Page 16 of A Bond of Ice and Glass (Crowned By Wings #2)

Mae’s dragon hasn’t been seen, which is what I was expecting to be our biggest threat. Their bond was unexpected, and witch magic cannot mess with what lingers between a dragon and their rider. Something tells me if I don’t find her dragon first, she’ll find us, and it’ll be over.

I lower my gaze. “You know, I grew up for the most part in Erax’s shadow.

I followed him, climbed at his side into the witches’ fortress and helped him steal fourteen dragon eggs.

One became my dragon, one became his, and the rest went to his loyal riders.

They bred under his castle with the help of magic, and he waited a few years before taking his revenge out on Mae’s family.

I flew with him that day. I killed thousands and burned for him.

Erax wanted the mines gone, not caring that the witches’ treaty with Mae’s parents relied on the mines being open and providing them their crystals for spells.

He demanded freedom, even if it cost war.

The witches hate Erax for two reasons, and while he is king, we are always threatened.

I hate myself for what I did, but I will not betray you, Loch.

This is what is best for the kingdom. Everything I do is for the kingdom. ”

He doesn’t offer me anything back, just staring at me with an apathetic look in his eyes.

“I’m worried about the queen. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Why?” He cocks his head to the side. “And her title is princess. Not queen anymore. She is our princess. Not his fucking queen.” She will always be his queen.

Erax has a claim over Mae more than Loch does.

He hates that, and jealousy will destroy my brother if he isn’t careful.

“Why do you care so much about her that you are doubting your own brother?”

Because from the moment I saw Mae, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Her rose gold hair that’s like nothing I’ve seen before.

She’s smart, beautiful and hot-tempered.

All the traits I love in my women. I hate to admit it, but I want her as mine even though I know it can never be.

But that isn’t what this is about. I saw how she fell in love with Erax, how the two of them were together, fire and ice clashing constantly, but it was almost like they needed each other to thrive.

I’ve never seen anything like that, and I know she couldn’t just forget him.

Not without Loch using too much magic. Then we risk losing Mae entirely.

Loch puts his drink down and moves slightly closer. “You think I don’t know your real answer?” he growls in my face. “She belongs to me.”

If he was anyone else, I’d gut him for saying that.

“You’re pushing her too far.” I keep my tone neutral, despite how much he’s pissing me off.

“Whatever spell you’re using is hurting her.

You know it yourself. You’ve seen how pale and tired she is.

She’s throwing up all the time, and she was barely eating to begin with.

If you care about her like you say you do, then you need to back off with the magic.

Yes, she will remember him, but we can work on convincing her our way is best.”

“She is stronger than I thought…” Loch muses, right in front of me, like I’m not even here.

“And it takes a lot to break her. But I will break her.” His eyes flash up to me.

“I will not have her remember him. She’s mine, and that’s all that matters.

Soon, we’ll kill Erax and then I’ll be the one to marry her.

I’ll stop the magic then. Until then…” He waves a hand dismissively. “It’s simply necessary.”

“Simply necessary?” I clench my fists tighter. “You could end up killing her!”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“The fuck you do!”

I glare at him. He stares back, but fury flashes in his eyes.

This was never part of the plan. Keeping Mae to help build an army was one thing, but marrying her? She has no idea what she wants. But even I know it’s not Lochlan. Not in that way. Fuck, she sees him more like a brother. He’s just too blind to see it.

“It will give me a legitimate claim to the throne that won’t mess with yours,” he says. “And we’ll rule in peace. I’ll get her pregnant in no time. You’ll have your corner down here, and I’ll have the rest. Isn’t that what we agreed on?”

He wants to be king. I should have known it, seen it, but I didn’t. I was naive to think he only wanted to help our people.

“Did Mae agree to it?”

“Who gives a fuck what she wants?” he snaps, his eyes turning black.

He squeezes the bridge of his nose. “You wouldn’t understand!

You’ve never been in love with anybody. You don’t know what it’s like to do anything for them, even if they don’t understand why you’re doing it.

But that’s okay. Because she’s mine, and I have plans that will secure peace for both our kingdoms.”

Our kingdoms? He doesn’t have one! I don’t know what to say as I watch him walk away, dismissing himself now. “See you around, brother.” He lingers on the word brother like it’s a threat to me now. “Thanks for the talk.”

He leaves my door wide open as he walks out. I curl my hands into fists, turning to look out of the window. I’m not sure how long I stare at the cloudy skies, but it soon begins to rain, and a chill slithers down my spine.

What the fuck have I let my brother become?

I don’t hear her come in, not until a haughty voice echoes across the room.

“You seem pissed and look pale. What did your darling, sweet brother do this time?”

Nymala has always hated Loch, since the first moment they met.

I turn around, and every time I rest my eyes on the witch, I see her standing in a pool of my father’s blood.

Her hands drenched in his blood, the smirk on her face, the shock in her eyes when she saw me.

I have never seen any regret in them. Not once.

She kneels in front of the fireplace and begins to light the wood there.

Once she is done, with the fire lighting up the gold markings on her skin, she begins to brush ash into a dustpan.

Sometimes I feel shitty for making her do all this extra work, but if she’s tired, she’s not rebellious, and that’s a good thing for the witch.

Especially one as powerful and useful as her.

“I’m concerned about our queen,” I admit through gritted teeth. I won’t call her princess unless I have to. She is a queen until the day she dies, and even when we end Erax, she will still be his queen. Nymala turns, arching an eyebrow. I clear my throat. “You’re close to her. What do you think?”

“You want my counsel?” I can hear the surprise, along with the amusement, in her voice. “I’ll answer honestly as long as you don’t punish me for it. I’m not scrubbing the castle walls again.”

I still remember when I made her do that.

At the same time, I had my guards punished for even thinking about touching her, and I would’ve killed the one who tried, but she took care of the situation…

effectively. I didn’t want her to see their punishment, to think it was about her when it wasn’t.

She’s my prisoner, and she does what I command of her.

But it’s also my duty to protect my prisoners.

“Honesty is free in this room only.”

She’s quiet for a moment, then she laughs.

“Oh, the rose princess has all the men here in her grip, doesn’t she?

” I don’t answer. Her smile fades. “Your brother has crossed over to a side of the ether that I’ve only ever heard of.

The only way to stop what Loch is doing now is to get her away from him, as far as possible.

The ether is controlling your brother now and feeding on her, too. She’s too good for this place.”

Nymala looks into my eyes as she stands up.

“What do you think will happen when she does remember every secret you’re keeping from her?

What do you think happens when she realises how much magic has been used to smother her all this time?

Control her? Because to me, she’s like a storm.

You can smother a storm all you want, but eventually, it’ll break and explode in front of you.

She’s a dragon rider and a queen. Maelena has a king looking for her, who’s the best dragon rider there is.

With fire and ice, they will burn this kingdom and freeze it to the ground.

I pray to my goddess that when she remembers, she spares my life.

She will not spare you and your evil brother. That you can be sure of.”

Nymala walks out the same way Loch did. I quietly watch her leave, realising that she might be right.

I only did this to save us all, but sometimes, I see the betrayal in Erax’s eyes.

The fact I called him my brother. Betraying him was always the plan from the very start.

From the day my father sent me there. But the more I got to know him, the more I actually started to like the bastard.

But he’s never been what’s right for this kingdom. He takes too much.

I turn back and look out the window at the sky, feeling my dragon hiding nearby. I can’t fly her yet, not while unsure if her loyalty is to me or to her king.

But one thing that is for sure… I’ve made a mistake trusting my brother, and I need to fix it before he takes us all down with him.