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HRAKAN

T he barrier drops, and I’m running through the pitch black towards her.

Never did I think?—

It doesn’t matter what I think. The dragons have chosen a champion, and they chose her. My mate. Pride wars with fear because I didn’t make Kyrie immortal simply so she could squander a second chance at life doing the errands of the beasts we all thought extinct.

Hope blossoms in my chest, a rose with thorns that threaten to shred me from the inside. If the dragons are using what little of their mysterious magic they have left to support Kyrie, then that must mean we have a real chance at evading Sola.

Evading is the best option.

Truly defeating the goddess is a feat too far to wish for.

My footsteps echo in the empty underground chamber, a chamber I’d heard of in stories, the castle keep here older even than me. I didn’t think it truly existed.

I didn’t think the stories about dragons returning during the Fae’s greatest time of need were true, either.

No dragon came to help when we neared extinction the last time.

The golden dragon Kyrie managed to summon here, though, he spoke of her being his chosen.

A slight smile kicks the corner of my mouth up, self-assurance winning out in face of the doubt that’s plagued me for months now.

If he’s their chosen, then maybe I did the right thing, after all.

If something as impossible as a golden dragon manifesting in a secret chamber under my castle can happen, then maybe I can convince Kyrie to forgive me.

Maybe I can prove to her I’m worth forgiving.

I’ve never been attracted to anyone as fiercely as I am to this impossible headstrong woman.

I’ve never loved anyone like Kyrie, either.

I’ll do anything it takes for her forgiveness.