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“We’ll get them there promptly, Lady Adeena,” one of the escorts says as I hand him the rope attached to the shackles clipped around the prisoners.
“You’ll never be accepted here as a high lady,” one of the prisoners mumbles as he spits at my face.
A wad of saliva slides across my cheek, catching me by surprise.
Dreyden’s fist immediately connects with the side of the prisoner’s head, knocking him unconscious. He’s already passed out cold as his body hits the ground. The prisoner beside him looks between his unconscious friend and Dreyden, and he shakes his head, trying to hold his hands up in surrender.
Dreyden turns to me with his arms crossed. “You don’t have to put yourself through this.”
Heat rises to my cheeks. “How can you even say that? This is the life the gods chose for me, and it would be an insult for me to turn my back on that.”
His frustration is clear as his breathing gets louder and his jaw clenches tightly. “I’ll be out back,” he huffs as he stalks off.
I glance down at the prisoner asleep on the ground, then smile at his friend as I say, “Have a safe trip.”
The largest of the escorts picks up the limp prisoner, throwing him over his shoulder as he begins to walk. The shackles from the unconscious prisoner yank his friend forward as the massive escort walks away from him. Four escorts and two prisoners leave the yard in the direction of the prison.
For a moment I stand there contemplating whether I should go back inside the manor to check on Lyra and Izan or if I follow Dreyden to the back lawn.
Ultimately, I choose my mate.
Chapter Twenty
DREYDEN
Deep blue water shimmers against the morning sun, and it’s easy to get lost deep in thought while I stand at the shore’s edge staring into it.
I’m terrified beyond belief.
As each day passes, Adeena becomes more and more serious about staying here. I can’t get past this overwhelmingly selfish feeling of wanting her to stay in Fire Court, especially after seeing her here. It’s not safe for her and Lyra to be alone here. I can’t protect her like I want to if I’m across the continent in my own court all the time.
How will we ever make this work?
She will have her duties to her people here in Sky Court, and I will have my duties to my people in Fire Court.
Is there somewhere I can meet her in between? What’s the happy medium here? I rack my brain over and over again, and each time I come up with nothing. I’m paralyzed with fear and I have a hard time processing what’s happening. It’s all too fast.
Out of the corner of my eye I think I see a small ripple in the water, so I step closer to the water’s edge, leaning in for a closer look.
“I thought we were getting over this,” Adeena’s voice calls out behind me, drawing my attention away from the water.
She reaches my side quickly, quietly staring into my eyes as she waits for an answer.
“I’m trying,” I sigh as I throw my hands in the air. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Forgive me if I’m having a hard time letting you go.”
Her hands land on her hips as her attitude rises to the surface. “There’s no need to let go of me when I’m not going anywhere. You can come stay with me as often as you want, and once I get things under control here I’ll stay in Fire Court all the time. We’ll find a way to make it work. There might be a lot of traveling, but I know we can do it.”
“And what about long term?” I snap. “How do you see that working down the road? What about kids someday? You can’t tell me we’d force children to travel back and forth like their parents aren’t even together. That’s unfair.”
Before she can respond something comes barreling out of the water, slamming us both to the ground. I’m caught off guard, wincing in pain on the ground as I try to gather myself.
My eyes come back into focus, and I see an onyx hydrol slithering out of the lake, heading straight for Adeena, who’s been thrown at least thirty feet away.
In a panic, I begin throwing balls of fire toward the snake-like creature, trying to burn holes in its dark fishy scales. The hydrol shivers as my fire hits it, and it turns its attention toward me as I do nothing more than anger it. Halfway between me and Adeena, it changes direction and comes for me instead.
I continue throwing fire at it, desperately trying to slow it down enough to figure out a plan. Hundreds of years have passed since I’ve read about hydrols, and I’ve certainly never experienced one in person.
Adeena gathers herself, planting her feet firmly in the ground as she calls while light to her hands. She throws it over the hydrol’s eyes, temporarily blinding it as it closes in on me. I tuck and roll, narrowly avoiding its razor sharp teeth as it lunges for me.
