Death Bound (The Soulsworn Chronicles #1)

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

The ship rocked gently beneath my feet, the sound of waves lapping against the hull blending with the wind’s low hum. I leaned against the railing, staring out at the horizon, trying to calm the restless beat of my heart. Valen had been watching me more closely—training me, guiding me in ways that felt more like manipulation than mentorship. I obeyed, though. Rhydian checked on me with his powers regularly, letting me know that they were okay. I didn’t want them to get hurt, so I was forced to do whatever Valen told me to.

“We need to stop,” Valen said.

I glanced at him, startled. “Stop?”

He nodded, his dark eyes fixed on the horizon. “We’re heading to an island not far from here—Sablemire. It’s abandoned, a place no one has set foot on in over a decade.”

I furrowed my brow, trying to place the name. “Sablemire?”

Valen’s lips curled into a faint smile, though there was nothing warm about it. “A small island. Isolated. Everyone who lived there died in a plague about ten years ago. Since then, it’s been left to rot.” He turned toward me, his eyes gleaming with something dark, something dangerous. “It’s quiet. Good for the dragon to rest.”

The dragon had been flying overhead for hours, its shadow a constant reminder of Valen’s power, of the danger that loomed over us all. The thought of landing on an island where a plague had wiped out an entire population—where the dead still lingered in the air—made my stomach twist.

Before I could argue, the ship’s crew began preparing a smaller boat to take us to shore. The dragon circled overhead, its wings casting a dark shadow across the deck as it passed by in lazy, wide arcs. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched it, the memory of the flames that should have burned me still lingering in my mind.

The boat was lowered into the water with a soft splash, and Valen gestured for me to follow him. I hesitated, glancing at the rest of the crew, but they were all avoiding eye contact, their faces set in cold indifference. No one dared interfere with Valen’s plans.

I stepped into the boat. The small craft rocked beneath me as I sat, gripping the sides tightly as Valen settled in across from me. The oars dipped into the water, and the boat glided away from the ship, heading toward the looming silhouette of Sablemire.

The island was closer now, its jagged cliffs rising sharply from the water, black and foreboding. The shoreline was a stretch of dark volcanic sand, and beyond that, twisted trees grew in thick clusters, their branches gnarled and lifeless. Everything about the island screamed desolation. The smell of salt mixed with something acrid, something that reminded me of decay.

“That plague tore through the population in days. Every man, woman, and child died within a week. The bodies were burned, but some say the sickness lingers in the soil,” he said.

The mention of a lingering plague sent a shiver down my spine. I had heard stories of sickness before, of whole towns disappearing. And here we were, heading straight into the heart of it.

“And what am I supposed to do here?” I asked, my voice quiet, almost drowned out by the sound of the oars cutting through the water.

Valen’s eyes gleamed in the fading light, his smile sharp and cold. “You’ll learn, Elara.”

My stomach churned as we neared the shore, an unsettling feeling creeping through me. The water surrounding the island seemed darker here, almost unnatural. Every breath I took tasted of smoke.

The dragon’s descent was graceful, almost languid, but there was a lethal energy in the way it moved—an unspoken promise that it could turn violent in a heartbeat. Its scales shimmered like molten metal, catching the last rays of sunlight as it flew over the dark sands of the shore. The closer it got, the more monstrous it appeared, and my heart raced with a mixture of fear and awe.

The boat slid onto the beach with a soft scrape, the sudden stillness almost deafening compared to the rhythmic sound of the waves we had just crossed. Valen moved with his usual grace, rising effortlessly and stepping onto the black sand as if he were stepping into his own domain.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. The island was… wrong. The air was too thick, too still. I felt it pressing in on me from all sides, like the island itself was watching us, waiting for something to happen. The heat radiating from the volcanic sand seeped through my boots, and I shuddered at the strange sensation. There was no wind here, no sound beyond the dragon’s low growl and the distant crash of waves against the shore.

