Drakkon

Chapter Eleven

"Are you alright, Lady Daiyu?"

I was sitting on Meilin's bed, feeling fresh and full. I had bathed, had my bandages rebound, and had slept like the dead until morning came. I had no idea where Meilin had been the entire time I was occupying his room, but at the moment, Commander Bohai was standing at my door and watching me carefully, as if he was scared the littlest of words would break me. I gave him a warm smile, my mood great since I felt much better than I had the last couple of days. "I'm fine, thank you."

He relaxed the slightest bit. "That's good to hear."

"Yes, I have to thank Atreus for saving me. I haven't thanked him enough."

"He's happy since Meilin praised him." Bohai grinned and leaned back against the doorpost. "That kid is so easy to read."

I smiled. "I think it's sweet."

He watched me for a moment before shrugging. "Call it what you may, it's amusing at times. The other children like him are all the same, thirsting after Meilin's attention and brightening up at the mention of his name."

"Other children?"

"The kids he saved in Sanguis." He yawned loudly and scratched the back of his head. "He didn't tell you?"

"Meilin doesn't tell me anything."

"Well, Meilin was in Sanguis a while ago, and all these slaves were going to be killed during a fight—you know, that gladiator stuff that's so popular in Sanguis—and Meilin offered to fight in their place." Bohai stared at the wall, lost in thought. "It still surprises me how Sanguis is the way it is. It honestly is the kingdom of blood and violence. Slaves, gladiators—who are slaves and criminals—and all these crazy people that love sex and bloodshed. It really lives up to its name; it's a scary place, but Meilin fit in just fine, I suppose." He smiled wryly. "He could smile at blood being shed, but he couldn't stand a child dying like that. He said he couldn't watch a helpless thing die so pathetically." Bohai chuckled. "He's not a nice guy—but you probably already know that. Still, he hates seeing children suffer, most likely because he sees himself in those children."

My brows furrowed together at his words but before I could ask, he was speaking once more.

"Anyway, he offered to take the children's position and he said that if he would kill six creatures, since there were six children, he would own the children. Long story short, he won and they were his." He tapped his fingers against his thigh and watched me absentmindedly, still lost in thought. "They love him, obviously, and he practically raised them. Well, all of them are now his loyal subjects."

"He's surprisingly more human than I thought," I murmured without thinking. The things that Bohai said were humanizing the Dragon, in my head. Instead of being a scary person with blood on his hands and a wicked smile on his face, he was slowly becoming a misunderstood human.

Bohai's smile faltered. "Somewhat. He's still not the ideal human. I mean, he did kill his own family."

I froze.

Bohai's mouth hung open and his eyes widened as he realized what he said. Composing himself, he swore softly. "I wasn't supposed to say that, sorry. Just forget it, alright?"

"How can I forget that?" I said shakily. I remembered that Meilin said that he had a brother he hated, but to think that Meilin killed his own family?

I paled.

Upon seeing my reaction, the corner of Bohai's lips dipped down. "Look, Daiyu, I'm not saying he's a great person, but he's not that bad either. He's been through a lot and it's for the better that his family is dead."