Chapter 14
Draevyn
The night air was suffocating as Draevyn sat alone in his chambers, staring at the fire in the hearth while its flames flickered and surged with his every thought.
His hands trembled against his knees, his jaw clenched so tight it ached.
He hadn’t slept since the day of the tithe, after he sent Esmyra away, bloodied and wounded.
His mind combed through everything. Every second of that day.
The way her eyes locked on his, full of rage, betrayal, and something else he knew in his soul she tried to bury—pain.
The sound of Atlas’s voice screaming for the shot.
The smell of gunpowder and smoke while the tang of her blood filled the air.
The way Draevyn tore himself free of his brother’s grip and ran. Gods, he’d run like he never had in his life to reach Esmyra.
Draevyn had betrayed his own blood. If it had been his father, he wouldn’t bat an eye.
His loyalty was never to his ruthless sire.
But he’d never in his right mind thought he would do that to Atlas.
Every ounce of trust built between him and his brother was now gone, but only because it was her.
Because watching Esmyra fall would’ve destroyed what was left of him.
How could something feel so wrong yet entirely right at the same time? He didn’t feel regret; he only wished a better outcome was possible in the moment.
And now there were several other things that plagued his mind.
Did Esmyra make it out of Lephyrin? Was she even alive? Certainly, if the king’s guard had captured her, he would’ve been made aware. However the look in Atlas’s eyes when they last spoke made him realize that also may not be the case.
He could still see the blood pouring from her body, staining her skin as she staggered from him, could still feel the slick warmth of the wetness coating his hands as he brought her to safety.
But had he done enough? Had he bought her enough time?
His stomach twisted. Maybe nothing he did would ever be enough. Not after everything she thought he did.
Atlas had been furious when announcing the death to the kingdom.
Draevyn recalled how Elowynne clung to his side, whispering in his ear things Draevyn couldn’t hear.
How the lords and courtiers stayed quiet, letting the weight of what happened settle like a noose tightening around every throat in the room.
And through it all, his brother looked at him as if the blood staining Draevyn’s hands that day belonged to their father, and not the woman he was desperate to save.
While everyone loathed the king, had even spoken of better times to come when his soul left their realm, Draevyn was still duty-bound to protect him. And he hadn’t.
The memory burned hotter than the whiskey sliding down his throat now. He worked to take another gulp, but it tasted like ash on his tongue. With a growl, he stood and hurled the glass into the fire. The flames roared as the liquor caught, a violent burst of light swallowing the shattered glass.
“Godsdammit,” he rasped under his breath, sliding a hand down his face.
None of it mattered. The king was dead, his brother hated him, and he had no one to blame but himself.
Or Syrena. None of this would’ve happened without that bitch pulling the strings.
A sharp knock at the door echoed through the chamber, and he stiffened, staring at the fire as the flames continued to dance.
When he said nothing, another more aggressive knock sounded.
“Come in,” he ground out.
The door creaked open, and when he turned, Draevyn found himself stunned silent. Elowynne stood in his doorway, her dark hair braided down to her waist as her green and gold eyes were locked on him from across the room.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “I thought you might be here.”
Because of course my own fucking chambers was a hard guess.
He didn’t respond aloud. Just watched her through narrowed eyes.
“Listen, I think you and I got off to a bad start.” She sighed, hands folding in front of her.
Draevyn raised a brow. “A bad start?”
Elowynne took a hesitant step forward. “We scraped you off that beach, and things haven’t exactly gone according to plan since. I’ve come here to make amends. For both Atlas and myself.”
Irritation roiled through him as his head reared back. “You speak for my brother now?”
“Draevyn, I didn’t come to fight you. Or… justify what happened.” Her gaze drifted to the fire as she placed her hands on her hips. “But you need to understand why we did what we did.”
Heat coursed through him as the fire surged brighter in the hearth. “Atlas shot her. Multiple times as you cursed her mind. I begged you both to stop.”
“Because she would’ve killed us all.” Her voice was stern, laced with challenge. “She was moments away from giving Atlas the same fate she gave your father!”
Elowynne had a gracefulness to her, but there was something else he couldn’t quite place. A sharpened edge he’d only ever seen before in a certain siren that haunted his every thought.
Draevyn stormed up to her, and he was surprised when she didn’t back down.
“What did you make her see?” he boomed in her face as he stood over her.
