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Chapter Twenty Two

A s we landed on two pillows in the otherwise empty throne room, the monarchs awaited us.

Empress Rani sat rigidly on her throne, her posture so stiff she seemed carved from marble, while Emperor Kamon paced restlessly before her.

His gaze flickered to us only briefly before returning to the ground, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

Clay’s rage was palpable, radiating from him in waves.

Even in his weakened state, I could sense the heat simmering beneath his skin.

For a fleeting moment, I was glad that the dose of Mortal blood they had given him was muting his Godly magic.

Part of me wondered if he would set the entire palace ablaze with Dragonfire if he had access to it.

The other part of me didn’t want to find out.

“I suggest you start explaining why you had an Athenian Prince and Councilwoman incarcerated,” Clay said, his voice low and razor-sharp.

Kamon stopped pacing, his eyes locking with Clay’s.

Whatever Kamon saw in my prince’s burning gaze made him hesitate.

I saw it there too—Clay wasn’t just a spoiled prince from a foreign court, here to gamble and drink with Prince Damon.

He was a ruler, both by birth and by sheer force of will.

If not in title, then in action and intention.

He was already acting like the King of Athenia.

And he had no qualms asserting his authority on behalf of his nation.

I realized then how foolish I’d been to think Clay was idly following the Dragon’s commands all this time, just waiting for his time to inherit the throne. The signs of his plan had been there all along.

Clay hated his father, as a man and a ruler, and he had long before I ever showed up.

This was who Clay had always been—a man willing to do whatever it took to protect his people.

“What did you inject us with?” I demanded, breaking the heavy silence.

“It’s something we’ve been developing,” Empress Rani said, her voice cold and precise. “A dose of Mortal blood to dull your powers, infused with the icy stillness of Water Elemental magic.”

“I’m intrigued to know what other weapons you’ve been developing,” Clay hissed, his words laced with venom. “And for what purpose?”

“It’s a method of self-defense,” Kamon said, his tone clipped. “Nothing more, I assure you.”

Clay’s hand twitched, then his leg, as he fought to regain control of his body. Despite his struggle, he kept his gaze locked on the monarchs, his focus unrelenting.

Empress Rani rose from her throne and moved gracefully to a golden table near the dais. She poured a glass of water from a crystal decanter, her movements slow and deliberate, before stepping toward me.

Careful not to spill a drop, she held the glass to my lips in a silent question.

“Thank you,” I whispered hoarsely. She tilted the glass, letting the cool water trickle down my throat.

Clay watched the entire interaction with predatory intensity, his golden eyes tracking every movement. If Empress Rani had so much as twitched toward me in malice, I had no doubt Clay would have found a way to retaliate—even in his current state.

“Start talking,” Clay growled, a dangerous rumble emanating from his chest.

Emperor Kamon stopped pacing and sank heavily onto his throne, his shoulders sagging.

“We don’t know much,” he admitted, his voice heavy with frustration.

“Our Zion Archives are located along the shore of Lake Treyon. Early this morning, we received reports that the manor housing the archives had been ravaged, its contents raided. Admittedly, we thought the attack might have been orchestrated by Athenia, given your presence in our dominion.”

“What changed your mind?” I asked.

Kamon’s eyes darkened. “There are reports of archives being raided in your kingdom as well.”

Ice traveled down my spine. That had to be connected.

“What’s missing?” Clay asked sharply.

“Nothing, as far as we can tell,” Empress Rani replied. “Ashburn himself led the investigation.”

“What about witnesses?” I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady under the weight of their scrutiny.

The monarchs exchanged a brief, tense glance before Empress Rani stepped forward towards us, her hands clasped tightly behind her back and her shoulders tight.

“That’s the oddest part,” she said, her voice quieter now, almost hesitant. “Not a single soul from the nearby town is alive.”

My heart jolted painfully in my chest. “The thief killed them all?”

“No,” Emperor Kamon said with a heavy sigh. “Their wounds appear... self-inflicted. ”

The words struck like a blow, cold and sharp. I wasn’t sure if the icy chill that spread through my veins came from their drug or from the sheer horror of what he was suggesting.

What in all of creation could have driven an entire town to do something like that?

