Fireborn

29 ¦ Just a Pawn

Once Barker had returned from handing Peter over to Father, he lowered the carriage steps and unlocked my restraints from the metal loops.

Careful not to trip on the chains around my ankles, I slowly descended. Barker held out a hand to steady me.

"Let me help you, Princess."

I smacked his hand away. "Don't call me Princess."

Barker snickered as he gave me a gentle push towards the stone steps leading up to the main entrance of the castle. A hot, putrid breeze howled as it whipped across the plain. The wind played with my hair, making it dance like flickering flames.

Wary of tripping on the basalt rock surface, I stared at my feet the whole way. But that didn't keep me from scowling at Barker once we'd reached the stone steps. I caught him staring at me. He quickly looked away and cleared his throat.

"So you're the woman who made the dragon's son fall," he said with an amused lilt. "Why do they always choose pasty redheads?"

"I have no idea what you mean," I said, yanking my arm from his grasp.

"Rumor has it that the Shadow Rider's son has fallen for you."

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb."

"You heard wrong," I said with a dismissive shrug. "We're just friends."

The less this crazy guard knew about my friends and me, the better. Barker scoffed and pulled me aside once we reached the top step.

"If you care about him, make sure it stays that way."

"It's none of your business."

"True," he mused. "You should listen to me, though. Unless you want to curse him forever."

I gritted my teeth. "What do you mean?"

"All dragons, even hybrids, can choose only one soulmate, and they gotta be a Risa or a dragon. His soul will be unable to bond with yours once you become a Fireborn."

My throat turned dry, and I was at a loss for words. Was Barker trying to scare me? Or was he telling the truth?

"Could you be responsible for his eternal torment?" he asked, quirking a brow.

His words stabbed me like a dagger to the heart. Peter had never revealed his feelings for me, but his actions spoke volumes. When we'd faced the Shadow Riders, he'd given his teleport to me. He'd sacrificed himself so that I could escape.

A close friend might do that, but I knew in my heart I meant more to him than friendship. And I couldn't repay his kindness by being selfish.

If falling for me will curse him, maybe we shouldn't risk being friends at all.

Or maybe that's exactly what those bastards want me to do.

Divide and conquer.

Damn it to Hades!

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. Barker pulled a metal lever and nudged me towards the doors.

"This way."

Giant wrought-iron doors opened with ominous creaks and groans, seemingly of their own accord, beckoning me into a gaping chasm of darkness. Inside the foyer, an orange-red light glowed and pulsed like a raging heart. It felt as if the depth of Hades itself called unto me like a siren luring sailors to their deaths.

I shivered with fear. Nothing could have prepared me for this.

Torches blazed along the stone walls, and the flickering flames made demonic shadows dance and writhe along the surface. The wind howled through the massive archways, whining like a man-wolf in agony.