19. Kieran

19

KIERAN

"Trust is earned, we need to show our respect for their kingdom before demanding anything," Steele argued again, his hands splayed on the back of the couch in front of him.

After ensuring we were settled in the expansive guest suite, Niz disappeared, leaving us to discuss the situation at hand amongst ourselves and how we thought we could approach it better tomorrow. Without Niz here for input, though, it'd been tricky. How were we supposed to find the line of being respectful to his parents but also not let them steamroll us?

Bastian and Ronan favored strong-arming the conversation until the queen and king gave in, whereas Steele and Gabe believed we needed to show our respect to earn their trust. I was surprised by Steele being on that side, but when he explained that's how he would respond best as a commander with strangers at the Rebellion, it made sense.

Although this rule of 'respect' hadn't seemed to apply to me when I first showed up—no matter what I'd done, it hadn't been enough for Steele.

I was left with all eyes on me following his words as I tried to muffle a snort of laughter at the thought. It seemed as if the men were treating me like the tie-breaker for their opinions, but I wouldn't let that be the case.

"We wait for Niz to return to finalize our plan," I stated firmly, pulling my shoulders back as I stood from my perch on the end of the bed. "It doesn't matter what I think until we know more about his parents and their way of life here."

Gabe nodded in agreement as he stood and stretched his entwined hands above his head before leaning to both sides. "I agree. It would be foolish to decide anything without his input. For now, let's freshen up and change. I don't know if we're expected to eat dinner with anyone, but let's put our best foot forward to be presentable and non-threatening to the wyverns."

Ronan let out a hearty laugh as he fell back onto the pillows in the bed. "How exactly does one make Bastian appear less threatening? I don't think a dip in the tub will do the trick."

I giggled as Bash's jaw fell open before he countered, "I'll have you know, I am perfectly presentable at all times!"

As they went back and forth, I let out a heavy sigh and settled onto a plush cushion in the corner of the room near a small bookcase. As the next hour dragged on and we all fell into our quiet thoughts and rotated getting cleaned up, I couldn't help but wonder if Niz was okay. I glanced up from the book I'd been mindlessly turning the pages on to stare at our closed doors.

Why wasn't he back yet?

It was clear in the way dismissed all of us that he'd needed some time alone to cool down and process that interaction with his parents, but something wasn't sitting right within me. Anxiety and worry twisted around inside of me, yet I knew if I told the others what I wanted to do, they'd never let me go alone. My eyes darted to the bathroom where Ronan had just disappeared. I'd opted to go last, so it would be awhile until my turn.

"I'm going to go check on Niz, I know today hasn't been easy on him," I admitted as I stood from my nook and took quick steps toward the door, not wanting to give anyone time to disagree. Thankfully, Ronan was the most overbearing one, so my words were simply met with a suspicious look from Steele and a nod from Gabe and Bash.

I didn't like the way I could feel Steele's heavy gaze on my back as I pushed our doors open. I needed to be quick. Shutting them behind me, I turned to look at the two guards standing stoically on either side of me, staring at the wall in front of us. They wore thick armor, the material unknown to my eye, with the black and green wyvern emblem from the flags etched into their chest pieces.

"Can one of you tell me which direction…" I stumbled on my words as I thought of how to address Niz. "Which way did the crown prince go?"

That was going to take some getting used to. Honestly, I still wasn't completely sure how I felt about Niz being a future king. The only experience I'd had with someone in power was my father and that had been far from a good experience.

Still, I couldn't deny that our arrival here had changed him—even if it was only in the presence of others.

The guards' heads swiveled toward one another, seeming to have a conversation with their eyes as I waited awkwardly. Their heads swiveled back, training their attention on the empty wall ahead of them.

So that's how it would be.

Trying to appear confident, I dropped my hands to my sides so I couldn't fidget with them and lifted my chin. "I'm supposed to meet him, and he won't take kindly to knowing I was late due to either of you. Let's avoid that, shall we? Or we can wait until he undoubtedly comes looking for me, and I'll let you explain my tardiness."