“Thea,” Clay said, his voice cutting through the thick silence. He looked to me, his gaze fierce and unyielding, burning right through me. “We need to return to Athenia.”

G iven the late hour by the time we finished talking with the monarchs, Clay had decided we would need a good nights rest before heading home.

So, when feeling returned to my body I carried myself heavily to my room, each step weighed down with the remnants of the drug and the heaviness in my heart.

Veric found me in my rooms later that evening, his eyes wide and filled with worry as I opened the door.

“Are you all right?” he asked in a rush, eyes scanning over me.

I managed a small, sad smile. “I am. I apologize for the scare.”

He stared at me like I had two heads as I stepped aside to let him in. “What are you apologizing for? You didn’t imprison yourself.”

No, but I might be responsible for other, much worse, aspects of this crisis.

I gestured toward the couch, encouraging him to sit while I took the chair opposite him. He still wore the same clothes from earlier, though his hair was disheveled, likely from running his hands through it in frustration .

“The Empress told me you’ll be leaving in the morning.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry we won’t be able to have that grand engagement party.”

Veric let out a soft laugh, rubbing a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “I suppose I should get used to Council matters taking precedence over our personal lives.”

The Council had taken precedence over everything since the moment I woke up in that infirmary bed. Still, I wasn’t sure even I had adjusted to it.

I hesitated before speaking again, needing to discuss something that had been on my mind since that first night we’d danced together after meeting. “You know, if this isn’t what you want, I won’t force it on you. Bearing heirs of House Hyrax is my responsibility, not yours.”

His gaze held mine, unwavering. “I love Tenebris. Truly. If marrying a beautiful woman and giving her children is the way I can serve my kingdom, then I’ll do that.” He exhaled slowly. “I know I’m not your first choice.”

“That’s not—”

He lifted a hand to cut off my protest and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“It’s fine. I get it. You can’t help who you love, and there are so few people in the world who share that kind of cosmic pull.

The way you and Prince Vail look at each other.

.. it’s like watching two halves of a whole.

He moves, you move. He smiles, your eyes light up.

It’s actually somewhat endearing to watch. ”

I bit down on my lip so hard that there was a flash of pain as I balled my hands into fists in my lap. I hadn't realized we'd been so obvious. How unbelievable cruel it was to come to take him from his kingdom while I made my affections for another abundantly clear.

Guilt curled deep in my stomach. “I’m so sorry, Veric.”

He gave me a sad smile. “You have Clay. I have Tenebris. We’ll just have to find the space between those truths where our relationship can exist. If you need me to be a husband in name and a stranger otherwise, we’ll do that.

If you need a friend, I can be that too.

We’ll take it one day at a time when the time comes. ”

I frowned. “When the time comes?”

His eyes flicked toward my wrist. “No engagement party. No chain. We’re not locked into this quite yet. I know what your Dragon has ordered, but if you need time to decide if you can accept that, we wait.”

I only wished it were that simple.

He wasn’t from Athenia. He didn’t know that when the Dragon commanded something, there was no turning him down.

“What now?” I asked softly, pulling at my fingers in my lap.

“You go home,” he said. “And we give it that time. When you’re ready, if you’re ready, you send for me, and I’ll come.”

“ Y ou cannot be serious!” I screeched, barely recognizing the frantic, high-pitched sound as my own voice.

Clay had arrived in my rooms at dawn, all but dragging me from bed.

He’d demanded I dress in leathers and leave with him immediately, offering no explanation beyond “ Trust me .” Now, after hours of climbing sand dunes under a merciless sun, here I stood, sweat pooling under my too-warm jacket, as he declared the most absurd plan imaginable.

And there he was—smirking over his shoulder, pulling off his shirt like this was the most reasonable thing in all of creation.

“I would never kid about this, princess.”

For a heartbeat, my brain stalled as I stared at him.

He was tanned and carved like something out of legend, every muscle a testament to his years of training.

And there, just barely visible above the low-cut edge of his trousers, curled the Mark of Zion—the tip of a Dragon, its head dark and ornate.

“Were you finished with the conversation?“ Clay asked with the arch of a smug brow. “I expected a little more attitude.”

I snapped my mouth shut, mortified at my staring.

“No!” I crossed my arms over my chest, forcing my gaze firmly above his neck. “I am not doing this.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Clayton, be practical .”

