She tried to concentrate on the flow of her breathing and the feeling of her chest rising and falling. Inhaling deeply, she filled her lungs. Her core began to warm, and heat built inside of her, extending down her injured arm.
Prince Kieran gasped, his gaze fixated on her arm. She looked down, gasping as well. Light as bright as the sun shone through the wrapped cloth. “My magic,” she whispered, watching in fascination as the light glowed brighter and brighter until it reached its peak and then dimmed—the whole process taking only a second or two. Her arm cooled, her magic returning to its resting place. She clenched her fist, stretching the once sliced muscles; her arm no longer hurt.
“So it is true . . .” the prince whispered. “Youarea unicorn.”
If he had been doubtful of her true identity, he was no longer. She shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. “I don’t want to be. I’m still just me.”
“It matters not what you want,beast,” the king interrupted, throwing the glass shard to the ground. “Protecting the kingdom is what you were born to do. It is time to serve your purpose.”
Prince Kieran did not say a word as he removed the scrap of cloth from her arm. There was no trace of the ragged wound; it was as if it had never happened.
This was proof that she had never been sick. The reason she had to be careful not to injure herself was because someone, most likely the king, had forced her magic into a dormant state, preventing her from being able to heal naturally. Hatred blossomed inside of her, tearing through every muscle of her body. She had spent her whole life being excluded, spent every moment of her existence being cautious, and for what? So the king could keep her as a secret backup plan? The future chosen one? Fuck that.
King Hendrix made some sort of sound with the back of his throat. “Well, now we know your magic works.” He rubbed his fingers along his chin. “Perhaps my son is right, and you need something to jumpstart the shift. We can try an item, and if that doesn’t work, we can try another way.” He turned to his son. “It’s usually in the moment before death when people are the most cooperative.” With a snap of his fingers, servants rushed into the room. He instructed one of them to fetch a personal item from Nina’s room.
Luna could barely contain her rage. Her body vibrated, her muscles tense. She openly glared at the king. There was no question in her mind about who her enemy was. He stood right in front of her, and she hated him. No,hatewas too kind; she despised him. If he fell over and died right now, she would spit on his cold, horrible corpse. The idea that she had ever referred to Damien as the enemy was laughable.
A servant returned with a small cerulean box and, upon King Hendrix’s command, presented it to Luna. Inside the box was a ring shaped like a golden vine. It had small different-coloured stones embedded at the base of each leaf on the vine. Luna stared at it in awe. This had been her birth mother’s ring. She had worn this ring; maybe even loved it.
Tentatively, Luna reached for it. The second her fingers brushed against the metal, her body froze, and memories began to flood her mind.
Nina stood with a well-dressed man, his face blurry. She was holding his arm, clinging to it like her life depended on it. “You don’t have to exile me,” she pleaded, tears falling down her cheeks as she spoke, “I am very good at staying hidden and out of sight.”
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into him. His lips brushed against her head. “I have to Nina. I’m already disobeying the Darkened One by leaving you your horn. Please don’t ask for more than I can give.”
She shook her head. “Sending me to these human lands is as good as a death sentence.”
“You are the queen of bargaining,” he said, a smirk evident on his face. “I have no fear for your future, my dear little trickster.” He cupped her face, brushing away the tears staining her cheeks. “But, in case you run into more trouble than you can handle, take this.” He then slipped off his golden vine ring and placed it in her hand.
She nodded, folding it in her hand, gripping the metal tightly. “Then this is a goodbye?”
“It’s the only way.”
“Then I’m glad I cursed him,” she said, a twisted smile on her lips. “He’ll never leave the lands he so desperately wanted.”
Then she turned away from the man, walking through a portal framed by ancient stone.
Luna cradled her head in her hands, but before she had a chance to catch her breath, another memory unfolded before her.
Nina was standing in a cell similar to the one in the dungeons Luna had been imprisoned in. She was rubbing her round pregnant belly, the shackles on her wrists clinking as she moved. King Hendrix stood before her, this version of him was younger than the man Luna knew as the king, but his face was sunken, like worries plagued his every thought, sucking the life out of him. He ran his fingers through his hair, staring at a spot on the wall as if it were a tiny ship on the horizon of a sea. “I have thought about what you’ve asked of me, and I’ll agree to keep your child safe; however, in turn, you will keep the kingdom safe—and she will be raised as a human, kept here on the palace grounds. I will not have a known abomination running around my kingdom.
Nina looked down, tightly wrapping her hands around her stomach. “You’re asking me to give up my child.”
“The child will be raised by a prestigious family, granted titles and rank as nobility. She will be loved and safe.”
She took a deep breath, a tear rolling down her cheek as she weighed the king’s statement. “And if I refuse?”
King Hendrix shrugged. “Then we are back where we started. Either you do it or you die. Either way, I will have your magic.”
“Your offer does not leave me with much choice,” she scoffed, her eyes narrowing.
“Take it or leave it.”
“My child will live—she will never come to any harm?”
“You have my word.”
She sighed, her fingers running over her belly. “Then I accept your offer.”
