I drifted forward, still clutching the second skull I’d grabbed, wonder in my heart. In the distance, birds chirped out a melody that sounded like an ancient song. The tree’s massive leaves drooped from a recent rain. Warm humid air caressed my skin, such a relief from the cold and brittle winds of my homeland’s winter.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and breathed it all in. Where was I? Hell if I knew. Should I be scared? Probably. But I hadn’t felt this calm in days. All the tension in my shoulders had loosened the second I’d stepped through that wall. Wherever I was, it was far away from the Kingdom of Eretia, the prince, his mages, and a terrifying life spent trapped in a dungeon cell with nothing to keep me company but the torture.
I might not know how I was going to survive in this forest, but it didn’t matter. I’d figure it out. It couldn’t be worse than home.
But then a low, dangerous growl sent shivers down my spine. “Who the hell are you?”
2
Aradia
My heart rattled like thunder. A man whispered out of the shadows, pointing a gold-tipped spear right at my chest.No.I swallowed hard. This wasn’t a man. Nothing about the creature who loomed before me could be human.
Silver streaks cut through midnight hair that brushed against the steel armor on his broad shoulders. His hooded red eyes burned through me like twin flames in the midst of a storm. A leather tunic that barely covered his chest revealed the taut ridges of his lean and muscular body. He was shaped like a man, but there was enough magic in the Kingdom of Eretia for me to see that his form was nothing more than a mask.
A very terrifying and handsome mask.
“Answer me.” With narrowed eyes, he stalked forward. The tip of the spear brushed the skin between my breasts. “Who are you? How are you here?” His eyes narrowed even more. “Are you from Pira?”
“What?” I blinked and glanced over my shoulder. The portal—or whatever it was—still shimmered faintly behind me. Clearly, I’d made a terrible mistake. I thought I’d escaped to a world without men and weapons, but I’d only walked right into another one.
“Answer me,” he bellowed. “Or I will believe the worst and kill you on the spot.”
“That seems drastic.” I swallowed hard. “Look, I don’t know what Pira is or where I am or what is even happening. My name is Aradia, and a second ago, I was in a library. Sorry if I’ve trespassed on your land, but I didn’t intend to. Please don’t kill me.”
His spear lowered an inch. “You were in a library? Where?”
“Eretia.”
He frowned. “You’re human?”
“Is that really such a surprise?” I risked a glance around, even if it meant taking my eyes off this man and his spear. There were very few benefits of being a smuggler’s daughter. One of them was understanding how enemies worked. If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t be talking to me. He would have already slammed his weapon into my chest.
“Humans don’t tend to waltz through portals into Inishfall.”
“Inishfall,” I said, trying out the name. I’d never heard of this place before, and I’d studied the maps of the world ten times over. Of course, that shouldn’t have surprised me. I’d arrived herethrough a portal. How could one draw that kind of thing on parchment?
“Hmm. You seem suspiciously calm for a human girl who has just mistakenly ended up in a strange realm, and who is now facing off against an armed male.” He lifted the spear once more. “How did you get here?”
“I told you. I walked through a wall in a library.” I shrugged, flicking my eyes down at the gold tip. “And you aren’t the worst thing I’ve faced off against.”
Well, that was probably a lie. Father’s smuggling friends could be pretty terrifying at times, but they were all human, and therefore, mortal. Stavros was fast, powerful, and determined as hell. But he was also mortal. The mages were the worst of them all, but again, mortal. Plus, they didn’t have the physical strength to do more than swat at a fly.
I didn’t know what this male was, but he was like no one else I had met before. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.
Power rippled from his muscular body in waves, and his eyes were pure fire. I had an inkling he could burn me to a crisp, if he wanted to.
His lips twisted into a wicked grin. “Really? I am Yuto Cirillo, the Lord of Dragons.”
I blinked. The Lord of Dragons? Did he say…dragons? Like the fire-breathing monsters of myth? Okay, so maybe I’d been closer to the truth than I’d thought. Maybe he reallycouldburn me to a crisp.
“Um…”
“See?” He straightened a little at the dumbfounded look on my face. He was clearly enjoying this. The asshole. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
He was right about that. I didn’t. And I also didn’t want to find out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go back the way I’d come, and I couldn’t move forward either. His pesky spear was stopping me.
“You know what? Fine. I don’t know what you’re capable of. Happy?” I hugged my skull tighter. “Now, can you please let me go?”