The dragon’s claws sank into the sand, leaving deep furrows behind. The sheer size of it—towering, powerful—made me gasp. I could see the heat rippling around it, distorting the air like a hallucination. The flames that slumbered inside it were barely contained, and I knew with a terrifying certainty that it could unleash them at any moment.

Valen turned, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my skin prickle. He extended a hand, his lips curving into that familiar, dangerous smile.

“Come,” he commanded, his voice smooth but laced with something sharp, something that made it clear I had no choice in the matter.

I hesitated, my heart pounding in my chest as I stared at his outstretched hand. The thought of stepping onto that cursed sand, of walking toward the dragon that had circled us like a hunter, made my blood run cold. Every instinct screamed at me to stay in the boat, to stay as far away from that creature—and from Valen—as possible.

Fear clawed at my throat, and I took a step back. “I can’t,” I whispered.

Valen’s smile didn’t waver. “Approach the dragon.”

The command sent a jolt of terror through me. I shook my head. “No… I can’t…”

“You rode on his back and survived its flames once before,” Valen said.

The memory of the fire washed over me—how the flames had roared around me, consuming everything in their path but leaving me untouched. The heat had been unbearable, the fear even worse, but somehow… the fire had spared me.

“Why didn’t they burn me?”

Valen’s eyes gleamed, and his smile turned dangerous. “Let’s find out.”

Before I could react, he lifted his hand, his fingers curling slightly. The dragon’s head snapped toward him, its fiery eyes blazing with sudden intensity. Then, with a roar that shook the ground beneath my feet, the dragon opened its massive jaws, flames spilling out in a torrent of searing heat.

I screamed as the fire engulfed me, stumbling backward as the heat roared around me in a torrent of light. My body recoiled instinctively, expecting the searing pain of flames devouring my skin—but just like before, the fire didn’t touch me. It danced around me, fierce and violent, but somehow… distant. As though I were standing in the eye of a storm, untouchable while everything burned around me.

I wanted to feel it. I needed to feel something. The fire, the heat—it should have burned. It should have consumed me. But there was no pain, no flames licking at my flesh. It was like I wasn’t even there.

Why?

I collapsed to my knees as the flames flickered out, leaving behind an eerie silence. My body trembled uncontrollably as the emptiness settled deep inside me. The absence of heat made the world feel cold and hollow, but the fire had left something far worse behind—something I couldn’t escape.

Her screams. Aeliana.

The memory surged forward, sharp and violent, crashing over me with the force of a tidal wave. I was back there—back in that moment, standing frozen as the fire swallowed her whole. I could hear her screams, so loud, so desperate, as the flames twisted around her body, writhing in agony. I could smell the smoke, the burning flesh, and the way the fire had crackled, so hungry, so ruthless.

I couldn’t save her.

I sobbed, my chest heaving as the horror of that night played over and over in my mind, each memory sharper than the last. I could still see her, feel her hand slipping from mine.

It should have been me.

The fire had unlocked something deep inside me—something I couldn’t control, something that had been buried too long.

I wasn’t just afraid of the flames.

I was afraid of what the flames meant. Of the fire inside me, of what it had taken from me—what it had stolen.

“You murdered her,” I choked out, the words spilling from my lips before I could stop them. My voice was thick with bitterness, with pain, with a rage that had been simmering inside me for so long it felt like it might tear me apart. I lifted my tear-streaked face to meet Valen’s cold, calculating gaze. “You… you killed her.”

He didn’t deny it. Of course he didn’t. He never had. Aeliana’s death was just another part of his plan—another calculated move on a chessboard in a game I hadn’t even known I was playing.

“She was the enemy,” Valen said, his tone low and indifferent, as though her life—her life—meant nothing to him.

“She was everything good. Everything you’ll never be.” My words were sharp, venomous, but the ache in my chest betrayed me.

