How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 70: Chapter 70

"I apologize. I assumed he would've been out, as he often was." said Noah with a collection of books stacked high in his sturdy arms.
They'd spent a good amount of time browsing the titles, and for every one that interested Kaden, Noah would place onto the pile while also adding in his own recommendations at the same time.
For some, Kaden would flip to the synopsis and inch closer to the dragon, allowing the other to read the description and approve or disapprove.
Today was a time to learn Noah's reading tastes, after all.
They settled in the far corner of the small store, unconcerned about being disturbed. Noah's grandfather revealed no signs of returning—escaping somewhere with his precious teapot. As for other customers, Kaden believed there wouldn't be any for another month.
They organized the books into towering stacks,, sitting beside each other by a sunlit window.
"Your grandfather, right? He looks young."
"The older they get, the younger they can choose to appear. For some dragons, at least. He takes joy in being perceived youthfully and startling people who assume him to be a child." Noah shook his head helplessly. "I haven't seen him in a long time."
A sly grin crept on Kaden's lips. "Kicked out, right? What a troublemaker."
"I took a nap beside one of the shelves." deadpanned Noah. "When I woke, I was lying outside on the streets with cold rain washing my body away."
"Figuratively, or literally?"
"What?"
"I'm picturing a baby Noah pathetically floating in the torrents of rainwater."
"...do remove that image from your mind."
Kaden leaned back comfortably, and laughed. There was something about being in a space isolated from everything else where all facades dropped.
Or perhaps that space was the air beside Noah Bellamy.
He cleared his throat and stretched a hand to grab the first book—a picture book. On the cover was a majestic lion, brushed strokes painting its features, as a small cat sprawled on its head.
He raised it, covering half his mouth as his eyes peered over. "Why don't you tell me about this one first, Bellamy?"
Taking hold of the picture book, Noah flipped to the first page, brushing his fingers against the introductory picture. The lion and the cat, two similar creatures yet different in many ways. The familiar pages of the tale that he hadn't read since his childhood.
"I encountered it by chance when I was a child."
Children of the dragon species were secluded in the Dragon's Treasure, precious existences that were rare and to be protected. Things that were sought for their blood, making them a merchandise to those outside of their home.
Noah had an older and two younger siblings. That alone was rare, for a second child much less four. Many dragons sought independence and lived it until their death.
For some, death came after centuries of history. For others, decades.
For a few, years.
The dragon was raised by his eldest brother, and a mother in his earliest years that he could hardly recall. It was assumed that she'd been hunted, murdered while searching for treasures. There was a detachment that made death foreign and accepted.
It was the expectation that another dragon would either disappear or die due to unforseen incidents.
"Books are a human craft. And all things human were forbidden."
It was as if humans were a poison that a mere glance would leave permanent damage. Dragons avoided all species; humans especially.
Because it was the human society that lacked the most, making up for their lack of magic and strength with their minds, developing various crafts to progress their society, build their system.
They found curiosities in what they didn't know—many species did, but dragons enjoyed seclusion, and faeries were too self-assured to envy others.
It was by chance, the day the young Noah had wandered a little too far.
"By a river, there was a basket floating. I reached out to grab it."
With clawed hands, the young dragon had stretched out in his more humanoid form—it was necessary to keep in such a form in the case of being seen. The more they resembled anything but themselves, the safer they were.
He snatched up the basket by leaping over the river, clutching it into his chest. Wearing an expressionless face with rounded cheeks, he pried the basket open.
There were soggy sandwiches wrapped in plastic, and several damp fruit. One end of the basket had risen above the water, stacked atop the other items that weighed down one side. There, a slightly dampened picture book was wedged between two apples.
"This was the first book I ever read."
His older brother had panicked later, scolding him for wandering away. However, the basket couldn't be returned, and it became Noah's treasure.
Kaden listened attentively, flipping the page. "A treasure, you say? Have you hidden your copy somewhere?"
"I've hidden it where I hide all my treasures."
"Hearing you say that with such a solemn expression is really interesting." He shuffled closer to adjust the picture book in better lighting. "What else lies among your treasures?"
Noah stared at the shortening distance, at the man that was sitting right against him without any shame or shyness. His treasures, he thought absent-mindlessly, were his and his alone to know.
That was how possessive dragons were over what became precious.
Their treasures became a hidden secret that only existed for them, before them.
And yet he spoke anyway. "There are several other books I've collected throughout the years, before I had permission to leave on my own."
"Gold? Jewels?"
"...I have a few, yes."
"You're really a full-fledged dragon, Bellamy. I'm a little surprised."