The haughty words tasted like ash on my tongue, but it was clear from the king's warning, and the suspicious nature of everyone around us, that playing nice wasn't going to get me anywhere. I needed to exude confidence and a sureness in my plans that I lacked naturally.

It took a few more awkward seconds of me literally fiddling my thumbs before one of them relented. "I will escort you to his royal chamber. Do not leave my side or I will be forced to take action."

Though his words were matter-of-fact, the threat was clear: I wasn't trusted and would be dealt with accordingly, no matter my connection to the prince.

I couldn't blame them. We were strangers, and clearly not wyverns.

I offered a tight nod and held my hand out. "Lead the way. I promise to stay on your heels."

Despite trying my best to remember the turns and number of stairs we climbed, I was certain I'd never be able to find my way back to our suite without help. This definitely wouldn't be a quick trip. My lips twisted into a grimace at the scene the guys would likely make once they grew weary of waiting for me.

I actually felt a little bad for the lone guard who would bear their wrath.

After a walk that took several minutes, we approached a long corridor that was lined with five guards on either side. What took me by surprise was a woman pleading with a guard near the lone door at the far end. Her words were loud enough to carry down to us as we approached.

"How dare you not let me enter!" she spat while tossing her wavy, lavender hair over her shoulder. Her head tilted up as her hand, held down at her side, tightened into a fist. "I am his betrothed. Since when am I denied access to his chambers?"

Instantly, I stalled, feet sticking to the smooth floor as her words washed over me like an ice-cold waterfall plunging me beneath its depths. I was a prisoner at the bottom of the unrelenting water, constantly being tossed around as she continued on.

"This isn't new information, Captain Soliel," she practically purred, raising a hand to rest on the man's armored chest. "This engagement has been on-going for the past five years, chosen and endorsed by the king and queen themselves. Are you suddenly denying their will?"

None of this made sense. Niz was…engaged?

The guard's eyes narrowed on her hand before taking a step back and closer to the door. "Illia, you know as well as I do that the prince lives by his own rules. I'm under his command in this post, and his instructions are that no one—" He paused, eyes darting to me and the guard approaching.

His gaze slid over me in an almost clinical way, noting my features from head to toe. Recognition sparked in his eyes before the stony look returned to his face once more. He nodded in my direction before calmly stating, "No one except for her is allowed to enter."

I gasped, as if coming up for air for the first time since hearing this woman's words. Her head snapped in my direction, and her glowing silver eyes speared through my chest, directly to my soul. The hatred radiating from her felt as hot as the intensity of the sun reaching its peak during the day, scorching everything beneath it. Her beauty and rage were equally undeniable, yet I couldn't focus on her.

Her words dipped in and out, yelling at the guard, "You must let me in, now!"

I tried to focus on her, but Instead, my mind was flooded with all of my memories with Niz, the small and big moments with him as a wyvern and now in his true form. The snout kisses, the gentle caresses, the gravitational pull between us. My brow knitted together. He couldn't have made all of that up…right? I deflated at the thought, my shoulders rolling forward as I lost all the confidence I'd been clinging to.

Did it even matter if this was real between us? If he was truly engaged to this woman, we couldn't act upon our feelings.

Footsteps stomped toward me, snapping me out of my thoughts just in time to see a hand raised back as she stopped in front of me. I didn't have time to think, reacting on instinct instead. My hand closed around her wrist just before her fingers could make contact with my cheek.

"Absolutely not." I bit out, proud of myself for intercepting her attack.

Our gazes clashed as I gritted my teeth, trembling at the force in which she was still exerting to move her hand to hit me.

"I don't know who you are," I hissed, my blood boiling as it sunk in that she truly meant me harm. "What I do know is that you are not going to lay a hand on me. I've had enough of being a punching bag for people in my life. If you have a problem, take it up with Niz. I've never even heard of you. I'm the one who escorted him there. I'm the one allowed to enter his suite—only me. Niz only wants me."

Twisting her arm from my grip, she ripped her hand away with a grunt before leaning in until we were almost nose to nose. She had to bend down slightly to peer into my eyes, but I refused to let her intimidate me. I was entirely caught off-guard by this situation, but a spark within my chest told me to fight for Niz.

