Chapter 4

Chapter Four

SIYANA

Wife.

My body trembled with rage as I stood in the center of the room, surrounded by the men who had just used me as a pawn in their schemes. Their voices faded into white noise as my own thoughts consumed me, searching for a way out of this desperate situation. But there was none—my fate had been decided without any consideration for me as a person.

There was a minuscule part of my brain that was trying to rationalize that there may yet be some good to come of a treaty between our people, but I wasn’t ready to accept that my life had been the cost of achieving that.

There had to be another way.

As the room cleared, leaving only myself and the two kings, I abandoned all pretense of propriety or decorum. With fire in my eyes and trembling hands that were balled into fists, I unleashed a torrent of rage and defiance at the two figures who held my fate in their hands.

“I hope one day you both are brought to your knees and made to feel as powerless as I do now, and I pray the elementals allow me to have a hand in that moment.”

The weight of their power and control crushed down on me, but I refused to break beneath it.

My father opened his mouth to rebut, but the drackya king lifted his hand, those haunting eyes still trained on my face as he cut him off before he could get words out. “Not now, my wife is speaking.”

The burning rage within me was momentarily tempered by his words, not in appreciation, but confusion. The most insane part of this moment was that my father actually closed his mouth in response.

My anger came rushing back like the waves crashing against the northern bluffs, chipping away at the essence of the sediment. Much like it, I found pieces of myself deteriorating. The gentle and kind portions of my heart were nowhere to be found.

“I don’t need you to defend me,” I spat, hating the way I couldn’t even fume without intervention from a man. My fists clenched and unclenched, over and over again at my sides.

Was nothing my own anymore?

His chest rumbled with laughter before he turned for the door, dismissing me. He didn’t even bother to look back at me before answering. “I just wanted you to have your chance to get all that brewing hatred out before we journey to my home. Consider this your warning that I won’t put up with it when you inevitably direct it at me, so, this is in your best interest.”

My brow rose at his words.

Oh, he thought I was a timid woman who was going to just get over this and be a good little wife? The elementals were smiling upon me now, ensuring my betrothed had no clue the woman he’d tied his fate to.

Air puffed out of my nose as a deep chuckle worked itself through my chest. His feet stilled as I retorted in the most sarcastic tone I could muster, “I hate to break it to you, husband , but you just signed up for a lifetime of ‘putting up with it,’ so go ahead and prepare yourself now. My nonexistent marriage vows include making your life as miserable as I can.”

Abruptly, he spun on his heel and leveled a piercing gaze at me, filled with a coldness and malice that I had only heard of in the whispers surrounding the drackya king. It seemed that coldness had been inherited by his father. His eyes seemed to bore into my very soul, sending shivers down my spine as I stood frozen in his presence. The rumors about what I realized was his cruelty suddenly felt all too real at that moment.

“Well, it’s lucky enough for me that I can just lock you in a room and never have to deal with that, now isn’t it?” he retorted, raising a single dark eyebrow that contrasted the snowy white strands dangling over it, as if daring me to defy him. I almost rose to his bait, but it was becoming clear that he wanted to rile me, to bask in my utter despair of my situation he’d helped concoct. Upon seeing I wasn’t going to respond, he shrugged, “The marriage certificate was all I needed. Those flowery words for your council mean nothing to me. You will do as I say and behave yourself while in my castle, or you can remain imprisoned in a room for all I care.”

This was my future.

He was my future.

“That is not what we agreed upon!” my father roared, stepping in front of me, attempting to obscure me from view, but not doing too great of a job considering he was the same height as me and just about as slender.

My head reared back at his outburst. Did it suddenly matter now how I was treated? Interesting.

I wasn’t sure who I was more pissed at: my new husband, who was showing how little I mattered to him already, or the man who put me in this position to begin with. My lip curled in disgust. They could both burn in the eternal pits of the fire elemental’s domain for all I cared.

My betrothed pulled a scroll from the inner pocket of his dark coat and made a dramatic show of opening the cream-colored parchment and narrowing his eyes on the words as he scanned it.

