Page 72 of Sins of His Wrath

“You will continue your research with me," he replied, his eyes holding hers.

Naya almost scoffed. After weeks of being used for his pleasure and her days being held over her head, this had to be a jest. "You said you wouldn't hinder my progress."

"I'm not," he said, the edge in his voice sharpening. "I'm helping."

"Are you?" Naya challenged, crossing her arms. "Or are you making sure I don't learn too much?"

Akoro's jaw tightened. “I was told you had questions for me. And I realized there are places only I can take you, information only I can provide." His voice dropped lower, almost intimate in its intensity. "If you wish to succeed, you'll need me.”

Naya studied him, trying to discern the truth behind his words. There was calculation there, certainly—Akoro wouldn't help her unless it somehow served his own interests. But she had already come up against a barrier where only he could provide the answer. This was his land, his palace, his history. He might truly be the only one who could give her the bigger picture, and she had thirteen precious days that could mean life or death for her empire.

“I don’t trust your interpretation any more than your council’s,” she said firmly.

“Then I will have someone translate the official documentation for you,” he said. “But as you can already see, some things were not documented.”

Naya’s eyes narrowed. That was true for all documentation, but usually there were supporting accounts to verify events. He was offering to testify.

All right,” she said finally. “I have many questions… starting with the one you just interrupted: What happened to the magical city you once had?"

His dark eyes roved over her face, lingering on her mouth for a heartbeat before returning to meet her gaze. "Come," he said, turning toward the door. "I'll show you."

"Show me?" Naya repeated, surprised.

Akoro paused, looking back at her over his shoulder. "Some things are better understood when seen."

There was something in his tone—a gravity, an underlying weight to his words—that made her instantly curious.

Naya hesitated only a moment before following him. As she fell into step beside him, their arms brushed briefly, sending a jolt through her that she fiercely ignored. His scent seeped around her, familiar and comforting despite everything—or perhaps because of it.

She glanced up at his profile as they walked, at the hard line of his jaw, the intensity in his dark eyes. Her body still remembered the feel of his hands on her skin, the weight of him against her, inside her. She forced her mind away from those memories.

They were enemies, and they were mates, but they were working toward a goal that could save or doom both their lands.

And today, maybe, she would finally begin to understand the truth about what she was facing.

Akoro's pace was swift and determined as he led Naya through the palace corridors. His massive form cut through the corridors like a blade, creating an invisible path that none dared cross. Naya quickened her steps to keep up with him, irritation and curiosity warring within her.

They continued in silence, descending several flights of stairs until they reached the ground level of the palace. When they stepped out into the blazing afternoon sun, Naya blinked, momentarily disoriented by the sudden brightness after being in the Archives.

Hisnniraestood saddled and waiting in the courtyard, massive and imposing, its thick beige hide gleaming in the sunlight. Akoro approached the creature, which greeted him with a low rumbling sound. Without hesitation, he lifted Naya and placed her on the saddle, and mounted behind her.

Thenniraemoved forward at Akoro's command, its gait smooth as always. Within minutes, they were beyond the palace grounds, weaving through the city streets. The city appeared markedly better than last time she’d seen it; less debris cluttered the pathways, the dried blood had been scrubbed from walls and pavements, and the air smelled cleaner, less thick with death and destruction. Akoro's people worked with determined efficiency, their efforts already visible in the progress of rebuilding.

People stopped to stare as they passed, bowing deeply to their king but watched Naya with curiosity. Many of them bore wounds or burns—remnants of her desperate escape attempt. The guilt slithered through her chest again, coiling tight around her heart.

The city gradually thinned as they moved outward, buildings growing sparser, more damaged. Eventually, they reached the ruins on the outskirts of the city—skeletal remains of once-grand structures stretching out across the landscape like the bones of fallen giants.

Akoro guided thenniraeto a halt beside a massive, half-collapsed archway. To Naya’s surprise, he dismounted, then turned to help her down.

“I thought we were leaving the city?” she asked, her feet hitting the ground.

“Not today,” he said. “The is the ancient quarter of Onn Kkulma.” He led thenniraeto a crumbling hitching post and securing its reins. "What once was the heart of our civilization."

Naya gazed around at the ruins with renewed interest. Even in their destroyed state, the structures displayed incredible craftsmanship and design. Partial domes rose like broken eggshells against the sky, and fallen pillars lay half-buried in the sand, their surfaces still bearing traces of intricate carvings.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, "even like this."

Akoro's expression shifted, his voice low. "It was more beautiful before."

---