Page 59 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

A sudden thought occurred to her. The world around her was completely still. No breezes wafted around her, no birds were chirping, and even the insects were silent. She drew in a deep breath, terrified and excited at the same time.

She put her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. A tingle raced through her as she felt the tiniest of movements and felt a very faint thump, thump, thump.

Seraphina inhaled deeply as the realization hit her like a boulder and for a moment she froze. Her mind raced through all the possibilities, dangers, and uncertainties that swirled around them on a daily basis. And now, there was a child.

Closing her eyes, Seraphina focused on the baby. The child would be more powerful than anyone could imagine. She was a celestial dragon shifter, the rarest of all, who would be able to control the elements and have the sight of an oracle.

The wind suddenly picked up, and the Goddess Elyria hovered in the air in front of Seraphina. The oracle instantly bent over, touching her forehead to the ground.

“Rise, Child. There’s much to talk about and time is of the essence.”

Seraphina looked at the goddess in awe. The glowing light from the aura surrounding Elyria was almost blinding.

“You asked why you’d been chosen and what I told you was the truth. However, there’s more. You must sacrifice yourself and your daughter by putting yourself in grave danger.”

The goddess explained what Seraphina must do.

“You are the only one strong enough to do what must be done. You are the only one strong enough to survive. Dain has the power and blood of the First Dragon King. He is a descendant of the legitimate child of the First Dragon King and his love, Aeridelle. They secretly went through the mating ceremony before his death. That lore was lost to protect the First Dragon King’s children.” She smiled. “Of course, before Aeridelle, the king was, well, shall we say, amorous with a number of women. Your assumptions that the brotherhood were descendants are correct, but that is something they must discover for themselves.”

“And I can’t tell Dain.”

“No. He’d never find that part of him. He has to be forced to let it out—and there’s only one way to make that happen.”

Seraphina hung her head.

“Will the child and I survive?”

The goddess smiled at her. “I guess that’s up to Dain. You do have a choice. You and the child can go far away and live out your life. But this is the only way to save Dain.”

Goddess Elyria disappeared into the air. Seraphina’s heart thundered in her chest and she was sure that she was going to throw up again. She didn’t want to obey the goddess’ directions, but Seraphina knew that she must. Prophecies, specifically the one that showed Dain conquering Malakar, could be broken if certain events didn’t happen exactly as they were ordained.

Seraphina touched her belly. “Be strong, little one. We’ll endure this together.”

She closed her eyes, fear gnawing at the edge of her soul. The torturous path the goddess presented her with would take them to the edge of the veil, and possibly beyond.

Seraphina swallowed hard and took off her medallion, laying it in the knot of a nearby tree. She wiped the tear that streameddown her cheek and hoped that the goddess was right and she had the strength to survive what lay ahead.

“No matter what torture is given, we’ll endure. We have to.”

She took a deep breath and started walking through the shadowed forest. Although her heart was beating a million miles an hour, her steps were steady. She was determined to go through with the plan.

The path toward Wyrmhaven was dangerous, but that’s exactly the reason she traveled it. She didn’t make it too far.

A branch snapping behind her warned her that some of Malakar’s hunters had found her. They stared at her with cold, steel eyes. She didn’t fight them—not because she couldn’t, but because this had to happen.

“Oracle. It’s such a surprise to see you out here all by yourself,” one of them said. “King Malakar will be very happy to see you.”

Seraphina raised her head and smirked at the hunter. She had to let them take her, but she didn’t have to be submissive or polite. “Will he? Somehow, I doubt that he’ll be too happy with me. Hopefully, he won’t take his anger out on you.”

One of the hunters looked at the other nervously. However, the man who spoke simply laughed. “Nah. We’ll be long gone before then. We’ll deliver you and poof, just like magic.”

They bound her hands with rough iron cuffs, etched with sigils, meant to dampen her magic.

“Let’s go, Oracle,” the speaker said.

They led her to the ruins of Gravenholt, outside of Wyrmhaven. The stone walls crumbled around it. It reeked of darkness, blood, and despair. It sat on the frozen side of a mountain.

She was taken to the temple. The ash-covered walls had been licked with the flames of the last battle that happened here.A chilly dampness seeped into her bones. One of the hunters shoved her in an iron chair and removed the cuffs.

---