Chapter 27 #3
In my distraction, I didn’t see how close Alaric had come until he stood over me.
He peered deeply into my eyes, his expression soft, tone seductive.
The back of his knuckles grazed my cheek.
“Say you will stay with me, Serafina. I’m certain I can give you a good life.
Provide all your heart could ever desire.
Jewels, gowns, things beyond your wildest imagination. Perhaps in time, even love.”
My throat went dry. “Alaric, I’m not sure what to say.”
“Say yes.”
I set my hand on his chest. “You see, Thorne and I—”
“Thorne and you what?” His expression sharpened, hardening into cold emerald stones.
Before I could answer, fire flashed through my chest. Pain ripped me in two. I doubled over, crying out.
Alaric stepped closer, grasping my shoulder. “What is it?”
I braced a hand against my sternum, the flame inside of me flaring wildly. Only the origin of the pain wasn’t mine. “I’m not sure. I think it’s Thorne.” I gasped. “I think he’s hurt.”
I forced myself upright, panting through the agony. “Alaric, we have to go to him.” And once we found him, I’d save his reckless ass and then kick it for leaving me with his brother.
Alaric’s face twisted with fury. “You and that flarking flame,” he snarled.
“I never should have ordered him to give it to you. That bond is the only reason you’ve grown so attached.
Why else would you race to his side when he abandoned you without so much as a goodbye?
I swear, the connection between you has addled your brain. ”
“It has not,” I snapped. “Regardless of what you believe, he needs our help.”
Alaric stiffened. “My brother doesn’t deserve your concern. While the two of you were together, did he tell you where he was the night of the attack? The night our kingdom fell?”
“He did. And he has more than paid for it,” I spat. “Not that he owed you anything in the first place.”
“You’d take his side against me?” Aleric’s brows arched, nostrils flaring. “After all I’ve done for you? You forget it is I who found you next to that lake. Not Thorne. When I brought you back here, he wanted to let you die. I had to force him to save your life.”
Maybe that was true initially, but things between us had changed. Especially my feelings for the shifter. “Fine. If you won’t help, I’ll go myself,” I growled, storming toward the door.
Alaric’s firm hand shackled my wrist, spinning me around. “You will not.”
“Release me,” I snarled, pulling to no avail. His grip was iron.
But I was no longer a helpless servant.
Heat flared in my palms, magic rising with a vengeance. I bared my teeth. “I said—let me go.”
Power coiled in my blood, ready to strike.
“Myrna!” Alaric shouted.
Before I could summon a single spark, a dozen trogg poured in, spears and swords gripped in their stout little fists. I scanned their faces—and my magic faltered.
These weren’t soldiers. They were mothers. Fathers. Simple folk bound by fear. Just like I’d once been.
Myrna stood near the entrance, wringing her hands, regret in the harsh lines of her face. “I’m sorry, Serafina. But we’ve sworn to follow the dragon’s orders. Always.”
My heart sank, heat dimming in my palms. If I struck Alaric, I risked harming one of them.
Alaric’s expression softened, a wince tugging at his features. “I’d hoped to do this the easy way. But you’ve left me no choice.”
For some reason, the remorse on his face didn’t strike me as feigned. “Do what, exactly?” I asked, dread dropping like a stone in my gut.
“You were right about one thing,” he said quietly. “It wasn’t you who broke my curse.”
Those stones grew heavier, dragging me down. “If not me, then who?”
His demeanor turned solemn, almost…despondent. “It was The Dark One.”
For a heartbeat, silence roared in my ears. The Dark One. The shadows, the menace I’d sensed, the dragon’s excruciating transformation.
My blood ran cold. “What have you done?”
“With that blasted comet hurling along its path, I determined the only option left was to negotiate a deal,” he said, tone bitter. “With you, I finally had something he desired.”
I staggered back, bile rising.
“Not to worry, though. It isn’t as bad as it might sound,” he added, his voice gentling with reassurance. “I’m not a complete monster. Once he’s used you as a conduit to drain Carcerem’s sacred arbor, you’ll live here. With me.”
No.
No. No. No. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t!
“You sold me to The Dark One,” I whispered, horror gripping my throat, “in exchange for your curse?”
Alaric stared at me, unblinking, disturbingly resolved.
“He’s too weak yet to rise. That is why he needs you.
Why his goons have been hunting you. As the goddess’s handmaiden, he can use you to siphon magic while remaining safe underground.
Already, his army is on the move, tunneling beneath Carcerem. They’ll arrive tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow? My knees nearly gave out.
“One of his generals will be here shortly to collect you,” Alaric continued, casual as if arranging a shipment of goods—not selling me to the darkness.
“As part of our deal, I’ve agreed to fly with them against Carcerem.
I enjoyed dethroning the last king after he held me prisoner, but I’ve no love for the new monarchy.
Even with Kronk and Drazen’s warning, they are unprepared to defend themselves. He’s promised to reward me.”
“So, you’ve decided to screw over your allies to partner with an evil monster?” My voice shook, sharp with disbelief. “And what makes you think he won’t do the same to you once he gets what he wants?”
Alaric smiled—a frigid, twisted thing. “Unlike my brother, I know I can trust him to keep his word because it’s not the first time we’ve done business together.”
“What do you mean?”
His emerald eyes sparked with madness, shadows swimming in their depths. “You’re not the only one willing to do anything for freedom. The night Pyrrhus fell...” He leaned close, his breath hot against my ear. “Who do you think let him in?”