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Chapter Five

“If only it were that easy.” I sigh, squeezing the bridge of my nose.

He had the chance to leave with his friends, and he didn’t.

For me.

He’s going to withstand days of torture just to be able to speak to me.

To be around me .

He’s fucking crazy.

And the wildest part? Rave knew I was there. His shadows slithered up the staircase and snaked around my ankles, holding me in place.

I heard some of what was being said.

They came to save him, but he chose to remain.

I don’t know what I’m meant to do with that or the words that just came out of his mouth.

I want that more than anything, but it’s not that easy . Is it?

To be with him, I must betray all I’ve ever known and stood for. I’d be stepping away from my father’s legacy to be with his enemy.

And what does that say about me?

What kind of daughter does that make me?

He’s not wrong about one thing, though—I did blindly follow my dad, wanting nothing but his approval. I tried to be the perfect child, always making sure I kept up appearances and was the daughter he wanted me to be.

I never realized how much until I lost him and his influence.

“It can be that easy,” August says, tilting his head to the side. What I wouldn’t give to run my hands through his curly hair or push that lock off his forehead. His gorgeous eyes see things I don’t want him to and have tried to hide.

They see me.

And it’s more intense and real than I’ve ever imagined.

Not to mention terrifying.

I sit cross-legged on the ground, and his eyes flicker. “You don’t have to sit on the dirt, Milana. That’s not where you belong.”

If he’s willing to withstand torture to be around me, maybe he’s worth me giving him a chance.

He sits, too, joining me. We’re so close, his knees almost touching mine. He has a quiet intensity about him and seems like someone who is always in control. I like that.

“What’s your life like back home?” I ask.

He smiles, and I stop breathing. His whole face lights up, and suddenly, everything is alright in the realm.

“I’m a royal guard, so I do a lot of training… whatever Zython or Axe need. I spend a lot of time with Kai and Bane. Occasionally, we go to Aravelle and visit everyone there.”

By everyone, he means Astrid.

I heard how she spoke to him, and I know she cares for him. There’s a connection between them.

But Rave was standing right there, too. So there’s obviously nothing they have to hide, right?

I don’t know how to feel about him having that emotional closeness with another woman who happens to be a powerful and beautiful queen. I can’t compete with that.

I’m the daughter of his enemy, a man they killed and who has left behind nothing but his ghosts of fighting against the royal family.

All I want now is peace.

Can August give me that?

“What about your life?” he asks when I stay silent, too lost in my thoughts.

Swallowing hard, I contemplate my life. When my father was here, I did whatever he needed me to. Now he’s gone, I’ve been letting Rion treat me in a similar way. “I don’t think I know anymore,” I admit. Or, more honestly, I don’t know if I like the person I’ve become.

August smiles sadly and reaches his hand through the bars. I take it, and the second our skin touches, magic sizzles between us, the golden glow tempting us to follow the fate’s path.

“Let’s just forget everything and everyone else and get to know each other. We aren’t enemies, Milana. We never have been,” he rasps, his gaze sweeping over mine with a heated intensity. “Give me a chance.”

I want to so fucking badly.

I glance around the dungeon exaggeratedly. “We’re not exactly in the best situation for that.”

He laughs, and I pull out the water bottle from under my cloak with my free hand and pass it to him.

August arches a brow. Up close, his lashes are long, thick, and frame those dark, soulful eyes perfectly. “Rion isn’t going to love you keeping me alive. Does he know you are my mate?”

I shake my head. “No, and I’m going to keep it that way.”

I don’t know what they would do, but I know they would use me to get what they want. I’m not going to let that happen. “That’s my smart girl,” he murmurs, opening the lid to the bottle and taking a few deep swallows. When it’s empty, he hands it back to me. “I still haven’t eaten the chocolate you gave me.”

“You saving it for a rainy day?” I ask, my lip twitching. He brings his lips to my fingers and places a soft kiss there. A shiver shoots through my hand and up my arm. And then I decide to use my magic, closing my eyes and pushing it through to him.

I’ve done this once before, but I don’t know if he even knows it. It was when I was locked away in his castle. He couldn’t zip before, but with a little boost, I knew he could. And now, if Rion tries to hurt him, he will have more magic to keep him alive.

“What are you doing?” he asks, his brow furrowing as his eyes close.

“Lending you a little power,” I reply, leaning my face against the bars.

“This doesn’t feel like you hate me,” he whispers in a husky tone.

I could never hate him.

He’s half of my soul.

I just don’t know if he deserves my heart.

But what I do know, and what I need to admit to myself, is that I’m not going to let anything happen to him.

I’m wired to think of him as mine, and I was fool to think I could ignore that.