Page 114 of Wings of Shadow
The gold in his eyes catches the lamplight when he lifts his gaze, and the sheer reverence in his demeanor almost knocks the breath from me. He looks at me then—really looks—and his expression shifts. His shoulders drop. His hand tightens around mine. And for a heartbeat, he seems as though he might shatter. Not from fear, but from the relief of seeing me awake.
“Clarissa,” he breathes, his voice thick, wrecked. My name on his lips is a prayer, one he’s whispered a thousand times.
Then, I see it. This isn’t the man who carried me out of fire and ruin. This is the man who would’ve burned the world if he hadn’t found me alive. And right now, he’s trying to believe I’m real.
“Hey,” I whisper, voice ragged.
He leans over me instantly, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. The intensity in his stare is overwhelming, a storm barely held in check.
“You’re awake,” he breathes, as if it’s a miracle.
I attempt a weak smile. “Thanks to you.” I shift under the sheets, muscles protesting. “What happened? After we flew away?”
Kaisner’s jaw tightens, his gaze darkening. “We brought you home. The compound… It’s gone. Mostly destroyed in the fire.”
His words drop heavy in my chest. A small, pained gasp leaves my lips. “Nik?”
“Alive. Pissed. Bloodied.” Kaisner leans back just enough to read my reaction. “He tore through the building like a wildfire. The plan was distraction. He chose annihilation.”
“I felt it,” I murmur, my voice trembling. “The ground shook like the world was ending.”
“It nearly was,” Kaisner replies, his jaw tight. “That wasn’t a battle tactic—it was a dragon untethered. Your brother didn’t just attack the compound—he obliterated it. Every building, every escape route, every living thing within a mile radius.”
The words hit me like ice water. Suddenly, fragments click into place with sickening clarity—Samara’s careful positioning between Nik and others at gatherings, the way she’d touch his arm when his eyes began to glow, those faint bruises I’d glimpsed on her wrists that she’d explained away as mere accidents.
“The Draken Curse,” I breathe, the pieces finally forming a picture I’ve been too blind to see. “It’s not just a legend.”
Kaisner’s expression darkens. “It’s real. And it’s getting worse. The more powerful the dragon, the stronger its hold.” His fingers tighten around mine. “Samara’s been fighting to keep him anchored, but she can’t do it forever.”
My stomach drops as I remember Nik’s sudden rages, the way he’d disappear for hours after arguments. And Samara—brave, fierce Samara—standing guard over a secret that could destroy everything she loves.
“She’s been protecting us all,” I whisper, horror and admiration warring in my chest. “Protecting him from what he might become.”
“The Last Draken Shifter,” Kaisner says grimly. “Heir to all that power, and all that madness. What we witnessed today... that was just a taste of what’s brewing inside him.”
I close my eyes, finally understanding the true weight of the crown my brother wears—and the woman who refuses to let him bear it alone.
A tense silence fills the room, and I ask the question that’s been clawing at my chest.
“And us?” My voice is fragile, raw. “Did you tell him...?”
He doesn’t flinch. “He knows.”
“And?”
“He’s furious.” Kaisner’s thumb brushes over mine. “But also shaken. What we did to save you cracked something open. He may not like me, but… he’s listening now.”
I study his face, tracing the tension in his jaw, the weariness in his eyes. “Maybe it’s not about him liking you,” I murmur. “Maybe it’s enough that he sees what you are to me.”
A shadow crosses his features, and he shakes his head. “I almost lost you.” His voice cracks, the anguish unmistakable. “I should have been there sooner.”
I squeeze his hand, summoning every ounce of strength I have. “But you were there. You saved me.”
He leans down, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead, lingering as if to reassure himself that I’m real. The warmth of his lips sends a shiver down my spine.
We sit in silence for a moment, countless unspoken words hanging between us. His eyes betray the turmoil raging within him, and I reach up, cupping his cheek with a trembling hand.
“Kai,” I murmur, drawing his gaze back to mine. “I’m here. We’re together. That’s all that matters.”