Valen didn’t flinch. His eyes stayed locked on mine, dark and impenetrable. If my words stung, he didn’t show it. “And what did her goodness earn her?” he countered smoothly, his tone like a blade slipping between ribs. “A quiet life? A happy ending? No, Elara. It made her weak. Vulnerable. It got her killed.”

The anger inside me erupted, hot and uncontrollable, like the fire that should’ve taken me in the crypt. My chest heaved as I glared at him, tears burning in my eyes. “No,” I spat. “It wasn’t her weakness. It was you. You killed her!”

His lips curved into something too sharp to be a smile, a faint twitch that only added fuel to my fury. “Her noble blood killed her,” he murmured, taking a slow, deliberate step forward.

Valen tilted his head, watching me like a predator watching its prey. “Aeliana’s death… it wasn’t meaningless. She gave me something far more valuable than her life.” His voice dropped, soft but cutting. “She gave me you.”

The words slammed into me like a blow. My nails dug into my palms until I felt the sting of broken skin, but I didn’t care. The pain kept me grounded. “You’re insane,” I whispered, the bile rising in my throat as his meaning began to sink in.

“Am I?” he asked, the question slow, mocking. Another step closer. His presence felt suffocating, pulling the air from my lungs. “You’re immune to dragon fire, Elara. That’s not an accident. That’s fate.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” I shot back, lifting my chin.

Valen chuckled, the sound low and rich, curling through the cold air like smoke. “You don’t have to believe in it. You’re living it.”

“You’re sick,” I hissed, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “Aeliana was my friend. She was?—”

“—something you’ll never be,” he interrupted, his tone almost pitying. The dragon behind him let out a low rumble, the sound vibrating through the air. Its massive head lowered, fiery eyes watching me intently. There was no malice in its gaze, only a strange, almost disarming warmth. “She was bound by duty, but you? You’re bound by loyalty, by the difference between right and wrong. You’ll succeed where she failed.”

“Why do you keep doing this?” I demanded, forcing my attention back to him. “What do you want from me?”

Valen’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes, something unreadable. “I told you,” he said softly. “You’re precious, Elara. A diamond in the rubble. You don’t even know how rare you are.”

I shook my head, bile rising in my throat. “Stop talking to me like I’m something to be owned.”

His smirk returned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t need to own you. I just need to make sure you don’t get yourself killed before you figure out what you’re capable of.”

“I don’t need your help,” I snapped, the words bitter, my fists trembling.

“Don’t you?” he countered, his gaze dipping to my clenched hands. “You’re shaking, Elara. Do you even know what you’re doing? Do you even know what’s inside you?”

“I know you’re a liar,” I said.

“Liar?” he repeated, the faintest trace of amusement curling the edges of his lips. “That’s rich, coming from someone pretending to be a princess.”

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. His words hit like a slap, too deliberate to be a casual remark. “You think I have a choice in that?” I asked.

Valen took another step closer, his presence overwhelming now, his armor brushing against my sleeve. “You’re not her. You never could be. And yet…” He leaned in slightly, his lips hovering close to my ear. “You’re something far more interesting.”

My heart pounded, the space between us impossibly small. His words sent a shiver down my spine, though I couldn’t tell if it was fear, anger, or something far more dangerous.

“Get away from me,” I said.

Valen didn’t move. His lips quirked into a faint smirk, but his eyes were unreadable, dark and steady. “You don’t mean that,” he murmured.

“Yes, I do,” I said, forcing the words out, even as my hands betrayed me, trembling at my sides.

“I should walk away,” he said, his voice low, rough-edged, as though he were fighting with himself. “But you make it so damn difficult.”

I wanted to scream at him, to slap that smug look off his face, but his hand moved before I could react. His fingers caught my chin, his touch firm but not cruel, tilting my face up so I couldn’t look away.

“You hate me now,” he murmured, his dark eyes holding mine captive. “But one day…” His voice dipped lower, his thumb brushing against my jaw in a way that sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine. “One day, you won’t.”

