by Zoe Parker
“So very predictable, Lily,” he scolded.
“Kormen?” I asked in confusion.
“Hush now, Cy. I told you everything would be okay,” he assured.
“You promised! You said if I did whatever you said you’d leave her alone. You said you wouldn’t go through with this,” Lily yelled as she placed herself between Kormen and me.
Her short stature did nothing to block my view of Kormen viciously backhanding her. I tried to catch her flailing body but we both fell to the ground. My arms wrapped around her protectively as I glared up at Kormen.
“I also told you to keep your mouth shut!” he fumed.
Lily wasn’t born with Vetur and even though she didn’t have any power, she was still a woman and treasured just as much as any other. For Kormen to do this to her was unacceptable.
“Kormen! You will not speak to her like that. How dare you lay your hands on her?” I raged.
“She is nothing! Did she tell you how often she spread her legs for me? How much of a whore she really is? The things she let me do to her?”
My breath caught in my throat. His words made absolutely no sense. He couldn’t have touched Lily that way. I’d always considered Lily a friend, but she had never admitted to the same. Celeste would never have allowed it. But I had always looked out for her. I gave her extra and treated her with the same respect she showed me. When she came to me with an issue, I made sure it was resolved in a way that was always beneficial to her. But she never told me this. She never came to me for this. How could she have kept this from me?
“He promised, Cyan. He promised that if I did the things he asked he wouldn’t do them to you. I didn’t know. I didn’t think you could stop him,” Lily whimpered.
I pulled her tighter to me, my heart breaking at her words. The Queen never let me show the full extent of my powers in public. Everyone thought I still needed to hone them. None of the clan, Lily included, were privy to what I could do. All she’d seen were the times that she’d been called in to secretly help me recover from whatever torment The Queen had decided to inflict upon me for failing to meet her standards. It made sense that she thought she needed to protect me from Kormen. She had let him use her, abuse her, all out of some misguided sense of keeping me safe. This was all my fault. I should’ve known. I looked up at Kormen, tears burning my eyes.
“Don’t worry, love. She was only a stand in until I could feast upon your delectable frame,” he cooed as he squatted before me.
Vetur flared at his audacity, his patronization. With a screech I released it. It sent him flying back, crashing into the dozen warriors behind him. Just as quickly as it had flared, it fizzled out. I could only watch helplessly as they slowly picked themselves up. I took satisfaction in the few that cradled broken bones and staggered with their movements. It wasn’t enough though. Kormen got up and dusted himself off with a cruel smirk.
“I really should thank the dragon prince. Were it not for him, you probably would’ve killed me. He’s made you weak though. And that little stunt is going to cost you.”
Reaching forward, he grabbed Lily, who had begun to help me stand. Without her support, I crumbled back to the floor and watched as he wrapped an arm around her, plastering her back to his front. She struggled, kicked and screamed, arms flailing. Terror seized me as he pulled a dagger from his waist and held it against her throat.
“Cyan? What’s happening?”
I heard Valen and try as I might I couldn’t answer him. I couldn’t calm myself enough to even stop blocking him so he could see what was happening.
“Kormen, please! What are you doing? Don’t do this,” I begged, my voice a horrified whisper.
“This is what happens when you use your Vetur against me. I am your mate, you will never attack me that way again,” he stated calmly.
His dagger slid across her throat, turning her cries into a wet gurgle. Blood flowed from the wound, drenching the front of her dress in crimson.
“Cyan! Answer me! Where are you?” Valen shouted into my head, breaking my terror induced trance.
“Kormen. Kormen killed Lily.” Even in my mind my voice was small, terrified.
“Where are you? I can barely sense you.”
Pain, horrible and debilitating blasted through me, stealing my breath. I knew immediately it wasn’t mine. Valen had been hurt. A roar bellowed through my mind before our link went completely silent.
“Valen?” I called out to him repeatedly, but he didn’t answer. It wasn’t until Kormen grabbed me by my upper arms, his grip tight and painful, that I realized I’d been speaking out loud.
