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Chapter 435
~Zara’s POV~
A dull ache throbbed at the back of my head as I stirred awake. My body felt like lead and I groaned as I sluggishly tried to move my limbs.
The world around me was a blur of dim light and shifting shadows. My limbs felt foreign, weighted down by something tight and unyielding.
"Damn it," I groaned, forcing my eyes open.
I first noticed the stone beneath me—smooth, polished, and eerily warm. The second was Kaid, sitting beside me, his back straight, but his expression was tense.
The third?
We were both bound.
My eyes flew open upon realisation of my predicament. Shit
Thick, glowing binds wrapped around our wrists and ankles, pulsing with a strange golden energy. No chains, no rope—just pure magic, humming softly against my skin.
Kaid exhaled sharply. "Well, this isn’t ideal."
I pulled against the binds experimentally, but they held firm, sending a small pulse of energy up my arms. Not painful, but strong enough to warn me not to try anything stupid.
"Where—?" I started, but then I saw them.
The dragons.
They stood before us, six imposing figures draped in fine silks and armor-like adornments that gleamed under the cavern’s soft golden glow.
Their wings were partially extended, making them seem even more massive. Each one was impossibly beautiful, radiating power that felt ancient and untamed.
Then suddenly, the doors pulled open and a man so regal it made my heart thump and stop beating momentarily walked right in.
His hair was the silkiest silver hair I had ever seen, with violet highlights at the base, making it the first of its kind I had ever seen.
My gaze ventured beyond me and landed on his eyes—deep violet eyes that seemed to pull one in if they looked too much.
And I was already being overwhelmed by it—or perhaps I should say, lost in it. But when he flexed his wings...
"Oh!" I breathed out softly, utterly captivated. They were the most stunning violet wings I had ever seen, fading into silver at the tips, and paired with dark, elegantly curling horns. freewёbnoνel.com
He stepped forward, his fiery violet eyes locking onto mine.
"You’re awake," he said smoothly, yet I couldn’t shake the goosebumps that appeared on my skin from his deep, commanding tone.
No one else spoke. The silence that followed was heavy, stretching between us like an unspoken challenge.
But it took a great deal for one to get me intimidated. I lifted my chin. "And you are?"
He arched a brow, amused by my defiance despite being completely restrained. "I am Prince Davion of the Dragon Court." His gaze flickered to Kaid before returning to me. "And you, intruders, are currently in my domain."
Intruders?
I clenched my jaw, but before I could snap back, another one stepped forward—his wings the color of a storm, his silver eyes sharp.
"We found you trespassing near the sacred chamber," he said coolly. "Tell us why you are here before we decide what to do with you."
Kaid and I exchanged a look. I could see the tension in his jaw, the gears turning in his mind.
We could lie.
Or we could tell the truth and hope they didn’t rip us apart where we sat. I took a slow breath, weighing our options. Then, carefully, I spoke.
"We’re here for the Golden Scale."
The moment the words left my mouth, the air in the cavern shifted.
The dragons stiffened. Their wings twitched, and something dark flickered across their eyes. I didn’t miss the way one of them—an emerald-winged male with sharp, angular features—tightened his fists at his sides.
Kaid, still bound beside me, tensed. I could feel his body coiled like a spring, ready to react if things went sideways.
Prince Davion’s violet eyes narrowed. "The Golden Scale?" He echoed the words slowly, his voice losing its previous amusement.
"Yes." I held his gaze, trying to appear confident despite the very real possibility that we could be executed in the next few minutes. "We were sent to retrieve it."
A tense silence followed.
Then, a low rumble filled the cavern. At first, I thought it was the sound of the earth shifting beneath us, but then I realized—it was laughter.
Eerily cold... severely dangerous laughter taunted us.
Davion smirked, but there was no warmth in it. "Do you hear that, brothers?" He glanced at the other dragons. "They were ’sent’ to retrieve the Golden Scale."
A scoff came from the storm-winged dragon. "As if it were some simple trinket."
The emerald-winged one finally spoke, his voice laced with menace. "Who sent you?"
"Deceived."
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