AERYN'S POV

My cheeks flushed with another blast of heat as his palm lit up.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

The red glow intensified, getting even brighter. He hitched a brow and smirked as he tapped one of his horns. "Don't tell me us shifters get you all hot and bothered."

"Bastion!" I shouted, hiding behind my gloved hands as I shook my head, grateful for the darkness hiding the furious blush staining my cheeks.

His eyes sparkled as he said, "See you tomorrow, Aer," and tucked his wings against his back, dropping off the edge of the cliff. He let himself plummet hundreds of feet until he came dangerously close to the glistening lake of Clear Water. At the last second, he snapped his wings out and propelled himself upwards, sending me another wink as he passed by and disappeared behind the clouds as he headed home.

Serene twisted her head, curious gold eyes searching mine. The iridescent scales on her face glinted in the moonlight as she huffed a breath in my face, blowing back the dark strands of my hair.

I arched a brow. "What're you lookin' at?"

Serene's eyes found the sky and she turned her head back around in a dramatic manner that was the closest thing to a dragon eye roll as one could get, then backed up a little to give herself space to gain speed. Running towards the cliff, she pumped her white wings and flew above the empire.

I ignored the wind whipping my splotchy cheeks as we circled the mountain. Admiring the massive peaks, I gazed at the distant lights flickering on the homes built into the mountain and felt my stomach flip as we approached the castle. 

The Nyrial Castle rested in the center of the Wrexial Mountains, atop one of its highest peaks where it towered above all the towns resting in the mountains. Two spires in the shapes of sharp icicles poked the skyline with flags donning our empire's crest of four colored circles symbolizing each Elemental Force, huge double doors with clear dragon head knockers, and nearly one hundred stairs spiraled up the mountain leading to the entrance of my pretentious home. There was an ice sculpture of a dragon on either side of the doors with a guard positioned next to them.

The majority of the ice structure was nested inside the mountain where it had been carved and hollowed out to create the extravagant ballrooms, halls, bedrooms, kitchens, training areas, libraries, and offices. My father's office was located on the highest level of our home where the castle had been dug out to the opposite side of the mountain, allowing the floor-to-ceiling windows to display the sprawling views below.

And that was where I found myself once Serene and I had landed at the base of the daunting stairs. I'd rubbed the dragon scale in my pocket, recalling Serene to the dragon realm. Her essence flowed into the scale as she vanished in front of me, and I pocketed her scale, giving it an affectionate pat as I made the journey up the stairs.

My reflection stared back at me, rosy cheeked and wide eyed with untamed windblown hair, as I stared at the back windows in the emperor's office. It was so dark out that the windows doubled as mirrors as I stood examining myself.

I could never seem to tame the unruly mass of dark hair flowing down my back and the freckles dotting my nose and cheeks stood out against my pale skin. I'd gotten the freckles from my mother who'd been raised in the warm, sunlit town of Quincey and one of her green eyes. My other blue eye and dark hair came from my father. I'd always been jealous of my mother's beauty. Her dirty blonde curls, gentle facial features, and welcoming green eyes offered compassion and love. 

But no one had seen nor heard from her after a blast erupted in the pharmacy she'd been an Apothecary in. The demon attack resulted in reactive chemicals mixing together to create a noxious explosion. An entire portion of the mountain had collapsed, resulting in an avalanche that rocked the surrounding towns. Not one body had been uncovered due to the hazardous toxins and chemicals still consuming the area. I chewed my lip, pivoting to find my father sitting at his desk with his back to me, engrossed with the pamphlet in his hands.

"They're going to kill me."

At the sound of my voice, the emperor stiffened and folded the pamphlet, taking his time to press down the creases. Satisfied it was neat enough, he placed it atop the stack of papers off to the side. He twisted in his seat and adjusted his crown, joining his hands in his lap. 

With a sigh, he said, "Aeryn. The Demon King needs us. He needs you. Without our empire and the marriage between you and his only heir, his kingdom will fall. Their hunger for more land, food, resources, weapons, and power is fueling their vehemence, but it's what caused them to turn into the vermin they are."

My entire body flashed in a rage so hot, I had to take a moment to calm my nerves before I spoke.

"And you're sending me to marry and live among those vermin. The very same ones that killed Mom."

"This is the only way to end the war. They will never cease their attack and will hold onto Armaeda to keep amplifying their powers of evil to gain the things they don't have. The Ravos King will agree to an armistice giving him all those things he desires, and the marriage will guarantee he gets what he wants while we save our Forces from losing even more Draconians."

I couldn't keep my cool any longer. "It's a set up! They've been planning my assassination and you're walking right into their trap. You're handing me right over to the very demon trying to kill me."

"Tell me, kid. What would they gain by killing you?"

Kid. I was twenty-two years old and while that meant I was over two years late in the development of an Insignia, it didn't mean I wasn't an adult. I'd been working hard my entire life to join the Fire Force and defend my empire. As the only pupil without an Insignia at the academy, I had to work twice as hard to make up for it. I was an asset to the Force with or without an Insignia. Not to mention, my frost fire breathing dragon was the only one in existence. She made up for my...shortcomings.

I threw my hands up in exasperation. "I don't know! They're evil. They don't need a reason to kill me. They're fallen Draconians who turned into demonic beings centuries ago for trying to overthrow the empire and gain more power. They're the ones who created the Curse infecting the demons they keep sending to our land. And you're asking me what they would gain by killing me? Satisfaction, Dad. Killing your only heir would leave you without anyone to fulfill your throne. It makes it easier to overthrow you. They've tried once before," I started to ramble, "so they'll try again. Like you said, they need the resources we have because they don't have them. They have absolutely nothing to lose."

The longer I spoke, the more it made sense to me, and the more it scared me.

He opened his mouth to speak, but I barreled on. "Armaeda's essence of power is being drained, weakening you and all of us. She's the mother of all the dragons and shares her essence with all Draconians, but we're losing the war because while our powers are getting weaker, the demons' are getting stronger. We know it and they know it. You can't even summon her because she's trapped in Ravos with her scale."

"Who are you to lecture me on the nature of the war? Your role is to become the Princess of Ravos," he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he gave me a stern look. "Then, we infiltrate their kingdom. You can change the world, Aeryn, and rid our nations of demons once and for all. Gain the prince's trust, then kill him and take back Armaeda. We'll take care of Kristos, and you become the Queen of Ravos."

I gawked at him. "You want me to kill the prince?"

"Did you actually think I'd share any of our land or resources with them? The marriage will just get them to trust me."

"And you don't think they're trying to do the same thing?"

"Not if we do it first."

"It's a death sentence, Dad. Bastion told me."

His icy blue eyes flashed as he narrowed his eyebrows, sitting up straight. "Talyse Washburne's son?"

"Yes. He's a truth-teller. He can see the truth in lies. The Ravos King lied about agreeing to the terms of the marriage because they've been planning on assassinating me. They're probably not even going to go through with the marriage before the prince kills me. So, no, we won't be able to kill the prince first and end the war."

The emperor turned around, showing me his rigid back as he demanded, "You better hope you get your Insignia by the time you graduate. The Ravos King made it clear he's not going to marry his son to you if you don't have a power. That right there proves he's in this armistice for the marriage and everything they have to gain from it."

"And I have everything to lose from it," I said, striding out of the office.

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