Pacifica
I was never supposed to be here. In truth, I was forbidden to leave my bedchamber until
tomorrow morning, when my groom, my betrothed would come to escort me
personally to the ceremony. But no. I could not wait.
I had to see Flame Shai one last time before we were bound forever.
Even though tomorrow night marked our wedding, the ache to catch even a fleeting glimpse of him had grown unbearable.
That was why I had sent Dream Maze to spy out the dragon prince's location and report
back to me.
Dream Maze, sly and cunning as a fox that he is in the underbrush, returned not only with
news but with a sealed letter.
"Princess," he had whispered, eyes gleaming with mischief, "he is staying in the royal
shrine alone. If you ride now on the fastest steed, you will likely find him longing for you just as fiercely as you long for him."
I had smiled then, a secret thrill racing through my veins. I slipped into the hidden
stable, claimed my swiftest mare, and took the dark royal tunnel that wound
beneath the palace walls.
Now here I was, reining the horse to a sharp halt just before the grand wall of the royal
shrine of the Dragon Kingdom.
I drew my hood low over my face to conceal my features, scanned the shadowed walls for a heartbeat, then darted forward in a swift, silent run.
With a powerful leap, I landed lightly on the stone ledge above, my boots making no
more sound than a falling leaf.
The night lay peaceful and still, and fortune favored me. Few guards patrolled this
sacred ground.
I paused to draw in the cool air, nostrils flaring as I scented the breeze. Then I lifted
my gaze to the building on my left.
Flame Shai's scent drifted from there, unmistakable and intoxicating.
I moved toward it in hushed steps, circling to the rear where a small lake glimmered
under the moon.
I halted briefly at the water's edge, staring at my reflection in the still surface. I dressed
in men's breeches and tunic, my long hair twisted into a messy bun at the nape
of my neck. I looked nothing like the princess who would wed tomorrow.
With practiced ease, I leaped up to the window corridor without a whisper of sound.
Years of rigorous training had honed my body into something swift and
shadow-like.
A smile curved my lips now, for his scent grew stronger, clearer, wrapping around me
like a promise. I edged closer, then faltered.
Another scent mingled with his inside the chamber. Feminine. Familiar.
Curiosity sharpened into dread. I pressed myself to the wall and peered through the
parted curtains.
What I saw shattered my heart into jagged pieces.
Flame Shai lay tangled in the sheets with his stepsister, Darcy. Sweat glistened on their
skin; her moans filled the air, clear and unrestrained as daylight bells. Their
bodies moved together in a rhythm that left no room for doubt.
I staggered backward, the world tilting. My fingers clamped around the corridor railing,
the cold iron the only thing keeping me from collapsing.
Flame Shai… was betraying me.
The realization clawed deep into my chest, tearing open wounds no words could mend.
Grief and fury warred within me, hot and blinding.
I somersaulted down to the ground below, landing in a crouch, only to be spotted
by a guard on patrol.
"Who goes there?!"
The shout barely registered. I bolted for the wall, vaulting over it in one fluid motion,
then swung myself into the saddle with desperate strength. More guards
converged now, torches flaring to life, and urgent voices spilled from Flame
Shai's chamber.
He burst onto the balcony, his gaze sweeping the darkness. Our eyes met for the briefest
instant across the moonlit grounds but he could not recognize me, not in this
disguise, not with my face shadowed and my form cloaked as a stranger.
I seized the reins and urged the mare into a gallop, tears stinging my eyes as the wind
tore at my hood. Betrayal burned in my throat like bile.
Flame Shai and I had been betrothed from the moment my father declared that alliance was
wiser than war.
I had first beheld the Dragon Prince when I was barely more than a child, and the word
"first love" felt too small, too frail, to contain what had bloomed inside me
that day.
I had dreamed of becoming his wife, dreamed of it over and over, yet my age held us
apart until I reached eighteen.
Tomorrow, on my eighteenth birthday, the wedding celebrations had been set. The kingdoms
would feast, banners would fly, and vows would be spoken before gods and men.
But no. Not anymore.
I had been offered as a token of peace, yes, but also because I loved Flame Shai with
every beat of my heart and had wanted this union more than anything.
If this marriage could not be built on love, trust, and mutual respect, then I refused
it.
I would not bind myself to a man who could so easily shatter my devotion.
The horse thundered onward through the night, carrying me back toward my own kingdom, away from the shrine, away from the prince who had just broken me beyond repair.
Let the dawn come. Let the wedding bells toll without me.
I was done.