Crown Of Hearts
Chapter 57: Thank you

Chapter 57: Thank you

"Eamon, do remember when you had just found out that you were my mate and you asked me if I had been mated before..." Valerion paused, glad that Eamon couldn’t feel the pain that tore his heart apart as he prepared to share a painful part of his past that he rarely talked about.

Eamon’s heart clenched as his fingers drew small circles on Valerion’s chest as he tried to imagine the amount of grief his mate carried within his heart.

He knew bits and bits of the story on how the dragon had lost his mate but he hoped that Valerion could trust him enough to tell him what had happened.

"Yes, I remember." Eamon whispered and he felt Valerion inhale sharply. This was hard for him and it was totally understandable. Some wounds never truly healed and if they did, they left delicate scars behind.

"I was mated before...to a woman." Valerion trailed off as he took a moment to remember the face of his first mate. She had been his best friend and he had loved her. They had grown up together and when they were at the age of recognizing their mates, their pair had been one of the most envied because they didn’t have to go through the phase of getting to know another person from scratch.

"Tell me more..." Eamon requested, trying to ignore the tiny string of jealousy that had crept into his heart as he imagined Valerion being in love with someone else.

"We had grown up together and our match had been quite envied but our bliss did not last. It had only been ten years with her before my entire world came crambling down...." Valerion hastily rubbed away the lone tear that had started to trail down his left eye as he remembered his loss with vivid detail.

Dragons were not terribly fertile and if they were lucky, each couple could get one child every five years and a maximum of five within a lifetime. For some, it took longer but Valerion and Raya had been quite fortunate because in their third year together, they had welcomed a beautiful baby girl.

She had brightened up their lives and Valerion had sworn he could protect and cherish her from the moment he had looked into her big green eyes. She had taken her mother’s eyes and his midnight black hair and she was perfect.

At seven, she had been quite the charmer and everyone adored her. She had her father’s strength and her mother’s quick wits and the entire dragon community had mourned with Valerion after he had lost his family on that fateful day when the humans that had been enslaved to work for dragons had fought back and killed hundreds of their captors.

Valerion had not been one to enslave other creatures but like many other dragon families, he had been caught in the crossfire.

They had been attacked in the night and to make matters worse, his mate was sick and nursing a fever that rendered her unable to fully protect herself and their child.

The responsibility of protecting his family had fallen entirely on him since his daughter couldn’t shift into her dragon yet because she was only seven and a long way from sixteen.

He had fought fiercely and then begged the vengeful humans to spare his mate and child when they had successfully managed to drug and weaken him but they had only called them monsters.

They had made him watch as they tied his unconscious mate and child to a pole before setting the tree house that they lived in on fire.

Valerion had not expected to survive the fire but somehow, he had but his family hadn’t.

He had been wrecked with grief and guilt for so long and he had exerted his revenge but nothing had been able to fill up the gaping hole in his heart until he met Eamon.

The pain was now a dull ache and although he still mourned his family, Valerion was glad that he had found Eamon who was not like those humans that were only out to hurt dragons. He was different and he loved him.

Eamon knew that telling him sorry wasn’t going to make him feel any better so he tightened his arms around him, hoping the action could offer him some much needed comfort.

"It was an angry mob of humans. They drugged us so that we couldn’t fight back before they burnt our house down. I survived but my mate and child didn’t make it." Valerion choked back a sob and Eamon’s body stiffened briefly once he heard that it was his kind that was responsible for his mate’s pain.

"I need you to know that I would never hurt you. Ever." Eamon’s voice was a stern promise as he looked up into Valerion’s eyes.

It was all he could say and Valerion placed a kiss on top of his head.

"I know." Valerion whispered as he hugged him tightly.

They lay in silence for a while as Eamon’s fingers twirled a few strands of Valerion’s midnight black hair, enjoying the silky texture.

"Thank you for opening up to me. It means a lot." Eamon confessed and Valerion’s heart warmed up.

"I am glad I found you. Now I have a reason to live. Before I met you, I was wrecked with guilt and grief and I was just breathing to survive but I am much happier now. Thank you, Eamon." Valerion replied as he closed his eyes and inhaled Eamon’s scent that made him feel safe and loved.

He was home and with that final thought, he slowly drifted off to sleep and Eamon followed shortly after.

Eamon woke up with a smile on his face the next day, feeling well rested and happy.

Valerion’s arm was wrapped around his waist in a protective grip and Eamon stayed still so that he couldn’t wake the dragon.

"Good morning." He was surprised by Valerion’s deep husky voice seconds later and his eyes met a pair of grey ones that were gazing down at him warmly.

"You are awake." Eamon noted, noticing how Valerion always woke up before him every morning.

"It’s been half an hour now." Valerion explained and Eamon’s lips parted softly.

He had stayed still so that Eamon could sleep for a while longer. From what he had heard, humans needed quality sleep in order to function well. Valerion wanted his mate operating at full power and he smiled when Eamon surprised him with a kiss on his cheek.

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