Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 168: Kiss me...

Chapter 168: Kiss me...

The atmosphere in the Dragon realm became tense and more strained as the war was still unpredictable to the Dragon soldiers because of Alina’s spell guarding the human realm. The Dragon soldiers had been staying in the realms border in case if the spell barrier cracked. And that alone was enough to make everyone worry in the Dragon realm.

Despite this, Rhea maintained her composure, keeping her focus on her daily session with Draven, as they had their own post-conflict.

Draven had been a great help to Rhea through out the daily session of changing bones, he would try to keep her occupied with topics that would help distract her from the intense pain she was experiencing under the light. He had told her that through the process of changing bones she’d notice many changes in her body before it would be completed.

And just like he had said, Rhea began observing shifts in her senses and body. Her ice magic, which had once disappeared, began to return. Each day under the lights seemed to amplify her innate icy powers.

Now, in the midst of the frozen forest, Rhea and Draven were assessing her restored abilities. When she unleashed her ice power to cleave a tree in half, she gleefully exclaimed to Draven, who was observing her, "My ice magic is back!"

Ever since her punishment in Birhhan, she hadn’t been able to use any ice magic, but now it was back with full force.

When Draven saw how happy Rhea was, he couldn’t help the smile that played on his lips, "Yes, you’ve always had it in you before, and you will always have it," because I will never take it away from you; he added internally as he watched her admire the ice glimmering on her palms. She was originally a fire controller, and his core had made it easier for her to go through the process of changing bones and using ice powers. Without the core, none of this would have been possible, she would have been a flame person, his weakness and enemy...

Rhea happily continued to strike trees with her ice. However, her current strength hadn’t yet fully become stable because her body was still undergoing changes, and Draven had said she must not over push herself. But she wanted to get her strength back so when by chance she encountered Alina, she wouldn’t crawl away like a coward in the future.

Draven stood in the snow, watching Rhea practice with her ice powers. She made ice shapes and sent snow flying around her. His heart beat in time with each strike Rhea made with her power. He felt warm inside, not from the weather, but from feeling very proud. He was amazed at how fast she learned her skills because she was really determined and strong-willed.

As the gusts of wind Rhea summoned carried the snowflakes past him, he barely noticed. His attention was solely on her. With every passing day, she was not only mastering her powers but also making an indelible mark on his heart. For a man who kept his emotions closely guarded, this realization was profound.

His typically emotionless face softened, and a rare smile that reached his eyes graced his chiseled features. The affection in his eyes was unmistakable. Lost in the beauty of the moment and the pride he felt, he whispered to himself, almost like a secret promise to the universe, "That’s my girl."

After their practicing in the forest, they returned to the palace and Rhea went to meet Aria as usual. And when they were eating dinner that night together, Rhea couldn’t help but feel that Aria’s gaze was swaying to her every now and then as if she was just seeing her for the first time. Rhea couldn’t help but frown and ask, "Is there something on my face?"

Aria shook her head, maintaining eye contact with Rhea. "There’s nothing on your face. It’s just... you seem different, in a good way. Even more beautiful. You’ve transformed, and there’s this undeniable radiance about you."

Caught off guard and slightly flustered, Rhea’s cheeks turned a shade of pink. Realizing she hadn’t examined herself recently in the mirror, she decided to take a closer look when she was in the privacy of the bathing room.

Once there, Rhea undressed and stood in front of the mirror. The reflection that stared back at her was unexpectedly different. Her figure was more pronounced; her chest appeared fuller and her hips more curvaceous. Her skin had a healthy glow, making even her scars seem faded. Her lips had a natural tint, her cheekbones seemed higher and more distinct, and her eyes sparkled with life. It felt as if she was seeing an entirely new version of herself.

She remembered her past appearance: a pale complexion and lackluster silver hair. But now, her hair shimmered and her facial features were sharp and pronounced. She looked not just beautiful but also... captivating.

She resembled the sultry allure of female dragons. Rhea’s cheeks reddened further as she took in her new appearance in the mirror.

