“I . . . ” she paused. Her neck stung as he cut deeper. His eyes trailed the red line slipping down her neck, pleased at the sight of her blood. She inhaled slowly, breath fogging the blade at her neck. “Am the one who’s going to help you forge the Realm Fracturer.”
Dominic Nite stilled. The forest mirrored him, an eerie silence filling the camp. His eyes glazed over as if a million thoughtswere racing through his head, plotting. Trepidation filled Adara at that distant, cunning look in his eyes. It made her uneasy, even as he retracted his blade from her throat and stepped away.
“How do you know about the Realm Fracturer?” he demanded, quiet but not soft.
Adara slowly reached into her pocket, fished out the parchment the captain had given her. “Damon may not have been willing to help you, but I am,” she said. “And, considering I actually know where to find shadow steel and a dragon scale, I’d say you’re better off with my help than his.”
His lips parted for a moment before quickly snapping shut, the only sign of surprise she managed to catch from him. There was some kind of twisted, merciless joy in his eyes now. “Who’s to say I won’t torture the information out of you? Kill you when you finally break and be done with you?”
“As of now, you’ll want to keep me alive,” Adara reasoned, nerves sparking to life with anticipation. “I have something you want,” she said softly as she took a step toward him, angling her head up.
Dominic’s eyes drifted down to her own, to her lips, and back up. “What could you possibly have that I would want?” he asked, voice a lethal calm.
Her lips twitched with the ghost of a victorious smirk. She’d caught his attention. “Power,” she said. “A key.”
His eyes lit up at those words. “Go on,” he urged.
Adara smiled. “I declare war.”
A scoff and an eye roll from Dominic. “Darling, a war with me would end you before it even began,” he said, arms crossed over his chest.
“Not that kind of war,” she said. “This war doesn’t involve weapons and bloodshed. It’s a mind game”—a sadistic glint lit his eyes—“which I know you’re so fond of.”
“Then you know it’s foolish to challenge me—”
“We’ll see,” she hummed. Adara slowly circled him.
His eyes traced her every move.
“This will be a war of emotional deception, of master manipulation at its finest, of pain that can only be felt within and can never fully mend. A war of hearts, if you will.” Adara patted the center of Dominic’s chest, cut with hard muscle beneath her palm.
He wrenched her wrist away before she could feel his heartbeat, pondering if the rumors about this heartless boy were literal or figurative. Surely, he couldn’t survive without such a vital organ. Surely, it was only a tale to ward fools like her away from the king’s clutches.
She gave him a sweet smile, trying to twist out of his grip. “There’s only one rule.”
His eyes flicked down to where she attempted to pry herself from his grasp, tight and suffocating. Dominic’s lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile, though his eyes held nothing. “And what might that be?” His breath was so cold against her skin that it burned. Bitter and dead as a starless night, a mirror to the black depths of his pupils, ringed with vibrant emeralds. A greedy light that drew you in until you were too deep, falling into the void of darkness that followed the Thief of Hearts like a shadow.
Adara’s heart skipped a beat. She almost shuddered beneath his harsh gaze, but she wouldn’t back down now. She’d be dead if she didn’t strike this deal with him.Itryla al rone yi mon taka. Relaxing her arm in his grip, she angled her head up at him with confidence. “You fall in love, you lose.”
One of his brows arched. He lifted a finger to her chin, angling her head up at him. “And what, exactly,” he said, voice low, like a growl of pleasure from a predator eyeing its unwitting prey, “will we be fighting for?”
A lupine grin curled Adara’s lips—more of baring her teeth to prove she was no mere prey than a smile. “Why, each other’s hearts, of course.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth in a sadistic grin.
“I know you enjoy toying with people’s emotions, Thief of Hearts. Let’s see how well you do against mine.”
“How will we know if one of us is in love?” he inquired.
“Oh, trust me, if you’re truly in love, you won’t be able to hold back. You’ll end up saying those three dreadful words that will cost you this war. That’s how we’ll know,” Adara assured him.
“And by playing for each other’s hearts, are you implying what I think you are?”
She nodded. “The loser mustwillinglysurrender the key to their heart, and the winner is free to do whatever they please with it. In the meantime, we can search for the relics to forge the Realm Fracturer.”
“I have to admit, you drive a hard bargain,” Dominic paused, considering his options.
Adara held her breath as the world seemed to stand still, awaiting his answer.
