The air cooled, and the army of Winged Soldiers completely blocked the sun from sight. Shivers, one after the other, ran down my spine.
A feeling of intense foreboding filled me, and my stomach twisted. Even Kethryllian, who stood behind me once more, had nothing to say. When a Guardian sent by the gods could not help with the situation, what good were mere mortals? Mature elves could still be killed, but it was more difficult to do so.
“What question should we be asking?” Xander’s voice drew me out of my thoughts.
He clenched his fist, taking a step toward his sister.
Saena hissed, holding up her hand as the sphere of magic grew. Seeing the threat for what it was, Xander paused, stopping a few feet in front of me.
“I have many questions for you,” he said. “First of all, how did you survive? I thought you were dead. I grieved you for years. Decades. I saw you covered in blood. What happened on that day?” Xander’s voice cracked, and his suffering echoed through the bond, feeling like a knife to my heart. “What happened to make you like this?”
Scales rippled on the queen’s face, and her eyes turned into black, colorless voids. For a moment, I thought she might not respond. Then she laughed. My stomach twisted even further at the bitter, pain-laced sound.
“You want to know what happened to me?” She shook her head. “I’ll tell you,brother.” Her voice grew in intensity, and more tainted magic flooded from her. “The male I loved learned I was carrying his child, and instead of showing me the love I deserved, herippedthe babe from my womb.”
Shock as cold as the worst winter morning splashed through the bond. I froze, my heart squeezing painfully. Though I wanted to doubt the words coming out of Saena’s mouth, I couldn’t. The truth was written all over her face. My stomach formed a knot, and bile rose in my throat. My back clenched and the scars I bore seemed heavier than ever.
That secret felt heavier than ever. My hand slipped to my abdomen, and my head spun as I stared at Saena.
“What?” Xander snarled, practically vibrating with anger.
The queen laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Yes, you heard me. I was carrying your nephew. My child should have been king. But Dante killed them. He ruined me; leaving me bruised and bloody on his throne room floor.”
My mate shook his head, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side. “I came.” His voice cracked. “That night, I returned to the palace. I saw you. You were dead. I saw your body, and I turned and ran.”
Tainted red ribbons flooded from Saena’s hands, swirling around her as she scoffed. “I was dying. I don’t… I wasn’t… It hurt so much.”
A moan escaped Xander, and his legs trembled. I could feel his heart breaking through the bond, and the agony was so strong, so horrible, that I could barely breathe through it.
Saena didn’t seem to register that her words were hurting her brother. Her eyes flashed black once more, and she continued. “Dante said his dragon-whore was not deserving of a proper burial. The guards dragged me out of his throne room, tossing me aside to wait for the gravediggers to find the time to collect my body. Only I was still alive.Barely.”
Even the wind did not dare blow at that moment. Time seemed to stop as the horror of Saena’s words settled upon us. My cheeks dampened, and I realized I was crying.
“You asked how I could do this, Elyxander?” Saena used my mate’s true name like a weapon, throwing it at him.
Xander stiffened, and I moved closer to him, lacing our fingers together.
The queen’s gaze dropped to our joined hands, and she sneered. “Isn’t that nice? You’re inlove.” Venom dripped from her words as she shook her head. “The question shouldn’t be why I’m doing this, but why I waitedso long.”
Her skin rippled with those scales once more, and her eyes turned into black voids. This time, they remained that way. Smoke came from her mouth, and her voice deepened.
“You are all fools if you believe in love,” the draken said. “When I didn’t have any power, people used me and threw me aside. I was a toy, someone to be played with until the novelty wore off, and then I was cast away.”
The crimson magic that had been swirling around Saena shot into the ground with a suddenwhoosh.
The earth trembled and cried out,No!
It was too late for cries of pain. Black grass sprouted. Dark weeds erupted all around. Trees fell, booming, as they crashed into each other.
The queen stepped towards us, her black eyes the things of nightmares as they flickered with violence. “No one was there for me,” the draken said—for this was certainly the beast that lived her beneath her skin speaking. “Isaved myself.Idragged my bloody and broken body out of that castle.Ihealed myself and thenIkilled Dante with my own two hands. There is no one else butme. Nothing matters but power. You asked why I was here? I think you know why I’ve come.”
She paused, and my dragon shifter shook beside me. Whether it was from fury or pain, I wasn’t certain. Both ran through our bond in equal measures.
“No, I don’t,” Xander ground out through clenched teeth. “Leave now. Don’t make me hurt you, Saena-bug.”
“Do not call me that,” the queen snarled. Her eyes returned to their original blue, and crimson ribbons flashed as they erupted out of her. “I’m not that person anymore. You know nothing about me,dragon.”
She spat on the ground, and Xander stiffened. Red edged my vision, and I clenched my teeth. How dare this female make my mate feel so badly? As if he hadn’t suffered enough. He spent decades mourning her, andthiswas how she repaid him?