Page 37 of Ruined Kingdom

With all the horrible things that we'd been through, this moment felt like a dream. We deserved this … this little slice of happiness in a cold and bleak world.

“The Binding of Souls is a shifter sacrament—sacred to our kind. If at any point, this becomes too much for you, please tell me.” He reiterated the sacredness of this ceremony, and I gave him a little nod, urging him to proceed. “Sophia Everly. I know this journey hasn’t been easy for you… I’ve not been—perfect.”

“Far from it,” I uttered under my breath jokingly.

“All right,” he winced in slight annoyance, which only made me want to laugh. He brushed past it and continued, “But I make this vow, here and now, that I?—”

He stopped suddenly.

I waited, imagining that he was pausing for dramatic effect, but I began to worry when his eyes glazed over. “Kaine.”

I pressed my hands into his chest, feeling his heart beating ferociously against his ribcage. “Kaine, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t—” He tried to talk through clenched teeth, but his words were cut off by a painful grunt. He doubled over in pain, grasping at his stomach with his claws and screaming out.

“Oh, my Gods! Tieni! Garmilen! Somebody, help!” I grabbed his shoulders as I called out toward the door, but he shrugged off my hands.

The doors flung open, and Tieni was the first through them.

She called out to me in a panic, but I couldn’t register what she was saying because darkness fell over me, blocking out the bright moonlight that once shrouded us. Her eyes faded from me, focusing on something behind me.

The blood in my veins turned to ice.

My throat tightened up.

My head turned slowly, following the tall shadow that leered over me menacingly.

Kaine was in the middle of shifting, but he was stuck in some sort of twisted limbo. His skin was ripped open like veins of lava, except it was fur sprouting out. His eyes were bright yellow and devoid of the adoration they’d held a mere moment ago.

He breathed heavily, like he was using all of his strength to hold himself back. “Run…”

He grumbled, but I was too frightened to move.

I took in a stuttering breath as my eyes watered. I didn’t understand what was happening.

His long arm reached for me as he wrapped his monstrous claws around me. “I said … get away from me!”

He shoved me to the ground before backing away and shaking his head wildly. He let out a painful growl before running at one of the beautiful stained glass windows.

Colorful pieces shattered everywhere as he jumped through and disappeared into the night.

I lay on the ground, watching in helpless disbelief. Everything had been so perfect—bit now…

Tieni rushed to my side, but I couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

Tears as hot as fire bled from my eyes and burned my cheeks as I listened to the sound of my own terrified breath and the colored pieces of glass hitting the stone floor.

Why?

10

SOPHIA

“Sophia, please. You must rest. You will be no good to the King if you’ve keeled over from exhaustion.” Tieni nervously tugged on her handkerchief as she trodden after me through the dark forest.

I didn't even dignify it with an answer. How could she ask me to stop?

He would have never given up on me so easily.

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