Something shatters the fogginess in my mind. “What?”
He dips his head to my neck. “It’s why I saved you in the storm.”
I push against his chest until we’re sitting up. My shift falls back over me. “You said instead. Instead ofwho?”
His face blanches, but then turns into a challenging smirk. The same one he gave to Kairyn earlier in the arena. “Wrenley fell in, as well. I knew I could only save one of you.”
He states it like a fact, no remorse or regret.
“You saved me instead of your mate?”
“And I’d do it again.” He clutches my hand, holding it tight to his chest.
My heart rages, mind spinning. He saved me. He chose me.
“Dayton, what if she had drowned? You’d be your wolf forever. What about Summer? What about your curse?”
“I—” His breath is heavy, chest heaving. “She’s fine.”
“You didn’t know she would be, though!” I cry. It now makes sense how upset he was on the beach. “Day, tell me, please. Tell me you saved me because of who my mother is. Tell me you saved me because I’m the only one who has wielded the Bow of Radiance and survived. Or for stars’ sake, tell me you saved me because of your vow to Ezryn.”
He’s silent for a long while, calloused hand still gripping mine. All I can hear is thethump, thump, thumpof his heart. “I can’t.”
Tears run across my cheeks. “Leave my room.”
He stares me down, a storm swirling in his eyes. For one wild moment, I think he’s going to reject everything I said. He’s going to kiss me despite it all. I don’t know how much longer I can stay afloat before it pulls me under.
“As you wish,” he snarls and finally lets go of my hand.
He takes a few steps and then clutches the wall. A rippling courses through his body and he transforms into his wolf. It’s so big, it crashes against the basket of my things, snapping it.
“The sun must have just set,” I gasp. He can’t go outside now.
A growl emits from the wolf. He circles once before throwing himself down on the floor. “I’ll sleep here.”
Agony pulses in my throat. His golden fur is tangled with shells and seaweed. Slowly, I reach a hand down to him, but when I get close, he growls again.
“Get some sleep, partner,” he snarls. “We’ve got a big match tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 66
Rosalina
The metal gates rise, and Spring soldiers shove us between our shoulders to guide us into the arena. Kairyn has transformed it overnight. Huge plants snake through the sand, flowers stand as tall as me, and vines drape over crumbled pillars and broken statues.
“Kairyn has certainly set the stage,” I whisper. In the bright light, the scales dusting my arms gleam gold. Today, I wear a simple leather chest plate over a white shift and sandals on my feet to maximize quick movement.
“Looks like he’s found a use for all the things he broke raiding Hadria,” Dayton growls.
We step into a patch of sunlight, and as the crowd catches sight of their prince, a thunderous roar erupts that shakes the sands.
Dayton raises a sword to the crowd, a dazzling grin spreading across his face, as we approach the center of this twisted arena. I still haven’t caught sight of our opponent yet.
“Look up there.” Dayton nudges my shoulder.
I follow his gaze to see a spinning orb of light in the center of the arena. A golden circle twirls around it like the rings of a planet. It’s much larger than the tiny echosphere that hovers around to boost our voices.
“That is the Orb of Ancestors,” Dayton says. “Remember when Justus told you about how I won the Luminae Games? This is what we use. Inside, it holds the memory of all the fighters of this arena. It can create an illusion of them to fight upon the sands. Kairyn thinks he can best me with an ancient warrior? He will be sorely surprised.”