“He can’t save you now,” he sneered as heels clacked across the floor.
Celeste came into view, her regal features contorted into a disgusted scowl.
“Take her away, Kormen. Do not bring her back until it’s done. I’ll not have my bloodlines tainted because of her foolishness,” she ordered.
“It shall be done, my queen,” Kormen promised, a leering smile on his lips.
I looked between the two of them, still not believing my ears. Kormen, my best friend. My mother. Betrayed beyond comprehension, I had no idea what to do. Lily laid dead at my feet and my mate had been hurt. I was alone again and this time, there was no one for me to fall back on.
I felt a pinch in my neck and shortly after everything became hazy. Kormen placed a kiss on my lips and told me to sleep well. I waited for Vetur to surge, but nothing happened and I remembered Valen’s words. I’d never felt so desolate, so dismal in my life, but I vowed then and there to kill him and The Queen. The one person who could’ve stopped me had been taken away from me before I’d even truly had him and I curled in on myself to try to block the agony rippling through me. My eyes grew heavier from whatever they’d injected me with. My heart ached for Valen, but I let the pain fuel me.
“I’ll end you both,” I swore just as darkness enveloped me.
Chapter Four
I floated in and out of consciousness. Sometimes only Kormen would be there. Other times Celeste appeared. Each time I surfaced, I called out for Valen hoping he would answer. He didn’t. For the first time in my life, I was bothered by the cold. It was no longer welcoming and comforting to me. After being wrapped in his warmth, I doubted my body would ever get used to my normally chilly state.
When I woke up again, Dallon sat beside my bed. Christmas lights and decorations were everywhere. A massive tree took up one corner of the room, silver tinsel and purple ornaments creating an alluring display. The smell of pine flowed heavily in the air. Had I not been tied to the bed I laid upon and realizing I wore nothing but a thin t-shirt beneath this blanket, I would have been intrigued by the sight. I yanked at my bindings as panic settled deep in my core.
“Stop! Don’t move!! Let them think you’re still sleep,” Dallon hissed.
I stopped moving, wide-eyed and unsure. What if Dallon was in on it with them? Somehow, he’d known exactly where my thoughts had gone.
“Don’t, Cy. I wouldn’t do this to you.”
Tears coated his eyes and he quickly swiped them away. He glanced over his shoulder to the door. From the other side I could hear muffled voices.
“Cy, tell me what to do! Tomorrow is your birthday. I need to get you out of here. Mom is telling everyone you’ve begun the process to mate Kormen and that your Vetur was settling into place. The clan thinks that’s why you haven’t been seen in nearly a week.”
He shook his head and more tears fell. My brother was not made for this type of thing. He was kind. He would never hurt a soul. Hell, he still called Celeste mom and he knew she could be evil. My situation had probably hurt him just as much as it did me. A week. I’d been hidden here, tied to this bed for a week.
“I heard them talking. Mom wants Kormen and you to have a baby. She said if you carried his child your Vetur couldn’t see him as a threat. She said she wouldn’t allow you to be mated by a dragon.” His eyes grew wide and his dark curls flopped into his eyes, his ten-yea
r-old youthfulness shining as he spoke of Valen and it broke my heart all over again. “Is it true, Cy? Is that why they locked him in the dungeons with the knives in his chest? They said it was because he killed Lily, but after hearing them talk I didn’t believe them.”
My mind snagged on his words of Valen. Could it be true? All the stories I’d heard of dragons spoke of their ability to heal. If they were purposefully keeping Valen injured, constantly reinforcing the knives so they didn’t melt, he wouldn’t be able to heal.
“He’s alive?” I whispered, afraid to truly hope.
“Yes, they have him in the dungeons. The warriors guard him and his men as though they think they’ll wake up and walk out of there.”
My heart soared and I bit back a sob. Valen was alive.
“So it’s true! The dragon is your mate!”
In his excitement, Dallon had nearly shouted. The voices outside the door went silent. We had little time left.
