Chapter 6 Rules

Yana’s Point of View

I couldn’t remember the last time I had visited the village. I rarely had any reason to go there, especially since I had managed to grow crops in my garden, and there was a stream in the forest where I could fish.

With no customers coming to the inn lately, I had been surviving on whatever I could harvest, and whenever I craved meat, I could always hunt small animals in the forest.

I lived in abundance since I lived in nature.

But now, I had a reason to visit the village.

I needed to buy clothes for the giant who would be staying with me from now on.

“There are a few rules you need to follow,” I said as we approached the village, glancing at Carcel.

He hadn’t uttered another word since we left the inn, I liked the fact that he was a man of few words, he would be easier to control that way.

He simply kept walking beside me, his expression unreadable and his composure infuriatingly unshakable.

“How many more rules are you going to give me?” he asked voice a little strained or tight, if I listened well, he seemed to be in pain.

But his stiff face doesn’t show any emotions, his bored gaze settling on me with an unexpected softness.

My heart skipped a beat.

He was ridiculously handsome, almost unfairly so. And when he looked at me like that, resisting him might become difficult.

I pulled back my hair behind my human ears.

“I believe you already know why we’re going to the village,” I replied, gesturing towards his ill-fitting clothes.

He drew in another deep breath.

“Remind me of these rules, then.”

“For your own protection, no one can find out that you’re a dragon,” I explained. My gaze flickered towards his head, where his magnificent horn had appeared before. “Under no circumstances are you to reveal your dragon horn or status to anyone.”

“I fail to see why I should lie to people about what I am,” he pointed out, his expression as serious as ever. “Revealing my identity might actually be helpful.”

“Or it might attract people who want to attack you,” I countered.

He shook his head slightly, seemingly unconvinced.

“What if my family sends someone looking for me?”

“And what if you’re a criminal with a bounty on your head?” I shot back.

His brows drew together as he regarded me.

“I’m fairly certain I’m not a criminal,” he replied, sounding almost offended by the suggestion.

“Then explain to me why anyone would want to attack you,” I asked curiously. “The dragon tribes are the most powerful beings in existence. A fight between two dragons could be catastrophic, so the Dragon King banned all dragon duels to protect other species, like the rest of us that lives here.”

Carcel’s eyes narrowed in displeasure, and I smiled to myself.

I knew how unpleasant it was to accept that he might be a horrible person, but right now, I had the perfect opportunity to mold him into whatever I wanted.

He remained silent.

“Do you understand?”

“Until I recover my memories,” he replied flatly.

Well, I supposed I could take that as a yes.

“And when we get to the shop, you will keep your mouth shut and let me do all the talking.”

He rolled his eyes, and once again, my heart nearly stopped in my chest.

Honestly, did the goddess create his face on her day off? Because there was no other explanation for how someone could look so unfairly handsome.

“Good morning, Baashea!” I greeted the lamb shifter, the most popular tailor in the village, and my best friend.

“Yana?” Her brown eyes lifted from the sewing machine, and the moment they landed on me, a small smile spread across her face.

She hurried away from her work and rushed towards me, grabbing my hands before pulling me into a tight hug.

“It's been ages since you crawled out of your hole!” she complained, giving my shoulders a playful slap. “I've told you a hundred times that if business is that bad, you should just sell that damn inn and move to the village.”

“I can't sell the inn,” I replied firmly. “A girl has to have her own source of income. How am I supposed to survive if I sell the only thing I have?”

“But you live in the middle of nowhere! You're nothing but a honey badger with no particularly useful skills. What are you going to do when those rogues comes looking for you?”

She paused slightly.

“Or maybe a rabid predator?”

A large predator.

Oh, I don't know. Perhaps the largest predator of them all had already found me.

The freaking dragon.

Baashea's brown eyes finally shifted towards Carcel, standing silently beside me. Her gaze traveled over his towering frame before flickering back to me.

Honestly, I was surprised it had taken her this long to notice him.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.

“Who is he?” she whispered, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air. “I can smell something terrifying coming from him. He's a predator, isn't he?”

I pressed my lips together, desperately trying to figure out how to explain Carcel without revealing the truth.

“Well, you see… the thing is…” I stammered before finally blurting out, “He's my husband.”

Baashea's eyes narrowed instantly.

Her gaze darted towards Carcel, who stood there with an infuriatingly calm expression, not even bothering to react to my outrageous declaration.

“Are you joking?” she asked, looking utterly bewildered. “We saw each other two weeks ago, and you didn't say a single word about getting married!”

“Um…” My mind scrambled for another convincing lie, but my brain decided to abandon me when I needed it most.

“And how exactly did you get married when there's no one around to officiate a wedding?” Her eyes suddenly widened as a horrifying thought seemed to strike her. “Wait a minute… are you pregnant?”

“What? Hell, no!” I nearly shrieked.

Unfortunately, my overly dramatic reaction only seemed to deepen her suspicions.

“We've just been dating in secret,” I quickly added, hoping to salvage the situation.

“And you didn't tell me?” she demanded, looking genuinely offended. “Not even once?”

“I didn't want you to worry because he's a predator,” I explained hastily.

The irony of that statement was almost enough to make me laugh.

“Besides, he only proposed to me this morning, so we're going to get married…” I hesitated, desperately searching for a reasonable timeline. “Uh… soon.”

She pulled me further into the shop, her brown eyes sweeping over Carcel from head to toe.

“I know a lot of things about you, but I never imagined you'd be the type to fall in love or even get married,” she complained, sounding almost offended. “Are you sure no one is forcing you to do something?”

“No, Shea, nobody is forcing me.” I shook my head before adding, with as much conviction as I could muster, “I'm going to marry Carcel because I love him.”

I even put a little extra emotion into my voice for good measure.

She stared at me, her expression hard and serious, as though she was trying to sniff out the lies from my statement.

Deciding I'd done enough convincing, I walked back to Carcel and wrapped both of my arms around his, holding him close.

Baashea finally plastered a smile on her face before turning to him.

“Hello!” she greeted, waving awkwardly. “I'm sorry for the trouble. I was just a little surprised when my friend told me about your—uh—sudden engagement.”

Carcel stared down at her but said nothing.

Tiny beads of sweat had begun to form on Baashea's forehead. She glanced at me, sending a message with her eyes.

Was there something wrong with him? Was he incapable of speaking?

Honestly, I couldn't blame her for wondering.

“Say something,” I urged Carcel, looking up at him.

He glanced down at me, confusion flickering across his otherwise impassive face.

“You told me not to speak.” I nearly ground my teeth into dust.

“Fine. You can speak now,” I muttered through clenched teeth, forcing an awkward smile in Baashea's direction.

Carcel regarded me for another moment before finally turning his attention to her.

“Hello,” he said.