Page 58 of The Cursed Queen

Though my words continued to say no, my body's response to the memory of his touches repeated yes in my head. I needed to give myself distance, both from him and Ryu. As much as I enjoyed Ryu's company, and though the strength of our bond seemed robust, I decided I wouldn't be the dividing force between them.

"I must go," I got out, before turning and running back inside. The brief interaction with Drayce already had me missing his presence, which was how I knew that distance was needed. But I feared we wouldn't be separated for too long. After all, he and Ryu were both my instructors. Which meant that I'd be facing them again real soon.

What was I going to do?

Sera

"Concentrate, Sera. Let your mind drift off until you find yourself in that world where you and your dragon are connected," Andriel instructed.

We both sat with our legs crossed, facing each other as he guided me into helping to break my dragon free of her shackles. My eyes drifted shut as I cleared my mind like Andriel had said. I willed my thoughts to fade, allowing myself to drift away from the den. I thought back to the grassy field where I spotted my dragon the day I entered the den, envisioning the colossal dragon held down by chains. The memory was as crystal clear as fresh water. I felt myself falling, traveling through an endless void of darkness until a ring of amethyst flames surrounded me. They didn't harm me. They recognized me and wrapped themselves around me like a blanket of warmth. Just as fast as they ignited, they fizzled out.

I opened my eyes and returned to that empty field. Rising to my feet, I looked around to find myself alone, wishing there was a way Andriel would've come with me, but I was on my own. I closed my eyes and tried to summon my dragon the way Andriel had taught me.

"When you're in that space, visualize your dragon. Reach deep within your subconscious until you sense her presencehidden in the farthest recesses of your core. Once you find her, draw her out. It's the same way you summon your flames."

I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, my mind picturing the current state of my dragon. The way she was wrapped in chains and pinned to the ground. I could tell she could sense my presence and was reaching for me. I latched onto her aura; warm, and steady, like a heartbeat. My eyes shot open and whipped around at the sound of a low rumble. Behind me laid my dragon. The remaining nine chains that kept us from completely bonding still had a menacing hold over her frame.

Even in her weakened state, she was a magnificent creature. Now that I knew she was a part of me, I felt the overwhelming sense to embrace her. I reached out and ran my hand along her scaled flesh.

"I never knew about you," I whispered.

The dragon's left eye watched me with no judgment in it.

"I dreamed of you. You were the reason I was so fascinated with dragons. I always knew there was a strange kinship I felt towards them, but I never knew why. Now I do. Our bond may have severed because of the dragonsbane, but I promise to set you free. We will become one like we're supposed to be."

I turned to face the dreaded chains that kept my dragon and me from fully reaching our true potential. The infernal curse that threatened to take half of my soul from me. That would not happen. Not without a fight. Hands clenching into fists, I summoned my flames. I stepped forward, grabbed the closest chain with my flame-covered hands, and pulled. My lips pressed in a firm line as I pulled with all my strength, drawing more of my flames to help weaken the strength of this curse.

My biceps tightened as I pulled, and pulled, and pulled. I bit my lower lip so hard I could feel the metallic tang of blood dripping inside my mouth. My tongue lapping it up. I dug my feet into the dirt for leverage and pulled further back. I could feelthe chain slowly giving out, but was still putting up a fight. The whole time I yanked on the chain, my dragon eyed me intently. Witnessing my determination to bring our souls fully together. My will to not give up on her. Maybe my determination would give her the motivation to fight as well. To regain some of the strength she'd lost over the years.

I gave the chain one last pull, pouring all my strength into it with a scream. Soon, there was a popping sound. The chain snapped, causing me to lose my balance. I flailed backward until I fell onto my back, the chain fading into smoke. Two down, eight more to go. Destroying them one at a time was going to take forever. It took almost all my energy just to break one.

My arms felt as if they were being held down by solid stone. My bottom lip burned from how hard I bit into it, and my heart raced like a stampede. Despite all that, I forced myself to get back up. I wasn't sure how long my connection into this space would last, but I wanted to at least break one more chain before I used up all my vitality.

My body screamed in protest, but I forced myself to move. Coaxing more of my flames to the surface, I grabbed onto the next chain and pulled. With how tired I was, this next one resisted my pull as if it were made from the strongest material in creation. It didn't feel like it was pulling apart at all, which frustrated me. I didn't want to quit after only breaking one chain.

I thought back on all the years I missed with my dragon. The knowledge that I'd been unknowingly poisoning her with my medication, preventing her from fully developing within me. All those years I could've learned how to be a dragon shifter. The strength I would've got over time with proper training. All of it wasstripped from me because of Verania.

I allowed the anger to fuel me. Finding my second wind, I pulled harder, feeling the first sign of the chain's resistanceweakening. As I continued pulling off the chain, I faced my dragon. The way her eyes were watching me. She seemed almost surprised. Did she think I'd given up on her? Never!

"We're meant to be one!" I shouted and followed it up with a powerful tug on the chain. "We still have unfinished business. I want to set the other dragons free. I want Verania to pay for what she's done to us; You, me, our mates, or den, all of them. I plan to fight, but I can't do it without you. I don't intend to give up on you, but what about you? Are you going to give up on me? On yourself?"

I could tell she was listening to me, but did not indicate an answer. That was fine. If she didn't know if she had the strength to keep fighting, I would have to do it for the both of us until she was ready to help.

I kept pulling on the chain like my life depended on it, thinking I had to do it alone. That was when the dragon's body moved. I froze in place, looking at the beast in question as she lifted her head off the ground. Thankfully, the two chains I pulled off were the ones that were holding her long neck, but now they were gone. The dragon let out a thunderous roar that shuttered the earth beneath me. She still couldn't move the rest of her body, but it was a start. I beamed at the display of strength she'd regained.

It motivated me further to set the rest of her body free. I hoisted myself off the ground by taking flight, pulling on the chains from a new angle. My wings flapped vigorously, pushing against the wind current to fly me back. I gritted my teeth, pulling with all my might.

The dragon bellowed a sound like it was trying to tell me something. Before I could ask what she wanted, she turned her head back, grabbed the chain I'd been working on with her teeth, and pulled. She was helping me to break the chain.

With our combined strength, we pulled upward, feeling the chain loosening more and more. Holding my breath, I flew back as hard as possible, willing the chain to snap off.

A few more seconds in, and it finally snapped. I reeled back, struggling to maintain balance in the air, which resulted in a couple of backflips. But I regained my stance, then descended to the ground, feeling what little strength I had left vacating.

Two chains. I helped remove two more chains from the dragon's body. Now there were only seven. Maybe there was hope. I wanted to thank the dragon for her help—to let her know I wouldn't stop until she was completely free—but my vision blurred. Then everything went dark.

"Sera? Sera, can you hear me? Wake up, my darling," a soft voice echoed in my ears, growing louder as I regained consciousness. My eyelids felt heavy as I forced them open. My blurred vision slowly cleared until a familiar face registered in my brain.

"Andriel," I whispered.

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