Myteeth ground together at the very mention of her. “I’lltake care of her.Youfollow my orders,Commander.”
Theynodded and led the rest out.Icircled around the hallways, listening, when a loud crash came from behind a door.Ilistened, andIcould hear her directing the human servants.Butthen the roof shook violently, andIthrew open the door and reached out with my magic.Itwasn’t elegant, butIpulled her from under the collapsing rubble at the last moment.Shepushed herself up, andIcouldn’t resist her any longer.
“Thereyou are,Princess.I’vebeen waiting for you.”Waitinglifetimes, waiting even whenIhad given up all hope.Mysoul, whichIhad thought long gone, had just been in a deep slumber, dreaming of this moment when it would finally be completed.
Hereyes filled with unmitigated hatred as she beheld me.Theanger she held found a focal point, andIknew that ifIgave her half a chance, she would destroy me.Butthe ceiling snapped again, and the entire building came down.Ithrew my magic out like a net, trying to stop her from being crushed.Ithalf worked, and after the rubble had settled, she lay unconscious but alive.
Ipulled the bricks and beams away and gathered herup in my arms.Herbreathing was steady, even as blood dripped from her head and her body was bruised.Sheseemed so breakable like this, almost calm and serene.ButasIheld her, listening to the beautiful sound of her strong heart,Iknew mine wouldn’t survive it.
Noneof this made any sense.Shewas fae, and whileIhad pretended to be one for so long,Ihad almost forgotten that’s not whatIwas.Faedidn’t have mates; only dragons did, and she was no dragon.Ipulled out my dagger and held it to her throat.Shewas breakable and weak.IfIlet her live, that’s whatIwould become as well.Icould end this all here.Justremember it as a cruel dream, fate laughing at me one more time.
Fatehad taken my mother and father along with every other dragon in this world.Ithas taken my people and, in the process, my soul.Ithad taken my magic, the only thingIstill had that reminded me of whatIonce was, and with that, it had taken the sky from me.Now, it dangled this last piece of hope in front of me, distracting me from the revengeIhad let shape me for these last centuries.Itensed my muscles to pull that blade through her skin and feel her warm blood as the life left her.ButIrecalled that fire in her eyes, her fearlessness, andIknewIwas only fooling myself.
“Youwill be my undoing, won’t you,Princess?”
Chapter 2
Hadeon
Thedream was always the same.IfIdreamed of anything else,Idon’t remember it.Butthis one,Iremember.Ithaunts me whetherI’mawake or asleep.
Thatgreat dragon stared down at me, laughing at my weakness.Hislips curled back in a snarl as his tongue lashed out to taste my fear and shame.Histeeth descended like knives for my throat, and allIwished was that he would finally end me.
535 yearsago
Iheard the deep rumbling of the sky, like thunder but more deadly, and ran out of my parents’ bed to hide in the cupboard—a child’s foolishness.Myparents hadn’t even woken up.
Smokecurled in under the seam beneath the cupboard door, and the deep red light of the flames danced between the slats ofwood that were shoddily nailed together.Thatgreat, terrible rumbling filled the sky, and my body shook uncontrollably.
“Mama?Papa?”
“Hadeon, where are you?!”Thepanic in my mother’s voice was the only memoryIhad of her.
Ascream pierced the burning night air as the ceiling over my parents’ room collapsed in a crash.Ican’t remember their faces.Itwas like the flames of that night had singed them from my memory, butIwill always remember that scream.Itwas quiet except for the snapping of wood under the relentless attack of the fire.
“Mama!”Ishoved my shoulder into the door, and it flew open.Flamesconsumed everything.Thecupboard was the only part of the house still standing.Evenat such a young age,Iknew they were gone.ButIwas stupid and tried to dig into the smoldering ruins as the skin on my hand sizzled away.
“Mama!”Mycall had been more of a wail than a cry, andIheard the sizzling of my tears dropping into the embers.
Anotherbeam snapped, and something hit me across the face so hardIblacked out.WhenIcame to,Iknew nothing but pain.Iwas stuck beneath flaming rubble, andIcould feel every inch of my skin burning away.
Iscreamed and pushed to escape, every part of my soul longing to live, but my body would not respond.Ithrashed and wailed, but it was useless.Iwas too small, too weak to help anyone, even myself.
Then, that great rumbling was just above me, and the flames flattened to the ground as a great burst of wind consumed what remained of my home.
Oneenormous, taloned claw cleared the rubble on top of me with a great snap.Deepochre eyes set into iridescent maroon scales peered directly into my soul as the chilled night air whipped over my destroyed skin, creating a new level of pain.
Thedragon opened his massive jaw, and a long, forked tongue flicked out as if to taste the air.Isaw his throat and heart glow a deep blood red as he summoned his dragonfire.
Mybody froze as his jaws moved to encompass me, his teeth scraping grooves into the flesh of my arms.Iwas beyond panic, beyond reason.Iwas dead and witnessing the end.
Thena soft screech broke the sky, and the dragon’s head snapped up as a smaller dark shadow passed overhead.
Malechflapped his wings and took off, never giving me a second thought.Myview of the sky was clear now, and the stars mocked me with their twinkling.Howdare they look so peaceful asIlay there dying?Mybody lay scorched and frozen untilIwas nothing but pain and blackness.
5 daysago
Iawoke to the smell of burning fabric.Mymagic had lashed out in my sleep, singeing and almost destroying my room.Ithad reduced the bed to ash; long, creeping veins of burned wood had scorched the floor and walls.
