Page 27 of Claimed By Stone
"Yes," I said as I tried to brush past her, but she took hold of my arm. "I must say the mead here is stronger than I'm used to."
Only then did I stop to notice the flush on her cheeks, the tilt of her head, and the slight slur in her words. She was drunk. "Have you seen Dru?"
I stopped and looked at her, confused.
"Sorry, Khuldruk. I can't seem to find him."
"Oh, yes, I believe I just saw him walk with a guard. Here, meet Varka," I said as I pulled the woman over to us.
"Varka, this is Callie, the mate of our chief. Callie, this is Varka, a warrior friend of Frema's."
At that, I took off down the hall, and my brother had just vanished down. Was it my most polite introduction? Certainly not, but right now something else was on my mind.
Chapter 13
Seraphina
Iwoke with a gasp, like the night before.
No slow fade into awareness, no drifting. Just a jolt, a sudden burst of consciousness that left my heart pounding and my breath coming fast. The world snapped into place around me, sharper than before, and for the first time since all of this began—I remembered.
Not everything. Not clearly. But enough.
My name. My name was Seraphina.
I was a Godling.
And I had been placed here. Not by accident. Not by fate. I had been put in this mountain onpurpose.
I sat up too quickly, and the world tilted. My skin felt… real. I touched my legs, my arms, my face. Everything buzzed like it was waking up with me. I knew something had shifted, as if my body understood something that my mind didn’t.
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to still the flutter there. I was not stone. Not anymore. And I didn’t know if that should comfort me or terrify me.
Because I didn’t know what I was meant to do. Only that it had been bad.
I wished Thavros were here. I knew he was busy tonight with the feast. That hall was full of people and merriment, and I was trapped there. Alone. Locked away from the world. Wishing for the orc who knew me. Gods, I would give anything to be with him right now. To look into his deep brown eyes and feel his muscled form under my hands.
I wrapped my arms around myself and stood, pacing the stone floor of the war room. Thavros wasn’t here. I had woken before him. He had said he would get here as soon as he could. I should have been excited. But all I felt was dread curling beneath my ribs.
Now that I knew who I was —only in bits and pieces —it filled me with even more questions.
What if I had been sent here to destroy the very thing I now loved?
The crystal on the table flickered faintly, as if echoing the unrest inside me.
And then—I heard the door.
I quickly made my way down the stairs. I need to feel his strong arms around me. I craved that sense of peace only he could give.
Only when I got to the base of the stairs … it wasn't Thavros I saw at all.
A guard.
Panic surged. I turned to run back upstairs, but not before a strong orc hand gripped my wrist with bruising strength and pulled me down.
"Stop. Who are you?"
"I'm no one, please, I just –"
