Moonfall, #2
The Ballad of Falling Dragons
by Sarah A. Parker
Contents
Chapter 25
Overview
Kaan cauterizes his wounds with Ignos as Roan tends him, then leaves Kaan and Raeve alone. In the quiet, Raeve confronts Kaan about their commitment—insisting it is only the two of them—and vows ruthless vengeance if he dies. Kaan chooses her over his own safety, and Raeve surrenders to their desire, sealing it with a consuming kiss.
Summary
Roan begins cleaning Kaan’s bleeding back wounds, warning they need stitching. Kaan summons Ignos from the hearth and endures the fiery hand cauterizing each wound. When the heat vanishes and the room cools, Roan departs, leaving Kaan and Raeve alone with the remaining alcohol.
Amid the quiet, Kaan compliments Raeve’s beauty and admits regret over not telling her enough in the past. Raeve kneels between his legs and, noticing his trembling, gently bathes him. She pointedly asks if Kaan wants them—her, not Elluin—and he answers “Always.”
Raeve declares that if Kaan dies, she will not grieve quietly but will wreck the world for vengeance. Kaan warns that revenge is a lonely deity, but Raeve frames her declaration as a caution so he will not sacrifice himself for her again. Kaan admits he would still choose her life over his own.
To steady her, Kaan takes the cloth and cleans the blood and soot from Raeve’s face and neck, reminding her how quickly she learned Bulder’s song under his lessons. The tenderness softens Raeve, yet she insists his touch unravels her and shrugs off her cloak, guiding his hand to her waist and breast, testing his resolve.
Kaan urges Raeve to tell him to stop if she believes he is bad for her and offers to return to loving her from a distance. Instead, Raeve grabs his face and kisses him with overwhelming force, signaling mutual commitment and the collapse of their remaining defenses.
Who Appears
- Kaan VaegorGravely wounded; cauterizes injuries with Ignos, reaffirms exclusive commitment to Raeve, and chooses her safety over his own.
- RaeveConfronts Kaan about exclusivity, vows ruthless vengeance if he dies, softens through care, then initiates a decisive, passionate kiss.
- RoanAttempts to tend Kaan’s wounds, then steps aside and leaves the room, giving them privacy.
- IgnosFiery entity summoned from the hearth; cauterizes Kaan’s back wounds before retreating.