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“Just… fix this, Luke. I mean it.”

Reign arrives, and Lilyana wraps her arms around her, nearly strangling her. After releasing her, Lilyana shoots me a deadly glare before returning to the palace.

Elm loads Reign’s bag into the carriage, then pulls her into a brief embrace while glaring at me, emotions swirling in his eyes. I get it, I really do. He’s like the protective big brother.

Reign lets go and walks over to the carriage. I extend my hand to help her up, but she refuses, hopping inside instead. So stubborn. I climb in, shut the door, and sit across from her. As the carriage starts to move, Reign gazes out the window, breaking the silence. “Why are we heading this way? Isn’t Armadon in the opposite direction?”

“We’re going to the base of Serpent’s Reach to take the wyvern over. It’ll take too long by carriage. My father doesn’t like the wyverns coming to the palace, so we usually bring them to Serpent’s Reach,” I say dryly, studying her face, taking in her sparkling lavender eyes and every freckle. She clears her throat, pulls out a book from her satchel, and begins to read silently.

Watching Reign read captivates me. I cock my head to the side, intrigued. Sometimes, a crinkle appears on her face; other times, a faint smile or prominent smirk graces her lips. I bet it’s a dirty romance novel. When another devilish grin spreads across her face, I can’t resist asking, “Is that another dirty book making you smile?” I grin playfully.

Her eyes lift to meet mine, and her cheeks redden slightly. “I don’t believe it’s any of your business what I’m reading, Prince.” She diverts her gaze and resumes her reading.

“Is it anything good? Anything you want to try out? Because I’d happily oblige your curiosity…” I lean back against the bench, my devilish grin widening. She snaps the book shut, the sound echoing in the carriage.

She smiles, but it’s anything but friendly. Leaning forward slightly, she says, “I definitely have curiosities about these filthy things I’m reading. I think once Prince Elliot gets to know me and takes me as his wife, he’ll be more than happy to teach me all about them.”

My smile falters as her grin widens. “He won’t touch you. I’ll never allow that.” My voice turns almost lethal.

“Really? So you want me to marry this man to get the cure, but he isn’t supposed to touch me?”

“Exactly!” My lips curl.

“What if I want him to touch me? What if I want his hands on me? What if I want him to touch my pu?—”

“Then I’ll remove his hands so he can never touch you. Don’t push me, Reign. You know I’ll do it.” My voice becomes deadly, devoid of playfulness, yet the smile never leaves my face.

“You’re insufferable, you know that? Kiss my ass!”

“Oh Reckless, don’t tempt me because I definitely will do exactly that if given the chance.” My grin widens as she scoffs and opens her book again to read.

We sit in silence for the rest of the ride. Her eyes are glued to her book while mine remain glued on her.

We reach the base of Serpent’s Reach. Stepping out of the carriage, I stretch and whistle for Wrath. A moment later, she flies down, shaking the ground as she lands. I secure the luggage to her back.

“Come on, hop up on her,” I say, holding out my hand.

She shakes her head and whistles. In seconds, her big orange wyvern swoops down with a roar, landing heavily and rattling the earth. “I’m riding Ember. Lead the way, Prince. Lead me to the manyouplan to give me to.”

My jaw clenches at her words. Ember raises his tail, helping her onto his back. I jump onto Wrath, and we take off, Reign and Ember following closely behind.

We fly for most of the day. I glance back occasionally to check that she’s still following and doing alright. Long flights on a wyvern can be exhausting. Instead of heading straight to Armadon, I direct Wrath toward Maduri, where the mountains loom. We’ve flown there many times. We land, and I jump off Wrath to release the bags.

Reign jumps down from Ember and approaches. “This is Armadon?”

“No, it’s Maduri. We need to rest for the night. We’ll leave at first light.” Her hair blows wildly in the cold gusts as she looks around. In the distance, the monstrous temple stands, its golden tops shining like a beacon of hope in the dying sunlight peeking through the massive trees of the forest.

“Come. There’s a little place I stay at when I come here. If we have time, I’ll show you the view from the cliff beside the cabin. Sometimes I sit there and think… clear my mind.” Hiking the bags higher on my shoulders, we set off.

The sunlight nearly vanishes by the time we reach the little house at the cliff’s edge, overlooking most of Maduri. I enter, drop the bags on the ground, and stretch my tired muscles. Walking to the tiny table, I light a lantern.

Reign surveys the cabin, taking in its smallness. I don’t know who lived here before, but I seem to be the only one who uses it now. There’s a nice-sized fireplace, a small table beside the bare kitchen, a bed in the corner, and a washroom. The cold air makes my breath visible. I forgot how cold it gets up here at night.

Walking to the fireplace, I place logs inside and start a fire. “There’s a washroom in the back if you want to clean up before bed,” I say without looking at her.

“There’s only one bed…” she replies, annoyance in her voice.

“You can take the bed. I’ll sleep in the chair,” I explain.