"Dragon?" Lorraine could only laugh harder, wiping the corner of her eyes as if this were the punchline of the century. "Dragons don't exist."
Damian's smile didn't falter, if anything, it deepened, slow and knowing, like he was savoring the taste of a secret she wasn't meant to know yet. "Maybe not," he said softly, voice low enough to brush over her skin like a warm breath. "But one can hope…"
She shook her head, still chuckling. The situation was grim, yes, but the thought of grown men clinging to bedtime fables was too much.
"If Vaeronyx existed," she challenged, "why didn't he save Aurelthar from the Lion and Bear? And if he was truly the righteous creature the legends paint him to be, why did he let Aurelthar turn into a tyrant?"
Damian's gaze lingered on her mouth before he answered. "You found his gold, didn't you?"