---

The next morning when Rhea was going to go for their morning session, she was suddenly aware of the changes of her body, and decided to wear a plain dress instead of the enticing one she wore everyday, she didn’t want anything that would appear seductive in anyway. Furthermore, after the day Draven had pulled up her dress she’d decided to avoid wearing anything revealing like the others.

Rhea stepped inside the room where she went through her everyday pain, her off-white dress flowing gracefully with each step, its delicate fabric clinging to every curve of her body despite her effort to avoid that. As she moved, the dress accentuated her beauty in the most natural way without even trying.

Draven, standing at the opposite end of the room adjusting the stone table, felt his heart rate pick up by Rhea’s mere presence even without seeing her.

"I have made some adjustments for today’s..." He began speaking while turning around, but stopped when he was greeted by the vision of Rhea looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her in that plain white dress she was wearing. He found himself appreciating her natural beauty, the dress accentuated her figure, and his eyes, without his permission, darted to the swells of her chest before moving back to her face. He swallowed hard, struggling with his unsatisfied desires he had been keeping bottled up for the past few months.

Don’t look, look away from her! Draven commanded himself internally. But his body seemed to have a mind of its own. Drawn to her like a magnet, he found himself moving closer, each step heavier with the weight of his longing. He had told himself he would never make the mistake of touching her nor kissing her again, but at this moment, his mind wasn’t clear enough to think as he stood before her at the entrance of the room.

The changing of bones was starting to take it’s effect on her appearance and body. Not that she wasn’t beautiful before, it was just that now she looked more enticing and flirtatious.

Rhea’s heart raced as she felt the intensity of Draven’s gaze on her. She saw him raise his hands and use his finger to caress her cheek. His mere touch sent her body humming with desire to be touched by him. Instinctively, she leaned to his caresses like a cat seeking it’s owners attention. His fingers ran into the locks of her sliver hair while his eyes were still locked on hers like a predictor monitoring it’s prey.

A part of her whispered for her to push away from his touch. But she couldn’t. She loved him, even though she believed he didn’t feel the same. Her logical mind told her to break the spell of the moment and get back to their daily session of changing her, but her heart anchored her in place and allowed him to cup her cheeks in his palms.

As Draven looked down at her with an expression she couldn’t pinpoint, his voice, husky with emotion as he finally broke the silence. "You look...stunning," he whispered. The words floated between them, charged with a tension neither could deny.

Feeling overwhelmed and exposed, Rhea quickly tried to retreat backwards to break the spell of the moment. But Draven, in a rare moment of vulnerability, reached out and pulled her closer to him. He leaned his head down, their faces automatically coming closer, the air between them thick with anticipation. Rhea’s eyes instinctively fluttered closed, she wanted to feel his kiss again and feel his arms around her like when they’d kissed in the pool that night. She didn’t care if he didn’t love her, she wanted him and wanted to know what he could do to her if she hadn’t stopped him from putting his hand under her robe that night.

Rhea knew she had nothing to lose from giving herself to the person she’d come to love, because she’d decided if Draven didn’t want her as she wanted him, she would never give her heart to anyone else again. And at this moment, she could tell he wanted to kiss her and she also wanted him to.

"Draven...kiss me," she heard herself whisper softly.

Draven, who had been silently fighting his inner battles, heard her whispered words and that was all it took for him to wrap his arms around her waist and lean in. But Just as the distance between their lips was about to close, a jarring knock shattered the moment. They both jolted, pulled back from the precipice of their desires, the knock a stark reminder of the world beyond their bubble.

Draven cursed under his breath as he quickly let go of Rhea and turned his piercing eyes towards the entrance only to find Ethan standing there glaring back at him as if he’d stolen the most precious thing of his life. Draven was suddenly irritated beyond words at the prince’s interruption at this moment. He was about to pour his anger at the lad but the words that he spoke next was shocking enough to break any irritation.

"There has been an attack In the Dragon realm by Alina, she is currently leading the fire controllers and the human armies into the Dragon realm and brother Zack sent me to get you immediately!"