Chapter 47

“ They were looking for me.” The words slipped out before I even realized I had spoken them aloud. Kaden’s eyes flashed with confusion.

“ Who was looking for you?” he asked softly, leaning in closer, his eyes searching mine.

I hesitated, memories of that day flooding back. The smoke, the chaos, the terror in the air. “ That day at the Elemental Games, when we were attacked... They were looking for me,” I said, my voice wavering with the weight of the realization. Kaden’s expression remained puzzled.

“ Why would they be looking for you?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he tried to piece together the meaning behind my words.

I swallowed hard, struggling to find the right way to explain. “ Kyrell, the cursed king, and his son, Hezron.” I forced myself to say the name, the memory of his cold, predatory eyes sending a shiver through me. Kaden’s eyes darkened, but he stayed silent, waiting for me to continue. “ They mentioned that they sent people through the barrier to find the girl bearing the blue flame. They said… that I am the key to breaking the curse and the barrier.”

Kaden’s expression hardened, and his grip tightened on the armrest of the bench. I could see the turmoil in his eyes, a mixture of anger and concern. “ The blue flame… Meara, they were searching for you because they believe you can break their curse,” he said, piecing together the information with grim understanding. “ They see you as some kind of... solution, a way to free themselves.”

The truth of it all hit me like a tidal wave.

Kaden’s hand reached out, brushing against mine, grounding me. “ This changes everything,” he murmured, his voice laced with a protectiveness that made my heart ache. “ They want you because they think you can undo everything that’s kept them trapped.”

Kaden jumped up from the bench, pacing with clenched fists, his jaw tight as if fighting back a storm of emotions. His boots thudded heavily on the stone floor with each step. " This means we have to find a way into the barrier faster," he murmured, more to himself than to me, his voice dark with determination.

" What are you talking about?" I asked, my confusion growing.

He stopped abruptly, turning towards me, and in two strides, he was in front of me, his hands gripping my shoulders firmly. His hazel eyes locked onto mine, filled with a mix of rage and something deeper—something far more dangerous.

" I didn’t want to tell you this," he said, his voice lower now, almost trembling with barely controlled fury. " I thought you were too traumatized after everything that happened to you in Dravonia. I didn’t want to burden you with it."

My stomach twisted. " Tell me what?" I whispered, my concern mingling with confusion.

His grip tightened slightly, and his eyes darkened, shadowed by the weight of the memories he was dredging up. " When I found you that night, lifeless on the cold ground, your body covered in bruises, bleeding, broken... I vowed then that I would go back. And I would fucking destroy every single one of them," his voice turned hard, his words laced with venom. " I will have no mercy upon them."

I could feel the intensity of his hatred, his need for vengeance. It was like a tangible force emanating from him, wrapping itself around the room. I understood his anger—I had every right to feel that same fury—but something inside me stirred at the thought of it. Claire's kindness flashed in my mind, the way she had bandaged my wounds, her quiet fear of the world around her. The people of Dravonia weren’t all monsters. Some were trapped just like I had been.

I lowered my gaze, stepping out of Kaden’s grasp, turning my back to him. The silence stretched between us, heavy and thick. I needed to gather my thoughts, to summon the strength to say the words I had kept buried deep since my escape. I wasn’t sure I was ready to relive it, to make him understand that not all of Dravonia was the enemy.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to speak. " Kaden, there's more you need to know about that night." My voice wavered, but I continued, sensing his confusion behind me. " It wasn’t as simple as just escaping."
I heard him step closer, but he didn’t interrupt. I kept my back to him, needing the distance to say what I had to say.

" That night…" My voice cracked as memories of Kyrell’s cold smile, Hezron’s threats, and the fear that had gripped me surfaced. " I wasn’t alone. Claire, a girl I met there, helped me escape. She wasn’t like the others. She was afraid, but she still risked everything to help me. Without her, I would still be trapped in that nightmare."

Kaden remained silent, listening, but the air around us felt charged with tension.

" Not everyone in Dravonia is evil," I continued, my voice firmer now. " Some of them… they’re trapped. Like Claire. I can’t—I can’t let you go in there and destroy them all, not when some of them don’t deserve it."

Kaden’s hand gently rested on my shoulder. " Meara…" His voice was softer now, but the anger still simmered beneath the surface. " You don’t have to justify their actions. I saw what they did to you."


" I know what they did," I whispered, turning to face him, my heart pounding. " I haven’t forgotten. But I also know that not all of them had a choice. Claire didn’t. And I refuse to be the reason people like her suffer."

Kaden’s expression softened, but the conflict in his eyes was clear. His protective instincts clashed with my plea for mercy. " And what of the others? Kyrell? Hezron? The ones who did this to you?"

I swallowed hard, the image of Hezron’s sneer burning in my mind. " They deserve justice. But not the innocents."

Kaden’s eyes flickered, his jaw tensing again. " You’re asking me to spare them."

" I’m asking you to be careful," I said, stepping closer, my voice soft but resolute. " To be sure. To know who deserves your wrath and who doesn’t."

He sighed deeply, his gaze dropping to the floor. For a long moment, he said nothing, his thoughts seemingly caught in a whirlwind of emotion.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady the tremble in my voice. This was something I had to tell him, even though the words felt like acid on my tongue. Kaden needed to know the truth.

“ There’s something I haven’t told you,” I started, my eyes darting to his before I quickly looked away, unable to bear the intensity in his gaze. “ It’s about Dravonia… about what they do to the people there.”
He stayed silent, but I could feel his attention sharpen, like he could sense the darkness of what I was about to say.

“ They call it the Harvesting.” I shuddered, the memory of it sending a chill through me. “ It’s… it’s not just a curse that marks them. Even after so many years, some children are born without it, but that doesn’t matter. They’re still thrown into these pits—pits full of creatures. Monstrous things that… that tear them apart.”

My voice wavered, and I felt my throat tighten. I hated speaking these words, hated reliving it. “ The Harvesting is held often, too often. There’s no food for everyone, so they use it as an excuse to get rid of people, to control the population. The ones they send in, they don’t stand a chance. Not even the children.”

Kaden’s fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tight, but he didn’t interrupt. I could feel his fury simmering, but I had to finish.

“ Kyrell… he doesn’t care who they are. He’s so cruel. Even his own wife—” I stopped, my voice catching in my throat. “ Even she wasn’t safe. The queen… she tried to stand up to him, to stop it. And for that, he threw her into the pit, too.”

The silence hung between us, heavy and suffocating. I swallowed hard, barely able to keep my voice steady.

“ It’s more than just the curse, Kaden. It’s a nightmare beyond that barrier. And no one is safe in it.”

Kaden walked over to me, his presence always commanding, yet right now there was a tenderness in his eyes that softened the storm I knew he held inside. He took my hand gently, his touch firm yet reassuring.

" I am so sorry you had to witness that and endure it alone," he said, his voice low, heavy with regret. " If only I had known you passed through the barrier sooner..." He paused, the weight of his words hanging in the air. " Then none of those things would have happened to you, my mate."