Mareena reclined on one of the many ivory settees draped in silk, a picture of poise amidst the echo of blows and footwork. One of her sleek black hounds lay curled beside her, its elongated ears twitching at the sound of Kai’s commands. There was something unnatural in the creature, something too still, too silent.
‘We shall dine on the grand terrace,’ Mareena added, stroking the hound’s short fur, her fingers threaded through its strange obsidian coat.
Before Kai could voice his unease, the towering double doors swung open, and in stepped Dawn. She wore a smile as if nothing had transpired, radiant and unbothered.
Kai’s body tensed like a drawn bowstring.
If Dawn was smiling likethat,then she was plotting.
Dawn sauntered over to one of the carved stone columns and leaned against it, arms folded neatly across her chest. It was still a jarring sight, seeing her cloaked in wyverian form, something about it felt inherently unnatural, not unlike the sleek, eerie dogs lounging at Mareena’s feet.
‘Higher,’ Kai instructed, his voice clipped as he tried to keep his attention fixed on Alina. But she ignored the command, letting her arms fall before stepping away from him, her focus fixed intently on Dawn. A charged silence bloomed between the two women, tense and unblinking, until Kai reached for Alina’s arm, his voice sharp.
‘What are you doing?’
She squared her shoulders, that familiar spark flaring behind her brown eyes, something bold, almost defiant.
‘You’ve taught me a few moves this morning,’ she said. ‘I wish to try them out. Your friend could assist with that.’
‘No.’
Alina’s brow furrowed. ‘Why not?’
‘She’s injured.’
The princess turned to inspect Dawn, as though searching for some visible sign of the claim. ‘Is that so?’
‘She’s got a bad leg,’ Kai said stiffly.
Alina’s expression twisted with doubt, suspicion knitting her features. ‘And here I thought wyverians could fight through broken limbs.’
For a fleeting moment, Dawn moved, just a step, the barest hint of a challenge.
‘Do not dare,’ Kai warned, his tone suddenly steel. Dawn halted, but the flare in her eye spoke volumes.
Before the tension could snap, Mareena rose gracefully, clapping her hands once before whistling for her hounds. ‘Perhaps it’s time we took a break,’ she announced, breezily stepping forward. ‘Let’s walk the gardens until we’re summoned for luncheon.’
She looped her arm through Alina’s with effortless charm, whisking the princess away before anyone could protest.
The moment they were beyond earshot, Kai turned sharplyon Dawn.
‘You’ve been avoiding me.’
‘Have I?’ she replied, beginning to follow the others. But she faltered as he raised a hand, halting her path. Her gaze dropped to it briefly before lifting, one brow arching with poised indifference. ‘What is it you want, commander?’
‘I want to know if we’re all right,’ he said, the words rough with sincerity. He meant them. The thought that something between them had fractured made his stomach twist unpleasantly. Though he couldn’t quite define what ‘it’ was. She was a witch. He was wyverian. Her kind had orchestrated his sister’s death. And yet...
She stared at him, but there was no fury in her face. No heat.
Only a cold, quiet absence.
Indifference.
‘I mean nothing to you, commander,’ she said, voice steady but low, like the first hint of a storm on the horizon. ‘And you mean nothing to me. We are here for one reason, and one reason alone. To retrieve those dragons. If seducing the dragon princess is the cost, then by all means, do it. I couldn’t care less.’
She made to move past him, but Kai stepped forward, catching her arm before she could slip away.
‘Don’t lie.’