“Theadora, I am .” He turned then, his voice tight with exasperation, but something beneath it—stress, maybe even concern—made me pause. “We need to get home. If Hyrax is after the Sword of Zion, we can’t waste a fortnight on a ship.”

“And why can’t you go home and let me meet you there?”

The look he gave me could have turned a man to stone. “I’m not leaving you alone in a foreign country, Thea.”

I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again. We’d already been at this for too long, and I’d yet to come up with a valid excuse to sway him. Desperation clawed at me. “Well... what about Nessira?”

Even I heard how whiny I sounded.

Clay raised a brow, crossing his thick arms over his bare chest to mirror my stance. “Nessira and Samsa will both be on a ship tonight back to Athenia. I can’t carry all three of you.”

“I am not going to ride you, Clayton!”

My cheeks flushed red at the sound of my own words, and Clay’s eyes darkened as they traced down my body. Slowly, he stepped toward me, every inch of him humming with a predatory calm that made my heart flutter. His heat flushed over me.

“I am your Crown Prince,” he reminded me softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“It is my God-given responsibility to ensure your safety. And right now, I need to return to my kingdom. There is no way in all of creation I’m leaving you behind.

So yes, Theadora, I am going to shift into my Dragon form, and you are going to use those very special powers of yours to stay seated on my back the entire flight home. ”

“This isridiculous,” I whispered, though my voice lacked conviction.

“This, princess, is the first time I’ve ever let anyone do this.” He stepped back a pace, smirking again as he reached for the laces of his trousers. “But for you, Thea, consider riding me a standing offer.”

I yelped and spun around, clapping my hands over my blazing face as his low laughter rolled behind me. “You areinsufferable!”

The air shifted—warm and heavy—followed by a low rumble that shook the sand beneath my boots.

I turned cautiously and nearly staggered back.

Where Clay had stood moments before, a golden dragon now loomed, scales shimmering like liquid sunlight.

He watched me with slitted, impatient eyes, his head level with my shoulders, as if to say well ?

“I hate you for this,” I muttered as I trudged past him to grab the pack.

He snorted, sending a puff of smoke curling around me, and bent low, extending one massive front leg like a ladder.

“You want me to just walk up your leg?” I blinked at him.

The Dragon’s head bobbed.

“What if I hurt you?”

He arched a scaly brow—if Dragons had brows—and gave an exasperated huff, the sound so human it startled a laugh out of me.

Still, I hesitated. He was massive, easily twenty feet tall, and there was no feasible way I could clamber up without looking completely ridiculous.

I glanced up at him, the steady rise and fall of his belly, the gleam of sharp, dangerous claws only a few feet away. My nerves tangled into a tight knot.

Clay stomped his leg in irritation, snapping his jaws just shy of my head.

“Oh, hush! I’m thinking!”

He huffed again, softer this time, smoke curling lazily around his snout.

Drawing a breath, I pushed my magic downward—through my chest, down my legs—until it lifted me in one sudden, buoyant rush. I landed awkwardly atop his back, gripping his scales for balance as he shook slightly beneath me, his body vibrating in what might have been Dragon laughter.

“See? That was easier for both of us,” I said, patting his warm, golden scales affectionately.

His head turned, one slitted eye watching me with smug satisfaction. He shook out his neck, wings unfurling wide like the sails of a ship.

“Wait—” My voice pitched higher as I realized what he was about to do. “Clay, don’t you da—”

The world dropped out from under me. My scream ripped through the air as Clay pushed off the peak, his wings slicing through the wind with a deafening crack. I threw my magic out instinctively, anchoring myself like a strap to his back as the ground fell farther and farther away.

The first few moments were sheer, unfiltered terror. The rush of wind whipped at my face, tore at my hair, stole the breath from my lungs. My heart hammered wildly, and I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to look down.

But then, slowly, the panic ebbed. The rush of flight turned exhilarating, and I cracked one eye open.

The desert sprawled beneath us, the golden sand dunes rolling on for miles, glowing in the morning sunlight. I grinned despite myself, lifting my head to feel the wind on my face.

“ This is insane ,” I called out, though I knew he couldn’t hear me.

Somehow, I felt his response anyway.

You love it.

And, annoyingly, he was right.