BOOK 2 - Chapter 2

I lifted my head and looked up at Kaden, meeting his gaze. His eyes were filled with the same fierce determination that I had seen so many times before, and for the first time in what felt like days, I allowed myself to hope. To believe that maybe, just maybe, we could do this.

And when we did, when the curse was broken and Dravonia was free, then I could think about the future. About being Kaden’s queen. About the life we could build together.

But until then, there was still work to be done.

*****

A soft knock at the door drew both Kaden and me from our thoughts. The sound was so light, yet it held an urgency that couldn't be ignored.

" Enter!" Kaden commanded; his voice steady but curious.

The door creaked open to reveal Mike, his spirit animal—a strange yet adorable creature that seemed like a blend of a cat and an owl. Its body was feline, but with wings that flared out from its sides and the unmistakable wide-eyed face of an owl. It had an endearing quality, almost like a cuddly bear owl.

" Sorry for disturbing Your Highnesses," Mike apologized, bowing slightly. There it was again—that title. Here in the Water Kingdom, all the formalities were strictly enforced. Even though Mike, Seth, and Zaden were close friends and we usually addressed each other by name at the Valtor palace, now that we were her at the Water Kingdom, they had to call us by our titles.

" Highness" or " Majesty"—it felt strange, but I understood why Kaden insisted on it in front of his subjects. Appearances mattered here.

Kaden gave Mike a brief nod, acknowledging him.

" I have good news," Mike continued. " Deon and Cassandra just arrived. They're waiting for you in the royal study."

Without hesitation, we followed Mike and his spirit animal down the long corridors of the Crystal Palace. The place was breathtaking, with walls shimmering like the surface of a still pond at sunrise, reflecting the light in a dance of blue and silver. Yet, despite the beauty around me, I felt a familiar heaviness in my chest. My mind kept drifting back to Dravonia—the place I had escaped, but not without leaving behind a piece of myself. And Claire. I still didn’t know if she was safe.

We entered the royal study, and the air was thick with anticipation. Deon was already there, standing tall and confident as ever, but my attention quickly shifted to the woman beside him. Cassandra.

She had short, fiery red hair that framed her face like flames, and her piercing green eyes locked onto me with an intensity that was both welcoming and assessing. She was beautiful, no doubt about it—absolutely stunning in a way that made her seem almost otherworldly.

" So," Cassandra said, her eyes raking over me, " this is the famous Meara who caught your heart?" There was a teasing quality to her voice, but also something else I couldn't quite place.

Kaden pulled me closer to him, his hand possessively settling on my waist. " Yes," he said proudly, his voice full of affection. " This is my mate, Meara."

Cassandra smiled, but there was something sharp in the way her lips curved. " It's nice to meet you, Meara. I'm Cassandra. It’s good to finally put a face to the name of the woman who captured the heart of my ex-lover."

Her words sent a jolt through me, like a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head. My body went cold, and something deep inside me, something primal and fierce, stirred. I narrowed my eyes and glanced at Kaden, who immediately raised his hands in defense, as if sensing the shift in my mood.

" I'll explain later," he murmured softly, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. He moved to the large crystal table in the center of the study, his attention shifting to the ancient-looking book that rested there.

" What's that?" I asked, feeling an inexplicable pull toward the book. There was something magnetic about it, as though it was calling out to me specifically.

" It’s a diary," Cassandra answered, her voice less playful now and more serious.

" Whose diary?" Kaden asked, studying the book closely but without touching it.

Deon stepped forward. " We can't say for sure," he explained. " We found it in the Great Witch’s library in Calenthe. It was hidden behind layers of spells and wards, and none have been able to open it."

" Have you tried breaking the spell?" Kaden asked.

" Of course," Cassandra replied. " I’ve used every incantation I know, but nothing works. The book is sealed tight."

The voices around me started to fade, blending into the background like a distant hum. The diary’s presence filled the room, its pull growing stronger with each second. I didn’t realize I was walking toward the table until I was standing right in front of it, my hand hovering over the cover. The whispers from the book became clearer, though they weren’t words exactly. They were feelings—warm, familiar feelings, like a forgotten memory resurfacing.

" Meara?" Kaden's voice broke through my trance, his tone sharp with concern. " What are you doing?"

I couldn’t answer him. It was as though I were moving on autopilot, drawn to the diary by some unseen force. My fingertips brushed the surface of the book, and immediately, a bright blue light exploded from its cover, engulfing the room in a shimmering glow.

Everyone gasped, their eyes wide with shock as the book hovered in mid-air for a moment before slamming into my open palms with a force that nearly knocked me back. The clasps that had once sealed it so tightly snapped open with a loud crack, and the pages fluttered as though a breeze had swept through the room. The book opened before me, its ancient pages revealing themselves to my gaze.

" How did you do that?" Cassandra asked, her voice a mixture of awe and disbelief.

" I-I don’t know," I stammered, my hands trembling as I held the book. It was as though the diary had chosen me, but why? I had no idea.

Cassandra reached out to touch the book, but the moment her fingers made contact, a jolt of electric energy shot out, causing her to yank her hand back with a startled yelp. She rubbed her hand, frowning at the spot where the shock had struck.

I could feel all eyes on me, the weight of their stares heavy on my shoulders. Even Kaden, who usually remained so calm and composed, looked uncertain. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages in front of me. They were written in a language I didn’t recognize, yet somehow, I could understand it.

The whispers grew louder, forming words in my mind.

“ You are the one. The blood of dragons, witches and elementals runs through your veins.”

" What?" I gasped, my voice barely above a whisper.

Kaden stepped closer, his concern deepening. " What is it, Meara? What do you see?"

I blinked, the words on the page blurring for a moment before coming into focus again. " It’s speaking to me," I said slowly. " It says I have dragon blood."

Cassandra’s eyes widened. " That’s impossible. Dragon shifters haven’t existed for centuries. Their bloodline was wiped out."

" Apparently not because Kaden is a dragon shifter too." Deon murmured; his gaze fixed on the diary. " If the diary has chosen her, it’s for a reason."

Kaden’s grip tightened on my arm, but not in a way that hurt. He was grounding me, anchoring me to the present, even as the weight of the revelation threatened to pull me under. " What else does it say?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with tension.

I swallowed hard, focusing on the pages again. The words flowed through my mind like a river, unstoppable and overwhelming.

The diary in my hands felt heavier than before, as if it carried the weight of centuries, secrets embedded deep within its pages. The blue light from the book still glowed faintly, shimmering beneath my fingertips. The words on the pages were shifting, rearranging themselves before my eyes. As I read, a voice—soft but unmistakably clear—spoke within my mind. It was a voice that felt ancient, both comforting and filled with gravitas, like it had waited eons to be heard again.

" Only the one bearing the blue flame, known as FrostFire, can break the curse."

FrostFire? My breath caught. That was my magic—rare and untamable, the fusion of cold and heat that coursed through my veins. Zaden had been training me, but he never fully explained what it meant, or why I alone wielded such power.