started to release another deep breath. I tilted my head as far as I could away from the blast.
I ordered the roots to tighten on him more.
“Easy Elena, you don’t want to kill him,” my father warned.
“Yield!” I yelled.
“Never.”
He tried to squirm free, I could feel it in my hands. It was as if the roots were attached to my body. More roots sprouted out and grabbed him tighter.
“Yield!”
He roared again like a wild beast whose spirit couldn’t be tamed. I saw myself inside the red irises of his eyes.
For the love of blueberries, Blake, just yield. He shrieked and growled all at the same time and I saw how his eyes started to turn another color. The red started to fade and a purple light filled his eyes.
“Yield,” I whispered as the roots pinned him down more, and then his peacock blue eyes took the place of the red, evil irises.
“That’s my girl, now remember your promise. I love you.” My dad’s voice faded.
“No, wait!” I yelled as the roots retreated back into the ground. I tried to follow my father’s voice.
Blake roared for one last time and I froze on the spot.
My core started to boil and cool down at the same time. It grew with such a power that I knew my body couldn’t contain it. It went up my arms and into my head. I fell onto my knees as I grabbed my skull and let out a scream. Then I felt my body exploding into a million pieces.
HEN I OPENED my eyes I was in a dark place. I couldn’t even make out the outline of where I was.
My heart rate started to rise as I remembered the last thing I’d gone through. Am I finally dead?
“Hello, sweetheart.”
Lucian’s voice filled the darkness. I was dead.
I crawled to his voice and collided hard with him. We both laughed. I didn’t care anymore. This was where I wanted to be and if it meant that I no longer lived then I was fine with that.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“Don’t know, I think it’s time to find out.”
“I’m not dead?”
Lucian chuckled. “I don’t think so, sweetheart. The other side is very bright and peaceful. I think we are in some sort of closet.”
“Closets aren’t this dark, Lucian.”
He chuckled. “You haven’t played in one inside Paegeia yet.” The sole of his boots found a hollow surface, and kicked, hard. I had to squint as bright light filled the confined space.
A maid shrieked and linen fell onto the floor. She ran in the opposite direction as Lucian and I crawled out of what did look like a closet.
“Told you,” he joked.
“Whatever.” I looked around. “Where the hell are we?” We stood in a huge hallway. It was well-lit with a deep brown, lush carpet running from one side to the other.
“I don’t know, but something tells me we should find out.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the opposite side that turned into another hall. We looked around for a second before Lucian pulled me to the left into another hall. When we exited, we found ourselves facing a huge staircase running downward.
“Are we in a castle?”
“It’s not just any castle, Elena. I know this place.”
Lucian held me tight and we both watched his father passing without noticing either of us.
“I don’t think they can see us.” We followed his father but kept our distance. He stopped by some guards and a man wearing the thickest black coat I’d ever seen. His back was toward me and Lucian. The two of them spoke for only a second and then the man in the coat turned around, and flashed his perfect smile. It was my father, the king.
“Dad!” He looked different. I ran after him and could hear Lucian’s breath right beside me. “Dad!” We followed him down the stairs, but he was fast.
“He can’t hear you, Elena.” Lucian’s hand grabbed me around my arm and pulled me back.
I stopped as I watched him walking out of two huge doors. I looked around and found myself in a lobby. It was beautiful and there were three other staircases as well as the one we’d just run down. They all led to different levels of the castle. I sucked in a breath when my eyes landed on a large portrait of Queen Catherine, my mother, hanging on one wall.
“Lucian, is this what I think it is?”
He smiled. “Welcome home, princess.”
“Don’t call me that.” I smacked him playfully with the