My breath hitched, my chest tightening with a mixture of anger and something I couldn’t name. “You’re delusional,” I whispered, though the words lacked conviction.

His smirk deepened, his lips hovering so close to mine that I could feel the heat of his breath. “You might even like me,” he said softly, the words laced with dangerous certainty.

Then, just as abruptly as he’d grabbed me, he released me, stepping back with a deliberate ease that made me hate him even more.

“I won’t,” I said.

“We’ll see,” he murmured, the promise in his tone sending another shiver through me.

Before I could react, his hand shot out once more, grabbing me by the neck—not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to send a jolt of heat and anger through me. My pulse thundered beneath his fingers, and his thumb brushed against the side of my throat, a touch both possessive and infuriating.

“Let go,” I snarled, shoving at his chest, but he didn’t budge.

“Make me,” he said, his voice dipping lower, the words a quiet challenge.

I shoved harder, my palms slamming against his armor, but it was like trying to move a stone wall. My fury rose, white-hot and wild, but it only seemed to amuse him. His gaze dropped to my lips, and his smirk turned razor-sharp.

Behind him, the dragon growled, the low rumble vibrating through the air. The sound made me falter, but Valen didn’t even glance back. He was focused on me, on the fire in my eyes, the defiance in every breath I took.

He tilted his head closer, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear as he whispered, “One day, I’ll trust you enough to tell you everything—why Aeliana had to die, why the crypt had to burn, why you shouldn’t trust the queen.”

His words sent a chill down my spine, a warning and a promise tangled together.

“And when you know the truth…” His lips brushed over the curve of my neck, dragging a slow, searing path that left my skin burning. “…you’ll fight alongside me. Where you belong.”

His hand tightened on my neck, just enough to tilt my head back, his eyes blazing as he captured my gaze. “Because you do belong with me, Elara.”

“Never,” I whispered, though my voice cracked, betraying the war inside me.

His smirk returned, darker now, edged with something dangerous. “We’ll see.”

Then, with an infuriating, swift motion, his lips crashed against mine. It wasn’t a kiss—it was an invasion, a battle I hadn’t agreed to fight. His mouth was demanding, rough, and unrelenting, his teeth grazing my lower lip before biting down just enough to send a sharp jolt of pain through me.

I gasped against his lips, the sound stolen as he deepened the kiss, his hand still firm on my neck, holding me in place as if daring me to resist. The heat of him was overwhelming, burning through the cold night air and into my skin. His body pressed closer, his armor brushing against my chest, and I hated how my heart stuttered, how my body betrayed me by responding to the sheer force of him.

I shoved at his chest, hard, my palms colliding with the cold metal of his armor, but it was like trying to move a mountain. He didn’t budge. If anything, the resistance only seemed to encourage him, his lips claiming mine with even more force, his grip on my neck tightening just enough to remind me that I wasn’t in control.

Anger flared in my chest, sharp and hot, and I pushed again, this time with all the strength I could muster. A muffled growl rumbled from him, low and primal, but he finally pulled back, the abruptness of it leaving me reeling.

I stumbled slightly, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I pressed a hand to my neck, still feeling the ghost of his touch. His lips were red, swollen from the force of the kiss, and curved into that maddening, self-assured smirk that made me want to slap him.

His eyes, though—those dark, burning eyes—were fiercer than I’d ever seen them, intense and unyielding as they bore into mine. There was no humor in them now, only something raw and untamed, something that made my pulse pound in my ears.

“You’ll thank me for this someday,” he said.

I glared at him, my chest heaving as I wiped the back of my hand across my lips. “I’ll never thank you.”

He chuckled, the sound low and full of dark amusement, before turning and disappearing into the shadows.

This time, I didn’t follow him. Instead, I stayed where I was, the cold night air biting at my skin, my lips still stinging from the kiss that felt more like a battle than anything else.

And in the stillness, I hated how his words lingered in my mind, coiled around my thoughts like a serpent.