SERA'S POV
Elder Scorvath's hand tightens around my throat.
I claw at his fingers, but it's like trying to move stone. He lifts me off the ground, my feet kicking uselessly.
"You think you're special?" he hisses. "You think you can break the curse that's kept our king weak for two centuries?"
I can't breathe. Black spots dance in my vision.
"You're just another human. Just another mistake." His golden eyes burn with hatred. "I'll kill you now and save us all the disappointment of watching you burn in three days."
Something inside me explodes.
Silver fire erupts from my hands.
Scorvath screams and drops me. I collapse to the floor, gasping, staring at my palms. They're glowing. Actually glowing with silver light.
"Impossible," Scorvath breathes, backing away. His hand is burned, smoking. "You shouldn't be able to—"
The door slams open.
Dravyx stands there in human form, but his eyes are pure dragon—glowing silver and full of murder.
"You touched her." His voice is deadly quiet. "You put your hands on her."
"Your Majesty, I was only testing—"
"GET OUT!" The roar shakes the entire room. Windows crack. The walls tremble.
Scorvath's face goes pale. He bows quickly and flees.
Dravyx crosses the room in two strides and kneels beside me. "Are you hurt?"
"I—I don't know." I stare at my hands. The silver glow is fading. "What was that? What did I do?"
"Dragon fire." He gently turns my hands over, examining them. "But you're human. You shouldn't be able to summon it without training." His eyes meet mine. "Unless the bond is already forming faster than I thought."
"He was going to kill me."
"I know." Dravyx's jaw clenches. "Scorvath has opposed every bride I've tried to bond with. He believes humans are beneath us. That I should rule alone forever." He helps me stand. "But he's never directly attacked one before. He's getting desperate."
"Why? What does he care if you break the curse?"
"Because if I break it, I become stronger. Strong enough to challenge the council's authority." Dravyx leads me to the bed and makes me sit. "The council likes me weak. Controllable. A king in name only."
"That's horrible."
"That's politics." He sits beside me, careful to keep distance between us. "Are you sure you're all right?"
I touch my throat. It's bruised but not seriously injured. "I'm fine. Just scared."
"You should be scared. You just fought off a dragon elder with instinctive magic." He almost smiles. "Most humans would have died."
"I'm starting to think I'm not most humans."
"No. You're not." He stands. "Come with me. There's something you need to see."
"Now? It's the middle of the night."
"Now." His tone says it's not a request.
I follow him out of my chambers, through winding corridors. The palace is quieter now, but I still see dragons watching from shadows. Some bow to Dravyx. Others glare at me with undisguised hostility.
We descend stairs that seem to go on forever. Down, down into the mountain itself.
Finally, we reach a massive door carved with dragons and humans standing together. Dravyx places his palm against it. Silver fire spreads from his hand, and the door swings open.
Inside is a library. But not just any library—the biggest I've ever seen. Shelves stretch up three stories high, packed with books and scrolls. Silver fire lights everything with an eerie glow.
"What is this place?"
"The Archive of the Bonded." Dravyx walks between the shelves, trailing his fingers along spines. "Records of every human-dragon bond in history. There were thousands once. Now..." He stops. "Now there's just you."
"Why are you showing me this?"
He pulls out a book and hands it to me. "Because you need to understand what you are. What you could become."
I open the book. The pages are ancient, covered in both human writing and dragon runes. But somehow, I can read both.
"How—"
"Dragon-blessed blood lets you understand our language." Dravyx points to a drawing. It shows a human woman and a dragon side by side, both glowing with silver light. "This was Lady Arianne and Dragon Lord Kaelith. They bonded five hundred years ago. Together, they ended a war that had raged for a century."
I turn pages. More drawings. More stories. Humans and dragons fighting side by side. Healing the sick. Building cities. Creating magic that seems impossible.
"They were unstoppable," Dravyx says quietly. "The bond made them stronger than any magic. Stronger than any army. When a human and dragon truly connect, their souls merge. They share power. Share thoughts. Share everything."
"That sounds intense."
"It is. But it's also rare." He takes the book back. "Most humans and dragons never find their bonded one. They live their whole lives searching. Some never stop searching, even when they know they'll never find them."
"Like you?"
He doesn't answer. Instead, he pulls out another book. This one is smaller, newer. "This is the record of the curse."
I take it carefully. The first page shows a woman with long black hair and cruel eyes.
"Her name was Morgath. She was a dragon witch—half dragon, half human, but with neither's blessing." Dravyx's voice turns bitter. "She loved me. I didn't love her back. So she cursed me."
