Sons of Hellfire: Book 1 [Wattys 2016]

Aeric - 8

They trudged through the forest while the dipping sun shone through the heavy foliage of the Wet Woods. This was the time when the mist started to settle in, hanging low on the ground and swirling around their legs. The trees glowed with a dusty orange back light, making the entire forest seem like a magical place.

The birthday feast had gone well, with Lucien's ability to shift pressed far back in the trio's minds. Instead, Vajeel drilled him with questions about his life and in return, Luce had responded with witty responses that revealed little to nothing. It was an entertaining exchange to watch and listen to and while Aeric tried to insert a question here and there, the dragon prince always found a way to counter it with a question of his own. Aeric had the feeling his new friend knew much more about him than Aeric did of Luce.

But at the same time, Aeric still learned a great deal about the barbed-off boy. Luce was an enigma wrapped up in a wonder topped with magic. And scales.

And though he had protested against the nickname the first time Aeric tried it out on him, Luce seemed to begrudgingly accept anything new that was offered to him. A new nickname, a feast in his name, a sword. Aeric couldn't blame him, though. After fourteen years of being denied practically everything, Luce deserved most things at this point. He seemed closed off and indifferent to the things Aeric and Vajeel introduced him to, but it was obvious that he was fascinated by everything in Aeric's home. He was extremely cautious and skeptical, thinking through every single thing he was told. Every move he made was calculated and planned...except when it came to magic.

Of course, Aeric knew he was still trying to grasp the idea that magic existed and it was highly amusing to see him jerk in surprise or let out a small 'oh!' when he saw Vajeel perform a small bit of magic, such as a warming spell.

Speaking of which, Luce was probably still trying to grasp the fact that he now found the control over his dragon form.

After the feast and last bit of conversation, Vajeel and Aeric persuaded Luce to allow the other boy to walk him back to the castle. Luce had protested vehemently at first but Vajeel had been insistent, claiming that she did not want him having to find his way back to the castle all by himself from across town. The prince argued that Aeric would then have to walk all the way home alone but Vajeel simply said that she knew for a fact Aeric could take care of himself.

Aeric knew that it was just Vajeel being Vajeel but Luce had taken it as any person would: an insult. Luckily, Aeric grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out the door before the prince could say anything that could possibly jeopardize their newly founded friendship.

Now they were headed back to the castle with a much different dynamic between them than earlier in the day. At first, Aeric thought it was extremely quiet for a night in the woods but Luce had assured him that it was normal. He apparently had an air about him that scared off any animal or creature that came close, so he was practically a walking shield with a wide radius.

"You should come back," Aeric said out of the blue as they stepped over heavy undergrowth.

Luce looked at him in confusion, pushing aside a hanging branch. "What, now?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean you should come back to our place tomorrow. You say you don't do much anyway and all you do is go to the forest. Well, I also go into the forest every day to hunt." He knew that Luce understood what he meant to say. "You like our place and we like you at our place. Instead of just hiding away in the forest each day, spend it with me. With us," he quickly amended.

He was glad that the dim light hid his embarrassed flush and he instead focused on sidestepping a fallen tree branch. He could feel Luce's hard gaze on the side of his head. The prince then muttered some barely comprehensible things but Aeric was able to pick out the word 'intruding' from the jumble.