Page 73 of Stolen
“Until what?”
“The Prime fell,” she says softly. “The fifth Lord. The one who ruled over all. He died in battle, and with him, the balance broke.”
I swallow, heart thudding. “And this prophecy?”
Shade glances around, as if wary of ears even here, on the market path.
Her voice lowers. “It is said that each Lord inherits his true power only when he finds his mate. Not just a lover or consort.A viyella. When a zareth bond forms, it is unbreakable. Something older than blood. Older than Nightfall itself.”
“Azareth,” I repeat. “I think that’s what Alaric mentioned when we—” I trail off.
Her eyes widen.
“It is a rare thing, my lady—I mean,Jules. Sacred. It binds two souls. And when that bond is true, it awakens something ancient. Magic reborn. They say the right bond could even elevate a Lord to Prime.”
I blink at her. “Wait. So, you’re saying if Alaric formed this zareth bond with me, he could become the new Prime?”
Shade hesitates.
“That’s what the old legends say,” she admits. “But,” again she pauses.
“But?”
“You’re human, Lady Jules. We’ve never had a human bonded to a Lord. Some whisper it’s impossible. That the zareth can’t form with someone from your world. That you’re just a distraction or an illusion like so many our Lord creates.”
“Illusion?”
“Yes. One of Lord Alaric’s many titles. Something his magic is infamous for. He is the Lord of Illusion.”
A cold ache forms in my chest.
“So, Alaric is the Lord of Air and Illusion, and you all think I’m just in the way,” I say slowly. “Or worse, that I’m a tool.”
“Oh, my lady, no, I did not mean?—”
“Please,” I whisper. “Friends don’t lie, Shade. Even when the truth hurts.”
Shade doesn’t answer. She doesn’t have to.
Her silence says enough.
I look up toward the Eyrie, where I know Alaric is still holding court, hearing the pleas of his people like some kind of otherworldly king with wings and glowing skin and a voice that can shatter me in one breath and rebuild me in the next.
A mate. A zareth. A prophecy that could change everything.
And here I am.
A girl from Earth with a messy past, an ache for belonging, and a Dragon Lord who looks at me like I might be more.
But what if I’m not?
What if I’m just distracted by the illusion he created?
What if I’m simply the means to his end?
Her words hit like a stone dropped into still water.
Unimaginable strength.
