Chapter 73 Valen
VALEN
I fly away with an aching heart and my Drake howling in my head. He didn’t want to go—he wanted to stay with Irena and I don’t blame him. I wanted that too.
I can’t stop thinking about the visions that fucking Door of Uncertainty showed me—the one where we part ways is bad enough. We basically just did that. But it’s the other two that haunt me—the vision where she was chained in the dungeon and the vision where she was dead.
That last one is the worst. I can’t bear the thought of her dying—I’m so fucking afraid of losing her forever it ties my insides in knots.
You already lost her when you flew away, whispers a little voice in my head, but I push it aside.
At least I still have the collar on. Once I would’ve done anything to get the fucking thing off—now I wouldn’t remove it for a kingdom full of gold. It’s my only link to her—my only hope to reconnect if something goes wrong.
I’m not particularly worried about someone else taking the ring from her. For one thing, I’m sure Irena is smart enough to hide it. For another, her brother’s magic is nothing to hers—it’s like comparing a trickle of water to a waterfall.
And since only Royals of her line can wield the ring and her mother is deathly ill and in no shape to do magic, I feel safe enough keeping the collar on. But I wouldn’t care even if her brother was the most powerful sorcerer in the land—I’d still wear it, just to be able to know that she’s safe.
The only thing is, I don’t know how far apart the ring and collar can be and still call to each other.
I know I felt something in the forest when she got lost from the path—but I mostly found her by scent.
But all of Thornmere is stiff with magic—I’m sure that interfered some.
I’m hoping that out in the open the ring and collar’s connection will be much stronger.
Because if something happens to my curvy little Princess and I don’t know about it and can’t come to save her…
I push the thought away—it’s too fucking awful. I don’t want to think it.
But though I try to escape it, my mind keeps showing me the terrible vision the Door of Uncertainty showed me…
The one where I’m holding Irena in my arms and she’s dead.