Page 43 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“Let me go.” I attempt to yank my arm from his grasp, but he holds on.

His jaw turns to stone. “You could have just asked,” he says, and I scoff.

“You would never have given it to me.”

“Now you’ll never know,” he says. “Instead of appealing to my good nature, you’ve now forced me to feed you to my pet sea dragon. Such a pity, Heart Queen. Just when you’d returned after all this time. I suppose your family truly is destined for nothing but ruin.”

I yank again, but his grip is firm, and I’m starting to panic.

“I need it to save him!” I scream. “Please. I’m begging you.”

“Save who?” Cyan demands. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“She has him. Zerra has my mate.”

Cyan’s grip on my arm loosens, his pale face turning ghostly white. “Zerra?”

“Yes,” I whisper, knowing how insane I sound right now. “She . . . I saw her.”

“What do you mean you saw her?” His voice is sharp, the syllables snipped.

“I was in the Evanescence. I saw the beginning of Ouranos and the rulers who received the Artefacts first.”

I’m babbling and not making any sense, but Cyan slowly parses out my words.

“That’s not possible,” he says, peering at me as though he’s trying to determine if I’ve lost my mind. I don’t blame him. Everything I’m saying right now does sound impossible.

“I thought so, too, but I was there.” I finally pull my arm from his hold and back up a few steps. “I wasn’t lying when I said Nadir is dead. I killed him, but it was an accident.”

“Your magic,” Cyan says. “You lost control like you did in my bathroom.”

“I meant to kill the Aurora’s soldiers, not him. Then Zerra came to me, and she said she could save him. But she would do so only if I bring her the Alluvion ark. So you see, this is why I need it.”

My chest heaves with shortened breaths as I clutch the ark to my chest.

“Please. I’m begging you. I can’t live . . . I can’t . . . I can’t live without him. Even if he hates me for killing him, I can’t let him die.”

Cyan’s hard expression softens, genuine remorse in his eyes, but I already know what he’ll say as his head slowly shakes from side to side.

“Lor. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you take it.”

“Why not? What do you need it for?”

“I need it for my kingdom and my people. If you know of the arks, you understand that already.”

“Can’t I just borrow it? Coral said you don’t use it anyway.”

His eyes narrow. “Coral said what?”

He gazes past me, and I peer over my shoulder to find Bain in the doorway, watching us, his forehead furrowed and his hands clutched to his chest.

Cyan’s gaze returns to me, his eyes darkening to navy pits. “What did you do?”

“Please,” I say, brushing past the accusation.

“Do you think Zerra will give it back?” He arches a dark eyebrow and gives me a look that suggests I’ve got to be kidding him.

“Maybe?” I ask as I inch back another step. The ocean crashes outside, rain still falling, and I wonder if I can escape over the edge of Coral’s aquarium.