Page 51 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

He inhaled deeply. Her scent of honey, clover, and orange was intoxicating.

Dain knew she was his fated mate and there had always been a connection between them. But now, there was something more. Their souls were tied together even more deeply than they were before. Soon, their soul would be one.

Is that when the madness will completely overtake me?

Seraphina sighed and put her arm over his waist.

A cold, deep voice slithered into his mind. “Kill the Oracle.”

Dain’s blood ran cold from the thought.

“Kill her and be free of the curse. Be free of the Oracle. Become the king you were meant to be.”

The voice chilled Dain down to his bones. It twisted his stomach, making him feel nauseous. He shuddered involuntarily.

He carefully pulled his arm out from under Seraphina and splashed cold water in his face, focusing on the sensations to force the voice out of his head. Dain looked at Seraphina for a moment, hearing the voice echoing in the far reaches of his mind. He quickly left the tent.

Once he was outside the ruins, he shifted. His heart thundered in his chest as he flew over the forest near the ruins. A battle raged inside of him. He could see the edges of the darkness pushing its way in, encroaching on the edges of his consciousness.

“You can be free of all of this. Kill the oracle and sever the ties between you.”

No!Dain lifted his head into the air and shot several lightning bolts into the sky, lighting it up. The heat from the lightning clashed with the cool, morning air creating loud, thunderous booms that shook the trees below.

He focused on his breathing and pictured pushing the darkness away until his vision was clear.

Dain had no idea how long he’d been flying around. He just kept going until his entire body was weary and his wings felt as though they were going to fall off.

Kael was waiting for him at the entrance of the ruins when he returned. “What’s going on?”

“I just needed to get rid of some stress.”

Kael gave him a disgusted look. “Let me know when you’re ready to be honest with me.”

He walked away, leaving Dain standing alone at the entrance.

How in the hell could I tell him that I’m hearing voices in my head telling me to kill Seraphina?

Growling, he grabbed food and stared off into space. The darkness was going to build a huge wall between him and everyone he cared about and trusted.

He found Seraphina in the forest clearing. It wasn’t hard. He just had to search for her with his soul.

She was sitting on the ground, looking at a rabbit. It was almost as though they were having a conversation that only they could hear.

“New friend?”

Seraphina looked up at him and smiled widely. It almost took his breath away. “Relatively new. She comes around when I come. Today I brought her some lettuce that Jasmine was going to throw away.”

“Is it a real rabbit, a shifter, or something I don’t want to know about?”

Seraphina giggled. “It’s a genuine rabbit. No tricks or hidden identity.”

“I’m glad that something is as it appears. Lately, it seems that nothing is.”

She nodded. “It is hard to figure out who is who, what their agendas are, and whether the bird is a bird or if it’s a bird, pretending to be a mouse, pretending to be a cricket, pretending to be a human.”

“You can be confusing sometimes.”

“Thank you. Oracles are supposed to be confusing.”

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