“On your bed.”
He turns and the gravel crunches under his boots, the loose curls that have escaped from his bun bounce lightly with each step. As he walks away from me, he takes one last glance over his shoulder. His eyes sparkle from the sun, and he gives me a playful wink that sends a heatwave through my veins.
He hit me over the head and threw me in the dungeon with dragons, I remind myself.I will never feel what I just felt again.
But as I watch Koen stride toward the dark narrow bridge, an arm suddenly wraps around me, causing my heart to race wildly. My hand instinctively soars to my chest, only to see Kaine with a shocked expression written along his face.
“I've never seen Koen look at anyone the way he looks at you,” he murmurs, fueling the flames that swarm through my veins.
“It’s nothing.” I elbow him in the ribs, and he lets out a shaky laugh.
“That was definitely not nothing.” He side-eyes me, and I roll mine.
My arms cross, lifting my chin as I narrow my eyes. “Why do the people of the Realms give their lives to the games? I have only heard about the Royals who are cursed. Why would the people risk their lives for them… when you all can control it?”
“The Realms are dying, slowing the death of the curses will consume us all.” He glances down towards the rocks. “One day, the darkness will completely rip apart any remaining light our Realm has.”
My nostrils flare. “Tell me what is going on with the Realms, give me something,anything, to understand why this is all so important to the people here.”
Kaine crosses his arms, taking a step forward. “Realm Yelas, our Sea Realm, has been hurting for centuries. Those who have been born on the full moon eventually turn into sea monsters over time. Sometimes the full moon is hidden, so we never know who will turn. We have tried everything to capture them so we can save them when the curse is broken, but there are others out there killing them off.”
“Those who fight the sea?” I question him.
“Yes, they don’t care if there might be a chance to save them. They slaughter them.”
“And these curses started when…”
His lips roll between his teeth, re-living the painful memories he has gone through. “As soon as the daughters of the last King and Queen Deskyiara were killed. Everything leads back to the bloodline of the Deskyiara’s.”
My fingers press firmly against my temple. “The bloodline must have been important.”
“They were the only Royals to ever bring peace to all the Realms. Now, Realm Ekane, our Sky Realm, have lost their healers. The toxin in the air is slowly killing their bloodlines.”
“The air quality there keeps their magic alive.”
“How do you know that?”
My brows pull together. “I’m not sure.” My eyes flutter as my mind tries to cling onto anything that would have made me say that.
“Interesting.” He forms a gentle grin before exhaling a deep breath. “The light of their Realm is fading into darkness, and if that happens, the darklings will have the ability to roam our lands during the day and attack. The magic from their world will not be able to protect us.”
“And we should worry about the darklings because?”
“They are consumed by dark magic, they are monsters.Killers.” His head shakes as he takes a braid and shoves it behind his pointed ear. “You already know what is happening with Eekaita, but with Realm Nilak, our Ice Realm…”
“The air is impossible to live in, that’s why the castle walls protect them.”
Kaine nods. “If you stay outside the palace walls for too long, you can freeze. It’s too cold for anyone to survive.”
“Yet Florian and Koen—”
“Florian has the blood of a dragon, his body is warm enough to withstand it.”
“Makes sense.” I cross my arms, glancing at the men who stare at us.
“But Koen…” His brows pull together. “No way… is he—”
“Is he what?” I hiss, locking eye contact with him.
