Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
I barely noticed my feet moving as I left the room. Zander was still standing by the door, but his eyes followed me, burning into my back. I didn’t dare look back. I needed air—space—something to clear the weight pressing on my chest.
I stepped between Jax and Riven in the Ascension Grounds, my heart still hammering in my ears. Zander rejoined Crownwatch, but I saw him glance over at me, his eyes flickering—lavender bleeding into black like a storm rolling in. Whatever was about to happen, Zander didn’t like it.
Major Kaler strode to the podium, his voice ringing out. “We have one of our own rejoining Warborn. He has been away for over three years. Please welcome back Lieutenant Saulter.”
“Have you ever heard of him?” Riven whispered.
I shook my head, my gaze still drifting back to Zander. His eyes flicked between colors again, sharp and cold like a blade glinting in the sun. Whoever this Lieutenant was, Zander’s distaste was undeniable.
A dragon roared above us, and I instinctively glanced up. The figure descending was unmistakable—a Catalan dragon.
The dragon’s light-green scales shimmered like pale-jade, stretched over a powerful body built for endurance.
Its long, serpentine tail swayed low behind it, ending in a jagged row of barbed spines.
The creature’s fangs, longer than a man’s forearm, glistened with the telltale sheen of poison—a deadly venom known to kill even dragons.
While still enormous, the Catalan was smaller than Kaelith, its frame more agile but no less threatening.
“Katama is a beautiful and rare dragon,” Major Kaler announced with pride.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the beast, transfixed by its eerie grace. But I’d been so caught up in the sight of her that I hadn’t seen the rider.
The man who slid down from the saddle moved with familiar ease.
His hair was slightly longer than I remembered, and a faint scar marred his right cheek—a souvenir from a fight I wasn’t there to stop.
But his eyes… those warm, honey-brown eyes that used to soften every sharp corner of my life—they hadn’t changed.
The major shook his hand. “Welcome back, Remand.”
I staggered back, the world spinning. My chest constricted, and my vision blurred as the name sank in— Remand .
“No.” The word fell from my lips before I could stop it.
Riven’s hand gripped my arm. “What is it?”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the man standing at the podium—the man I had spent a year mourning.
“That’s Remy Cole,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “My fiancé.”
My chest heaved, breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside out—a storm raging beneath my skin. Kaelith? My incoherent thoughts struggling to reach her before she answered.
Are you dying? Her voice was sharp, edged with irritation and something that felt uncomfortably close to concern. What is causing this distress? It hurts... so much.
I swayed on my feet as her presence settled inside me, her mind linking with mine.
It felt like double vision—the world blurring as her sight layered over my own.
Through her eyes, I saw the hazy outline of a tiny red dragon in the hatchling grounds.
The little creature stumbled, its fragile wings stretching for balance.
But Kaelith’s focus shifted—sharp, unwavering—back to him .
Your mate lives, Kaelith said.
He isn’t my mate. The denial hit my mind like a whip. He was working for the king. He used me. Just like everyone else...
The bitterness coiled inside me, and pain rippled through my chest so fiercely it felt like something might shatter. Kaelith’s roar tore through my mind, deafening and raw. Our connection snapped like a stretched wire, and I staggered back.
I couldn’t see her, but I felt her rage—a furious pulse building across the castle grounds.
Your males are untrustworthy, she hissed in my mind.
A moment later, a bone-shaking roar echoed from the dragon isle, the sound so powerful that conversations stopped and heads turned toward the mountains.
All except his .
Remy stood frozen, his gaze flicking to Katama before slowly turning—right at me. His eyes locked onto mine, and for the first time since I’d met him, I saw something I never thought I’d see. Shock.
But he recovered fast. Too fast. The careful blank stare of an assassin replaced it, his face smooth and impassive—a mask I once knew far too well. He stood straighter, shoulders squaring like he could will the moment away.
But I wouldn’t let him.
I let him see it—the tangled mess of my emotions—the betrayal that churned inside me like poisoned water, the heartache that never really left, and the rage that burned hotter than Kaelith’s fire.
I clenched my fists, ready to step forward—to say something, anything . But before I could, a massive shadow passed overhead.
Kaelith.
She landed hard enough to rattle the ground, her talons gouging the dirt as her wings flared wide, creating a wall of muscle and scales between me and the podium.