"You are simply a passing toy to occupy his time before he settles down with me," she sneered, bringing a long finger up to poke me in the chest. "I am his forever, so enjoy the brief time you have with him now."

I am his forever.

Her words sliced far deeper than I cared to admit, but I put on a brave face, not wanting her to know that. The corners of my lips tugged up in a forced smile. A small laugh fell from me before I taunted her, "I guess we'll see about that. If you could kindly move out of my way, the prince is waiting for me ."

It didn't feel good being in a catty squabble over a man with this woman, but I had to believe that there was an explanation for this. If there wasn't…Well, I'd be the first to find Illia, apologize, and tell her that she deserved better as well.

I didn't wait for her to respond, shoving past her and narrowly avoiding a harsh knock to my shoulder from her. I kept my eyes on the captain she'd been speaking to as I walked up to him, refusing to glance back at Illia. Thankfully, her retreat sounded as footsteps drifted off into the distance behind me.

A knot in my chest loosened as gratitude flowed through me. Nothing within me wanted to continue fighting with her. All I wanted was answers from Niz.

The captain nodded at me as I took him in. His hair was long and braided down to his waist, the dark hue almost reflecting a deep purple from the light of the torches. Despite his full beard obscuring a lot of his face, I could easily see the smirk he was trying to hide and the glint in his violet eyes.

"So, you must be Kieran," he mused as I came to a stop. His hand extended, waiting for me to grip it. How did this man know who I was? Niz must have explained. Did that mean he had expected me to seek him out? And here I had wondered if I was breaking some unspoken rule considering his father had suggested not leaving the suite.

It didn't help that I felt so off-kilter and confused by Illia's presence and words that it took me a moment to realize I needed to shake it. His grip was firm as we shook, and I detected a bit of curiosity in his eyes.

"I am," I finally answered as my gaze shifted to the metal door behind him. "I suddenly have a lot to discuss with the prince. Can I go in?"

His lips thinned as he nodded his head, reaching to open the door for me. He halted for a second before pushing it open, looking back at me. "I've known Niz since we were both hatchlings. There's more to the story. Give him a chance."

His words did nothing to soothe the nerves or anger swirling within me, but I offered him a shaky nod as I let out a breath. The door creaked open and I wasted no time stepping into Niz's chambers, taking in the massive space as the door shut behind me.

It was a sprawling room, consisting of a large library to the left, a sitting space, his gigantic four-poster bed, and a hallway on the right. I didn't take the time to appreciate the finer details of the room, too focused on needing to find where the hell Niz was.

My fury rose with each step as I headed down the hallway and the words I wanted to scream at him took over my mental space. I couldn't believe this was real life. My hands tightened into fists at my side as my feet pounded on the stone floor.

Part of me wanted to go back in time and not come here, so I could have spared my heart the pain of learning of Illia and their engagement. There was still a tiny little part of me that could sense logic in the midst of all of this, and that little voice was telling me it was better to know and that I needed to get this figured out.

As the hallway gave way to a large cavern filled with steam, I searched through the mist. The pop of his green hair caught my eye, and our gazes clashed as he looked over at me from the pool of water he was soaking in.

There was a heat to his gaze that matched the intensity of the steam billowing around us, but it seemed rooted in anger. Tension rolled through his frame and his muscles flexed as he offered me a once over that caused shivers to break out across my skin. It was such a startling difference to his laid-back demeanor I'd come to know that my brain short circuited from its path of rage.

All the fight left me the second I saw him like this, giving way to the immense hurt that was threatening to swallow me instead. I didn't want to fight with him. I just wanted answers.

"You…" I breathed out as my eyes pricked with tears and my cheeks heated. Somehow needing to say the words out loud twisted the dagger Illia verbally embedded in my chest. "You're engaged, and you didn't tell me."

His lips parted slightly before quickly closing as his eyebrows slanted with his grimace. His eyes fell shut as he let out a heavy sigh before his rich voice echoed through the room. "So you've met Illia."