“Dallon, you need to get to him. You have to get the knives out of him so he can heal. He’s the only one who can help us now. No one else would go against The Queen. I don’t know how much time he will take to heal, but I know that by this time tomorrow Kormen will have”
My throat closed and I couldn’t say it. My mind faltered every time I thought of what they were going to do to me. Dallon gave a quick nod before jumping from the chair and turning to the door. His face lit up in a smile as it opened.
“Kormen! Tell mom she’s finally awake! She didn’t even try to hurt me,” he shouted as he flung himself into Kormen’s arms.
Kormen stared at me, eyes narrowed in suspicion, as he hugged Dallon. For a moment I worried he would harm him, but Celeste would never allow that. I processed Dallon’s words. They must have told him I was tied down because I was out of control.
“She can come out now, Kormen, right?”
Pulling his gaze away from me, Kormen bent at his waist until he was eye level with Dallon, a hand placed on his thin shoulder.
“Not just yet. We still have to wait until tomorrow just to be safe. We don’t want her to hurt anyone.”
Dallon nodded his head then turned to face me.
“Don’t worry, Cyan. You’ll be out of here in no time, I promise.” Turning away he faced Kormen again. “Right?” he asked expectantly.
“Right,” he agreed easily. It was so much clearer now. With this easy lie to my little brother, he showed me how he’d been able to do it to me for so many years.
Dallon raced out of the room, a peal of laughter following him as he shouted that I was finally awake.
I kept my gaze on Kormen, waiting for his reaction. He sauntered over to me, taking a seat in Dallon’s vacated chair. Raking a hand through his chestnut hair, he sighed.
“It was never supposed to be like this, Cy. You know I’d do anything for you. Still would. For years, I hoped that one day you would look at me and see more than just your best friend. So many times I wanted to tell you how I felt. So many times I was tempted to try and touch you.” He shook his head sadly. “Your mother forbid it though. I would only get my chance if all the others failed. She didn’t want to risk losing her most accomplished warrior. If you’d mated to one of the others she’d already planned to make me your personal guard.” A mirthless chuckle escaped him. “She would have sabotaged any pregnancies you and your mate had. Her plan had always been to combine our bloodlines.”
Revulsion churned within me. How long had they planned this? How far were they willing to go? I’d known Kormen since I was six-years-old. From day one he’d become the only friend I had that wasn’t related to me. He’d been nine. Had all of that been a ruse? A way to win me over. Lily came to me when we were both fifteen. How long had Kormen been tormenting her? I forced myself to speak. I didn’t care about his reasoning. I honestly wasn’t even interested in how much of our friendship had been real.
“Kormen, how could you do that to Lily? Why would you hurt her like that?”
“Lily tried to come between us, Cy. She never should have told you anything about us. She made a deal and she went back on it.”
“She made a deal to protect me from you when you and I both know I never needed protecting. She had no idea what I was capable of and she had my best interest at heart.”
“No, Cy. I protected you. I had your best interest at heart. I got from her what I knew you were too good to give to me. Had I not had her around to take out my frustrations on, I would have snapped long ago. Everything I did to her, I did to protect you.”
“Kormen, you killed her! You took her life like she was nothing. How was that protecting me?”
“I’m done talking about this, Cy. She’s gone. Nothing you say or do can bring her back. Besides, we have more important things to discuss.”
My eyes slid to the Christmas tree, large and imposing. A smile graced his lips.
“I know you had The Queen implement the no decorations rule, but I wanted this year to be special. I wanted you to remember this birthday as the best and I know purple is your favorite color.”
“It’s a stupid fucking color,” I spat, ignoring the fact that it really was my favorite color.
His eyes narrowed and he stood from his chair. One hand gripped my chin, holding my face still as he forced his lips against mine. Vetur stirred, but I held it back. This wasn’t the time to fight. I needed to bide my time.
“Control yourself, Kormen. You don’t get to touch her until it’s time. Do not make me ban you from her presence until then,” Celeste ordered.
