Seraphina's POV
"Kidnap me?" I stare at the handsome stranger. "What do you mean kidnap me?"
Prince Damien's gold eyes sparkle with amusement. "Exactly what I said. You're coming with me. Willingly or otherwise."
Kael steps in front of me, sword raised. "You're not taking her anywhere, Damien."
"Oh, come now." Damien waves a hand dismissively. "Don't be dramatic. I'm one of the good guys. Mostly."
"The last time you claimed to help someone, they ended up imprisoned in your castle for three months!"
"She enjoyed it! The food was excellent." Damien's grin doesn't waver. "Besides, this is different. The girl needs proper training, and you—" He points at Kael. "—are too emotionally compromised to teach her effectively."
"I am not compromised," Kael growls.
Through our bond, I feel his lie. He is compromised. Because of me.
"Really?" Damien's eyebrows rise. "Then why did you jump into a shadow portal after her? Why did you share your life force through a kiss? Why is your bond mark glowing so bright I can see it from across the room?"
I look down. The mark on my wrist—where the bond lives—is pulsing with golden light. So is Kael's.
"That's normal," Kael snaps.
"That's what happens when guardians fall in love with their charges." Damien's tone turns serious. "And it makes you both targets. The Voidborn King knows about bonds. He'll use your feelings against you. Make you choose between duty and love. And someone always dies."
The room goes very quiet.
"I'm not in love with her," Kael says flatly.
Damien looks at me. "And you? Do you believe him?"
I open my mouth to say yes. But through the bond, I feel everything Kael won't say—his fear of losing me, his desperate need to keep me safe, the way his heart races when I'm near.
"It doesn't matter," I say instead. "We have a job to do. Personal feelings don't change that."
"Smart girl." Damien nods approvingly. "Which is why you need to come with me. I can teach you to shield your emotions. Control your power. Fight without getting your guardian killed."
"I'm not leaving Kael," I say firmly.
"I'm not asking you to leave him permanently. Just for two weeks. Long enough to learn the basics." Damien's expression turns calculating. "Or would you rather stay with him and watch him die protecting you because you're too weak to protect yourself?"
His words hit like a slap. Because he's right. Every fight we've been in, Kael has taken the worst hits. Bled for me. Nearly died for me.
How many times can he save me before his luck runs out?
"Don't listen to him," Kael says quietly. "He manipulates people. It's what he does."
"I manipulate enemies," Damien corrects. "I help friends. And whether you like it or not, Kael, I'm your oldest friend. I'm trying to save both your lives."
"By kidnapping her?"
"By giving her options." Damien turns to me. "Here's the truth, little Lightbearer. The Voidborn King has put a bounty on you. Every corrupted creature, dark mage, and desperate human in five kingdoms is hunting you right now. Your only advantages are your power and your bond with this stubborn guardian."
He steps closer. "But your power is wild. Uncontrolled. And your bond is becoming a weakness instead of a strength. I can fix both problems. Make you strong enough to stand on your own. Give you a real fighting chance."
"And if I refuse?"
Damien's smile turns dangerous. "Then I knock you both unconscious and take you anyway. I really would prefer your cooperation, though. Makes the journey much more pleasant."
Kael tenses to attack.
"Wait." I put a hand on his arm. "How do I know you're telling the truth? That you're really trying to help?"
"You don't." Damien shrugs. "But ask yourself this—if I wanted to hurt you, why save you from those assassins? Why not let them kill your guardian and take you then?"
He has a point. A good one.
Through the bond, I feel Kael's protest building. He doesn't want me to go. The thought of being separated terrifies him.
Which proves Damien's point. We're too attached. Too compromised.
"How do I know you'll bring her back?" Kael asks, voice tight.
"You have my word as Prince of the Northern Packs." Damien's playful demeanor vanishes, replaced by something ancient and powerful. "I swear on my bloodline that I will train her and return her to you unharmed. Two weeks. No more."
"Your word means nothing."
"It means everything, and you know it." Damien's gold eyes bore into Kael's silver ones. "I've never broken a blood oath. Never. You know that better than anyone."