I couldn’t help but wonder if his vision was sound or not, having a dragon eye and human eye warring with each other, not to mention the scar running down the right side. Everything we knew about dragons as a species spoke of their superior genetics. Sound, sight, strength, agility. I tucked that thought away, knowing I needed to find a weak spot—if ever the chance was presented to me to make use of it.

After a few beats, he surmised, “Yeah, I’m not seeing in here where it says how I have to treat her once she’s in my possession. If that actually mattered to you, you would have ensured it was a part of our contractual agreement.”

As he rolled it up and put the scroll of doom back where he’d retrieved it, my father spluttered. I stepped from behind him, finding his face blotted with red stains, as he spoke, “Well, I…I shouldn’t have to specify basic decency in a contract of wedlock! Have you no honor?”

His words were rich with irony, and for the first time, it was clear my husband and I agreed on something, our laughs echoing through the air in unison. It was slightly unnerving and I settled myself instantly, glowering at the beast.

My father spun to look at me, bewilderment clear in his wide-eyed expression. “Siyana, I swear to you,” he pleaded, reaching for my hands, “I had many talks with King Takkar about what this arranged marriage would look like for you, as well as his feelings about it. I never would have agreed to this if I knew of his true nature.”

A pang echoed through my heart and I pulled my hands back just before he could enclose his around them. Everything in me wanted to believe him. It was easier to stomach than thinking that he was throwing me to the beast to be slaughtered without thought. But as we gazed into each other’s eyes, I spoke the truth of the matter.

Sorrow filled my voice as I asked, “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”

His mouth opened as he struggled to find the words he wanted, but I shook my head and made it simple for him.

“There are no words to make this okay. Don’t waste our time continuing to search for them. I need to pack my things and say my goodbyes to those I love.”

I felt the hollowness of my words and hoped the subtle distinction that he wasn’t a part of that group was loud and clear.

A loud sigh came from King Takkar as he opened the heavy doors. “You will have everything you need provided to you at my castle, and we don’t have the time for you to say goodbye to whomever. It will take us all day and into the night to make the trip on horseback.”

Horseback? He was a king and could shift into a dragon, yet we would be riding horses?

Once again, I sensed something was off, and I nestled that information away. I assumed we’d either fly back or have a carriage and escort befitting his rank.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him the least he owed me was my goodbyes, but a scuffle from the corridor took my attention.

“Sia!” a familiar voice yelled.

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. Tillie.

“Sia!” she screamed once more as guards informed her she wasn’t allowed into the room.

Despite being my lady-in-waiting by choice, she was still a member of the royal family. The guards never defied her. Clearly my father had warned them to not let her in.

The terror in her voice had my throat tightening and my feet moving swiftly toward her. A large arm jutted out as I made to pass through the doorway, my eyes clashing with my dearest friend for the briefest of seconds before the guards hauled her down the hall, kicking and thrashing within their grasps.

“Tillie!” I cried out, pushing against the arm that blocked me.

“We are leaving, now,” the dragon stated dryly as his hand traveled down to grip my wrist tightly, drawing my eyes up to his cold, uncaring gaze. “I don’t have time for your sorrowful weeping and empty promises to stay in touch.”

I glanced back to my father, seeing if he would try to rectify the wrongs one last time, but I was met with a blank stare from a man I was beginning to realize I never truly knew the heart of.

“Unhand me right now!” Tillie screamed as a guard let out a curse, and I felt my fire return with her fight as I whipped my head back to my enemy.

I bore my teeth at him, feeling the familiar energy I had when sparring with Brenson wash over me. “I will gouge your eyes out with my nails if you block me from going to her one more time!”

He lowered his face until our noses were a mere inch apart, his presence overwhelming me, yet sparking my indignation even more with his attempt to intimidate me.

“I think I’d like to see you try that,” he whispered darkly as his serpentine pupil widened, like a predator enthralled with the thrill of a hunt.

