CHAPTER 8
“The Deskyiara line must always survive. If the bloodline vanishes from the Realms, pure chaos will scoop the lands. The Gods will rain fire upon the Realms for what they have done.” - Book of Azure
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” I exclaim.
My eyes widen as they take in the onyx attire suit spread elegantly across the king-size bed. I’m sure if I crawled into the velvet, silver sheets, I would be lost forever. It’s massive. Maybe being lost from this world wouldn’t be such a bad thing right now.
The suit gleams with a slick sheen, its rich, inky black fabric capturing the dim light of the room by the dark chandelier above.
My finger glides over the indentations of the suit, my fingers rising and falling every few seconds.
The design is similar to what Prince Florian wore, and the dragon-like scales are what catch my attention the most.
But as my finger gradually brushes the scales, I begin to wonder… why do they add dragon scales to their suits?
My eyes trail around, finding dark, midnight canopies cascading elegantly from the ceiling. The bed's towering wooden posts are crafted from dark, charcoal wood, each one intricately etched with dragon-like scales that shimmer subtly.
My lips form a tight line, my fingers grasping at the sheets before letting out a deep sigh. “Nope. I’m not wearing this.” I let out a frantic laugh. “This is ridiculous.”
“Put it on.”
I jump a few inches off the slick, cobblestone ground, my hand clutching my chest as I lose my balance, tumbling against the side of the bed frame to steady myself.
Koen leans casually against the wooden doorframe, his arms folded across his ripped chest in a relaxed, yet confident manner.
It makes my eyes roll, but his gaze is fixed intently on me.
There is a quiet intensity in his eyes that makes my stomach twist. Unsure if it's anger. Frustration. Or something else.
A single strand of hair has escaped from his messily-tied bun, swaying softly in the air just in front of his eye, catching the light from the chandelier above. Adding a touch of rugged charm to his composed demeanor. His arrogant demeanor.
Next time, it’ll be me hitting him over the head with a broken branch.
“Can I not have privacy?” I lean into the wooden bed frame, gripping it tightly so I don’t rush over there and attack him. Constantly reminding myself of the last time I hit him, when his body felt like steel. The bones in my hands still ache with pain.
“Nope.” He strides in with ease, using his foot to kick the door shut behind him. The door responds with a resounding slam, echoing through the room, bouncing off the walls, and I instinctively flinch by the sudden noise.
Damn. What the hell is he doing?
My eyes stay glued on him, watching his every step as he walks past me to the arched window that overlooks the snowy terrain.
“This was my mother’s room.” He clears his throat, his finger gliding along the charcoal window sill before rubbing it together. Dust scatters in the air. I notice markings along his wrist, hidden by his sleeves.
“The Queen?”
“No,” he hesitantly says, looking over his shoulder towards me. “She was never the Queen of Nilak.”
I hold my breath as he glares at me. His emerald eyes are bold against his hair and skin.
The scars along his lip and neck create a fear deep inside me that I have never felt before.
He is the opposite of Florian. It's written all over him that he is different.
Koen is tense, unafraid to look me dead in the eyes while speaking to me, and most importantly, my body trembles when I am near him.
And it’s because I seek revenge on him. My body is being fueled with rage to throw him into the dungeon and lock him with dragons. I doubt he’d like that.
But I fear, I worry, I’m trapped in a room with someone who can kill me with their bare hands.
A feeling etches inside me that I should fear him, more than the dragons that tried to kill me.
“Your mother wasn’t the Queen?”
“The Queen of Azure is the ruler of all the Realms, which is where you are headed.” He shakes his head.
“The King of the Ice Realm was never married to my mother. I’m Florian’s half brother.
” His shoulders arch backwards, turning to face me as he casually sits on the ledge of the framing.
“No one has been in here since she passed.”
My heart drops and I fumble out the words. “I can leave.”
“No.” His words cut sharply. “I put these in here for you.”
My head tilts to the side before scanning the suite once again. “Why?”
He shifts backwards, his body pressing closer to the glass, and crosses his arms once more.
The fabric of his baggy shirt stretches slightly, hinting at the defined muscles of his chest beneath with the scars slashed across his skin.
