Page 7 of Eternally Rare
“Will you?”
I cut my gaze at him, then stand. The water rushes down my body and splashes into the tub. I spread my onyx wings, my dragon preparing to tear Raiden to pieces for challenging me like that.
“How dare you question me,” I hiss, stepping out of the tub.
Dragons don’t care about nudity since we are always shifting in front of one another.
“I have proven myself time and time again.”
“I’m asking as your friend, Nyx, not as your second in command. Everyone here would die for you. They aren’t questioning if you’ll be ready.”
I dry off by allowing my inner flame to dance over my skin, the water evaporating quickly.
“Then why are you?” I get dressed, tugging on a pair of pants, I forgo the shirt the clothsmith weaved with his magic, a special piece of clothing that doesn’t trap our wings, but the fabric makes my skin itch.
He steps closer to me, his eyes searching mine for truth, and I’m so close to telling him. What would he think? What would he do? Would he fight for me? Would he go against the will of Fate?
“What’s bothering you, Nyx? Talk to me.”
“Nothing. It’s just my wing. It’s bothering me more than usual.”
He presses his lips together, not believing me but accepting my answer. “Okay, what would you like for me to do about the trolls?”
“Prepare the enforcers and the elite. We need to be ready.”
“Maybe… maybe we should notify our neighbors, Nyx.”
I snarl, pinning him against the wall. My claws lengthen, tearing into his blue scales. “What the hell did you just say?” Fire threatens to release from my throat, wanting to burn him where he stands.
Raiden doesn’t flinch. He shows no pain as blood spills down his chest. “I said maybe we should tell the elves. Maybe it’s time to find peace and let go of what happened eight hundred years ago.”
“Peace? Peace to the elf who killed my father? Royalty. A prince. You want peace to come to them.”
“Him,” he clarifies.
“What?” I snap.
“Him. It was only he who killed your father. Not the rest.”
“So you want to forget about the other dragons they have killed?”
“You’re being a hypocrite. We’ve killed elves too in countless battles. We were all protecting ourselves. Just imagine—”
“—There will be no imagining!” I roar so loud that my room trembles as my dragon makes itself known and my fangs lengthen. I slam my fist against the wall next to his head, the stone crumbling to the ground. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Prince,” he says the word with irritation. Raiden shoves my chest, the only person in any fucking dimension besides my firebond who could get away with treating me that way. He growls, but relents by showing me his throat, a form of submission and respect since I’m the prince. “I’ll keep you updated about the trolls.” My best friend storms out of the room, leaving me in the havoc of my own emotions.
If we lived in the world that my father lived in, where we shared technology and magics, the fight against the trolls would be easier.
But we live in a new world, a world where betrayal was born and bred from a decision my damn firebond made.
I walk over to the window that overlooks his castle, resting my arms above my head on the stone. Firegrass blazes while snow peacefully falls on the other side. My land probably looks like hell to him, but his looks like heaven. The snow is white, and it almost seems quiet, unlike the roar of fire that constantly happens here.
Down the middle of the boundary is heartsnow, a rare flower that burns down one half, but is cold on the other. The werewolf who killed two of my dragons came here on a difficult journey to get the heartsnow for a spell.
“What are you doing to me?” I whisper as I fight every instinct to call on him so we can claim each other. My claws dig into the brimstone as my eyes lock on one of his castle windows. The tall, iced mansion glistens, not once succumbing to the raging heat emanating from my kingdom.
Needing to get away, I leap from my window, spread my wings, and call on my dragon who yearns for my enemy.