A chill swept down my spine. “I wouldn’t call itmocking, necessarily…”
Shaking his head, he lifted his spear, nostrils flared. “I’ve never met a human with more of a death wish. You’re all scared of dragons, of magic, of beasts. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that the things found outside the human realm are dangerous?”
“Actually, yes,” I said slowly, eyes darting from his spear to his eyes. I still didn’t think he would stab me with it, but…a girl couldn’t be too careful. “But I learned a long time ago that I couldn’t trust a word that came out of my father’s mouth.”
“Your father then.” He gave a nod. “He’s back there, through that portal?”
“If you’re asking me if he’s in the library, the answer is no,” I said, doing little to hide the ice in my voice.
Yuto studied me carefully. Tension racketed through the air. “But he’s back in that realm. Shouldn’t you return to him? He’ll be very worried about you.”
Ha!
“I see what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not going back. Besides, what do you need me for anyway? Just walk through it yourself.”
“I can’t,” he said through gritted teeth.
My eyebrows winged upward. “Well, why not? What’s stopping you?”
“Magic.”
It was that word again. That deadly, powerful word. The thing my father hated and feared. The very thing that had brought me here. And apparently, kept Yuto stuck here, too.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said slowly. “You want to go through the portal to the human realm, but you can’t go by yourself because the magic is stopping you. And you think because I’m from there that I’ll be able to somehow take you?”
I guess it made sense. Kind of. There were still some pieces I was missing, but I didn’t count on Yuto to fill me in.
“Like I said, you ask far too many questions.” He leaned slightly forward, and the sharp edge of the spear suddenly pierced my skin. My breath caught in my throat as my heart roared. Yuto’s dangerous gaze locked on my eyes, and he grinned. There was no warmth or compassion in that smile. No humanity. There was nothing but death, darkness, and anger.
I’d misjudged him.
“You’re going to take me through that portal. Or you will die, little métoikos.”
Blood rushed through my ears as I slowly nodded. I didn’t want to give this dragonlord what he demanded. Ihatedgiving in. But I also very much did not want to die.
Of course, at least it was likely to be a quick death as opposed to years of misery and pain. What was better? Dying here now, or dying in a cell fifty years down the line after decades of torture?
I squeezed my eyes tight and whispered, “You don’t understand what waits for me on the other side.”
“What do you mean?” he demanded.
“I’m a wanted fugitive,” I said quickly, finally allowing the words to pour out of me. I hated confiding in this cruel stranger, but maybe if he knew what I faced back home, he wouldn’t force me to go through with this. “The prince…he wants to take me prisoner.”
A moment passed in silence before he spoke. “I see. That explains why you’ve been so cavalier about your life. It’s forfeit back home.”
“No,” I said, voice growing hoarse. “The punishment will be far worse than death.”
For a long moment, Yuto did nothing but stare at me, his dark irises piercing my soul. A tiny bud of hope reached up from the very depths of me. He might be a dragonlord, but he wasn’t without a soul. He wouldn’t make me go back. He would let me stay here. And hopefully, he’d just go away and leave me alone.
But then his gaze hardened once more. “If the prince wants you, then you must have committed a terrible crime. If you spend the rest of your days in eternal torment, that’s your fault, not mine. You’re taking me through.”
He didn’t wait for an answer this time. Instead, he grabbed my hand with his gloved fist and yanked me toward the portal. A cry ripped from my throat, and I dug my heels into the ground. The moss was slick and smooth, and there was nothing to halt my movement. Panic clawed up my throat as we inched closer and closer. Terror loomed before me in shimmering waves.
I should have known I’d never escape the prince. He’d found my mother. Now, he’d found me. And my bastard father was safe. For now.
Yuto shoved me through the portal, his hand cinched tightly around mine. I stumbled forward, bracing myself for the sight of the familiar library walls, the scent of must, and the looming presence of the prince’s guard.
Only…nothing happened. I steppedthroughthe portal, but the world remained the same. Birds chirped, a nearby brook bubbled, and Yuto loomed as large as the canopy of dense trees.
