Chapter 30

Choose a Side

The human nobles were imprisoned before midnight.

Not executed.

Which, considering Kael’s mood, counted as remarkable restraint.

The poison remained sealed beneath the western vaults afterward under enough dragon guards to defend a kingdom. No one touched it. No one even wanted to stand near it for long. The moment the silver vial shattered in the strategy chamber, every dragon in the room had reacted instinctively.

Fear.

Real fear.

Evelynn hadn’t missed that.

And neither had Kael.

The palace felt different after that meeting. Tighter. More dangerous. Dragon guards now watched every human servant crossing the halls. Council chambers remained occupied deep into the night while war rumors spread openly through Black Citadel for the first time since Evelynn arrived.

Humans brought dragon poison into the Dragon King’s home.

There was no diplomatic interpretation of that.

Evelynn stood alone on the eastern balcony long after midnight watching snow drift slowly across the sleeping city below. Black Citadel glowed gold beneath dragonfire lanterns while distant dragons circled high above the mountain peaks like shadows against moonlight.

The bond remained restless.

Kael hadn’t slept again.

She felt him somewhere deeper in the palace surrounded by anger sharp enough to cut through the connection itself.

Not directed at her.

Never at her.

That almost made it worse.

A soft knock sounded behind her before the chamber doors opened carefully.

Serin entered looking deeply uncomfortable.

Which had unfortunately become his permanent expression lately.

“You have visitors.”

Evelynn frowned immediately. “At this hour?”

Serin hesitated.

Then quietly:

“They’re human.”

Cold settled instantly in her stomach.

The visitors waited inside a smaller receiving chamber near the eastern wing. Two older human nobles stood beside the fire when Evelynn entered, both dressed in dark winter cloaks marked with the crest of Valoria.

Her kingdom.

One of them looked relieved the moment he saw her.

The other looked frightened.

Good.

Evelynn stopped several feet away without sitting. “You have impressive confidence coming here.”

The older man lowered his head respectfully. “Lady Ashford.”

The name hit differently now.

Sharper.

Less like hers.

Evelynn folded her arms. “Nobody called me that until recently, so let’s skip the performance.”

The two nobles exchanged uneasy looks.

Finally the older one spoke carefully.

“The crown sent us to retrieve you.”

Evelynn blinked once.

Then laughed.

Actually laughed.

“You cannot possibly be serious.”

“The kingdom wishes to protect you.”

“There it is,” she muttered. “The worst lie you people keep telling.”

The second noble stepped forward quickly. “You don’t understand the danger you’re in.”

Evelynn’s expression flattened instantly. “I live with dragons.”

“That’s exactly the problem.”

Silence fell heavily through the chamber.

The older noble lowered his voice. “The Dragon King is unstable.”

The soulbond reacted violently.

Not because Kael heard the insult.

Because part of Evelynn immediately wanted to defend him.

That realization startled her.

The noble continued carefully. “Three centuries ago, the Ash King nearly destroyed both kingdoms after Lyriana’s death.”

Evelynn’s jaw tightened.

“She died because your kingdom betrayed her.”

Neither man answered immediately.

Another answer.

The older noble sighed heavily. “The crown made difficult choices for survival.”

“Funny,” Evelynn said coldly. “That excuse sounds familiar.”

The second noble stepped closer desperately. “Listen to me. The bond is progressing faster than expected.”

Expected.

There it was again.

Experiment.

Weapon.

Tool.

Never person.

Evelynn suddenly felt tired clear through her bones.

“You sent me here to control him.”

“We sent you because you were the only one who could survive near him.”

Not comfortingly phrased.

The older noble looked genuinely sincere now. “If the prophecy fully awakens, the Dragon King may choose war against humanity.”

Evelynn stared at him for several long seconds.

Then quietly asked:

“And what if humanity deserves it?”

That shut the room silent.

The second noble looked horrified. “You would stand with dragons against your own people?”

Her own people.

The kingdom that erased her family.

Lied about her existence.

Sent assassins after her.

Brought poison into Black Citadel.

Evelynn looked away toward the fire briefly.

And realized something awful.

She no longer knew which side was hers.

The older noble softened his voice carefully. “Lady Ashford… Kael is not human.”

The words landed harder than intended.

Because the truth was—

she already knew that.

She had seen what lived beneath his skin.

The fire.

The rage.

The destruction.

But she had also seen the grief.

The guilt.

The centuries of loneliness no human being should survive.

Evelynn lifted her eyes slowly. “Neither am I.”

The room went still.

The second noble visibly paled.

Good.

Before either could answer, the soulbond surged sharply through her chest.

Kael.

Close.

And furious.

The chamber doors opened a second later.

Kael entered without hurry.

Which somehow made the atmosphere worse.

The dragonfire in the room reacted immediately, flames rising higher along the walls while both nobles visibly stiffened the moment the Dragon King appeared.

Kael’s eyes moved first toward Evelynn.

Checking.

Always checking.

Only after confirming she was unharmed did his attention shift toward the humans.

And the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

“You came into my palace again,” he said calmly.

The older noble swallowed hard. “Your Majesty, we only wish to speak with Lady Ashford privately.”

Kael’s expression did not change.

“She is not yours to summon.”

The bond pulsed heavily between them.

Protectiveness.

Possession.

The older noble gathered what remained of his courage. “The crown requests she return home willingly.”

Silence.

Then Kael looked toward Evelynn.

Not commanding.

Not forcing.

Waiting.

That frightened her more than if he had simply decided for her.

Because suddenly the choice became real.

Human kingdom.

Dragon kingdom.

Past.

Future.

The people who used her.

Or the monster who never lied about being dangerous.

Kael remained completely still beside the firelight, gold eyes fixed quietly on hers while the entire room waited.

Evelynn realized then that he would let her go if she asked.

Even now.

Even after the bond.

Even after everything.

The realization hurt unexpectedly.

The older noble stepped forward carefully. “Come home with us.”

Home.

The word felt strange suddenly.

Black Citadel had become more familiar than the kingdom that abandoned her.

Evelynn looked at the human nobles.

Then at Kael.

And finally understood the truth she had been avoiding for weeks.

This was never really about choosing humans or dragons.

It was about choosing who saw her as a person—

and who only saw her as a weapon.