She knew he wouldn’t kill her, not when he could try to win her key, when she knew where the shadow steel and dragon scale were.
A sliver of doubt crept into her mind as he pressed the blade harder against her throat, drawing a bit of blood.
“Stop!” someone suddenly shouted, drawing both their attention to the sidelines. It was Asher, the one who carefully guided her back to the camp. He yanked the hourglass from the younger boy’s hands, holding it up for all to see. The top half was completely empty. “Stop,” he repeated, sounding breathless.“The duel’s over. She survived.” His chin lifted with confidence, but his ocean eyes conveyed distress.
Her head turned back toward Dominic, a bloody, maniacal smile on her face. His eyes were full of hatred once again. Adara thought for a moment that he would defy his own rules and kill her anyway.
But he didn’t. Instead, he shot her a sweet, mocking grin. He leaned closer, lips caressing the shell of her ear. “You’ll wish I killed you.”
She shuddered at his frigid, lethal words.
Dominic pulled away, and the last thing Adara saw were those cold eyes staring down at her. She grinned victoriously. The weight of the blade lifted from her throat. The chaos around her faded into muffled noise. Dark spots danced across her vision until they consumed her entirely, and everything was covered in shadows.
Chapter 6
Dominicmusthavefallenasleep waiting for the girl to wake, because he woke to sunlight streaming through the window, his body aching from the chair he’d been glued to all night. He stood up, cracking his neck and back, loosening his cramped limbs from sleeping on the hard wood instead of his bed, which was currently occupied by this beautiful, entrancing stranger.
His eyes traced her features from across the room, tranquil in her slumber. There was something familiar about her sharp jawline, her smooth pink lips, the thin scar on her right eyebrow.Something comforting about her long, dark lashes hovering over her closed eyes that he knew were bright blue like the sapphire gems in the cove that shimmered above Andreilia’s enchanted water.
He shook his head, as if peeling himself out of some trance. There was something unnerving about her. Part of him felt comforted by her presence. The other was disturbed. He debated if he should forego all previous plans and be rid of her before she caused more trouble than she was worth.
But it was the triumph after the war that he was eager for. It would be a shame to kill her now when he could make her fall in love with him and give him her key, all while helping him find the relics to create the Realm Fracturer. He needed her alive . . . for now. Without her, he had no idea where to begin to find a dragon scale or shadow steel.
Not to mention, her skills would be invaluable to find all the relics.
Time was a disease without a cure. One that everyone was infected with from the very beginning, and it only grew worse the longer it lasted. Dominic knew this too well. Everyone was destined to die. Yet he’d done everything in his willpower to evade destiny—and he wasn’t stopping now.
Once the girl woke, they’d set sail. Dominic had already ordered the Andreilians to prepare the ship. They were going straight to Gierok to find the Whisperer and take its eye for the Realm Fracturer. And along the way, he’d make this girl fall in love with him. How foolish she was to challenge him at his own game. He couldn’t wait for love to destroy her. To watch his cold, bloody hands warm her naive heart.
It wasn’t long before his bed creaked as the girl sat upright. She blinked rapidly in confusion, pushing strands of brown and red hair out of her face. Her right hand shot up to her face, fingers grazing her left eye. She pulled her hand away, thenhurriedly assessed her other injuries, which she found to be healed.
Her eyes shot over to him, her lips curled in an accusatory sneer. “You healed me,” she said. “Why?”
Dominic pulled the chair up to the bed, legs straddling the backrest with his arms crossed on top of it. “A ‘thank you’ would suffice,” he replied. “Especially considering I used my last Med tonics on you.”
A crease formed between her brows, displaying her confusion.
Before she could ask, he explained, “When I stole a key from a Med, I gained the self-healing abilities but not the ability to heal others like them. I had to use their magic-infused medicines on you.”
Her eyes narrowed as she swung her legs off the bed to face him. She leaned in close to sneer, “Thank you.” Another disbelieving glance at where her injuries should be. “For healing the injuriesyoumade.”
He snorted, a humorless laugh. “You’re welcome, love.”
She grimaced at the name, which only made him want to use it more.
“I couldn’t let you succumb to your injuries. Not when we’ve got keys to be winning and a Realm Fracturer to forge.” He rose from the chair. “Speaking of which, we’re going to Enfider.”
She made no move to get up.
“Now,” he ordered.
Her eyes met his, and it felt like she’d pierced him with her fiery gaze. He turned away, digging into a wardrobe for extra clothes he stored in all shapes and sizes for those who found refuge on the island.
“What’s your name?” he asked carefully. Her eyes burned into his back.
“Adara Rhyes.”
Dominic tensed. The name rang in his head like a thousand voices at once. An echo that crescendoed until it was pounding against the inside of his skull.