Noah glanced sideways. "...and what did you think I was, if not a dragon?"
Kaden considered it. "A menace?"
"That would be Niklas."
"Elegant?"
"Nicola."
At this point, Kaden continued to name random personality traits.
"A gossiper?"
"Holly."
"Foolish?"
Noah stared at him squarely, without hesitation. "If not you, then the word 'fool' would no longer exist."
Kaden clapped his hands together. "Right, how could I have forgotten? Your word is bully, Bellamy. The quiet sort of rebel that would be popular in novels that romance lovers read, where the main character attempts to teach them kindness."
The dragon wondered who'd been slipping romance novels into Kaden's mind as of late, deciding Holly was the most likely choice. "Do you plan to teach me kindness?"
"It would have to be the main character. I'm more of a supporting role."
"Side stories exist. A side character can become the main character in extra chapters, or in the second book of the series."
Deliberating, Noah's words made sense. Kaden tugged at the bottom of his gloves thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right. I'm hardly suited to teach you something like kindness, however."
"You stopped me. Before."
"When?"
Noah's eyelashes fluttered in memory, resting against the wooden wall. "At the bar." He recalled it, the burning anger that had inched into his mind. "I debated killing them, those seeking blood vials. I'd considered it, before you stopped me."
"Don't kid, Bellamy. You were angry, and it made sense considering the situation. But you wouldn't have done it, you're not that cruel—"
"I am not as kind as you've made me up to be."
Any words Kaden could've said died in his throat at the burn of Noah's gaze. See me, the dragon wanted to plead to the one person who treated him like another being in existence and not a rare species to watch.
Understand me, the dragon wanted to ask, knowing that he might fall from a gentle, attentive and heroic companion to a pathetic, emotional beast that had more worth in his wings than his mind.
Negativity dominated dragons, the murky thoughts amplified to extreme extents.
Remain controlled, keep a respectable distance where nobody could be harmed. There were a dozen rules on repeat in Noah's mind at all times.
Kaden's voice softened into a whisper. "Then I apologize, Bellamy. But tell me, have you killed a man? Have you looked in the eyes of a person who trusted you and ended their lives before they had a chance to beg?"
Noah choked, his pitch black eyes narrowing sharply. "Chauvet."
"Have you looked at the living blood of a man you've killed, telling a child that you'd made them an orphan?"
The truths that Kaden had never been willing to confess. That no matter how his friends attempted to see him for more than he was, Kaden Chauvet was a cold-blooded murder who'd kill again at Reed's command.
Noah fell quiet, leaning his head back. "By saying these things, do you want me to judge you, Chauvet?"
"Eventually, I've always expected judgment from you."
The dragon caught something in the words and twisted his head. He ground his teeth, feeling the creaking of his bones as his dragon blood blazed in his body.
Emotions were always to be regulated and stabilized.
Noah was to always remain calm.
Calm.
"Judgment?" repeated the dragon quietly, seething despite his attempts to relax his voice. "And would that be in the form of a punishment or an execution?"
"That—!"
"Kaden. You're sitting here and telling me this entire time, from the beginning, you expected my hand to sentence you?" Noah's voice begun to climb, a slight raise that was more chilling than if he'd been yelling. "Is that what you've been waiting for all this time?"
"That's not—"
"You have a grand plan, do you not? A plan that involves sacrificing yourself until not even the bones are left. Fool, after all this time, you still can't trust us?"
Noah's fingers dug into the ground, nails cutting easily through the gloves and the board. His jaw ticked with anger.
"After all this time, how little are we worth in your eyes?"
"Everything! You're worth everything!" snapped Kaden, accidentally knocking over a pile of books. He sighed and moved to pick them up, inspecting any damages. "I never expected an execution at your hands. Don't be dramatic, Bellamy."
"You're planning something, Chauvet. It doesn't take a genius to notice your foolishness."
"Then you should follow my plan."
"By remaining oblivious?"
"By pretending you don't see anything!"
Noah breathed heavily, an argument far from their scheduled itinerary. He closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself. "I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to."
"Learn to want to, then."
Noah's eye twitched, and he rubbed him temples with growing frustration. What a selfish command, he thought with a shake of his head.
"Chauvet. Tell me the truth. What is it you're trying to do?"
And Kaden considered it, compelled by the strength in every pronounced syllable Noah spoke. That perhaps, seeking aide was not weakness nor failure, and that a perfect success may need a partner.
His ambitions and goals, his desire for revenge that was fading by the day even as he hated to admit, distracted by the pleasures of a mundane life.