I quickly avert my gaze, not wanting him to catch the flicker of curiosity in my eyes.
He’s infuriating, yet there's no denying he's incredibly attractive. But with all the beautiful details this man possesses, my hatred for him is a seething, relentless fire that burns deep within my soul, and I will never, ever forget it.
He is the reason I am in this mess. If he would have left me alone in the field, I might have found my way back to Alice.
“Well…” he scuffs.
His lips rub between his teeth in a moment of contemplation before he rises from the window sill. As if he noticed my eyes beginning to trace the lines of his chest, his lip tugs into a smirk. I do my best to avoid his gaze.
The dim light from outside casts a soft glow on his figure as he moves towards the bed with a fluid grace. With a playful leap, he lands on the mattress and leans over it, his eyes locking onto mine with an intense glare that seems to pierce through me.
I suck in a deep breath, my body tensing. “Well… what?” My brows lift.
“I was aware that Father and Florian would be occupied in the east wing, so I brought you to the west wing,” he casually says, raising his brown eyebrows.
“I need to talk to you in a place where no one would think to find us. This room is off-limits. The King never permits anyone to enter this area. Not even me.”
I go to explode, my lips parting to speak, but Koen holds his hand up.
“Are you one of them?” he whispers, his eyes flickering from mine to the door.
I lean into the bed frame, my palms pressing firmly against the wood. “One of… who?”
“Did you shift that night?”
You have got to be kidding me. He truly believes I am a shifter?
“Koen…” My brows narrow. “When I say this, I fully say this and mean it with every ounce of my being… I am not a shapeshifter.”
“You can tell me.” His voice drops lower while his chest rises and falls faster.
“I am not a shapeshifter!” I let out a raging scream. I heavily breathe afterwards, exhaling slowly to stabilize my beating heart. “You have me all wrong.”
He rolls on his back, sighing deeply. “Damn. I was so sure.” He cocks his head over, his dark brown curls framing his defined chin.
“This is why you took me to that awful place?” My jaw clenches, eyes widening with rage.
“Then why were you in the field of ash?” He ignores my question, egging me on for more answers he seeks.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I shrug, my veins still burning with anger as I glare at him. “I touched the stones back in Alaska and…”
“Alaska?” He sits up, his hand resting against the mattress as leans in towards me. “What the hell is an Alaska?”
I throw my arms up in frustration, my voice rising. “Oh no.” My head shakes vigorously, the strands of my hair swaying with the motion. “I am not doing this again.”
His laughter erupts, a deep, resonant sound that fills the air.
My tongue glides across my top teeth with annoyance.
But as my eyes roll from the ceiling down to meet him, he is grinning ear to ear.
As if he likes getting me riled up. His white teeth gleam brightly against his warm, sun-kissed skin, and a charming dimple appears, carving a playful crease into his left cheek.
“You honestly expect me to believe that you stumbled upon a pile of old stones and somehow found yourself here in this realm?” Koen teases with an arched eyebrow. “The Queen might find you deranged and have you thrown in with the dragons for speaking this way.”
I narrow my eyes at him but can't help feeling a flicker of doubt creeping inside me. Something I have wondered… did I truly follow those whispers weaving through the ancient rocks until they led me here? But everything about this place has felt real. The pain. The beauty. All of it.
“Yes,” I reply firmly. “I touched one of the five stones and felt a power surge through me. A feeling I cannot explain. Then I woke up and was transported to this place. I was no longer in a cave deep in Alaska but here, in a field, in a place I’ve never heard of.”
Koen chuckles softly, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Well then,” he says with a sly smile playing on his lips. “If you truly possess such mystical abilities bestowed upon you by these mere stones, show me some magic.”
His banter both frustrates and intrigues me in equal measure. He is by far more unpleasant to be around than Florian. I know that he knows what he says and does, makes my insides boil.
“I don’t have magic.” I lean over, my palms pressing into the soft mattress. “The stones brought me here, and that is how you found me in that field of ash.”
He leans closer to me, his eyes dropping from my eyes to my lips. “You are quite interesting.” He takes a long pause. “Your name?”
“Serene. Serene Quinnell.”
