Chapter 8

KIRA

~That bastard~! I screamed internally as I slammed the door shut and locked it. My heart was racing, and I could barely breathe.

My father was pounding on the door, probably ready to yell at me or worse. But it didn’t matter anymore because now I belonged to someone else.

The Dragon of Ruin had chosen me. He’d picked me knowing full well that I wanted nothing to do with him.

He’d seen what my father put me through, what I’d endured, and he still chose me. Even after I made it crystal clear I wasn’t interested.

I was in shock, his decision echoing in my mind. ~I will be his queen, his wife, the mother of his children~.

***

I tore off my dress and left it in a heap on the floor. My hands were shaking as I curled up on the bed, hugging my knees to my chest.

Tears streamed down my face, smearing my makeup. I felt so helpless, and now Raya would be left all alone.

~What am I going to do~? I thought, feeling utterly lost. There was nothing I could do to change this situation.

I would be stuck with him—this beast of a man, the Dragon of Ruin—as his queen for the rest of my life. That meant I was his to do with as he pleased.

He could use me for sex, dress me up like a doll, force me to have his children. And who knew, maybe he’d beat me too.

If he didn’t, the worst part would be him seeing my scars and pitying me. The last thing I wanted was pity.

I couldn’t stop crying, my whole body shaking with each sob. My father kept banging on the door, calling my name.

Then I heard his voice, the dragon’s, as his large hand pounded on the door. “Princess, open up!”

I cried harder, burying my face in my arms. Why couldn’t they just leave me alone?

“Kira, open the door!” he yelled again. His voice sent shivers down my spine.

“Go away!” I screamed, my voice hoarse from crying. I just wanted to disappear.

“Princess, believe it or not, you’re stuck with me,” he said, chuckling. How could he find this funny?

“I’m glad you find it amusing!” I shouted back, wiping furiously at my tears. This was my life we were talking about.

“I’m coming in, Princess!” he warned. My heart jumped into my throat.

“No, don’t! I’m naked!” I snarled, scrambling for my torn dress. I couldn’t let him see me like this.

“I’ll give you a minute,” he said. The silence that followed was deafening.

I threw the torn dress around my body, unable to find my bra. This would have to do.

I looked like a complete mess—blonde hair wild, black makeup smeared across my cheeks, the torn red dress barely covering me. I curled back into a ball, waiting for them to enter.

The door handle turned, the lock clicked, and King Cerion stood before me with my father behind him. I felt so small and vulnerable.

“Was that so hard?” he joked. I glared at him, dropping my gaze back to my lap.

“Princess, this is your life now. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to accept I have chosen you as my queen. You can hate me or you can learn to live with it,” he said, sitting down next to me on the bed.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped as he got closer. I didn’t want him anywhere near me—but that was a lie. I did. I wanted him to touch me even if I ordered him not to.

He held out a handkerchief, a peace offering of sorts. I snatched it from his hand and blew my nose.

“Thanks,” I muttered, not meeting his eyes. I didn’t want to see any kindness there.

“Your father will arrange to send your belongings here, and I’ll make our room more comfortable for you,” he said. My head snapped up at his words.

“Our room?! I’m staying here, in this room,” I scoffed. There was no way I was sharing a room with him.

“It defeats the purpose of having a queen if she won’t even sleep with you,” he laughed. I could hear the suggestive tone in his voice.

“I will not be sleeping with you. Choose another queen,” I spat, meeting my father’s disapproving gaze. I was done being pushed around.

“And you, you cannot threaten me anymore. He’ll do it enough for the both of you!” I added, gesturing to the Dragon King.

“No one will be threatening you, Princess. King Harold, why don’t you go send word to Valon?” Cerion said, clearly trying to get rid of my father.

My father left the room, looking annoyed. I was alone with the Dragon of Ruin, and I had no idea what would happen next.

His intense gaze bore into me, setting my insides on fire.

God, I hated him—to his very core, but my body pulsated for him, internally. God knew why, but it did. I saw the shades of fire wisp through his eyes.

I was desperate to do anything to get away from him, and by that I even meant taking a nap or pretending to sleep.

“I’m going to sleep,” I mumbled, curling into a tight ball and squeezing my eyes shut. I silently prayed that when I opened them again, this would all turn out to be just a bad dream.

Eventually I heard him leave the room, and I was left wide awake, staring at the ceiling above me.

I could try to escape, but where would I escape to? If my father caught me, he would just be angry and find a way to hurt me, or at the very least, scream at me.

Could I wander the castle? But by doing so, I’d run the risk of running into Cerion again.

My best bet was to lie here in bed, ask one of the servants to bring me up some food, and think about how I was going to survive a marriage to the Dragon of Ruin.

But I knew if I could survive the beatings my father inflicted, I too could survive a marriage to a man deemed the Dragon of Ruin.

His eyes flashed across my mind, and something inside me stirred.