They stare at each other. Some silent communication passing between them. History I don't understand.
Finally, Kael lowers his sword. "Fine. Two weeks. But if anything happens to her—"
"You'll hunt me down and make me regret it. Yes, yes, I know the speech." Damien waves dismissively. "Now, we should leave before more assassins show up. They tend to travel in groups."
"Wait!" I grab Kael's hand. "I need to know you'll be okay."
"I'm three hundred years old. I'll survive two weeks." But his hand tightens on mine. Through the bond, I feel his real fear—not for himself, but for me.
What if something goes wrong? What if Damien isn't who he claims? What if two weeks becomes forever?
"I'll be careful," I promise. "I'll come back."
"You'd better." His voice drops so only I can hear. "Because I—" He stops. Shakes his head. "Just be careful."
What was he going to say? Through the bond, I catch a glimpse of his almost-words: Because I need you.
"Time to go." Damien opens the shattered window. "We're flying."
"Flying?"
He grins. "Did I mention I'm a shapeshifter?"
Before I can respond, he leaps through the window and transforms mid-air. The massive black wolf becomes an even more massive black dragon—wings spreading wide, scales gleaming like midnight.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I breathe.
Damien's voice echoes in my head. Telepathy. Handy, right? Now climb on before the entire inn wakes up.
I look at Kael one last time. "Two weeks."
"Two weeks," he agrees.
I climb out the window onto the dragon's back. The scales are warm and smooth under my hands. Damien launches into the air with a powerful thrust of his wings.
Below, I see Kael watching from the window. Our bond stretches between us like a golden thread, growing thinner with distance but never breaking.
I'll keep her safe, Damien's voice promises in my head. And I'll teach her things you never could. Things that will save both your lives.
She'd better come back to me, Kael's response somehow reaches me through the bond. Or I'll burn your castle to the ground.
Noted.
We fly through the night. The wind tears at my hair. My heart pounds with equal parts fear and excitement.
After what feels like hours, we begin to descend. Through the darkness, I see a massive castle perched on a mountainside. Lights blaze in every window. Guards patrol the walls.
"Welcome to Shadowpeak," Damien says as we land in a courtyard. He shifts back to human form. "Your home for the next two weeks."
Servants rush forward. One—a stern woman with gray hair—looks me up and down with disapproval. "Another stray, Your Highness?"
"Another student, Helena." Damien's tone turns sharp. "Show her to the east wing. Make sure she has everything she needs."
"As you wish." Helena gestures for me to follow.
I do, but glance back at Damien. "When does training start?"
"Tomorrow at dawn." His gold eyes gleam. "I hope you're a quick learner, Lightbearer. Because what I'm about to teach you will either make you the most powerful warrior in five kingdoms..."
He pauses, smile fading.
"...or it will kill you."
Before I can respond, Helena pulls me inside. The doors slam shut behind us.
I'm alone. Separated from Kael. In a strange castle with a prince who just casually mentioned training that might kill me.
Through our bond, I reach for Kael. Feel his presence far away but still there. Still watching over me even from a distance.
I can do this, I think. I have to do this. For both of us.
Helena leads me through endless corridors. We finally stop at a heavy wooden door. She pushes it open, revealing a beautiful room—much nicer than anywhere I've ever stayed.
"Your quarters," she says coldly. "Someone will fetch you at dawn. Don't wander. The castle has... protections against intruders. Even invited guests can get hurt if they go where they shouldn't."
"What kind of protections?"
She smiles without warmth. "The deadly kind. Sleep well, girl."
She leaves, locking the door behind her.
I test the handle. Locked from the outside.
I'm not a guest. I'm a prisoner.
Damien, I think desperately. What have you gotten me into?
No answer.
But across the room, shadows begin to move. Not normal shadows. These twist and writhe like living things.
And from the darkness, a voice whispers: "Hello, little Lightbearer. Did you really think the castle was empty?"
Someone—something—is in here with me.
And I'm locked in.