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Chapter Two

Panting, I wake from a dream of blue eyes.

But these eyes are warm, not cold. My brow furrows when I notice something in my cell, right in front of where Milana was standing when I saw her last. Standing, I take a few steps to pick it up. The chains cuffed to my ankles drag behind me, stopping me from using any magic, which is smart because one of my abilities is to walk through any type of ward.

She has left me chocolate.

And wrapped in brown paper are an apple and some beef jerky. I take all my gifts and sit with them, taking a bite of the apple first. So far, I haven’t been harmed, but like she said, Rion hasn’t gotten his hands on me yet.

I spend the rest of the day waiting for Milana to return.

When she finally does, I’m almost asleep.

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to show,” I murmur, sitting up from the cobblestone ground with my hands resting on my knees. I’ve got nothing but a thin blanket to sleep on, but I suppose it could be worse.

“Me either,” she admits, sitting in front of the cell and crossing her legs. Her long blonde hair curtains her face, and it looks so soft. She appears like an angel that doesn’t belong down here in the dirt with a mere commoner like me. However, the fates saw me fit for her, so that has to mean something.

“Tell me something about yourself,” she asks, and for the first time, I notice dark circles under her eyes.

I like that she wants to know about me. But right now, I’d rather learn everything about her.

“You look tired,” I say, lifting my knees against my chest and wrapping my arms around my thighs. “Are you getting enough sleep?”

A line forms between her brows. “You’re down here and worried about how I’m sleeping?”

I nod, swallowing hard. If only she knew. Ever since I found out she was my mate, all I’ve done is worry about her. I’m not a man who’s ever felt helpless. I do what I need to do. I adapt and am resilient. But I’ve never felt more out of control than knowing my mate hates me.

When I had her locked up in my bedroom in Chaos, yeah, it was fucked up.

But I felt better knowing she was there.

She was safe.

She was in my home.

And when Saylor set her free, I panicked.

But Saylor did the right thing.

Beauty like Milana’s should never be caged. She should be free, and I know deep in my gut that how I would love her would give her that freedom.

The freedom to be herself.

To be safe.

To be loved unconditionally.

To be protected.

“I’m fine,” she replies, stretching her neck from side to side. I know she’s what they call a booster. Basically, she can share magic by powering or draining. So she could suck the magic right out of me if she wanted to, or she could make me more powerful. I don’t know how long the effects would last. It would depend on how strong she is.

But I do know that after being around her, I could zip.

And I’ve never been able to zip.

I’ve never had enough magic for that skill.

I don’t know if she did that to me accidentally, or maybe she’s unaware, but I know it was her. Just that small little thing gave me so much fucking hope. It’s embarrassing because why would she do that if some tiny, minuscule part of her cared about me?

“I’m fine, August. I think right now you need to worry about yourself.”

Right.

I decide to answer her original question. “I grew up in a small village in Aravelle. My mother raised me. She died about six years ago while I was away. She was killed at the inn she worked at. A fight broke out and…”

I’d gone away for some mercenary work, and I’d taken Astrid with me.

I wish we had stayed.

I ended up killing the fae who hurt her, even though he claimed it was accidental.

How do you accidentally slit a woman’s throat?

If Astrid had been there, she could have saved her with her healing magic.

So many what-ifs.

I never told Astrid any of this, protecting her from the truth of my mom’s death. They were very close, and I couldn’t do that to her.

“I’m sorry,” Milana whispers, sounding sincere. “And your father?”

I shrug. “He died when I was a baby. I don’t remember him.”

We go silent for a few long moments.

“I’m scared of storms,” she blurts out.

“You’re really going to hate Bane then,” I reply, my lip twitching.

She slowly grins, and it brightens up her face. Fuck, my heart races just from seeing it, and it wasn’t even a full-fledged smile.

“The Demon King with the weather magic? Yeah, I suppose so.” She takes a deep breath and exhales. “My father wanted to make this kingdom better.”

“Your father wanted power, Milana,” I reply, licking my dry lips. “He didn’t want Zython to be king. He didn’t want anyone else above him.”

“He wanted to help?—”

“The only person he wanted to help was himself. He wanted Astrid because of her succubus blood, and when he couldn’t have her, he was going to kill her so no one else could have her. How is that making this kingdom better?” I ask, studying her. I don’t want to upset her. I don’t want to fight with her. I’d prefer her in my arms, my face buried in her blonde hair, breathing in her sweet scent. She’s mine to protect, not hurt. I should be shielding her from all of the bad, but I need her to see the truth.

We aren’t the enemy.

We aren’t bad people.

And no one will take care of her like I will.

“I know he’s your father, and you loved him, and I’m sorry for that. I really am sorry. I would never want to do anything to upset you. You’re my mate, Milana. And you know that means everything to me. We’re only given one mate. We only have one chance.”

“Imagine if I had killed someone close to you, August. Your precious Astrid? Would you still want to bond with me?” she fires back, lifting her stubborn chin.

And with those words, she stands and storms out before I can say anything else.