To begin with, his determination to go against Reed was a death wish.
Even if he found success, it could not end happily.
And he was near certain, that if the day came that he met tragedy for accomplishing his goals, Niklas and Noah would curse him beyond his grave and call him foolish for not requesting help.
But Kaden was terrified.
Of the future he knew would come, but even more so, the future that he didn't know.
He'd already changed enough for the future to steer its course, but the involvement of Noah and Niklas could lead to their deaths. If only he knew the future, if he continued down that path, then he could ensure there would only be minimal sacrifices.
His mouth uselessly gaped open and closed, unable to speak but also incapable of denying the other of his demand.
He thought of moving away, only for a knowing hand to wrap around his wrist and hold him in place. "You're always running away, every time. When I met you before that painting on the first day, when we dueled, always, always. This once, Chauvet, I beg of you. Talk to me."
And it was simple, wasn't it?
Whatever Noah pleaded, Kaden couldn't deny.
So when his mouth opened again, he said, "Reed is planning something. It's," He rearranged and separated what could be said, and what couldn't. "I suspect that he's involved in something that could greatly alter the lives of many, Bellamy. It's dangerous. That's why I haven't involved you."
"If it's dangerous, then there's even more reason to involve me."
"I'm not risking your life."
"And I wouldn't risk yours." said Noah calmly, squeezing lightly around Kaden's wrist. "Your life, much as you enjoy tossing it around, is just as worth protecting, Chauvet. Understood?"
"....." Kaden looked away.
Noah tapped his finger twice on Kaden's wrist, frowning. "Understood?" The dragon exhaled helplessly, deciding to give up temporarily. "Tell me more about what you know."
And so the stream of words flowed before he could reconsider it.
About Arlo's father, what had happened, what Kaden had done. That he'd heard rumours of illegal trades, about Reed's orders that made Kaden a killing dog of the royal family. That he couldn't explain it, but he knew that there were even darker secrets beneath the surface of crime.
"I'm investigating him. And I know it sounds ridiculous, I hardly have basis or proof, but believe the me that's lived with that man for years—he is not the prince you think he is."
"Chauvet."
Kaden swirled around, frustrated at his lacking ability to be convincing.
His reputation, in comparison, was smeared dirt on the ground. Who would believe him over the charming Crown Prince, the future of the kingdom?
Sure, he'd left the details of a previous lifetime, sounded vague and highly suspicious, although confessing to the whole truth would only made one think he was insane.
"I'm prepared to get my hands dirty, Bellamy. There's a reason, but I can't refuse Reed. Whatever conclusion, our lives and death are tied." He continued, rambling at this point. "I've killed, I will kill more. Tell me I'm terrible, that I'm horrid, that I'm irredeemable—"
"That isn't my place to say." Noah rubbed circles into Kaden's wrist, drawing the man back from his self-hatred. "I can't forgive what you haven't done to me."
Kaden glanced down, distracted. "But you can judge me."
The dragon suddenly tugged the wrist he was holding, jerking Kaden's body before he raised the back of the gloved hand to his lips. A light brush, a flutter. A kiss so light that it shouldn't have been felt through the leather—but it burned into Kaden's skin.
Another, and then another, trailed down the expanse of the glove, down to the covered wrist where skin was beginning to expose.
"What—what're you doing?" Kaden attempted to jerk away, but failed.
A dark pair of eyes fluttered, gazing at him narrowly beside his held arm. "I believe, Chauvet, that you are not so dense that you wouldn't understand. I'll correct myself. I believe, even you can't pretend not to notice anything, anymore."
"It's a case of understanding and believing—"
"Then believe this." Noah hesitated, but slowly brought his lips to the exposed skin beside the end of the gloves. He only did so knowing that Kaden had once told him that if it was Noah, he wouldn't mind touch. "I might love you, Chauvet."
Kaden laughed despite being frozen, swallowing. "Might, is it? Can't say romance is your expertise."
"You wouldn't believe me if I said it straightforwardly, regardless." said the dragon with a layer of complaint. "Allow me to know you, allow me to change the might into a definite."
Despite that, his grip loosened, holding the arm as if it were a treasure. Noah met the other's turbulent gaze that was a mixture of confusion and confliction, and he didn't care. For whatever answer Kaden could give him, Noah would always remain at his side.
"You proclaim yourself as irredeemable, though I am no saint myself. But whatever you do, whichever path you contine upon," His shoulders smoothened, and there was desperation lingering in his voice. "I'll still choose you."
"And if loving you makes me a villain, then I was never made to be a hero."