Why did the dragons think you were impure?
“Focus Serafina,”Nyxa’s words pull my attention to her, and I’m glad she’s here, I’m glad she hasn’t left me.“I would never. But I fear you are in more danger than you realize. The Pyro King is not the king you should be looking at right now.”
My jaw clenches as my eyes snag on the two massive thrones sitting in the center. Made of nothing but white marble, the chairs stand tall in the nearly empty space. And sitting in each…is a person.
One regal and stunning, perhaps the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, with warm brown skin, long lashes, and full lips. Her hair matches Jax’s and her eyes do the same.
His mother.I’m sure.
Which means beside her sits his father. Theking.His white strands peek out from beneath his golden crown, and his dark eyes, contrasting drastically with his pale skin, narrow as he takes me in.
My teeth grind, and I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone more. This man, thisking, condoning a society that favors a few at the expense of the many. Our world may be dying, but from what I’ve seen in my short time here, our lives do not need to be as painful as they are.
There’s more food available than the people of the villages realize. If only those living in the Imperial City were made to share.
My blood boils, but I breathe through my nose and try to focus on anything but bursting into a ball of fire.
“Will you not bow before royalty?” the king asks, his head tilting in a challenge, but I do as he says, knowing defiance couldn’t possibly do me any good.
Not now.
Maybe not ever. Not where this man is concerned.
I bow low, dipping my head and extending my arm, but I don’t say anything. Mainly because I have no ideawhatto say.
This is the man who Jax feared would kill me. And now I’m standing in front of him, and his facial expression says he’s planning to do exactly that.
The sound of shouting guards and gurgled screams has me jolting upright, but right as I turn to see what’s causing the commotion, the entire room goes pitch black.
Darkness.
Everywhere.
I can’t see a damn thing. For the briefest moment I feel afraid—so very afraid—but then I feel a caress, as if the darkness itself is touching me, stroking my cheek, pressing against my skin in the most tender way, and I know it’shim.
“A little dramatic, don’t you think, Son?” the king says, his voice dripping in annoyance and disdain.
The darkness disappears, and Ryjax stands in between me and his parents, his fists balled at his sides, his bare back still exposed.
“Is Ishla, okay?” I ask, forcing myself to not step in his direction, to stay put when all I want is to run to him.
“She’s okay,” he whispers, but he doesn’t look at me.
“Is this why you’ve been trying to end the trials?” the king asks, gripping the edge of his chair so hard his knuckles turn white. “Why you’ve been so relentless in your defiance of me?”
My brain feels like it’s barely functioning. Ryjax has been trying to end the trials? But what about population control? If the trials end, then how can we ensure our planet doesn’t die and all life with it?
Andwhydidn’t he tell me? All this time…and I had no idea.
“She has nothing to do with that,” Jax says.
The king raises a brow. “Well then, who is she? Because she is not from here. Which means she shouldn’t be here. And you’ve been neglecting your duties for weeks. Has she been here all this time? Locked away in that little room of yours?”
Jax’s jaw flexes, his teeth grind, but he doesn’t respond. His father chuckles. It’s a dark and sinister sound, and my stomach sinks.
“Did you think I didn’t know about that?” The king’s lip curls as he bares his teeth. “I am the king. There is little I do not know. But I must say, when I instructed the guards to keep a closer eye on you, I did not expect for them to findher.” He stares at me, his eyes piercing and horrifying all at once.
“I’ll take her back to her village,” Ryjax says, his fingers curling and uncurling over and over again. “She hasn’t seen anything. She doesn’tknowanything.”