"What exactly did the curse do?"
"Made it so only my true bonded mate could survive three nights with me. Any other bride would burn from the inside when dragon fire tried to complete the bond." He looks away. "She thought I'd never find my mate. That I'd be alone forever. Just like her."
"That's evil."
"That's love twisted by rejection." He takes the book back and shelves it. "She's dead now. Has been for a century. But the curse remains."
We stand in silence for a moment. Then I ask, "What if I'm not your bonded one? What if I survive because of the dragon-blessed blood, but we're not actually meant to be together?"
"Then you'll live, but the curse won't break. I'll remain weak. The council will remain in power." He finally looks at me. "But you'll be free to go home if you want. I won't keep you prisoner."
"Home?" I laugh bitterly. "I don't have a home anymore."
"Then you can stay here. Not as my mate, but as yourself. You'd be protected. Honored." His expression softens. "You'd be safe."
"Why are you being so kind to me?"
"Because you deserve kindness." He says it simply, like it's obvious. "You've been hurt by everyone who should have protected you. Betrayed by everyone who should have loved you. The least I can do is show you what you should have always had."
Something in my chest tightens. When was the last time someone was kind to me just because? Not wanting something in return. Not pitying me. Just... kind.
"Thank you," I whisper.
He nods. "We should go back. You need rest. Tomorrow, we start preparing for the three nights."
We walk back through the corridors. The palace feels less frightening now. More like a mystery waiting to be solved.
At my chamber door, Dravyx pauses. "Sera? What you did tonight—summoning dragon fire—that was remarkable. But also dangerous."
"Why?"
"Because Scorvath saw it. And now he knows you're not just dragon-blessed." His eyes are serious. "You're powerful. Potentially more powerful than any bonded human in history. That makes you either the greatest hope for my kingdom..." He trails off.
"Or the greatest threat?"
"To those who want to keep me weak, yes." He touches my shoulder briefly. "Be careful. Trust no one except Lyria and me. The council will try to stop this bond from forming. They'll do anything to ensure you die in three nights."
"Even murder me before then?"
"Especially that." He removes his hand. "That's why I'm posting guards outside your door. Dragons I trust with my life. They'll protect you."
"What about during the day? When I'm training?"
"You'll be with me. Always." Something flickers in his eyes. "I won't let you out of my sight until this is over."
He starts to walk away.
"Dravyx?" I call out.
He turns back.
"Earlier, when you were mourning your sister... I felt it. Your pain. Like it was my own."
His eyes widen. "You felt—"
"Is that normal? For the bond?"
"It's..." He stops, seeming shaken. "It means the bond is already forming. Faster than any recorded bond in history." He takes a step toward me. "Sera, if you can already feel my emotions, that means—"
A bell tolls through the palace. Once. Twice. Three times.
Dravyx's face goes pale.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"The council." He looks toward the throne room. "They're calling an emergency session. Right now."
"Why?"
"Because they know about you. About your power. About the bond starting to form." His hands clench into fists. "They're going to try to stop it. Tonight."
"How?"
He meets my eyes, and I see real fear there.
"By ordering me to reject you. Publicly. Before the bond becomes unbreakable."
My blood runs cold. "Can they do that?"
"They're the council. They can do anything." He touches my face gently. "Stay here. Lock the door. Don't let anyone in except Lyria or me."
"Wait—what if they order you to—"
"I'll refuse." His voice is fierce. "I don't care what they threaten. I won't reject you. Not when we've finally—" He stops himself. "Just stay here. Stay safe."
He's gone before I can respond, moving with inhuman speed.
I lock the door with shaking hands and press my back against it.
If the council forces him to reject me, the bond will break. I'll survive—the dragon-blessed blood will keep me alive. But Dravyx will remain cursed. Weak. Alone.
And I'll have to leave. Go back to a kingdom that hates me. With nowhere to go and no one who cares.
Unless I stop it.
I look at my hands. They're glowing silver again, responding to my emotions.
I have power now. Real power. Maybe enough to—
The window explodes inward.
I spin around.
Three dragons in human form land in my room. Not Scorvath this time. Younger. Stronger. And they're holding chains that glow with dark magic.
"Grab her," the lead one says. "The council wants her in the throne room. Now."
"Dravyx said to stay—"
"King Dravyx doesn't give orders anymore." The dragon smiles cruelly. "The council does. And they've ordered your immediate presence."
They advance toward me.
I raise my hands, silver fire crackling across my palms.
"Try it," I say. "Let's see what happens."