June 21, AD 519
“What took you so long?” Mother hissed as I dropped the full basket of freshly picked stone on the table.
“The water was high,” I lied. “I needed to go farther, up to the cave.”
She cast me a dirty look as she grabbed the handle to move it to a different table; the one she’d been working on, up until I showed back up.
“Why is your hair in such a mess? I made sure you were perfect and here you go, trying to embarrass me once again.”
It was hard to hold my eyes from rolling in annoyance, but the knowledge that she’d probably strike me if I did made it somewhat manageable. If only I could also refrain from talking back…
“Maybe you shouldn’t have sent me to pick up stones then. Not that you’d know, but it’s hard work detaching the small pieces from their cluster.”
She turned abruptly, her hand lifted in the air as I took a quick step back, eyes wide but jaw locked, anticipating the blow. She held herself in check though, clenching her teeth and her fist to stop her motion.
“You’re lucky Amyntas just arrived and I don’t want to introduce you with a bruise, you foolish girl! Your father is really upset that you weren’t here to welcome him. I suggest you hurry up and arrange the nest on your head—no, you know what? I’ll do it myself, you’re incapable of making yourself look attractive.”
I gritted my teeth as she put extra effort into making an entirely different hairstyle than what she initially sent me out with the firsttime, styling my auburn hair into an elaborate braid and weaving white opals and onyx stones along the strands.
My head felt heavy. I didn’t like it.
“Much better,” she said, admiring her work and circling me like an assessing predator. “Now he won’t even consider choosing the other one he’s set to meet in a couple of weeks.”
I struggled to swallow through the anxious knot expanding in my too dry throat. I doubted I’d even be able to speak when I’d come face to face with my cursed destiny.
“I’ll call for Aghen, he’ll escort you to your future husband and make sure you don’t wander off.”
Her insinuation was one hundred percent accurate. Iwasa flight risk. In fact, I’d wanted to run away from here the second I told Dimitri I needed to go back to my clan. The second I told him I was supposed to get married to the Dragon clan’s leader in a year.
“Married?” Dimitri had gritted out. “No.”
“What do you mean,no?”
“You can’t get married to him,” he stated, shaking his head, eyes not leaving mine. “You’re my mate. I’m not leaving your side.”
I scoffed, standing up from the edge of the luminous water to walk backward to the crack in the wall. “And what do you suggest? Making a scene? I can’t exactly go meet him and say ‘by the way, this is my mate. Can he join us? Don’t worry, I’ll still give you your heir, but maybe you won’t mind this gigantic ass man sharing our bed, can I? You and I just met! I don’t trust you more than I do him.”
Lies. That little voice in my head was difficult to ignore. My soul trusted him more than it trusted me.
“There won’t be anyheir,” he growled, standing up as well to follow me. “Not if I can prevent it.”
“You won’t be able to do anything about all this. Unless you plan on killing every single Dragon and each of my family members, this is happening.”
He prowled closer to me, faster than I could retreat, and grabbed my forearm before I could escape through the opening in the stone.
“Wait, do you want this marriage to happen?” he had asked seriously, although I could see a spark of anger in his deep blue eyes.
“Of course I don’t! You think I’m happy being sold off to the Dragon clan?”
“Well, you’re being awfully reluctant to call it off.”
“I don’t have a choice!” I yelled, my voice echoing in the dimly lit cave. “Refusing might anger the Dragons and start a fucking war!”
“We could—”
“Look,” I interrupted sharply. “I have to go back up there. He’ll probably be here soon, and I still have to pick up the stones my mother sent me to fetch.”
Dimitri frowned, and didn’t let go of my arm.
