“It would’ve saved me from having to jump into a fucking cavern with a wyrm. There are things happening in this realm that you’re not aware of.”
“No shit? I totally didn’t catch that, Zyion!” After a moment, I actually asked what else, in case the coup wasn’t the worst shit happening. “Like what?” I protested emphatically, wondering if he was making up the wyrm to keep me pliant. It was clear that something was among us, but its nature was yet to be determined.
“That was your eldest brother Vane who attacked you today.” Pausing, I turned, feeling a twinge of regret that I wouldn’t be bonding with him after all. “What is actually worrisome, is that he knew how to bring you down and nullify your magic. According to my sources, he intended to stab you through the heart, then set you on fire to prove to the people in front of his father, and those gathered at the training field, that you’re not a Prometheus. If he’d succeeded, we’re uncertain your beast would survive the attack, or even rise. You’re not connected to your inner beast. I improvised with what I had in order to prevent Vane from succeeding.”
“Why does everyone want to kill me?” I asked irritably.
“You really can’t whisper worth shit, can you?” His question forced my eyes to roll.
“And them attacking Griffon?”
“The coup wasn’t in their plans until Hagen learned of the assassination plan. He wants the throne, and there’s nothing he won’t do to achieve his goal.”
“And your plan to save me was to have me kidnapped by dragons?”
“I did whatever the fuck I had to do to ensure you lived. If that makes me your villain, so fucking be it,” he growled as something slammed against the ground above us. The creature currently surrounding us shot into the air so rapidly that my mind didn’t process what had happened until Zyion’s arm wrapped around me and he jerked me back against the heat of his body.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked.
“You’re fucking trembling because you’re freezing. The temperature is about to drop without the wyrm’s body heat inside this cavern, and there’s no way we can climb out of the hole you got us into. That means we’re going through the tunnels to escape from it. Now, I’m going to need you to stop asking questions and fucking move. They can’t beat the bastard, which means we have moments to escape before he returns.”
“I’ll be fine once we leave this cavern. Let’s go.” The cold was unnerving, but so was the irritable prick behind me.
“Stay close to me, and if you hear anything moving? You need to freeze in place immediately.” Zyion turned away from me—or, I assumed that was what he did. Discerning anything was impossible in the pitch-black darkness we were trapped in. “We’re not dying here, princess. Understand? Few things can kill a phoenix, but wyrms happen to be on that very short list.” I seized the tunic he wore with a tight grasp. “Oh, look at you, good girl, you can listen,” he murmured with sarcasm dripping from his tone
“Don’t say that to me,” I grumbled irritably.
“Why? Is that what your dragon calls you when you’re beneath him?” he queried. His tone implied he knew what Knox said to me during our turbulent bouts together.
I chose to ignore him as we crept sideways through the damp tunnel. Scraping sounded behind us, which forced me to freeze in place. Warm air shot from whatever was in front of us, blasting into our faces. The horrific scent of it combined with the heated breath drifting over my back had my gag reflex kicking into overdrive. My fingers remained locked onto Zyion’s back, twisting his tunic as fear rocketed through my mind and forced a soft whimper from my throat. This was how I died. I felt the gravity of it in my bones.
Chapter Nineteen
Aria
Zyion was faster than I was. He yanked me backward and then forced me to the ground before the sound of his sword scraping against the scabbard filled the cavern. My fear and horror shot up my throat, choking off the sound of my scream. Something wet and warm splattered over my face as I crawled backward, trying to give Zyion enough room to fight without me being in the way.
“Run, Aria,” Zyion demanded through clenched teeth seconds before he released a howl of pain. The echo of his sword clattering to the cavern floor alerted me to the seriousness of the situation. “Fuck!” he snarled as the sound of something being slammed against the wall sounded within the darkness of the cavern.
Closing my eyes, I told myself I was a fool for what I was about to attempt. Still, my hands were blindly searching the ground around me for the blade. The sound of his body being slammed around didn’t hide the soft click of claws against the stone. Something else was in the cave with us. Finally, my palm landed on the cold steel, and I heaved it up before swinging it recklessly through the air before me.
“Zyion?” I screamed.
A scratching sound against the ground started in front of me, which allowed me to slide the blade forward. There was the telltale resistance of the blade piercing flesh, and I prayed quietly that I hadn’t just skewered Zyion with his own sword. The sound of something rushing toward me forced me to aggressively swing the blade with every remaining ounce of strength I had left.
“I am not dying here!” I snarled as tears fell from my eyes. My arms shook under the weight of the sword, and I hated it. “Fuck you! Fuck you, motherfucker! If you want me, come get some!” I sobbed as I slashed the blade once more. Something solid hit the floor. Not daring to stop, I continued bringing the blade down in wild, angry, fearful slices until light burned across my vision, forcing me to stop. I blinked persistently to allow my eyes to adjust. When they refused, I lifted my arm to shield them from the blinding light. A hand slid down my arm to my hand before tugging the sword from my hold.
“You killed it, princess,” Basilius assured. My focus lifted to where he stood across from me on the other side of the wyrm’s lifeless corpse.
When I saw the monstrous thing, the blood drained from my face. The wyrm had something that resembled a dragon’s head, but that was where the similarities ended. Its serpent-like body was covered in scales. Sharp, dagger-like teeth were glistening in the light’s eerie glow. Strange antler-type horns speared from its head, still moving even in death. Essentially, the wyrm lacked limbs and wings but possessed a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. Swallowing the uneasiness I felt in its presence, I flinched from the multiple rows of wicked looking teeth in its cavernous maw.
“Zyion?” I called out as I turned and then searched his body for injuries. His chest was coated in blood, but otherwise, he seemed fine. I expelled an unrestrained sigh as a loud exhale left my lungs and my fear for him was eased. “Idiot, did you see that thing? Why would you even think of fighting it?”
Zyion awarded me a lopsided smile and a lifted brow, but I ignored his smugness. I told myself I’d only worried because him dying would have left me alone in this damn cave. My legs threatened to give out as the adrenaline exited from my system, leaving me weak. Zyion reached out, holding me up even if it was a bit awkward.
“Worried about me? Careful, Aria. I may start to think that you actually like me.” His heated breath fanned against my ear as I gripped a handful of his tunic, uncaring that it was soaked in blood.