Hatred and self-loathing pooled within my mind for how I’d hurt Siyana, and for once, my beast and her were in unison, both making it clear that I’d betrayed them with my choice.
Magic spewed from me as I lost control of the dragon, filling the room with ice instantly. What was once a steaming cavern was now an icy tundra, glittering like the quartz deposits on the ceiling did.
My prison of ice.
Chapter Eighteen
SIYANA
“Stupid fucking dragon,”I muttered as I trailed my hand along the rough wall to try to find my way through the pitch black tunnel system. “Or drackya—whatever.”
Why had I even considered reaching back out to him in the bond when I’d felt the tug on my soul? I had known him for mere days, and despite him proving he wasn’t just the arrogant, cold king that I’d first met, we were nowhere near that level of commitment. We hadn’t even kissed, yet when I’d felt the weightless, floating sensation take over me, like I was somehow going to float away into the sky with him if I only said yes, it’d felt…right. A warmth had enveloped me when I’d thought of accepting the bond, as if the future was wrapping me in a tight embrace, welcoming me.
My lips pursed and I came to a halt, letting the resounding silence wash over me as I attempted to get my erratic heartbeat under control.
But then he’d told me to leave.
A chill ran down my spine as wind blew through the tunnel, making my wet hair feel like icicles running down my neck and the side of my face.
I’m just as stupid, thinking there was a chance.
As my hand slipped from the wall and curled into a fist at my side, I forced myself to take in a controlled, deep breath. I held it for a few seconds once my lungs had expanded to the point of pain. Blowing out slowly, I tried to picture the negative emotions being expelled alongside the breath.
What’s meant for me will be.
I will not fault myself for wanting to find a connection, it’s only natural.
Theo did us both a favor by putting a stop to that, considering the possible outcome.
As my lungs emptied, I still felt the raw sting of rejection, but the overwhelming anger was beginning to subside. Logic was beginning to stake a place in my thoughts once more, and I knew that even if by some miraculous chance Theo and I were mates, I wasn’t ready for that commitment. Or that connection.
Suddenly, it felt as if the mountain itself was moving as the floor beneath my feet vibrated and the tunnel shook. Small bits of rocks pelted the floor as I heard a deep, menacing roar from not too far away, it seemed. I spun, trying to make out from what direction it was coming, but it was echoing and reverberating through the space around me, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact location.
Fear spiked within me as only darkness stared back at me.
That wasn’t my—no—that wasn’t Theo’s dragon.
I’d come to know the sounds he made from our journey here, and there was a distinctly higher pitch to this one.
All I knew was that I needed to get back to our designated alcove, now. I threw my hands out, desperate to feel the wall again, but a sick feeling twisted my gut as I realized I had no idea what direction I needed to go in now, after spinning around.
“Shit,” I breathed out, instantly feeling that frantic heartbeat return.
Despite finding the smooth wall with my left hand, I felt no joy in the discovery. Another ear-splitting roar had me throwing caution to the wind and running with my hand against the wall as the ground trembled beneath my feet. The dragon sounded closer this time.
I’d given up on squinting early on in my trek back to our temporary shelter, but I found myself attempting again. I was desperate to see anything that would make it seem like the fire we’d left blazing was anywhere even remotely near to where I was.
My fingers dipped along the seemingly random gouges I could feel growing in number beneath my fingertips. I risked taking a moment to stop and examine the length and depth of them with my hand. I hadn’t noticed these along the walls that had led us from our shelter, but it was entirely possible that they were here when Theo had led me through the dark.
I reached up and around the area until I felt like I had a good grasp on the mental image it was producing. The only logical thought I could come up with for them was that dragon scales had rubbed against the walls as they walked through, or that a fight had occurred and a dragon had been slammed into the wall, indenting the rock.
Either way, I was entirely screwed if I ran into a full-blooded dragon, and my already low confidence in my choice of direction was suddenly sinking to zero. It was too late to change course now. I needed to find a defining area and work my way from there. If I turned back now, I could get lost even further into the mountain. Every single bit of it was a risk.
I continued at a brisk pace, and the warmth that had lingered from the spring was beginning to seep out of my body and through the furs I was wrapped in. I may not have been any closer to a fire to stay warm, but after what I thought was around ten minutes of not hearing any dragons, it seemed as ifI’d chosen the right direction necessary to survive. I’d at least be safe until I could figure out how to get back.
Would Theo come find me?
The thought alone had my face twisting with the utter annoyance that now bled through me.