Chills covered my arms. “Let go of me now, or else,” I stated calmly, preparing myself to make use of the dagger hiding under my dress.

“That’s enough out of you!” a guard yelled just before a grunt of pain came from Tillie.

I didn’t think, moving on pure instinct as I used my free hand to draw my dagger out, cutting my dress in my rush. I glared up at the hulking shifter, holding the tip of my steel to his abdomen. Our breaths mixed as we held each other's gaze, a battle of wills taking place.

Who would yield first?

“Unhand me and let me say my goodbyes,” I ground out, “and then we will be on our way.”

He made a noise of contemplation, tutting, before responding, “On second thought, I think I will take that dagger to use to clean my teeth the next time I go hunting.”

Before I could even process what was happening, his intense gaze ignited with a spark of lighter blue, sending a chill down my spine. The spark wasn’t natural–was it magic? I felt the icy tendrils spread from his hand, creeping up my wrist and enveloping my entire arm in a matter of seconds. The sensation of coldness seeped into my very bones, stopping at my shoulder as if it had been commanded to do so.

All I could do was stare in horror at his display of magic. I knew dragon’s abilities came from an elemental deity, but there wasn’t much knowledge in our books on the details of how it was used as drackya. Our singular librarian told me it was closely guarded information that the dragons ensured remained within their own lands. Naively, I’d assumed they could only use such power while in their beast form.

“Drop the dagger. Or I can shatter your arm from your body,” he stated, seeming a mixture of annoyed and bored with my antics. “Your choice, dear wife. It doesn’t matter to me if you lose a limb or two.”

My lips pursed with unbridled fury.

“Tillie!” I called out, knowing I was outmatched in abilities with this shifter. “Don’t fight them,” my voice broke, “ please. I will be okay.”

It hit me as I spoke—I’d likely never see her again. I wouldn't exchange blows with Brenson tomorrow morning. I’d never have a chance to train Mira. A pit of despair opened in my stomach, threatening to swallow me whole.

Her voice grew distant as she yelled back, “No! Don’t you dare give in, Siyana. Fight back! Remember who you are!”

My eyes pricked with tears as my face heated.

I dropped the dagger and my heart shattered as it clattered against the floor. It felt like an omission of my subservience, making me feel sick to my stomach.

I couldn’t allow her or anyone to get hurt in their attempt to free me. If Tillie had heard of my marriage already, it was likely Brenson had as well, considering the generals had been at the meeting and would be appraising the commanders. I couldn’t let him risk insubordination when there was no point.

No one could change my fate—save the elementals themselves.

"Now that's settled," my captor said with disdain before releasing the ice from my skin, warmth slowly seeping back as the blood flowed once more within. "You'll learn your place soon enough."

My heart swirled with fear and anger as I realized the true extent of my imprisonment. I liked to think that I could change the world, that I could be a voice and pillar of strength for women to see what we were capable of. At this moment, my dreams and desires tasted like ash on my tongue, burned to a crisp with the actions of these men.

I glanced back at my father as I allowed a single tear to fall from my eye.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his head shaking as if in shock and despair—helpless.

I swallowed harshly, whispering back with the tiny bit of strength I could muster in my voice, “I don’t forgive you.”

The room spun as I was suddenly picked up and thrown over the drackya’s shoulder, his arm strapped over my body just below my ass with an iron-like grip.

“You’re a brute,” I spat, hitting his back with my fists. “Put me down!”

“But I’m your brute, dear wife.”

The scent of him wrapped around me, suffocating me with every bit of him. Spearmint with a subtle underlying hint of cedar. I couldn’t escape his scent, his body, or his claim on me.

“Don’t fucking remind me,” I retorted as he walked down the corridor and toward the castle doors, stripping any last shred of dignity I held as everyone stopped what they were doing to watch.

I couldn’t bring myself to meet anyone’s eyes, embarrassed and ashamed that I couldn’t do anything to fight back.

Maybe I was only ever just a princess and not a warrior like I thought.