I jumped when something touched my hand. Glancing down, I let out a rough breath as the deer made of bark moved beside me.
“Greetings, Daughter of Kydona,” the creature said, his voice deep and powerful.
“Hello,” I said, feeling as strange as I did speaking to Sylvi.
“You do not know who you are.” The deer’s eyes swept over me analytically. “Power rests in your veins, Princess. You must remember who you are.”
“What?” My brows furrowed. First the Spirit of the Winds and now this deer. “What are you talking about? Why does everyone keep asking me who I am? Who are you?”
“I am called Kethryllian,” the creature answered patiently. Golden magic sparked in the air. “You do not yet know who you are, but you will.”
Maiela looked around me, glaring at the deer. “Could you be less cryptic?”
Kethryllian simply blinked.
The queen who stole my throne moved, cutting off any chance of further conversation. She stepped forward, grass crunching beneath her bare feet as she walked toward our small group. Her eyes drilled into us, and the air thickened even further, until breathing was nearly impossible. Those Winged Soldiers still darkened the sky, their black wings spread behind them threateningly. They hadn’t landed—yet. When they did, it would be a bloodbath. The beat of the soldiers’ wings was a steady sound against the thundering of my heart as we waited.
And waited.
I rubbed the mating bond on my arm, staring right back at the queen as she watched us. Her black hair fell in long sheets to her waist. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were sharp as they swept over us. Strange scales covered her bare skin, as though the dragon wasn’t fully gone even though she had shifted back.
Shivers ran down my spine, and magic churned in my veins. Red ribbons slipped from my palms as the Winged Soldiers flew closer to the earth.
Then the queen raised her hand.
You’re Asking the Wrong Question
AILEANA
Crimson ribbons tinged with inky blackness swirled around Saena’s outstretched hand. The space between us suddenly didn’t seem that vast. She had moved closer, leaving forty, maybe fifty feet between our group and hers. It felt as though we were standing right in front of her.
We were far too close for comfort.
Blood ran down her face, evidence of a now-healed cut, and her perfectly manicured brow was raised as she stared at our small group. Beside me, Xander was unmoving.
A dozen emotions came through the bond at once. Disbelief. Horror. Sadness. Anger. My heart broke. Not for Saena, but for my bonded mate. I wished we were anywhere but here.
Xander’s heart was good, despite what he wanted everyone else to believe. He thought that he could change his sister, that the evil running through her wasn’t absolute. There had been a part of me hoping for the same thing.
Even though Kethryllian had all but confirmed my secret, I was keeping it to myself for now. Putting aside the fact that this wasn’t the moment to share life-altering news, he didn’t need any distractions.
Not with Saena here.
If kindness had ever existed within her, it was long gone. The moment she had flown against Xander and attacked his dragon, all was lost. Now, looking into those cold, frigid eyes, I realized there had never been any hope at all. I wasn’t sure how Saena had found us, though at this point, it didn’t matter. Violence ebbed off her in waves, thickening the air and making it hard to breathe, and the threat of death was in her eyes.
The queen furled her fist, and her stolen magic swirled into a sphere, hovering above her hand. It sparked and sizzled, the red orb tinged with black, and my back clenched at the sight of that deadly power.
Breathe.
I was stronger than this. Stronger than those moments when I’d been hurt. Stronger than my fear.
Releasing my hold on my own power, green ribbons wove around me. Below me, the earth trembled, as though it was reassuring me that it, too, was present.
“What are you doing here, Saena?” Xander said, his voice little more than a growl.
He was shirtless and the wound on his chest had healed, leaving a trail of blood that ran down to the waistband of trousers. With his hair undone, and his stance wide, he looked every bit the warrior I knew him to be.
Those ice-blue eyes widened and a disbelieving, evil laugh escaped the queen. “Me?” She pointed at herself. “What amIdoing here?” Saena shook her head, a glint of insanity entering her eye. Or maybe it had always been there, but now it was visible. “No, I think you’re asking the wrong question.”