“I thought I could save Valen, but . . . ” His voice quivered. “I was too late.”
Adara hated the pain in his tone, wishing she could somehow take it all away.
“I must have been out for longer than I thought. Valen was dead by the time I returned, with Damon sobbing over him.” Dominic tensed, trying fruitlessly to stop his hands from shaking.
Adara didn’t let go.
“If I hadn’t drank the water . . . ” He shook his head. “Valen may have survived. The magic I gained—maybe it would have saved him.” Dominic hung his head, shoulders slumping forward, unable to meet her eyes. “It should have been him to rule Andreilia,” he said quietly.
Adara heard his unspoken words:It should have been me who died.She cupped his cheek, reveling in the way his skin felt against hers, and gently turned his head to her.
“We all make mistakes,” she said softly.
Silence settled upon them, thick and heavy like a blanket, but there was an understanding that passed between them. She should have died. Not Callan or any of the other heirs. She took responsibility for their deaths, and shewouldavenge them.
Dominic’s gaze finally lifted to hers. “I was selfish,” he scolded himself, tearing his face from Adara’s hand, skin suddenly cold. “Damon’s blamed me ever since. I lost both of my brothers that day.”
He returned his attention to the scale on his desk, flipping it between nimble fingers, studying it with fascination.
Adara swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “You have to understand—”
“I do,” he said.
She pulled her head back, a crease forming between her brows.
“You couldn’t expose yourself,” he explained, taking the words right out of her mouth.
Fresh air flooded her lungs, so sweet and refreshing. He didn’t loathe her for her secrets. She didn’t know what she’d do if he so openly hated her again. Recently, there’d been this understanding between them, this feeling neither of them would acknowledge that drew them both together. And as foolish as it was, she drank it in.
“If there is any way Blemythia still has a connection to our world, I couldn’t risk the Shadow Empire finding out and hunting me down. I didn’t trust you before to not be rid of me once you got what you needed . . . but I trust you now,” she said. After all they’d been through, she’d trust him with anything—except her key. But even that was beginning to be tempted from her clutches.
Dominic’s eyes slid to hers, calculating. “And the shadow steel? Do you miraculously have that too?”
Adara shook her head. “No, that actuallyisonly manufactured in the empire. And I doubt they’d trade it to any other kingdoms. But we have to try to find it.”
“How long have you been able to turn?” Dominic asked, curiosity lining his eyes. He kept glancing between her and the scale, scrutinizing gaze running over her, as if he’d see a sheen of scales beneath her skin.
“While I was imprisoned in the Shadow Empire, I unlocked my ability to shapeshift into a dragon. It’s usually a rite of passage,” she explained, images of fire shifting at her fingertips that sharpened into claws as she idly played with her flames.
Adara was the only Flamecarrier she knew of that could half-shift. She was able to sprout wings or grow horns or protract her claws or fangs without having to fully change into a dragon. She was unsure why, but she assumed it was because of the torture she’d endured. The Shadow Empire might have broken her, but it also made her stronger, made her something to fear. As much as she’d lost during those treacherous years, she would not be the same without it.
“There’s usually a mentor guiding us through training. My father taught me until I was taken when I was nine.” A piece of her heart seemed to rip off and melt away at the thought of her father. “The empire knew the full capabilities of Flamecarriers, and thought a dragon would be a valuable weapon. So they experimented and trained and pushed me until I reached my full potential. It almost killed me plenty of times, but I swore that I’d never be as helpless as I was the night they took me. If anything, I’d die trying to be invincible. I’d die, or they’d make me into a compliant weapon. And I’d wait for the right time to show them the monster they turned me into.” The flames at her hand climbed higher. Adara clamped her fingers tightly to her palms. Smoke rose from her clenched fists, wisps of storm clouds curling into the air, waiting to strike.
Wood creaked as Dominic propped an arm on his desk, laying his cheek against his fist, lips pressed into a frown. He opened his mouth to speak.
“I don’t want your pity,” she uttered. She was weak and helpless after watching the Shadow Empire torture her loved ones. She made a promise to herself that she would never feel that way again, even if it meant risking her life over and over again. With Dominic staring at her like she was that sad, useless little girl, she wanted to punch that frown right off his handsome face.
His eyes shifted to hers, mouth flattening to a neutral line. “Good,” he said, some life finally seeping back into his eyes. “I was never going to give it to you.” He smiled.
And as insulting as his words sounded, Adara smiled back.
She drew a small knife from her belt and flicked it around her fingertips. “I’ve been molded into a weapon my entire life,” she began. “One so powerful everyone wants me in their arsenal.” Sparks crackled between her fingers along the knife. “That day, I vowed that I would only be a weapon for myself. No one would ever use me again.” Her eyes stared blankly out the porthole.
Hues of orange blended into pink along the shimmering waves as the sun descended toward the horizon, painting the sky as the sea reflected it, like two souls cut from the same cloth.
“What about the prophecy?” This was the first time Dominic acknowledged the entire story Adara had told him about the princess that was her and the prophecy she was destined to fulfill.
She shook her head, mouth set in a hard line. A muscle twitched in her jaw. Her teeth were gritted at the barely suppressed anger. “No. The gods may want me as a weapon to fulfill the prophecy, but I amnotdoing it for them. I’m doing it for my people. BecauseIwant to.”
