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“That doesn’t matter. They broke the treaty, and the kingdoms fell; that’s how the war started. And that’s how we and the Fae were cursed.”

“I still don’t understand what you need me to do?” I try to piece all together.

“We need you to give up your magic, sacrifice it. You will become a Fae without magic,” Silas growls loudly. Dragus grabs his arm, and I can feel him wanting to hurt Matitus for what he said.

“I’m not lying to her!” Matitus yells at him. Silas’s rage causes the temperature to rise, and I jump as I feel searing heat wash over me, making me scream. He stops, realizing what he did. My skin blisters, like a terrible sunburn, reminding me of the Dragon heat. I pant, trying to catch my breath. Matitus doesn’t look affected at all. Dragus, on the other hand, is just as affected as me, probably because he isn’t a full Dragon.

“Say it!” I scream through gritted teeth.

“Your sacrifice means you can’t bind the Fae back to their magic,” Matitus says just as Silas lunges at him, knocking him into the wall then punching him. Dragus grips Silas’s shoulders, yanking him back. Silas throws him, sending him into the desk and falling at my feet. I help him up, Silas grabs him.

“I won’t do it,” I tell them, and Silas freezes.

“What did you say?” Silas asks, letting Matitus go, shoving him backward. Silas turns on me, stalking toward me like a predator stalking its prey.

“I said I won’t do it. I won’t sacrifice the Fae, Silas,” I tell him, moving to the other side of the desk. The look on his face is haunting, like he wants to rip me apart. The rage coming through the bond makes my blood run cold.

“You don’t have a choice, Elora. You will do it.”

“No, I don’t care what you say, nothing is worth sacrificing an entire species!” I yell at him, and he grips the desk, flinging it into the wall, barely missing me. I flinch at the impact as it crashes into the bookshelves, sending books flying in every direction.

“This is what you exist for; you are the only one who can break the curse on the Dragon Kingdom,” he bellows.

“Not at the sacrifice of my people, I won’t.”

“There is no Fae left, Elora. Who are you saving? Marian? She is too old for magic, and you don’t even know how to use it. Your sole purpose as our mate is to bear our children and to break the curse. That is your duty to us. The entire reason you are alive,” he growls, gripping my arm tightly.

“I will not go against my beliefs just to break a curse on your kind,” I tell him.

“You don’t have a fucking choice. You were made for us, solely to please us and do as you’re told, to break the curse. What purpose do we have for you otherwise?” he growls.

It would have hurt less if he punched me, his words cut deeply. They didn’t want me; they just wanted me to break the curse and bear their children, purely a baby incubator. How could I have been so blind? All because of a bond I never asked for? I feel stupid to for thinking they actually wanted me. Tears brim in my eyes, my heart hurting. If only I remained cold and distant like I planned. If only the Dragon heat killed me.

“And if I refuse?” I ask, staring at him.

“Then I will burn this kingdom down with you in it,” he says, his voice cold and emotionless. I feel a sense of uneasiness pulse through my bond with Dragus and Matitus. They don’t agree with him, but his word is law, and I realize they won’t go against their mate, not even for me.

“Blaire rejected you, didn’t she?” I ask and Silas freezes, a growl escaping that felt like it vibrated through the entire room answering my question. “Now I understand why. You’re a fucking monster. And I will never hand it over. Burn it down, Silas. Then what? You wait another hundred years for a new Fae, sorry to tell you, but my bloodline ends with me.”

His hand connects with my face. My head whips to the side and the sound resonates through the room. My face stings from his palm as I clutch my cheek.

“You dare speak her name to me? Your great-grandmother started the war. She broke the treaty. She is the reason I hate Fae and the Aziza family. The reason I fucking hate you is because you look exactly like her, and you are exactly like her. You will do it because if you don’t you will meet the same fate she did. I don’t need you to love me to bear our children and you will carry them even if I have to hold you down myself,” Silas snaps back at me. He turns on his heel and stalks out, only stopping when the next words leave my lips.

Fighting back tears and hurt within my chest, I say, “I, Elora Velinia Aziza, direct descendant of the Royal Aziza bloodline, reject the Dragon Kings of the Opal fire Kingdom Sil—”

His hands are on my throat in seconds before I can finish. I become dizzy as I claw at his hands. Dragus and Matitus try to rip him off me and his hands burn into the flesh of my throat as I struggle to breathe. His hands restrict my airways, cutting off all my oxygen and I see black dots dance in front of my eyes, growing bigger and bigger until all I see is black.