Page 110 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

I held my wrist, willing my magic to the tender spot, sighing with relief as it healed. Turning, I grabbed the dark nightgown on my chair and threw it on, the hem swinging around my knees.

“I found something,” I said.

His head whipped toward me, and his eyes flared with interest. “Dianna?”

So that’s what he cared about above all. That’s what got the attention of the cold-hearted, mean bastard in front of me. Dianna and Isaiah seemed to be the only things he truly cared for.

To be honest, I wasn’t shocked. I’d always known he had the most lethal obsession with Dianna. His eyes followed her every move and expression. I was surprised he ever let her out of his sight. Although, I would bet that even when he pretended not to care, all those times when she left to be with her sister, he kept an eye on her. What was more surprising was that he tolerated my relationship with her, but even then, I knew he used it as a cover for his true feelings. I didn’t know why he did it, but now it was all clear. He could still be with her without Nismera or the others breathing down his back.

“No,” I said, watching as his shoulders slumped slightly. “I may or may not have snuck out during lunch and found another part of your sister’s lair.”

Kaden tipped his head, waiting. “Okay. Go on.”

I took a shuddering breath, hating this next part. “I don’t trust this place or its residents, so I’d rather show you.”

“Very well.” Kaden sighed. “Show me.” He seemed so bored.

I stepped forward, my lips slanting over his as I showed him every part of what I’d seen down in the east wing. His grip tightened on my waist, his mouth pressing harder against mine, the kiss deepening as he saw that golden spear. He pushed back after Nismera killed her prisoners, his eyes scanning mine.

“That’s it?”

I nodded, taking a step back.

A look of pure bewilderment crossed his face. “So Nismera wants to harness Oblivion?”

“Looks like it,” I said a little too breathlessly. It wasn’t from kissing Kaden. I had zero sexual feelings toward the man. It was just that I hadn’t been kissed in a very, very long time, and I missed it. My mind drifted to a certain tall, broody celestial, and I quickly extinguished that thought. “Now, we also know why she had all those remains. I think she’s trying to see if she can even use Oblivion. So, no creepy experiments, it seems. Although it doesn’t explain the ones that were diced.”

Kaden was silent for a moment as he paced, and then he glanced at me. “If it’s not working, that would explain why she needed Samkiel’s blood, even Isaiah’s.”

“How?”

“Isaiah has power over blood in general. She’s probably just working on a way to stabilize Oblivion.”

“Oh.” I paused. “Okay, so how do we stop her?”

Kaden looked at me as if I had grown horns. “Stop her? From what?”

“She’s killing innocent people to make that weapon, and if she succeeds, she will own this realm and every realm in between.”

His dark brow rose. “And? Let her have it.”

I was quiet for far too long, and he caught it. He laughed a small chuckle that had my magic screaming for me to run. He took a step, then another, until I had to tip my head back to look at him. His fingers gripped my chin in a painful embrace. “Have you forgotten who I am? You think I care about innocent fucking people? My sister already rules these realms, and she will have them forever. No one defies Nismera. You’ll learn that here. And if you try, you will learn that Nismera is not the worst thing in this wretched world.”

I said nothing as Kaden used his free hand to reach forward, moving a strand of my hair.

“I don’t care for much in this world. I never have, but I do care for Isaiah. He’s still easily swayed and impressionable, just as he’s always been. He’s the reason we were cursed to that damned prison dimension. His hubris gets the best of him, but I promised eons ago I’d never let anything happen to him, and I meant it. If she’s using his blood to bind a weapon, then so be it as long as he is not hurt.”

“You don’t know that for sure. How can you trust her so blindly?” I said.

The laugh that left his lips was unnerving, and I flinched. “You think I should care about you? Camilla, you are and have always been a means to an end. Gods damn, are you all this simple in any realm? You think soft kisses and whispered words make me a nice man, that I want to help innocents? I only love two people in this entire wretched world, and you are not one of them.”

“That is a position I would never want to claim,” I snapped.

“This ends now. No more snooping around this palace. If I catch you, I’ll send you to her myself. How much magic can you do with no hands, hmm?”

I tried to jerk my chin from his grip, but he held tight. “Let go of me!”

A cold chill went up my spine as he held me there. In a serious lapse of judgment, I had forgotten he was a predator, an apex of his species, just like Dianna. He could rip my throat open if he wished, tear my head from my body, and right now, as he looked at me, I had a sinking feeling he just might.

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