Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Gerard flapped his wings, angling towards his enemy.
In dragon form, he knew his scars still clearly showed. But for some reason, he did not mind knowing that so many people gazed upon him, his scars and his unseeing white eye.
After all, he was a dragon. A deadly, fire-breathing dragon. No one could look down on him. No one could pity him. They could only marvel and cower at his ferocity. He roared, and the air trembled.
Gerard and Albert flew, circling the field, eyeing each other.
Gerard knew Albert liked to play dirty. He was a clever and decent fighter. But he liked to win more than anything. If he needed to, he’d use little tricks to do so, like forcing the other out of bounds, like he’d done with Senta.
A snivelling coward’s tactic.
But Gerard would not fall for that.
Meanwhile, Gerard was known for fighting with brute strength, meeting the other head-on without fucking around. That was how Gerard preferred to fight. But of course, he knew how to adapt.
So now he took his time, flying in circles but never letting Albert out of sight of his eye for a second. Albert kept glancing at him, as if expecting Gerard to charge.
But Gerard exhaled, wings flapping. They continued to circle each other.
Suddenly Albert swung around. He charged as if unable to wait for Gerard any longer. But instead of meeting the attack straight on, Gerard dove beneath him.
At the same time, he tucked in his wings and spun. He extended his legs and stretched out his claws. The sharp blades dragged along Albert’s under-belly, scales tearing. Red dripped from the wound. Then Gerard pulled back, swooped, and flew away.
Elias’s words echoed in his head.
“Make him bleed.”
Albert turned towards him, snarling and bearing his fangs.
Gerard didn’t hesitate for a single second. He flew straight at Albert. The dragon raised his claws, spreading his wings wide. He opened his jaws, preparing for the attack. But Gerard veered to the side, aiming straight at his wing. His claws latched on and tore the membrane. Albert bellowed.
“Make him hurt.”
Gerard didn’t give him a moment to recover. He pivoted and flew at Albert. Albert only had time to just turn towards him before Gerard smashed into him.
Wings tangled. Gerard’s fangs sank into Albert’s neck. At the same time, his claws bit into scales. He felt Albert’s claws scratching at his torso, but Gerard ignored it as his own fangs and claws sank deeper.
They plummeted towards the earth. Gerard released his claws and fangs and kicked back, shoving away from Albert and his grip. He flapped his wings as he rose.
Albert swerved, just managing to pull up before hitting the ground.
But Gerard wasn’t done. Angling his wings, he dove once again. He smashed into Albert, claws digging into his back.
“Beat that fucker into the earth.”
He drove the dragon down, and he hit the ground with a mighty thud. Gerard lifted his head and let out a victorious roar. Then he released Albert and took to the sky.
He spun through the air. He breathed fire as the crowd cheered. He flew round and round above the onlookers, their energy at witnessing his triumph washing over him.
On the field, Duke Albert, now in human form, walked away escorted by several healer doves. In the stands, people cheered. And there was Elias, clapping and gazing up at him, a smile on his face.
“Win for me.”
Gerard dove and landed in the middle of the field. He tucked in his wings. He shifted. Now a human, he crouched on the ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, settling into this form once again. He stood and rose to his full height.
Elias sprinted towards him.
“My champion,” Elias said when he got close enough.
At present, no one else saw Elias’s face or could hear him speak. In the middle of the field, they were too far from the crowds. So that meant the words, Elias’s smile, and the pride glinting in his eyes, they were all for Gerard.
Gerard’s throat clenched.
Elias held Gerard’s belongings in his hands. But that didn’t stop him from wrapping his arms around Gerard’s neck and pulling himself up to kiss Gerard. But this time it was not a quick brushing of lips.
Elias’s mouth opened and moved against his own. Gerard gripped Elias’s slender waist and returned the kiss. The arms around his neck tightened.
All around, he heard the chants “Dragon Warrior” and “Lightning Prince.”
And with Elias in his arms, kissing him after his victory, Gerard felt like he was still soaring in the sky, a dragon, mighty and revered. He’d not felt like that in his human form since he’d faced that archmage two years ago.
When the kiss broke, Gerard noticed grime on Elias’s robes. “Shit. I’m sorry.” He wiped at the bloodstains. But it just smeared it into the fabric.
Gerard tried to step away. Dirt, sweat, smoke, and blood covered his naked body.
But Elias’s grip around his neck remained firm. He raised a single elegant brow. “I don’t mind you getting me a little dirty.”
And once again, Elias had robbed Gerard of speech.
Then Elias kissed him once more. So what need had Gerard for talking?
“Excellent work, brother!” Konrad called out as he, Luther, Senta, Onyx, and Juniper approached.
Elias broke the kiss and handed Gerard his robes. Gerard tugged them on. Then he put on his eye patch.
Elias had seen him completely naked. Everything had been on display. He’d not seemed horrified by Gerard’s appearance. Not even a little displeased.
Hopefully his siblings did not notice Gerard’s cock had started to perk up. But Elias had been kissing him and plastered against him a moment before. He couldn’t be blamed for his reaction to the lightning prince.
“You beat Albert! Hopefully that will teach him to shut the fuck up.” Senta laughed.
Juniper smiled. “You did very well.”
Gerard inclined his head. “Thank you.”
The king and queen consort strode towards them, surrounded by Draconian guards.
“Well done. You have brought glory to the family and Draconia, Gerard,” King Alaric said.
“Thank you, Father.” Gerard inclined his head.
More and more nobles, dignitaries, and monks from the grandstand, as well as the other contestants, came onto the field.
Senta leaned towards Gerard when they had a moment by themselves. “I’ve come to a conclusion.”
“What’s that?”
“Your future husband might be a bit of a fool and a fop. But there are worse traits to have.” She glanced at Elias, who stood speaking with Juniper. “All in all, I don’t think he is as bad as I originally thought.”
Gerard smiled. “I agree.” And for the first time, Gerard found himself wanting to spend some more time with his husband-to-be.
But that would have to wait. Because the other royal leaders of the differing kingdoms approached and congratulated him.
“An excellent battle, Prince Gerard,” Queen Azalea Rosewood said.
“I have never seen a dragon battle before.” Emperor Hugo clapped. “I could barely breathe. It was so exciting!” Then he lowered his voice. “I was cheering for you the most!”
“Congratulations, Prince Gerard,” Empress Emmeline said.
He bowed and thanked them all. And finally, when they departed, he looked around.
He frowned. He couldn’t see Elias anywhere.
Where did he go?