I braced a hand against my sternum, the flame inside of me flaring wildly. Only the origin of the pain wasn’t mine. “I’m not sure. I think it’s Thorne.” I gasped. “I think he’s hurt.”
I forced myself upright, panting through the agony. “Alaric, we have to go to him.” And once we found him, I’d save his reckless ass and then kick it for leaving me with his brother.
Alaric’s face twisted with fury. “You and that flarkingflame,” he snarled. “I never should have ordered him to give it to you. That bond is theonlyreason you’ve grown so attached. Why else would you race to his side when he abandoned you without so much as a goodbye? I swear, the connection between you has addled your brain.”
“It has not,” I snapped. “Regardless of what you believe, he needs our help.”
Alaric stiffened. “My brother doesn’t deserve your concern. While the two of you weretogether, did he tell you where he was the night of the attack? The night our kingdom fell?”
“He did. And he has more than paid for it,” I spat. “Not that he owed you anything in the first place.”
“You’d take his side against me?” Aleric’s brows arched, nostrils flaring. “After all I’ve done for you? You forget it is I who found you next to that lake. Not Thorne. When I brought you back here, he wanted to let you die. I had to force him to save your life.”
Maybe that was true initially, but things between us had changed. Especially my feelings for the shifter. “Fine. If you won’t help, I’ll go myself,” I growled, storming toward the door.
Alaric’s firm hand shackled my wrist, spinning me around. “You will not.”
“Release me,” I snarled, pulling to no avail. His grip was iron.
But I was no longer a helpless servant.
Heat flared in my palms, magic rising with a vengeance. I bared my teeth. “I said—let mego.”
Power coiled in my blood, ready to strike.
“Myrna!” Alaric shouted.
Before I could summon a single spark, a dozen trogg poured in, spears and swords gripped in their stout little fists. I scanned their faces—and my magic faltered.
These weren’t soldiers. They were mothers. Fathers. Simple folk bound by fear. Just like I’d once been.
Myrna stood near the entrance, wringing her hands, regret in the harsh lines of her face. “I’m sorry, Serafina. But we’ve sworn to follow the dragon’s orders. Always.”
My heart sank, heat dimming in my palms. If I struck Alaric, I risked harming one of them.
Alaric’s expression softened, a wince tugging at his features. “I’d hoped to do this the easy way. But you’ve left me no choice.”
For some reason, the remorse on his face didn’t strike me as feigned. “Do what, exactly?” I asked, dread dropping like a stone in my gut.
“You were right about one thing,” he said quietly. “It wasn’t you who broke my curse.”
Those stones grew heavier, dragging me down. “If not me, then who?”
His demeanor turned solemn, almost…despondent. “It was The Dark One.”
For a heartbeat, silence roared in my ears.The Dark One. The shadows, the menace I’d sensed, the dragon’s excruciating transformation.
My blood ran cold. “What have you done?”
“With that blasted comet hurling along its path, I determined the only option left was to negotiate a deal,” he said, tone bitter. “With you, I finally had something he desired.”
I staggered back, bile rising.
“Not to worry, though. It isn’t as bad as it might sound,” he added, his voice gentling with reassurance. “I’m not a complete monster. Once he’s used you as a conduit to drain Carcerem’s sacred arbor, you’ll live here. With me.”
No.
No. No. No. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t!