The entire courtyard froze, all eyes locked on her. She loomed like a storm cloud, smoke curling from her nostrils. I felt her fury radiating off her like heat from a forge.
He betrayed you, Kaelith’s voice growled in my mind—but I knew she wasn’t speaking to me.
Remy was still staring. But this time, the cold assassin mask couldn’t quite hide the flicker of something else beneath it—something haunted. Something broken .
But I didn’t care. I clenched my jaw, fingers digging into my palms. Whatever he was feeling, whatever regret he might’ve had—it didn’t change the fact that he’d left me to grieve a man who’d never even been dead.
Katama moved swiftly, her powerful frame sliding between Kaelith and Remy. Her long, venomous fangs glistened as her lips curled back in a snarl, her scaled body shifting in a defensive arc that forced several squads to back away.
The tension in the courtyard thickened, the air crackling with the static of brewing violence.
“What is happening?” Major Kaler demanded from the podium, his voice sharp and wary.
Zander stepped forward, his voice low. “Kaelith intends to kill Katama’s rider.”
“She can’t do that,” Major Kaler snapped. “It’s against the Unification Treaty!”
Zander let out a humorless grunt. “Kaelith predates the treaty. And there isn’t a dragon in the horde that will stop her.”
The major’s face twisted with disbelief. “Hein is larger than Kaelith. Have him intervene!”
Zander turned abruptly, eyes flashing between lavender and black. “You want Hein here?” His tone was clipped, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Fine.”
Before the major could protest, a deafening roar split the sky—so loud it seemed to vibrate through my chest. The largest silver dragon in the horde descended from above, landing with bone-jarring force.
Hein’s wings snapped closed, and the sheer size of him drove the crowd back further. Only our squad held their ground.
“What is he doing?” Major Kaler yelled as Hein began moving, his massive frame sliding protectively into place— beside Kaelith .
“He’s protecting her,” Zander said grimly.
The major’s face paled as Hein’s scaled tail lashed out, sweeping a cloud of dust across the courtyard like a warning.
Katama hissed, her body coiling tighter. Her eyes flicked from Hein to Kaelith, assessing the odds, and for a moment, I swore I saw hesitation in his posture.
Kaelith growled low, her voice curling in my mind. If that poison-spitting snake makes a move, I’ll rip him apart and leave his rider in pieces.
Kaelith, no! I shot back, panic flaring in my chest. You can’t kill Remy. No matter what he’s done.
The king should’ve killed him the first time, Kaelith spat.
I swallowed hard, pulse racing. Remy was still standing behind Katama, stiff and unmoving. But I knew him too well—he was calculating, deciding what move to make if things turned bloody.
I stepped forward, ignoring the tight knot of fear twisting in my chest. Kaelith’s wings were half-raised, her massive body poised on the edge of violence. Her scales seemed darker, stormier, her power curling in the air like smoke. The heat radiating off her stung my skin.
He’s an asshole, I told her silently, but don’t kill him. He was under orders. I’ll never trust him, but I don’t want to cause Katama any more pain. His species has suffered enough.
Kaelith’s growl rolled through my bones like distant thunder. His betrayal marks him unworthy of life. That serpent should have chosen a better rider.
Siergen’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind, calm but firm. Listen to your rider, Kaelith. For ill or not, Katama chose him. If he betrays his trust, Katama will end him. Not you.
Kaelith’s body trembled beneath her scales, her claws scraping against the stone. He inferred a mate bond and rescinded. Such an atrocity cannot go unpunished.
Siergen sighed, the sound laced with something close to exhaustion. You’ve spent little time around humans. They are not like us. This... error happens occasionally in their culture.
Kaelith’s throat swelled, her chest glowing red-hot as fire gathered inside her.
I staggered back as flames exploded from her jaws—an inferno that roared across the courtyard.
Katama coiled his body protectively in front of Remy, shielding him from the worst of the blast, but I still saw the ends of his hair singe, smoke curling from his shoulders.
Still, Remy didn’t move. He didn’t flinch, didn’t stumble. His expression remained blank—cold, as if his life no longer held any value.
Kaelith! Siergen’s voice cracked like a whip in my mind.
Kaelith let out a deep, guttural growl—not at me, but at Katama. This rider’s fate is mine to decide, she snarled. If yours comes near her again, I will incinerate him.
Katama lowered his head slightly, as if in agreement, before his eyes flicked toward Remy. He remained frozen, gaze locked on me with an unreadable expression.