Page 39

I sometimes wonder if princess Aithne really truly loves prince Sorin, or if she chose him because it was a form of escape.

She would never be free in her own land where women are of little consequence except for bearing male heirs.

I’ve seen the way Sorin adoringly looks at her, as if he had been gifted his own sun and was not entirely sure whether he deserved it.

But princess Aithne sometimes looks away into the distance as if the only thing she wanted in life was to disappear.

I guess she must love him or if not she would never have agreed to marry him.

Tabitha Wysteria

Kai’s wyvern appeared like a specter from the heavens, slicing through the clouds with the grace of a shadow untethered from the earth. Its roar shattered the silence, deep and rolling like a brewing storm, a call to its master that made the very air tremble.

And beside him, Alina Acheron stood utterly still, her brown eyes wide with something he had never seen before—wonder.

They had climbed the barren hillside at his insistence, pausing when the wyvern’s cry echoed through the sky.

Now, they both watched as the magnificent beast—a creature of blackened steel and midnight storms—descended upon them.

Its scales gleamed obsidian in the sun, and its wings, vast and razor-edged like a bat’s, stretched wide as it plummeted towards the ground.

The force of the landing sent dust spiraling into the air.

The earth shuddered beneath them. Instinctively, Kai caught Alina’s arm, steadying her before she could be thrown off balance.

‘Nisha, play nice,’ he chided, his voice thick with amusement. Alina’s gaze darted to him, then back to the wyvern, her brow furrowing.

‘Nisha?’ she repeated, incredulity laced in her voice. She tilted her head, studying the wyvern with renewed interest. ‘She’s a female?’

Kai’s grin sharpened.

‘Can’t you tell by her temperament?’

Alina’s eyes narrowed.

Kai chuckled, wisely refraining from pointing out how eerily similar she looked to the wyvern in that very moment. He suspected she would not take the comparison kindly. She would probably feed him to his own beast.

‘I am joking, princess.’ She did not look convinced. Kai extended his hand. ‘Give me your hand.’

Alina’s brows furrowed. ‘Why?’

‘Just trust me.’

A whisper of hesitation crossed her face, and Kai knew—he knew that she did not trust easily, if at all.

And after witnessing what had transpired between her and that fool of a Red Guard, he understood why.

He knew little about Alina Acheron, but the sharp edges of her were not without reason. She was not soft nor delicate.

She was fortified .

And yet—she placed her hand in his.

For the briefest moment, Kai’s wyverian heart stammered, betraying him. Her golden fingers, so warm against his own cool, pale ones, trembled slightly, but she did not pull away.

Nisha huffed, sniffing the princess in lazy curiosity, a plume of smoke escaping her nostrils as if she were unimpressed with this new acquaintance.

‘She likes you,’ Kai whispered.

Alina’s lips pressed into a skeptical line.

‘She does not seem that content at all.’

‘That’s just the way Nisha is. She likes to be grumpy.’ Kai moved towards the wyvern’s side, beckoning for Alina to follow. She did not. Instead, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

‘Oh, no. Do not even think it, prince. I am not riding a wyvern. The plan was to ride a dragon.’ Her realisation struck fast, the sharp gleam of her gaze pinning him in place. ‘You tricked me into taking a walk with you. You knew your wyvern would come if it heard us.’

Kai’s grin turned wolfish . ‘And why would you not ride a wyvern, princess?’

Alina’s eyes burnt molten gold. ‘Because I am not even permitted to ride a dragon. Imagine if I rode a wyvern!’

Kai laughed, the sound rich and unrepentant. ‘Well, you would be the very first drakonian woman to do so. Imagine that.’

And gods, he wanted to see it.

The sight of Alina Acheron atop his wyvern, streaking through the sky, wild and untamed—he wanted it more than anything. He wanted to sit behind her, to feel her golden hair whip against his face as she laughed.

And she would laugh—he knew it.

Because despite the armour of ice she wore, there was fire within her .

And Kai wanted to set it loose.

Alina sighed, defeated.

‘Lift me up then.’ Kai did not hesitate. He guided her up the wyvern’s side, making sure her grip was secure before hoisting himself behind her. The moment he wrapped his arms around her waist, she froze.

‘I have nothing to hold onto, princess.’ Her entire body stiffened. But before she could reply, Nisha moved.

The wyvern shifted, her massive wings stretching wide, her icy blue gaze twinkling with amusement.

‘Is your beast mocking us?’Alina’s voice was accusatory.

