He’d heard that name before, but he had no clue where from. He seldom left the island, and when he did, he never bothered to learn anyone’s names. But hers was like a beacon in the dark, unable to go unnoticed. Yet somehow, he hadn’t remembered her name upon seeing her face, but now that she said it aloud . . .
An uncanny feeling settled into his bones, making his stomach churn. Awkwardly clearing his throat to hide his shock, he faced her and tossed her a dark teal tunic, black pants, and a leather vest with sheathes sewn into it. Then he threw a pair of black boots at her feet. “Go bathe and change, Adara Rhyes.” He glanced at her bloodied, dirt-stained clothes, and pointed down a short corridor that led to another bedchamber and washroom. “You reek of sweat and blood.”
“What a charmer you are,” she said with a mockingly sweet smile. “How will I ever resist falling in love with you?” Her features twisted into a scowl as she turned on her heel in the direction he’d indicated and slammed the door shut behind her. The lock clicked into place.
“Adara Rhyes,” he muttered to himself, as if saying it aloud would bring back memories. Unfortunately, it didn’t. He kept turning the name over and over in his mind, searching for anything that would give him a hint of where he’d heard the name before, but he came up with nothing.
She must have been someone he met within the timeframe of his missing memories. A portion of his life that he’d taken away for reasons he’d gladly forgotten. Dominic had never regretted taking away his own memories, knowing there had to have been a good reason for him to destroy part of his mind, but now, he hated that he couldn’t remember his past. Hated that there wasa gaping hole in his memory where she resided. Hehadto know more. It would drive him crazy if he didn’t.
Adara emerged shortly, cloak fastened at her neck, wet hair draped over her shoulder in a clean braid. Dominic ushered her out the door, down the winding wooden paths woven between their village in the trees, and through the ominous jungle.
“How exactly do you plan to get us to Enfider?” she asked.
“You’ll soon learn that Ialwayshave a plan,” he said, knowingly leading her toward a ship anchored on the shore of the east side of the island, out of sight from Damon’s crew, who had sailed in on the West Coast.
“Perfect,” she quipped. “That means Ialwayshave you to blame when something goes terribly wrong.”
He held a branch out of the way for her to duck beneath. “Have you no faith in me?” He asked with a soft laugh.
Adara’s features pinched in disgust. “Of course not,” she said, her distrust palpable.
The sun shone high overhead, but the shade provided by the dense foliage sheltered them from its heat. An unnerving silence settled between the two as they walked.
“So, Rhyes,” Dominic started, voice jarring against the quiet. “We should get to know each other if we want to get this game moving,” he started, hoping to catch her attention by implying that she could learn a few select things about him. He glanced over to her, waiting for her response.
Her attention remained forward. “Thanks to Andreilia’s water, we have all the time in the world, Nite. I don’t want to spend it getting to know you,” she snapped crudely.
His jaw tensed, teeth grinding together behind closed lips. What he didn’t say was that despite the continuity of time, he was running out of it. Instead, he insisted, “The sooner we get to know each other, the better chance one of us will have at falling in love with the other, and the sooner this war will end. Then wewon’t have to spend our time pretending to want to be near each other.”
She let out a humorless laugh, fingers drifting along the verdant underbrush as they walked, taking in the dark, alluring beauty of the island. A lizard about the size of his palm with a sheen of glowing iridescent scales scuttled beneath the massive leaves swaying in the breeze. “Please, I know all I need to know about you,” she assured, eyes tracking the creature.
Dominic lifted a brow. “Is that so?” he queried. “Then tell me, Rhyes, who am I?”
Adara huffed and rolled her eyes, still averted, as if she couldn’t stand to look at him. But then her head turned to him, like she wanted to be sure he saw all the simmering loathing she aimed his way. “You’re the notorious Dominic Nite. Ruler of Andreilia. King of Keys. Thief of Hearts,” she said with a sarcastic flourish. Her tone turned blunt. “A sadistic asshole who cares about no one but himself.”
Wrong,his thoughts interjected with a hint of guilt that he shoved away.
“You’re obsessed with making a name for yourself, proving to others that you’re more than just some nobody by being the first to cross the Plagued Sea and drink Andreilia’s enchanted water.”
His brows furrowed and suddenly he was the one keeping his focus on the path ahead as they walked.
Either she could see right through his armor like it was nothing but glass she would soon shatter, picking up the sharp pieces to carve into him until he bled all his secrets at her feet, which was exactly what her jagged words sounded like. Or Damon had told her the cold truth.
Hehadbeen no one. He hadnothingbefore Andreilia.
On second thought, he had something that he ruined. He needed to become someone. Someone entirely separate from what his past was. People who came to Andreilia had nothingso they risked everything—including their lives which usually meant nothing to them at that point.
But Dominic had rebuilt everything. He made a home here, providing a home for others like him. He survived and became one of the most feared people in this realm. He supposed Adara believed that making the Realm Fracturer was only on his agenda to conquer another impossible task.
She was wrong.
This sword was about much more than creating a name for himself. It was about more than conquering realms or time. It was about more than just him.
But he didn’t correct her.
“You can’t stand not being in control. You’re a psychopath who finds pleasure in manipulating others into loving you because you knowno one ever truly will.”
He winced, and Adara mercifully ended her rant. The trees shuddered beneath the wind as Dominic clenched his fists. Everyone always assumed the worst of him. He couldn’t blame them. He’d done unspeakable things. He grew tired of caring for others’ opinions. So why did it sting when Adara pointed out his flaws?
