The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 446: Ready

Eventually, Kael had to pry the two children away from his mate one by one so his twig could properly talk to his parents without the pair nearly strangling him with their death grips.

Renee reached up and gently cupped her son’s face.

There was unmistakable worry in her eyes, but she kept herself together.

"We’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about us."

"Mom..."

She smiled before stroking his cheek.

"Stay safe. Go out there and do what you believe you have to do."

Her hand lingered just a little longer.

"And whatever that may be... know that we trust you."

Riley leaned into her touch before pulling her into a hug.

When they finally separated, he found his father, Lawrence Hale quietly waiting beside them.

His father looked just as wistful, yet he stood tall with the same dependable expression Riley had known all his life. Looking at him like that, no one would’ve guessed he was living with a weakened constitution, and Riley couldn’t help but feel it was his father’s own way of reassuring him.

"Son."

"Dad..."

Lawrence simply nodded.

"We’ll see you later."

He didn’t say goodbye.

Instead, he reached over and ruffled Riley’s hair the same way he’d done countless times growing up, no differently from how he’d ruffled the children’s hair earlier.

For just a brief moment, Riley no longer felt like someone carrying the fate of Eryndra on his shoulders.

He felt like a kid who’d simply been told not to stay outside too late.

A boyish grin found its way onto his face.

"Yeah."

"I won’t stay out too long."

__

The memory lingered long after the portal swallowed them from sight, and Riley was certain he’d find himself replaying it over and over again. Even so, knowing he’d personally seen them safely to the Black Dragon Crypt gave him one less thing to worry about.

But just as he was about to force himself to think about something else, a pair of strong arms quietly wrapped around his waist.

Resting his chin against Riley’s shoulder, Kael softly asked,

"Are you ready?"

The suddenly curious ex-mortal blinked before looking up at him.

He’d expected Kael to ask, one last time, whether they could still stop this or find some other way, just as he always had ever since Riley first told him about the plan.

Instead...

He’d simply asked whether Riley was ready.

The black dragon slowly raised a brow, finding that rather unusual.

For his part, the towering golden dragon immediately understood the look he was being given.

"I figured there’s really no stopping you anyway," he said with a quiet sigh.

Other people could pretend not to know, but Kael knew his own mate better than anyone. Riley had already made his decision, and nothing short of tying him down would ever change it.

So if the dragon lord wanted to keep him close and watch over him every step of the way, then the only thing left for him to do was go with him.

Riley smiled, angled his body, and reached up and gently stroked Kael’s face.

"Yeah...

"You’re right. I want to do this.

"For us."

The mate who was hopelessly weak to his beloved instinctively leaned into the warmth of Riley’s hand, already about to tell him he loved him as they always did in moments like this when his twig suddenly pressed a finger against his lips.

"Don’t tell me now."

His smile softened.

"Tell me later...

"Show me later."

He lowered his hand before gently cupping the golden dragon’s face with both of his own.

"And after we survive this, we’re taking a long vacation."

The Dragon Lord quietly listened.

"Then you’re going to work very hard to increase the number of family members we have."

Riley tilted his head.

"Do you understand?"

For a brief moment, Kael simply looked at him.

Then the surprise in his eyes gradually melted into something impossibly gentle.

"Yes."

His answer was quiet but unwavering.

"I understand."

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Whatever you want, I’ll do it."

A knowing and rather satisfied smile spread across Riley’s face as he made further commitments to himself and this guy.

He leaned forward and kissed his husband as they stood together before the darkened window.

He was going to see this through.

He was going to take back control of their lives.

And what better day to start than today?

__

Elsewhere, one Queen was on the verge of what she believed would become the happiest days of her life.

Every time Rhazira looked upon the massive figure of her beloved resting peacefully before her, it felt as though every hardship she’d endured over the years had finally begun falling into place.

Not only had they found a way to practically break the seal imprisoning her King, they had also stumbled upon a method to truly reconstruct his body.

Granted, she only possessed half of the relic and was painfully aware that everything would’ve progressed much faster had the other half also been hers.

Even so...

Things were finally moving in the right direction.

Then, just when she thought fate couldn’t possibly favor her any further, what had begun as yet another hunt for fresh blood unexpectedly became something far greater. Her underlings had returned with something so valuable that even she hadn’t dared hope for it.

That ancient dragon they had once regarded as their holy grail, despite its age, clearly had never been anything like this one.

Powerful? Sure.

But compared to the being before her now, it simply wasn’t the same.

How irritating.

She’d always hated how unfairly the heavens fashioned their creations, blessing some with gifts that others could never hope to rival no matter how many centuries they survived.

And yet...

At the very least, this time that same unfairness had worked in her favor.

Just when she needed it most, the heavens had delivered one of their favored children straight into her hands.

The chamber suddenly echoed with a sickening scream.

It was immediately followed by the wet, gruesome sound of flesh being pierced.

The Wyvern Queen slowly tilted her head, humming almost indulgently as though she were trying her utmost to be considerate.

"Now, now," she cooed gently. "There’s no need to struggle so much."

She sighed almost sympathetically.

"We certainly don’t want to damage such a precious thing, do we?"

The victim’s continued resistance only earned another amused smile.

"If you would simply stop squirming, I promise this would be considerably less painful."

She softly laughed.

"You’re already fortunate that preserving it happens to be our highest priority."

Completely satisfied with her own generosity, the Queen turned toward the surrounding wyverns.

"Be as careful as possible," she instructed. "And inform me the moment we’re ready to begin the transf—"

She never finished.

A wyvern stationed near the entrance suddenly came barreling into the chamber, his frantic screech echoing against the stone walls.

"Your Majesty!"

The creature practically stumbled to a halt before pointing toward the chamber beyond.

"T-the relic!

"Something’s wrong with the relic!"

The Wyvern Queen’s pleasant expression vanished instantly, replaced by sudden dread and anger.

"What did you say?!"