Kormen glared at me as he slowly moved away. Vetur flared stronger in response to the threat of him, but I knew that if I used it now, I would have nothing left.
“Fix your face, daughter of mine. Those scowls will give you wrinkles prematurely,” Celeste warned.
“You think I’m worried about wrinkles right now? Clearly, there are more important things for me to concern myself with, mother.” I spoke the word as the insult I meant it to be. I never would have suspected anything like this from her. I knew she was ambitious, but this was too much, even for her.
“Come now, Cyan. Did you truly think I would allow anything, but the best for you? You should be thankful I care enough to secure the throne for our future generations. Any child from you and Kormen will be resplendent. There could be no better combination.”
I opened my mouth to refute her words, but thought better of it. There was nothing that could be said to make them see fault in their actions. They had already spread word of what they believed was right. They’d kidnapped me. If they had gone this far already then their treachery truly knew no bounds. I turned my head away from them and stared at the shimmering tree. It really was beautiful. Too bad their crazy had tainted it. The Queen stepped into my line of sight and one of her attendants quickly placed a chair where she could sit. God forbid she walked to where the chair had been before.
“Leave us,” she commanded with a wave of her hand.
The room cleared. Kormen hesitated, but with a sharp look from her, he left as well.
“Let’s be frank, Cyan. I spent your entire life molding you into the perfect specimen. It was always my intention to make sure you reached your full potential. And look at you. You’re the Vetur. The most powerful of all of us.” Her nose wrinkled as though she’d smelled something foul. “Well, you were before you met that dragon bastard. Regardless, I never would have let anyone harm you or do anything that would keep you from ascending the throne. You are my daughter and in spite of what you may think, I love you, unconditionally. I will always do what I believe is best for you.”
I was barely able to hold back rolling my eyes.
“Did it ever occur to you, or anyone else, that maybe what you thought was best for me actually wasn’t? I mean, come on, you have me tied to a bed! You’ve essentially orchestrated and condoned someone raping me. How is that best for me? How can you be so delusional?”
She clucked her tongue and shook her head. Clucked. Her. Freaki
ng. Tongue. Like I was a misbehaving child in need of a timeout.
“Why are you never satisfied with what you’re given? Is it really so bad that Kormen will be your mate? You’ve known him for years! You know he would be the perfect mate for you. I cannot understand why you would be so dramatic about this. I know you love him.”
“Yes, it’s so bad! He was never going to be my mate!” I screamed. “He was only ever my friend, nothing more would ever be between us. For God’s sake, he abused Lily, killed her. Does that not matter to you? How great of a warrior is he if he could do something like that to a woman when we have so few remaining.”
In my anger I leaned toward her and even as my arms protested the movement, I wished I could wrap my fingers around her neck and squeeze. I wished I could toss out enough power just to truly freeze her cold heart. The bindings dug into my wrists and my hands fisted as I pulled against them.
She scoffed and threw her hand up carelessly.
“She was a servant. She meant nothing,” she uttered.
I blinked. Then stared. She thought so little of the life of another person. How could I have been born of such a creature? My body numbed and wisps of my hair turned white. Her eyes grew wide and she stumbled to her feet, calling to the guards. No one would save her this time. Even if it killed me, she would not leave this room alive.
“No, my queen,” I responded with a sad shake of my head. “You mean nothing.”
I opened my fisted hands just as the door swung open. The queen’s eyes bulged, mouth opened into a petrified “o,” as she clutched her chest. The guards rushed to her, unsure of what to do. None of them realized what I was doing. I gritted my teeth against the energy drain Vetur caused me. My vision faded in and out as panicked shouting filled the room. Breath sawed in and out of my chest and my throat felt ravaged, but I pushed through on a desperate roar. When her heart froze completely and no more blood flowed from it, when I was sure there was no chance of resurrecting her, I slumped against the bed.
“What did you do?” Kormen demanded, his voice way too shrill for a man.