Kai smirked. But before he could answer, Nisha leapt forward, her wings slicing through the air. The princess screamed—but not in fear. Kai could feel it, could hear it in the way her voice rang out into the wind—she was laughing.

Laughing .

And Kai felt something in his chest pull.

‘Can she go faster?’ Alina’s voice was exhilarated, breathless. She leaned back, her head tilting towards him, her body pressing against his—and Kai froze. The scent of her perfume curled around him, warm, intoxicating.

His eyes dropped—to her neck, to the soft expanse of golden skin. He wanted—gods, he wanted to sink his teeth into her throat, to taste the heat of her. His lips hovered far too close to hers.

‘Of course she can, princess,’ he said, taunting. He felt the way her stomach clenched, the way her breath hitched as a flush bloomed across her cheeks. ‘Citius, Nisha!’

The wyvern obeyed, diving through the clouds, faster, faster, until the castle became nothing but a speck below them. The land stretched wide beneath them—the forests, the villages, the jagged ridge of the mountains, all shrinking in their wake .

Alina signaled a direction, and Kai steered. They descended, the wind screaming past them as Nisha hurtled towards the earth. Finally, they landed, touching down just miles from the volcanic crater. Kai jumped down first.

‘Relinquo, Nisha.’

The wyvern rumbled, shaking the dust from her wings.

‘And how am I supposed to get down?’Alina remained seated, arms crossed. Kai grinned, arms outstretched.

‘Jump. I’ll catch you, princess.’

She hesitated. ‘What if you miss?’

Kai’s smirk softened, just slightly. ‘I’ll never miss. I promise.’

She jumped.

A shriek. A rush of movement. And then—she was in his arms. Kai held her there, unmoving.

Her flushed cheeks.

Her lips—plump, pink, slightly parted.

His gaze dropped. Would he burn if he kissed her? She was warm, so warm. Sunlight and fire, golden and untouchable. What would it feel like to press his lips to hers? To test the heat of her against the cold of him?

Alina coughed and Kai blinked—snapping back, releasing her far too quickly.

‘Relinquo, Nisha.’

The wyvern shot into the sky.

Kai watched as dragons loomed further ahead.

‘You’re sweating,’ Alina pointed out.

‘I’m a wyverian, princess. We normally live in cold lands. Yours is not precisely a winter wonderland. And the top of a volcano does not help with my condition.’

‘Take some layers off.’

Kai arched an eyebrow at her. ‘You would like that, would you?’

Alina rolled her eyes. ‘Fine, sweat to death.’

‘I’ll take something off if you do, too.’

‘This is not a bet, wyverian. You are the one that looks uncomfortable in this heat. I am a drakonian, this is normal for me.’

Kai cocked his head. ‘So you will just leave me to melt to death? I am your guest in this land, princess. You ought to assist me.’

‘I am not undressing.’

‘You won’t be undressed if we both do it.’

‘That does not make sense. Erase the smug smile immediately, wyverian. Take your clothes off or don’t. I am not playing your silly childish games.’

‘What if I undress you ?’

Alina stilled, breath catching in her throat, her pulse a frantic drumbeat against her ribs. The flush on her cheeks deepened, blooming like a petal unfurling under the sun, betraying the sharp contrast between her resolve and the fire curling beneath her skin.

Kai stepped closer, his presence pressing against her like an unspoken promise, though he did not touch her—not yet. He merely inclined his head, lowering it to hers until the heat of his breath mingled with her own.

He licked his lips, slow and deliberate.

And she followed the movement.

He could see it—the way her tawny eyes traced the path of his tongue, lingering there as if considering what it would feel like against her own. His fingers brushed against her chin, barely there—a ghost of a touch. Gently, he tilted her face upwards, guiding her into his gravity.

‘If you wish, princess,’ he whispered, voice rough, edged with something dark. ‘I’ll let you take the clothes off my body.’ He let his black jacket slip from his shoulders, the fabric falling like a shadow onto the warm volcanic rock beneath them.

And then—he waited.

Waited as her gaze dropped, trailing over him, taking him in.

The hesitation made it all the more intoxicating. The uncertainty, the heat, the way her fingers twitched at her sides, torn between restraint and curiosity. The air between them thickened, tension rising like the molten core beneath the mountain they stood upon.

Kai’s body reacted violently to her indecision, to the weight of her stare as it drifted over the buttons of his shirt, lingering, lingering, lingering.

Aching .

The need to press her against him, to consume her, to let her set fire to him in ways even he could not control—it nearly shattered his restraint.

But something shifted.

The fire in her eyes dimmed. Her breath caught, but not in the way he had expected.

And then—she stepped back.