“Let me check with your lover then. Perhaps he remembers more than you. After all, he was with you when you imprisoned me.”
Lightning fast, I watch in horror as he strikes out and bites Cael.
Cael cries out. His eyes snap open and he looks up at the creature in terror. “What are you?” he slurs. His gaze sweeps to me, and panic twists his features. “Let her go!”
Instead of answering him, the serpent stares deep into his eyes. Cael goes silent, transfixed as I was by the creature’s hypnotic gaze.
Another dark chuckle escapes it. “Oh, this is too good.”
“What?” I ask.
It cocks its head to the side, regarding Cael with a sinister look.
“You prayed to the God of Creation after your beloved queen died by your hand, and he granted your request.”
“What request?” Cael asks, echoing my own thoughts.
“It is the reason you do not remember trapping me here.” It turns to me. “The reason not all of your memories have returned.”
I shake my head. “You’re not making sense. What are you talking about?”
“Your guard blamed himself for your death. Because of him, you did not take a harem as every queen before you had done for her own protection. He mourned at your tomb and called upon the God of Creation, begging him to restore your life. To his surprise, the god answered.”
“What happened?” I ask, desperate to understand.
He turns his attention back to Cael. “The god told you she would be reborn… you both would. So, you begged him to force her to accept the harem she should have chosen before. You wanted to make sure you did not repeat your mistake. You wanted to make sure she did not choose only you to protect her, leaving her vulnerable again in the next life.” It tips its head to the side as if studying Cael intently. “The god granted your request, but not in the way you thought he would.”
“What do you mean?”
An evil grin lights his face. “You were destined to take five mates in this life, according to the prayer he’d been granted. But that was before you found me. Now, you will die before any of that happens.”
“Wait!” I cry out, stalling for time but also desperate to know the answer. “What do you mean the god granted his request but not in the way that he thought?”
The Great Serpent turns his attention back to me, ignoring Cael behind him. His long tail snakes around my form, tightening to the point that I can barely breathe.
Cael lifts his open palms and creates a ball of flame. Standing behind the serpent, his eyes meet mine, and I know what he means to do.
“Please. Answer me before you kill me,” I address the serpent, trying to keep his focus on me.
I shudder inwardly, as his long, forked tongue flicks out and licks across my skin. He tips his head to the side as if considering.
“Why should I tell you?” he asks. “I should just crush your pitiful form and be done with it.”
Panic tightens my chest as I force my gaze to remain locked on his, not wanting to give away Cael’s plan as the sphere of fire in his hands grows even larger.
“Because I—"
I don’t get to finish my sentence. A ball of flame rushes toward the serpent, slamming into the back of his head in a massive explosion of fire. He cries out, relinquishing his grip on my body as he spins toward Cael.
I watch as my beloved launches several more fiery orbs, hitting the serpent square in the face. Writhing in pain it releases an inhuman screech, blasting my ears like a siren.
It twists on the floor and my eyes are instantly drawn to a deep orange glow beneath the scales of its midsection.
“Cael!” I call out, pointing to the spot.
He releases a stream of flames from his hands to that section. The serpent’s scales blister and peel away from its body, revealing the meaty flesh beneath. He continues to concentrate his fire, burning a hole in its tissue until he uncovers the deep orange-red stone.
Despite the poison still coursing through me, I push myself to stand and stumble toward it. The charred and burned tissue glows red hot from the fire.
Gritting my teeth, I push my hand inside the open cavity, wrapping my palm around the magic stone. Heat sears my skin, but I force myself to hold on. This is what we came for and I will not let it go.
Reaching my hand out toward Cael, Lynx, and Astra, I call upon the magic buried deep inside me, imagining a glowing blue sphere surrounding and protecting them.
I remember now why the serpent was so hard to kill. If any part of its body is left intact, it will survive and regrow even larger than before.
Light pulses across their forms as I form the protective shield. Cael’s panicked gaze meets mine.
“Kyra, no! You’re too weak!”
He’s right, but we don’t have a choice.
“I have to burn him, Cael! I cannot let him live this time!”
Using the last of my strength, I summon the fire in my veins. Electricity arcs through my entire body. The tips of my fingers burn with crackling energy as it moves across my skin.
My every nerve lights up in anticipation as the magic forms within me, building like a giant wave behind a dam. My body trembles as I focus all my energy on harnessing my powers.
Unable to contain it, the magic bursts forth in a brilliant explosion of heat and fire, consuming everything in its wake. The serpent’s body erupts into flame.
It releases a series of pain-filled cries, twisting and writhing in the fiery inferno. I grit my teeth, struggling to keep control of the protective spell that shields us from the intense heat and fire.
Cael’s eyes meet mine, panic and fear flashing behind them. I stumble forward. Desperate to reach him, I drop to my knees as the flames lick at
