Chapter 15
Fifteen
“Iunderstand if you want to end the betrothal,” Esi—the real Esi—said.
She didn’t seem bothered or worried that the truth was now out in the open.
Perhaps it was because her guard was right behind her, ready to snatch her away if Jasyn threatened her.
It would be fruitless. Jasyn was the one in power here.
Wiping the frustration from his eyes, Jasyn leaned against a nearby tree, desperate for something sturdy to hold him up. His body was still on fire from the last few hours. What he and…Iskra had done together was stamped all over his skin.
Esi must have noticed his panic, because she came up to him. “Based on the fact you're not wearing a shirt, I think Iskra followed through on what she wanted. What I granted permission for her to do.”
Jasyn snapped his head to her. “But I just fucked someone who was lying about their identity. I thought I was sleeping with my future wife, not some…some commoner.” The word burned his tongue. He hated thinking about Iskra like that, even in anger.
“Yet, you felt it was right. You felt a connection with her and acted on your desire to meld your souls in the most beautiful way.” Esi’s words were filled with so much air, like she was floating amongst the clouds and wanted him to join her.
“Are you saying I should marry her instead of you?”
“I’m saying I would rather us find ways to be happy in our marriage, even if it's outside each other.”
Jasyn scoffed breathily. “So you and Dominik can continue your daily rendezvous?”
The way Bron stiffened was palpable. He didn’t like this Dominik one bit, and if he read it correctly, Esi’s guard wished it was he who had the lady’s affection.
“Those rendezvous will become less frequent once you win the Undertaking, save our court for one more year, and become crowned. But yes, so I can still have Dominik in my life.”
“And I’ll have Iskra?”
The silence that followed was loud. Bron had his head dipped to the ground while Esi’s eyes spoke of sadness. What was he missing?
Before he had an opportunity to prod, he heard the squeaking of a wheel.
His parents appeared before them, giddy and so much at ease. His mother was on his father’s lap as he rolled them down the paths.
“Oh.” His mother placed a hand over her heart, as if they had startled her. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”
His father eyed his son’s exposed chest. “Hopefully, you’re behaving.”
Esi and Bron had their eyes on Jasyn. It was a test, he supposed.
Would he reveal it all now? It would end the betrothal.
He thought then about that little girl from this morning who had approached Esi—or who they all thought was Esi—with that flower crown.
She had adored the lady in front of her.
Jasyn couldn’t rip away the image the two of them created.
“I was just showing them the Butterfly Garden.” Jasyn gestured.
Then, he narrowed his eyes. What were his parents doing?
They never came out here. At least, he thought they never did, but he saw the blankets and basket his mother was holding, and thoughts of what that meant swirled in his head. “We should go.”
Jasyn started walking away, pushing Bron and Esi along with him.
He glanced behind him before the Butterfly Garden was out of sight, and he saw the way his parents giggled as they entered.
Before the door shut, he saw the flutter of butterflies swarm them.
His parents had been lucky to find love in their marriage.
He wished that could be him too, but he decided then, he would marry Esi if he won the Undertaking.
After all, his responsibility was to the people of the Sun Court, and he would do everything he could to prove himself worthy.
Iskra’s knees buckled in the town streets. She didn’t have time to wallow in her own pity. The sun would set soon, and she didn’t need to cause a disastrous scene in front of children.
She couldn’t believe this was how it ended. She thought she had a few more blissful days with him. She wanted to be in his arms, to soak up his scent and his touch.
“I knew you would come crawling back to me,” Kryth’s voice whispered.
She wiped the snot from her nose. She had been so distracted by her own woes, she hadn’t heard him approaching.
He crouched so he was eye level with her, his minister blue eyes piercing. “Sometimes, it’s best to stay in a cage. It’s safer there.”
Right now, she only found truth in that statement, because the pain coursing through her was immense, like she was being burned from the inside.
Her life prior to Kryth had been so short, she barely remembered it.
She knew she had lived in a commune of dragon shifters.
She knew they were constantly on edge because of the possibility of being caught.
In the back of her memories, she knew she felt at peace there with the other dragon shifters.
They had more control of their shifting, and she could transform any time of day.
Then, Kryth took her away. He had killed his sister and put his nephew, Bron, in debt, knowing he was never going to heal her. He was a villain who ripped joy from others’ lives so he could maintain a title he didn’t deserve.
Yet, even if she despised him, he was all she knew. His shop had become her home, and she had nowhere else to run.
“Take me to the shop,” she whispered, unable to deal with her emotions anymore.
So, Kryth helped her up and carried his prized possession to her cage.