Page 56 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

That’s what haunted him most.

He wasn’t paying attention to where he walked or how he walked. Normally, he was very stealthy because he never knew who or what might be lurking in the woods. Tonight, the sticks crunched under his feet, bushes rustled as he passed by them, and the sharp snap of a broken branch echoed behind him.

Exhaling slowly, he rolled his shoulders trying to loosen them up. He breathed in the night air, focusing on the scents of pine, the rolling creek water, and wildflowers.

Am I going to lose myself completely next time? Is the darkness going to swallow me whole, consuming all that is me, leaving nothing but a shell behind?

He didn’t hear the whisper of the movement until it was too late. The sting of the arrow striking his side was sharp. The burning heat of poison made him stagger.

His instincts screamed to fight back, but he was already feeling weak. Shadows encroached in his mind from all sides overtaking him.

Falling to his knees, Dain’s mind screamed.Not like this. Not on my knees. I’m a warrior and I should die fighting.

His fingers dug into the dirt as he tried to stand. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, but it was slowly fading away.

Then, there was nothing.

Dain sucked in a deep breath.He was buried beneath a ton of rock and ice, and he was trying to claw his way out.

His body was in excruciating pain. Every cell was screaming. His bones ached from the freezing cold. For a moment, he was lost. He had no idea where he was.

Light filtered through his eyelids. The air smelled like smoke, herbs, and blood.

A familiar voice cut through the haze.

“You’re stubborn, Dain, I’ll give you that,” Valon muttered. “You should be dead.”

Dain’s eyelids fluttered open. Valon was blurry and Dain blinked several times, trying to clear his vision.

He blew out a low, raspy breath and winced. His throat was raw, and he was desperate for some water.

“Water.”

Valon pushed a bottle against Dain’s lips and held his head up so he could sip.

“Just take a couple of sips or you’ll get sick.”

Dain obeyed and Valon gently laid his head back onto his pillow.

“What…happened?” he groaned.

“Apparently, you decided that you wanted to go for a walk and weren’t being vigilant. One of Malakar’s men shot you in the side with a poison arrow.”

“I should have sensed him.”

Valon snorted. “You should have known the man was there. Luckily for you, Seraphina did.”

“She was there?”

Sighing deeply, Valon said, “No. She had a vision and knew that something was wrong. She sent Kael and Xander after you. They had to fight off Malakar’s men—the shooter wasn’t there alone. You were half-dead when they finally brought you back.” He explained the situation as though he was talking to a three-year-old. “I almost wasn’t able to save your sorry ass.”

Dain stared at the ceiling, trying to process Valon’s words. If Seraphina hadn’t seen the attack or if Kael and Xander hadn’t gotten to him in time, he’d be dead. He’d be dead if Valon wasn’t such a strong healer.

“Thank you. I owe you,” he said.

“You don’t owe me anything. You might thank Seraphina later. She’s been here the entire time. She just stepped out for a moment because I forced her to grab a bite to eat.”

He closed his eyes in frustration. He’d allowed himself to get attacked. Malakar almost won the war right then and there.

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