Page 37

37

SEREN

T he hallways stretch endlessly before me, the polished stone reflecting the flickering torchlight, cold beneath my bare feet. Every step feels heavier than the last, every breath more ragged.

He left me.

Not just in the arena, not just standing there like a fool with my lips swollen from his kiss.

No, Xirath walked away without so much as a backward glance, trailing after that beautiful, perfect naga female like I was nothing.

Like I never even mattered.

I want to tear something apart.

I want to grab him by his stupid, perfect, gilded throat and make him say it to my face, tell me I am nothing. Tell me I was just entertainment for him.

Tell me I am not real.

But deep down, in the part of me that aches, I already know the truth.

I have feelings for him.

I don’t know when it happened.

Maybe it was in the jungle when he carried me back, bruised and bloodied but not broken.

Maybe it was in the arena when he called me his.

Or maybe it was always there, lurking beneath my fury, my fear, my refusal to be owned.

But it doesn’t matter.

Because I am not his mate.

I will never be anything to him.

The thought is unbearable.

My fingers curl around the ring on my hand, twisting the silver band until my skin burns.

I don’t even realize how far I’ve walked until I am standing outside his war room.

The doors are shut, the guards posted outside barely sparing me a glance.

I should leave.

I should turn back, go to my room, forget about him.

But my feet do not move.

The anger and hurt boil together inside me, forming something more dangerous, something desperate.

I need to hear it from him.

I need him to look me in the eyes and tell me I mean nothing.

I step forward, ready to push past the guards.

"You’re not going to find him in there."

The voice is smooth, effortless. Feminine.

I whirl before I can stop myself.

Talyra stands in the dim corridor, her emerald scales catching the firelight, dark robes cinched at her slender waist. Her expression is unreadable, assessing.

She is stunning.

Every inch of her screams nobility, confidence, power.

She is here, staring at me like I am some insect she has yet to decide whether to crush.

My fists clench.

"You seem lost, human," she says smoothly, tilting her head slightly. "Should I have someone escort you back to your cage?"

Her words are a slow drag of a blade against my skin, too measured, too calm.

I refuse to let her see my irritation.

I lift my chin. "No need. I can find my way."

Her lips curve into something almost amused.

She takes a step closer.

Until she stands just inches away, looking down at me like I am nothing more than an amusing little plaything.

Like she has already won.

"I was curious about you," she murmurs. "The little human who thinks she belongs here."

I hold her gaze, refusing to step back.

"And?"

Her eyes flick over me, slow, considering.

"And now I see what everyone has been talking about."

The words slither down my spine, coated in something I cannot place.

I keep my voice even. "Did you come here to gawk, or do you actually have a point?"

Her smile sharpens.

"I came to tell you," she says, voice almost kind, "that you will never have him."

A laugh escapes my lips, bitter and sharp. "You think I want him?"

Her expression does not change. "I think you already do."

I force myself not to react.

Not to flinch.

Not to let her see that she is right.

She steps even closer, her voice dropping to something quiet, deadly.

"You are a passing distraction," she murmurs. "A temporary indulgence."

I grit my teeth.

"He is one of us," she continues. "And no matter what delusions you have, he will never choose you."

A slow, creeping rage claws its way up my chest.

Not just at her words, but at the truth in them.

Her smile does not waver.

"Xirath and I grew up together," she says. "I have watched him break men in battle, watched him make the impossible bow beneath his will."

Her voice softens, almost pitying.

"But even he cannot fight fate."

A lump lodges in my throat.

She leans down, voice a whisper against my ear.

"And you, little human," she breathes, "are not his fate."

I can’t breathe.

Can’t move.

Her words sink into me like poisoned fangs, wrapping around the fragile, dangerous thing inside my chest.

She steps back, tilting her head slightly, watching me crack.

She smiles.

"I will make sure of it."

She turns without another word, disappearing down the corridor, leaving me standing there, shaking.

Leaving me with the taste of humiliation, heartbreak, fury.

I was a fool.

A fool to think I could be anything to him.

It was stupid of me to entertain the idea he would ever want me.

I will not make that mistake again.