Page 12 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

She had no idea whether the kiss lasted a minute or a lifetime, but she instantly felt an emptiness when he pulled back.

His forehead rested against hers, and he whispered her name. “We can’t.” Then, with a gentle touch on her face, he disappeared inside his tent.

The silence of the night pressed against her as she slipped back between the blankets. Dain’s scent lingered on her skin and his taste on her lips.

She pulled the blankets up to her chin, not just for the warmth, but to keep herself from falling apart. A hoarse, humorless laugh escaped her lips.

I’m the oracle and, only this morning, my head was literally on the chopping block. Now, I’m falling apart because of a simple kiss.

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she willed the tears not to fall.He is my fated mate, and I already feel deeply for him. But I will destroy him.

Seraphina curled up on her side, trying to breathe through the sharp pain in her chest. Her heart and soul felt as though she’d been split in half. She craved him like she needed oxygen tobreathe but cried out for the pain of knowing she’d destroy him if they gave in.

The next eveningafter she enjoyed the large dinner Jasmine insisted that she eat because she was “too skinny” Seraphina slipped into the woods. She found a small clearing and knelt down with the towering trees circled around her.

Her fingers traced the shape of runes in the soft earth. The stars danced in the sky and the moon cast a silver glow over the area. She exhaled slowly, letting her magic rise through her. It formed in the pit of her stomach and grew, much like the flower blossoms from a tiny bud.

“Trackers fall blind, shadows guard my path. By root and wind, by flame and frost, my trail is lost to all those who seek it,” she whispered slowly, carefully pouring the words into the symbols she drew in the soil.

A soft glow emanated from the runes and then they slowly disappeared. The forest became very quiet. No birds sang, no insects chirped, no animals called out. Even the wind had stilled. The silence told her that the spell had worked. Regardless of what spell someone tried to use or how skilled a tracker they were, no one would be able to find her.

She was about to leave when a whisper swirled around her in the gentle breeze. Seraphina looked toward the ruins and sucked in a huge breath. Standing, she brushed the dirt off of her tunic and turned toward the ruins. It protected her people. Her fated mate and his warriors. And somewhere among all of them was a traitor—someone who was reporting back to Malakar.

Seraphina’s jaw clenched. It was one of the refugees who’d joined the group recently. She sensed it was a woman. Shewasn’t doing it for the money—it was because she was cornered. Malakar was threatening her family.

Sucking in a huge breath, she closed her eyes and searched with her mind. The person was either a mundane human or a small shifter—someone who no one paid attention to and could easily slip in and out of places, such as a ferret, mouse, or rabbit.

The person hadn’t told Malakar about the ruins yet. It was likely only a matter of time because most people would do anything to save their loved ones.

She thought about informing Dain, but what could she tell him without a name or proof?

“I’ll just keep casting my protection charms and watch. The fates will tell me what I need to know when it is time.”

Taking comfort in the knowledge that whoever the traitor was wouldn’t prevent Dain from regaining his throne, she slipped back into the ruins and headed for her tent.

Exhausted, she crawled under the blankets and quickly fell asleep. The vision came suddenly and was as sharp and vivid as if she was watching everything play out in life.

Dain stood over Malakar’s lifeless body. A gaping hole in the ground showed where the lightning bolt had struck. The singed scent of burnt flesh and hair made her gag. Malakar’s eyes were open with surprise and fear.

Seraphine looked at Dain. His body was rigid and he had a cold look on his face. It was his eyes that took her breath away. The beautiful blue eyes that melted her heart and stole her soul glowed with madness. Then, he smiled. It was a gentle smile or the smile of victory. Darkness radiated out of him, sending shivers down Seraphina’s back.

He turned to look at her and his twisted smile widened. “You can’t run from me.”

She sat straight up in bed, swallowing the scream that threatened to explode from her lungs. Sweat poured down herface, and she was shaking like a tree in a tornado. Was it a dream, a vision, or a warning?

Every instinct told her to run away and try to sever the bond between her and Dain. She knew, though, that even with a protection spell, there was no place she could hide. The connection between their souls would always exist.

There was nowhere she could run. How could she stay, though, knowing that she would be the cause of his madness and his destruction?

6

Dain

The sun cast a golden glow on the Ruins of Arkhadia and the forest surrounding it. He’d spent the morning scouting the area, looking for spies and potential weaknesses that they could use to get to Malakar. His uncle’s reach was long, and Dain knew better than to underestimate him. Malakar had already sent someone with dark magic to track and either kill Seraphina or bring her back to Malakar to face a fate worse than death. Dain would die before he let that happen.

He crouched next to the faint footsteps made by the hunter and the spot where he’d died. Darius could use his magic to kill in any number of ways, but since he had a bit of blood on him, Dain figured that he engulfed the person in a darkness that blotted out all light in the man’s soul, leaving nothing but sorrow and fear. Then, Darius killed him quickly with his fangs that were infused with darkness.

Dain shuddered. It would be a horrific way to die and, not for the first time, he was glad that Darius was on his side.

---