“You know, this mouth—thisfilthymouth—is my favorite part about you.”
“I will destroy you,” I promise.
“My love, you are powerless. That’s what the blood ore is for,” he muses, releasing my hair with a toss. “But like any mare, you’ll need to be broken. Trained into submission.”
“I will never submit to you, you fucking psycho,” I hiss.
“Perhaps you just need the right motivation.”
Kylian whirls and roundhouses Kai in the face. I cry out, rushing toward him, only to be jerked back by my restraints.
“Don’t fucking touch him!”
“Don’t stress yourself, love. My mealy-mouthed little brother can take it. He would be honored to serve his future queen and sister this way.”
“I will never be your queen! I will never be yours!”
“You say that now, but you lie. You lie to yourself about the way you want me. The way you desire me. I expected you to be grateful after the lengths I went to in order to get you here. I played the long game for months. I put on the performance of the century. I ripped this worldopenfor you. For us.”
“What do you mean, you ripped this world open?” I demand as the pieces of the puzzle all come together. “The attacks at the castle, the portal in Hyrax…” I breathe.
“I destroyed those Guardians. Quite easily, actually. Shredded their minds like tissue. And then I negotiated like any good diplomat and king. Safe passage for my foreign friends into these lands in exchange for their undying allegiance—and I do meanundying. Any creature that crosses through that portal has sworn fealty to me and my crown.”
“Oh my god,” I whisper.
“What have you done!” Kai bellows, charging him. He doesn’t even get close before a phantom wind slams him backward.
“Stop!Stop it, Kylian!” I cry.
“Alright, alright.” He sighs, his power releasing Kai. “I can see you’re still agitated from your long journey. I’ll leave you to contemplate my offer. Kai and I are due for one of our talks. Isn’t that right, brother?”
“Go to hell.” Kai grits his teeth, struggling to sit up.
Kylian just chuckles and starts down the dark corridor. “Bring him,” he says to an armored guard outside the cell.
My jaw drops when Mal steps out of the shadows, his flaming auburn hair momentarily illuminated. I gasp, completely astounded, as he grabs Kai and tows him from the cell. I scream my friend’s name as he is torn away from me, only guessing at the horrors that await him for trying to free me.
“It will be alright, Serena,” Kai says as they disappear into the dark. “We’ll find a way.”
I slam my fists into the ground angrily as I’m left alone again. The chains dig into my skin, drawing blood as I fight against them.
Worry overtakes me.
The names and faces of my friends flash through my mind in a torturous loop. I don’t know if they’re dead or alive. I don’t know what torture Kylian is inflicting on Kai right now while I sit here powerless in a cell.
I don’t even know where I’m being kept.
Prophyria suddenly pops into my mind. She said to call her if I was in danger.
I close my eyes and quiet my anxiety to dip into the channel between us. But I’m met with a sealed-off wall, thick as brick. I pound against it with my mind. And it doesn’t budge.
The channel is sealed. Which means either the blood ore has affected my ability to communicate with her or she’s…
No, I will not go there. I would know if my dragon was dead. I would feel it in my soul.
I have to get out of these chains. But how? Without the spell and without a key, I’m useless. I’m entirely at the mercy of a psychotic king hell-bent on marrying me for world domination. As if my experience with men couldn’t get any worse. This one takes the whole damn cake.
Something scratches against my neck. I reach up and feelover the cool gemstones. Kylian’s ruby choker remains around my throat, thick and heavy. Only now it feels more like a collar.
