“I can help you get out of Eretia without being seen. I have some merchant contacts who trade there,” I said. “If you do everything I say, you will be on a boat to Tir Na Nog before the day is done.”
“A boat to Tir Na Nog,” she repeated blankly. “To the fae lands? How is that any better than here?”
“I have contacts in one of the courts. They will keep you safe.” I took in a deep breath, trying and failing to ignore the pain on her face. “You may have to work for them. Cook their meals and clean their chambers. But they will keep you safe. Your prince will never get his hands on you. And neither will Panos.”
“But…” She peered up at me with glassy eyes. “What about you?”
“I will carry out my full sentence, Aradia. There’s no hope of me leaving here before then.”
“That’s terrible.” Her voice shook. “You can’t just stay here for five hundred more years.”
The sigh that shook my chest was one I’d held inside for a very long time. “I’ve already spent five hundred years here, Aradia. I can do it again.”
“No.” She stalked toward me and punched her finger into my chest. “This isn’t happening. You can’t just toss me out of here after everything we’ve been through. Youforcedme to come to Drakon Castle. You refused to let me leave! And now you’re trying to force me away. That’s not fair!”
Her voice echoed off the stone walls. I gave her a sad smile, understanding the pain in her heart all too well. A part of me wanted to give in to it. It would be so easy to wipe the tears from her cheeks and pull her into my arms. I could brush it all away. Pretend the danger wasn’t real.
But the danger was very much real, and it would not hide forever. Panos had made himself very clear. We’d angered him, trying to trick him into releasing Callista without the trade. He would seek vengeance on us all, and he would begin with Aradia.
She was far too pure for this world. I would protect her at any cost, even if that cost was my bleeding heart.
“There’s nothing you can say to change my mind. You need to return home.”
“I’m going to stay here,” she said, throwing back her shoulders. “This is where I belong now. You can’t make me leave. Do you know what waits for me on the other side of that portal? Death!”
“You can’t stay here. This isn’t your home.” I waved at the crumbling castle walls. “We are not your people.”
She winced. “The fae aren’t my people either!”
“They’re going to have to be, Aradia,” I growled. “It’s either the fae or it’s death.”
“Then, maybe I choose death!”
I dropped my hand to my side, heavy from the steel glove. “You can’t mean that.”
She squeezed her eyes tight and turned away. It was then I saw the tremors, the slight shiver as her shoulders shook. “No, of course not. I don’t mean it at all. I just don’t want to go, Yuto. It might not be safe for me here, but…”
A tremor went through my heart. Was this because of…me?
Gently, I took her hand. “Perhaps one day we’ll meet again.”
“You know that’s not true,” she said in a harsh whisper. “I’ll be long dead by the time you escape your prison. If you truly want me to go, I will. But you have to know you’ll never see me again. This will be it. Our last moments together.”
It sounded so final. My life had stretched on for so many years that endings were far more rare than beginnings. But Aradia was right. She was a mortal. She would be gone from this world in less than a hundred years. And I would still be stuck on this hellscape of an island.
Selfishly, I wanted to keep her here and never let her go. But it was far too dangerous. It wasn’t fair to her. She would always be in peril if she stood by my side.
“You must go, Aradia.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered.
“But you must.”
* * *
We left for the portal at once. Aradia tried to argue against that as well, but I didn’t want to hesitate any longer. Panos could attack at any moment. The only way to ensure her safety was to get her home as quickly as possible. She exchanged teary goodbyes with Orion, Aleka, and Eryx. The sadness in their eyes touched my soul. If only things could be different, I’d ask Aradia to stay. Forever. She wasn’t a dragon, but she’d proven herself strong enough to belong with us.
She could live the rest of her mortal days with us. I’d take care of her, even long after her bones weakened, her hair went grey, and her eyesight waned. But I said none of that out loud. I knew it would only hurt her more to hear that from me.