“Esmyra was screaming, Elowynne. Screaming! She fears nothing. I’ve never met anyone like her before, yet you drift into her mind, making her cower and turn in on herself within seconds.
She’s been through enough! I could’ve reached her.
Neither of you gave me the fucking chance. ”
She swallowed hard. “Do you know what it’s like to see your betrothed’s life hanging by a thread? To feel death in the air?”
His lips curled in a bitter snarl. “Don’t talk to me about losing someone. Don’t you fucking dare.”
Draevyn barely knew the woman, but he was willing to bet she’d never suffered loss the way Esmyra had. The way he had when he lost the only woman he ever cared for by something entirely out of his control.
He could still feel Syrena’s talons scraping down his mind, carving their way in to place him under her control. He could still see her face morph into Esmyra’s, feeling her soft lips press against his own.
It was a disgusting, violating act. And Elowynne had done that to his Wildfire, invading her mind to make her see her greatest fears. He could only imagine what those fears might be.
Elowynne exhaled slowly. “Then let me tell you his side. Do you know what it did to your brother, seeing you of all people turn against him? You chose Esmyra over us. Over your family.”
“I could’ve stopped her!”
“She drowned the king on his throne!” she snapped.
“What were we supposed to do? Bow? Wait our turn?” She took a step closer, her golden eyes gleaming in the dim firelight at his back.
“Atlas is furious. Heartbroken. He hasn’t eaten.
Has barely slept. You should’ve seen him, pacing our chambers like a caged animal.
He’s torn, Draevyn. So very torn. How do you punish a brother for aiding someone who nearly destroyed your kingdom? ”
Draevyn glared at her, his voice low and cold when he said, “Maybe Lephyrin needed to burn.”
Silence fell heavy between them.
She shook her head, a bitter laugh slipping from her.
“You’re both so damn alike. Full of pride.
Blinded by love and loyalty. Only it’s clear to me now that this is the first time you’re on opposite ends.
” She met his gaze then, something almost sorrowful flickering in her eyes.
“You need to choose where your heart truly lies, because there’s no middle ground left. ”
I plan to swear you in as my advisor, Drae. It’s a way for us to rule together. He recalled his conversation with Atlas the night of the ball, before their entire world turned upside down.
“Think on it.” Elowynne’s voice pulled him from the memory. “I may be new to this family, but I’m not new to royalty.”
Draevyn’s eyes narrowed at that.
“You are the son of a king, and I’m the daughter of one. Remember, I left the Kingdom of Sumnae to be here, to join our royal Houses for the first time in history.”
“And whose House holds your loyalty then?” he challenged.
Elowynne gave him a sad smile. “Not all families offer love to one another the way you and your brother do. Do not forget that King Everhartt, my father, sent me off to a foreign kingdom since I wasn’t a son, nor his heir.”
Draevyn’s eyes softened at her confession, but he said nothing.
“Anyway, since you refuse to speak to anyone, I thought you should know the coronation will be in a week’s time, following the king’s funeral,” she said.
“All I ask is you make sure you know who your loyalty is to by then. Atlas has the weight of Lephyrin on his shoulders. Don’t put him in a position that makes it harder. ”
With that, she turned and left, leaving Draevyn alone once more.
His jaw clenched, his mind reeling as the weight of it all settled into his chest. Draevyn would never be able to summon the hatred his brother wanted him to feel.
He could never hate Esmyra—not when he knew who she was, knew her soul.
Not in this lifetime or the next would he find it in himself to see her the way the world already did.
His fists trembled as he dragged a hand through his hair.
Draevyn had never seen Atlas look so cold and cruel. He knew that rage—knew his brother would hunt her down, no matter the cost. Especially after witnessing the fury in his eyes.
Part of him, the weak, selfish part, wanted to find her. To abandon the crown and his kingdom to go find Esmyra and whisk her away from it all. To take her and run where no one could find them—not his brother, her cunt of a sister, or even the gods.
But it was too late for that now.
The whiskey burned his throat as he downed what was left of the bottle, eyes locked on the fire. The flames crackled louder, and he could almost see her face there, ridden with fury and heartache. He gritted his teeth.
No more running.
If his brother wanted a war, he’d get it. If the gods wanted her soul, they would have to pry her from his bare fucking hands.
But first… he had to find her.
Draevyn had to find his Wildfire.