Chapter 55 || BOUND AND TORN BY PROPHECIES

 

The Dragon’s Embrace

 

The flickering light of the dragon chamber’s crystals danced across Jungkook’s skin as he sat beside Mili, his fingers lightly tracing the fine scales behind the dragon’s ears. The atmosphere was finally calming, the storm of panic slowly ebbing now that Mili was resting more peacefully.

He could feel Taehyung behind him. He always could.
His presence wasn’t subtle—he didn’t walk into a space; he filled it. And now, with the glow of dragon light warming the contours of his face, he leaned against one of the obsidian pillars, arms crossed, watching him.
“Still blaming yourself?” he asked, voice low, coaxing rather than challenging.

Jungkook didn’t answer. He focused on the soft rise and fall of Mili’s breathing. Taehyung pushed off the pillar and approached slowly. He felt the shift in air around him as the man neared, the brush of his shadow across his back before Taehyung’s fingers found his shoulders, massaging gently.

“You always carry everything so tightly here,” he murmured, thumbs kneading a knot Jungkook didn’t realize was there. Jungkook flinched at the first touch but didn't move away.
“Don’t,” he whispered.
“Don’t what?” Taehyung asked, bending slightly so his lips were close to his ear, his voice barely audible.
“Don’t… touch me like that. Not now.”
He chuckled softly, his breath brushing the curve of Jungkook’s neck. “You didn’t say no.”

Jungkook turned sharply, intending to glare at him—but his words faltered when their faces nearly collided. Taehyung didn’t back away. His gaze dropped to Jungkook’s lips for a beat too long.
“You still think you can push me away?” he asked, voice velvet and challenge all at once.

“Taehyung,” Jungkook said, warning in his tone.
He stepped even closer, his hand brushing down Jungkook’s arm, then his side, slow and deliberate—stopping just short of dangerous.
“I’m not touching you. Not really. Just... reminding you that I’m here.”
Jungkook moved to step around him, heart thudding in his chest—but Taehyung reached out, catching his wrist. Gently. Firmly.
“I want to know something,” he murmured, tilting his head slightly.
“What?”
“How long can you pretend you don’t feel what I do?”

Then his fingers traced the bare skin of Jungkook’s forearm. Up. Up. Over his shoulder. Just a graze—but his breath caught.
He hated that Taehyung noticed. Of course, he noticed.
“Still pretending?” he asked, voice low.
“Taehyung, don’t,” Jungkook said again, but his voice cracked at the end.

Taehyung stepped behind him again, but this time he didn’t move. His hand found Jungkook’s waist, the other brushing his hair aside, exposing his neck.
And then—without a word—he traced the line his breath had once followed earlier, from the base of his neck to just behind his ear. Jungkook’s knees trembled.
“You’re shaking,” he whispered, voice darker now. “Why?”
“I’m not,” he breathed, but even he could hear the lie in it.

Taehyung leaned closer, lips brushing his ear, and then—
“Should I stop?” he asked, voice low, testing.
Jungkook didn’t answer. He didn’t say yes. He didn’t say no. He just stood there, breathing too fast, heart thudding, skin on fire.

That was enough for Taehyung.

His hands skimmed down Jungkook’s waist to the curve of his hips, barely touching, teasing more than claiming.
“Still not stopping me,” he said, and there was something wicked in his tone now.

Jungkook’s eyes fluttered shut. His lips ghosted over Jungkook’s neck, not quite kissing, just… testing. Daring him.

And then, as suddenly as it began, he pulled away.

Jungkook’s eyes flew open, breath unsteady, but when he turned, Taehyung was already walking away—his voice tossed over his shoulder, smug and low:
“Next time, Jungkook, maybe don’t pretend you’re not curious.”

---

Later that evening, after Jungkook had slipped away in silence—still rattled, still flushed—Taehyung remained near Mili. The little dragon stirred weakly in her nest of soft moss and glowing crystals, her tail twitching as though she were dreaming of something heavy. Her breath came in shallow puffs, her golden scales dimmer than usual. Even Spark and Niki had curled nearby in concerned silence, leaving Mili in the centre, fragile and still.

Taehyung crouched beside her, brushing gently over her head.
“You stubborn little flame,” he murmured, his voice softer than anyone ever heard it outside these walls. “You’re not allowed to fall like this.”
Mili let out a weak croon, and Taehyung's jaw tightened. Without another word, he stood—and in one smooth, silent motion, his form began to shift.

It wasn’t the violent, thunderous transformation of a war-born beast.
This shift was fluid, graceful—like mist folding into firelight.
His body grew, lengthened, darkened, until the lithe, elegant shape of his dragon form stood over her: obsidian black with veins of iridescent sapphire pulsing along his sides, his wings curled protectively at his back.

Taehyung lowered himself beside Mili and tucked his body around hers. His enormous wings formed a gentle dome over the nest, encasing them both in warmth and shadow. He craned his neck, nuzzling her side with the tip of his snout, whispering in the silent language only dragons understood—one of breath and thought, scent and soul.

“I’m here.”
His hum resonated through the floor, low and deep and steady.
“I’ve always been here.”
Mili let out a soft, pitiful chirp, and he responded with a slow, reassuring vibration from his chest—one that wrapped around her like a lullaby.
“You’re not alone. Not now. Not ever.”
He brushed his snout along her spine, placing a slow, deliberate kiss between her small shoulder blades.
“No one will take my place, and no one will take you from me.”

He wrapped his long tail around her gently, possessively, anchoring her to him. For a few moments, the chamber fell into sacred silence, the bond between dragons humming quietly in the air.

Outside, the world moved.
But inside, under the veil of Taehyung’s wings, time stood still.
And Mili—finally—slept.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR NEXT CHAPTER:

https://novelreadingislife.blogspot.com/2025/05/chapter-56-bound-and-torn-by-prophecies.html

.

.

.