Chapter 31

I tried to sit up, but the pain in my ribs made me wince. I couldn’t help but wonder how much more of this I could take. How much more until I break completely? My mind kept circling back to Kaden, wishing he would somehow find me, even though it seemed impossible.

But deep down, I knew I had to hold on, no matter how impossible it seemed.

A cold wave of dread washed over me as I lay there, trying to piece together everything that had happened. Then I remembered what was written in that ancient book: only a dragon shifter or someone with dragon blood could pass through the barrier. If Kaden tried to save me, he wouldn’t be able to get through. He didn’t have dragon blood, nor was he a dragon shifter. The reality of my situation hit me hard.

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach as I realized no one was coming to look for me. Kaden must think I went back to the human world, back to the farm. How would he ever know where I was? The thought made my chest tighten, and I felt a creeping sense of hopelessness.

But then another thought hit me—I might be the only one who could escape. I didn’t know how I’d gotten through the barrier in the first place, but maybe, just maybe, I could do it again. Still, fear gnawed at me. What if I couldn’t get through it this time? What if I tried and failed?

I knew one thing for sure: if I was going to survive, I’d have to figure it out on my own.

As I lay in bed, my entire body aching and stiff from the beating, I couldn't move much, let alone sleep. My face throbbed, and every breath I took seemed to pull at my bruised ribs. With nothing else to do, I decided to distract myself from the pain by continuing to read the ancient book I had hidden under my pillow.

Carefully, I reached under the pillow and pulled out the worn, leather-bound book. The pages were yellowed with age, and the binding was fragile, but there was something about it that drew me in. I opened it to the section I had skimmed earlier, determined to learn more about the man who held me captive.

* Kyrell wasn't always this dark, * the text began, sending a shiver down my spine. I read on, my eyes moving slowly over the faded script.
*In the beginning, Kyrell was a ruler like any other, driven by the same ambitions and desires that fueled many kings. But his hunger to make all the kingdoms his own grew into an obsession, a need that consumed him day and night. He saw the other kingdoms as pieces of a puzzle that needed to be gathered and placed under his control.*

The words painted a vivid picture of a younger Kyrell, one less twisted by time and power, but still harboring that dangerous ambition. I could almost see him, sitting on his throne, his mind racing with plans to conquer every realm.

* But there was one thing that stood in his way: the dragon shifters. These powerful beings were the protectors of the realms, their strength unmatched, their wisdom ancient. To claim all the kingdoms for himself, Kyrell knew he would first have to rid the world of the dragons.*

I felt a cold dread settle in the pit of my stomach. Dragon shifters—beings of immense power, guardians of the very balance of the world. And Kyrell, with his insatiable hunger for dominance, had set his sights on destroying them.

*And so, the dragon slayer was born. Kyrell’s armies began the brutal task of trapping dragons, slaughtering them mercilessly. But it wasn’t enough for Kyrell to kill the adult dragons; he wanted to ensure their line would never rise again. He ordered the slaughter of their children, believing that by erasing their lineage, he would secure his rule for generations to come.*

My hands trembled as I read those words, the weight of Kyrell’s cruelty pressing down on me. This was the man who had captured me, who had beaten me. He wasn’t just a king with a dark past; he was a monster, willing to wipe out entire species to get what he wanted.

I closed the book and let it rest on my chest, my mind spinning. How could someone be so ruthless, so determined to control everything that he would slaughter even the innocent?

As I lay there, the pain in my body seemed to fade into the background, replaced by a cold realization. Kyrell was dangerous, more so than I had ever imagined. And now, I was caught in his web, just another pawn in his twisted game.

But what made my heart sink further was the memory of what I had read earlier in this same book. The words echoed in my mind: *only a dragon shifter or someone with dragon blood could pass through the barrier.* If Kaden tried to save me, he wouldn’t be able to get through. He wasn’t a dragon shifter, nor did he have dragon blood in him.

My chest tightened with fear and despair. No one was coming for me. Kaden probably thought I had gone back to the human world, back to the farm. I was on my own, trapped in this hellish place.

But then another thought struck me, even more terrifying. If I managed to escape, what were the chances that I could pass through the barrier again? How had I even done it the first time?

The only way out of this nightmare was if I found it myself. But the path was dark and uncertain, and the odds were stacked against me. Still, as I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, I knew I had no other choice. I had to find a way to survive, to escape, before it was too late.

I turned the page, continuing to read, despite the gnawing pain in my body. The ancient book seemed to pull me deeper into Kyrell’s twisted history.

The words on the page detailed how the dark king, after slaughtering every last dragon, committed an unforgivable sin—he killed the mate of the strongest witch in Calenthe. The dragon he mercilessly murdered was not just any creature; it was bound to the witch in a deep, mating bond. It reminds me of the mating bond Kaden said we shared. The text described how, in her rage and sorrow, the witch unleashed a curse upon Kyrell that would forever alter the fate of his kingdom.

The witch, her heart shattered by the loss, placed an eternal curse on Kyrell, trapping him within the boundaries of his own kingdom. She wove a magical barrier so impenetrable that no one could cross it—except those with dragon blood. The realization that this barrier was in place struck me hard. Kaden, for all his power, would never be able to breach it. My chest tightened with the despair of knowing that he couldn’t rescue me, even if he tried.

But the curse didn’t end there. The witch, driven by her fury, marked every person within Kyrell’s kingdom. The cursed mark on their foreheads ensured that they would be recognized and hunted if they ever escaped. The curse was so potent that even the descendants of those who lived in the kingdom were doomed to bear the mark, regardless of their nature—whether they were good or evil, innocent or guilty. The witch’s wrath knew no bounds, and she ensured that Kyrell’s legacy would be one of eternal suffering and fear.

The book described how the witch’s anger toward Kyrell was so profound that she vowed never to lift the curse. The dark king was to remain trapped, with no hope of redemption, his people suffering for his sins for all eternity.

I closed the book, the weight of Kyrell’s actions and the witch’s curse settling heavily on me. The reality of my situation was becoming clearer with every word I read. The curse was not just a story—it was my reality, and I was caught in the middle of it.

A soft knock echoed through the room, so delicate that I knew immediately who it was. Claire. Her knock was as gentle as her presence—soft, barely there, almost as if she were afraid to disturb me.

I pushed myself up on the bed, wincing at the pain still radiating through my body. I couldn’t remember how I had gotten back to my room after what happened with Kyrell, but waking up here felt like a small mercy.

“ Come in,” I called, my voice hoarse.

The door creaked open, and Claire stepped inside. She was just as I remembered—blonde hair neatly tied back, brown eyes downcast, and those freckles that dotted her cheeks. She was so young, maybe sixteen or seventeen, and every time I saw her, I was reminded of how unfair life was in this cursed place.