Page 9 of Dark Prince's Captive

Gaia opens her mouth but closes it without saying anything.Reluctantly, she nods—but not before her gaze jumps to the entrance again.

Once more, I sense her thoughts.

Should she try to make it out and warn the rest of the family?Or should she play along and not risk my anger?

“The latter,” I say when her gaze returns to my face.“Don’t be foolish.You can’t portal out of here, and I won’t let you leave until I bring her here.”

She blanches.“Did Kian?—”

“Just do as I ask.”

I’m not admitting anything one way or another.If she thinks our powerful brother has trained me in mind reading, that can only be to my advantage.

My sister stares at me for a long moment, then nods, defeated.“Do you have any idea where I should start?”

“All I know is that she’s nearby.”I analyze the strength of the dragon’s claw tug inside me.“Maybe a local portal’s distance away.”

Yes, that feels right.My mate is not so close that I can reach her on foot, but not so far that more advanced portal work would be required.

“But that could be anywhere in Lona,” Gaia protests.“It’ll take me forever to find her.”

I bare my teeth in a humorless smile.“Better get to work then.”

Gaia sighs and sinks to the floor, crossing her legs in front of her.“Fine.But you’ll owe me for this.”

“I know I will.”And she’ll collect, I have no doubt.“Now make it happen.”

She closes her eyes and goes to work, opening a small trial portal into the middle of the town center—the location she must deem most likely to harbor my mate.I don’t feel the pull inside me strengthening, and I tell her so.She closes that portal and opens another, this one to the south side of the river bank.Then another in a random clearing in the forest.And so on until a hundred portals have been opened and closed, and sweat is dripping down her face.

“You can take a short break,” I say after another two dozen searches.“Then we’ll continue.”

As impatient as I am, I can see that my sister is on the verge of collapse, and that won’t benefit anyone.I, like the rest of the royal family, can generate a portal or two, but Gaia is the only one of my siblings who can do it repeatedly and systematically, bending distance with her mind over and over again.

Our mother can do even more, but I’m not asking for her help in this.

“I need water,” Gaia says, licking her cracked lips.“How about we go down to?—”

“I’ll get it for you here, don’t worry.”

I pick up an empty stone bowl from a nearby table and mentally reach out to the components of water in the air.With effortless precision, I combine the gaseous particles and slow their movement, letting the resulting vapor turn to liquid and collect inside the bowl.

My sister tries not to flinch as I hand her the newly formed water.I smile sardonically.I haven’t done anything particularly extraordinary—several of us royals can do the water trick—but it’s a reminder to her that I can do more.Much, much more.

Giving up on any further attempts to escape my quarters, Gaia drinks the water silently and resumes her work, opening portal after portal as I check each one, determined to find the one woman who’s going to complete me.

The woman they told me was dead.

The one they’re afraid will bring about the destruction of our world.

Chapter4

Elsie

I’m busy spitting out blood and am thus distracted when I stumble over a protruding purple root—one that promptly stings me, causing me to yelp and jump aside.It’s a motion my captors interpret as yet another escape attempt, and they promptly reward me with a harsh blow across my face.

“I wasn’t trying to run.It was the root,” I protest when my ears stop ringing, but they don’t care.

Which isn’t surprising.

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