Chapter 30 Zadyn
ZADYN
We step out of the overcrowded carriage parked on the outskirts of town and breathe in the salt air rolling off the sea. I’m relieved to find the color gold absent from my vision. Serena stands a few feet away in the field, talking to Mar, sunlight dancing off her dark waves.
“She’s beautiful.”
Ilayna sidles up to me, her eyes on Serena, who stands there oblivious to her own beauty. To the effect she has on everyone who meets her.
“I can see why you’re so taken with her. Both of you,” Ilayna adds, nodding toward Jace. I turn to face her.
“Ilayna…I’m so sorry for the way I behaved.”
She laughs. “Zadyn, you’ve been a perfect gentleman. You were kind to me. And you showed me something that no one has in a very long time.”
“What’s that?”
She leans in, taking my hand. “Respect.”
My heart warms at her bright smile. It’s the first time I’ve seen it reach her eyes.
“Go,” she says. “You don’t want to be spotted here.”
“Come with us,” I blurt.
Her expression shifts into something I can’t read. She drops her gaze to her feet. “I can’t.”
“Ilayna, you deserve more than this. You don’t belong here, with a bunch of—”
“Whores?” she supplies, glancing up at me. “It’s okay to say it. It’s the truth.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.” I shake my head earnestly. “We can help you start over in Aegar.”
A subdued look settles on her heart-shaped face. “That is kind of you, but my home is here. It’s the only one I’ve ever known. The madame and the girls are my only family. It may not be glamorous, but at least I belong. Be well, Zadyn. You’re a good male. You deserve someone just as good.”
“So do you, Ilayna. We could never have done this without you.”
I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek. There’s a soft smile on her face when I pull away—one that’s taken effort and practice to perfect.
It’s the saddest thing.
My heart clenches as I drop her hand.
She’s the kind of person I could see myself with. Someone with a pure heart and an innocence that is so rare in this world. And maybe if I hadn’t been given to Serena at birth, things would be different. I would be with someone like Ilayna.
But things aren’t different. And my heart belongs to Serena completely. I will love her until it destroys me.
So I turn my back to Ilayna, making my way toward destruction herself.
“Tough goodbye?” Serena teases as I reach her side.
“Don’t be a dick,” I snap, trudging ahead through the tall grass and wildflowers. “Did you even thank her for her help?”
“I did,” she says defensively. “If you’re so in love with her, why not bring her along?”
“I asked her to come. She said no.”
Serena’s eyes shoot to me. I avoid looking at her.
I don’t know what surprises her more. The fact that I invited Ilayna or the fact that I’m defending her the way I am.
We fall silent as we make our way to the giant purple dragon on the beach. She’s right where we left her, roaming the sand, chomping the leaves off the towering trees.
Serena preps her for flight as we climb onto her back, settling in the best we can. There’s no real method to staying on top of her. We just have to grip the spikes and hope for the best.
“Are we ready?” Serena says, taking her place in the saddle.
The five of us nod in confirmation.
“Alright. Let’s go home.”
Derek’s keep finally comes into view between the mountains, flashing its sparkling glory up at us through the breaks in the clouds. We veer toward it, clinging to Furi’s back as she dips down.
And that’s when we see it.
The hordes of gold-armored troops surrounding the perimeter, already lodged in battle.
Shit.