap around two of my own, but she pulls me forward with such enthusiasm, I can’t help but follow.
I sit at the bench, fingers finding the keys like they remember me.
It’s been a long time since I’ve played, and I’m mildly surprised to find the piano made it through the destruction of our home completely unscathed.
I choose something playful, layered, quick enough to make the little girl giggle.
The notes chase each other across the room, bright and alive, and Riley dances in a crooked circle, arms flailing, laughing like she’s discovered magic.
She drags Aisling into the mix, and Aisling’s smile is effortless—breathtaking—as she twirls the girl until she’s stumbling dizzily around the room.
When I finish, Riley claps so hard, she nearly falls over, and I rise to give a formal bow.
And when I meet Aisling’s gaze, she’s staring at me like she’s seeing me for the first time.
Electricity crackles in the air, making my heart quicken, and the moment is only broken when Riley grabs me by the pinky to drag me back to our pillow castle.
The game resumes, reshaped by music and laughter. I transform into the dragon again, guarding the princess.
Riley orders me to roar quietly so I don’t scare the villagers. She offers me pretend treasure and tells me secrets to earn my friendship.
Before I know it, dinner’s announced, and we join Sandro and Evi in the dining room.
Riley sits next to Aisling, her legs tucked underneath her so she can see across the table like a big girl.
She fits in like she’s always belonged here, chattering away as she negotiates peas with her sister.
She tells Sandro he would be a good wizard. Evi laughs until her eyes shine, and Riley informs her that she could be the queen of sunshine.
I watch it all like a man standing at the edge of a dream, an unfamiliar warmth leaving me almost drunk with contentment.
This is it, my mind whispers. This is what normal could look like.
The thought barely finishes forming before reality snaps its teeth around my heart.
I am not allowed this kind of happiness—not in any permanent way.
Yes, Sandro and Evi will soon have little ones running around whom I can enjoy, but Genevieve is gone, and Riley isn’t mine to keep.
Neither is Aisling.
She’s here until the war is done. Until the blood debt is paid. Then she will leave, and I’ll be alone once more. The reality check opens a hole in my chest, sudden and deep, and it’s all I can do not to scream.