Kane narrows his eyes, grabbing my arm and lifting me up as he stands. He holds tightly to it, dragging me back into the room and in front of the mirror. His grip is painful, but I refuse to say a word about it.
He pulls me in front of him and holds my shoulders tightly. "Look at me. I have taken the brunt of all physical damage, and now I cannot protect my own people. If we are to have a kingdom left when this is all over, my torture needs to stop."
I shake my head, tears pulling at my eyes. "I don't understand what you need me to do. I'm not ready to kill Drogaem just yet. I'm not strong enough."
He shakes his head. "I need you to take my place. Your strong enough to fight back and show Drogaem that we aren't going to be pushed around."
My eyes grow wide, and I lurch away from him, backing up toward the bed. Fear floods me. Kane is big, dark, and ominous as he slowly walks toward me, his eyes black as coal. Between Kane and Drogaem, I feel so weak. I couldn't stop Drogaem in the tombs. I couldn't stop him from cursing me, capturing Kane, and killing those mortals. I see those mortal faces in my mind every time I close my eyes. It weighs heavily on my soul.
If I had been stronger, if I had stood up from the beginning, none of this would've happened. I could have killed Drogaem before he ever got his body back. But I failed. I failed Kane, the people in his kingdom, and the entire mortal realm. If I say yes, Drogaem will kill me.
* * *
Kane
The sounds of the screams are echoing through my head, and all I want is to defend these people. Briar is acting so weak, even after all the training and everything we've been through. I need her to be strong, but she refuses.
"Kane," she says quietly. "You know if I take your place, I'll die. If I am truly the key to beating Drogaem, I cannot do this, not even for you."
My jaw clenches and the rage floods me. I know that if I don't get away, I'll end up hurting Briar without meaning to. It's in my blood, in my make up, to take my anger and destroy everything that causes me pain. She doesn't try to reach for me, she sees the passion in me, and I leave her, storming away and out the door. I turn and stomp down the hallway. The air around me waivers as heat pours from my skin. I reach my arms out to each side as my skin darkens, and scales layer down my flesh. My nails contact the stone, and I drag them along, cutting deep divots on each side.
I reach midway down the hall and stop, clenching my fists tightly as my talons grow sharper, and my body continues to morph. The chorus of pain coming from my kingdom builds in my chest, and my head falls back, letting out a howl that twists within the voices filling the castle. As I do, everything around me begins to burn. The pictures on the wall catch fire, the candles melt into puddles, and the curtains, the thick drapes, burst into flames.
I cannot push away the deep sorrow I feel within me. I let it take control, knowing it's the only thing I can do at that moment. The longer I mourn, the longer I allow the pain to flood from me, the more the castle begins to burn. All around me, flames shoot up the stone walls, and the floors themselves glow red with heat. Drogaem has done what he has set out to do to me. He came to break me, and he succeeded.
What he doesn't realize, is that by breaking me, he's unleashed the real monster inside of me. The beast that has always hidden within the shadows of my soul. This monster has no remorse, no ability to hold back, and when the time is right, I will unleash him on Drogaem. Only then will the dark King truly know what it feels like to burn in the flames of death.
Chapter 15
Briar
I pick myself up, dusting the bits of stone from my dress. Tears streaking down my face as I stand on the balcony, watching the city burn. I cry for many reasons. I cry for the souls below. I cry for my love for Kane and the disappointment I just gave him. I cry for myself, knowing that eventually, I'm going to have to make a choice. If it comes to it, I will have to choose between my beloved and the rest of all living creatures. I always thought it was a slight possibility, but now I know it's more likely than not to be the choice I will face.
I still have hope, though, and I will hold on to that hope for as long as I possibly can. My hope extends in all directions, reaching beyond the boundaries of this realm and into the ones I know nothing about. My hope covers Kane, and that he'll resurrect from the angered and wounded person he is. He wants so badly to protect his people, and he's facing something he's never had to face before. He feels helpless, small, and weak. I know how that feels, and I can only imagine what it does to Kane on the inside.
My hands grip tighter to the railing of the balcony as my tears increase. I choke on my sobs, keeping my eyes on the suffering city. I will not forget this moment, and I will not turn away from it. But I find myself kneeling to my human emotion, letting it overwhelm me. My