“Okay, Serene. Let's get you to meet the Queen of Azure and we’ll see if she believes you have transported through these stones.”
I pull my loose strands behind my ear, giving a small smirk before speaking. “I don’t think anyone will believe the words I say. I’m unsure if I even believe them, but all I know is it happened and I don’t know how to return.”
His eyes linger on me, almost as if he were reading the thoughts running rapidly in my mind.
“Do you want to leave?” he subtly says.
“I…” I go to speak but pause just as fast. “I need to.”
“I didn’t ask if you needed to, I asked if you wanted to.”
My heart pauses, and I feel the blood rush to my head as he softly gazes my way. But a loud thud hits on the door and Prince Florian stands there. His outfit has changed to a slightly similar suit to the one that still lies flat on the bed.
“She isn’t ready yet?” Florian grips the doorframe, pausing before walking in. “We need to leave, night is about to fall. We must set out.”
“How’d you know we were here?” Koen’s brow arches.
Florian's head shifts to the side. “Because the guard told me he saw you walking up the stairs.”
“We are leaving? What about the arch…” Before I can say archives, Florian interrupts me.
“We must leave to the Queen. The King's order.”
“It’s always what the King wants,” Koen mocks as he pushes off the bed.
“Says the brother who stood by his side this morning? What the hell was that?” Florian takes a fierce stride through the room, heading straight towards us.
“I knew you two would come this way. I had a feeling you went to see the elder.” Koen’s thumbs rest into his belt, uncomfortably close to the dagger.
Florian straightens his back. “Did you tell him?”
“Don’t worry brother, your secret is safe with me.” Koen’s eyes drift from his brother to me. “Now get dressed. We’ll be waiting outside.”
I LIFT THE SUIT UP into the air, holding it by the shoulders as it dangles and sways slightly. I twist it around carefully, examining every stitch and button, trying to make sense of its complex structure.
“How the hell do I put this on?” I mutter.
I take a deep breath, knowing the men won’t patiently wait too long and begin to carefully figure out how to properly put this on.
The fabric feels cool against my skin. I take a deep breath in as I cautiously step into the sleek, black pants, its onyx hue glistening under the dim light of my chamber.
It clings snugly to every curve of my legs, molding like a second skin.
They almost feel like leggings. I lift my legs, stretching the material out to get comfortable.
I grab the top and slide one arm through first and then realize, one side is sleeveless.
My bare arm feels the breeze from a slight crack in the window, but the one that is covered feels nothing but heat.
My fingers glide along each scale on the right chest and shoulder material, brushing against the rough edges.
With steady hands, I fasten each button securely down the front diagonally until it rests tightly against my chest.
Black leather boots, unlaced, rest beside the bed. I must have not noticed earlier, due to the unpleasant interruption of Koen barging into the room. But I swiftly slip my feet into them, tie the laces, and make my way to the door.
I twist the silver knob, feeling its coolness against my palm. As I turn, the clicking noise echoes in the room and the door opens.
Florian waits by the nearby white staircase with cobblestone steps. His midnight-black suit blends into the wall behind him. The medallion he wore when I first met him, dragon wings with five circles, still rests perfectly against his chest before he tucks it under the suit.
Koen’s appearance has changed. He now wears an outfit similar to Florian's.
His broad frame is adorned with midnight-black dragon scales and sleek shoulder armor.
His black pants fit snugly around his thighs, complemented by tall, raven-black boots that reach up to his knees.
A belt is tightened around his waist, holding three daggers.
“This will do.” Koen shrugs before meeting Florian’s stare. “Are we ready?”
The Prince nods, and Koen gestures for me to walk before him.
“We are down a horse, remember?” I bite my lips.
“We aren't taking the one we rode on.” A playful glint dances in the depths of Florian’s gaze.
My eyes dart between the brothers. “How are we getting to the Queen then?”
Out of nowhere, Koen's strong arm pulls me in with one tug, drawing me close. The scent of leather mingled with a touch of smoke floods my senses. I smell the field of ash radiating from him. My eyes trace up to him, his lips tugging into a smirk as he glances down at me, causing my heart to skip a beat. But I don’t think in a good way.
“So you’re saying…” Koen pauses, “she hasn’t met your horse?”