Chapter 10

Zamora's pov 

Saying my soul left my body doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt in that moment.

I was there face to face with him. His hand was wrapped so tightly around my wrist it hurt. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.

My heart was beating too fast, loud and uncontrollable.

Is this it? Is this how I die?

He had caught me. There was no denying it. I didn’t have an excuse. No lie would work. Nothing I said now could save me from whatever he was about to do. I knew that. And still I was frozen.

“Dragon King, I…” I tried to speak, but my voice cracked. I couldn’t finish.

And then, something changed.

The grip on my wrist slowly loosened. His eyes, those same cold eyes that had just looked at me like I was the very thing he hated most suddenly closed again, like none of it had happened.

Like he hadn’t just stared into my soul with so much anger.

And for a second, I was there, staring at him.

“Dragon King?” I said his name, gently nudging him, hoping he’d respond.

But nothing, Just silence.

Was that brief moment earlier him trying to fight the potion? Maybe that’s why he opened his eyes for a second, like his body was pushing back against it but the potion was too strong and pulled him under again.

“Dragon King...” I tried once more, calling his name again just to be sure. I waved my hand in front of his face to check if he was awake, watching me. Still nothing.

He was completely out.

I let out a quiet breath, heart pounding. I didn’t know how long he would stay like this. I had to move quickly.

Without wasting another second, I grabbed his hand. My own fingers were shaking, but I forced myself to stay calm. I couldn’t let nerves mess this up.

I picked up the small blade and began cutting across his palm, slow and careful. Blood started to flow, and I quickly reached for the little bottle the Queen Mother gave me. I held it beneath the cut and waited until it filled all the way to the top.

It was done, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

A few moments later, his skin started healing on its own, slowly closing up like I hadn’t just cut it with a dagger.

It was like nothing had happened.

The Dragon King really was powerful. I didn’t doubt that for a second.

And even though the thought crossed my mind to stab him in the heart while I had the chance, I knew it wouldn’t work. His dragon would never let that happen. It would tear me apart before I even got close.

I pushed the thought aside and tried to pull myself together.

I got dressed, fixed my clothes, and smoothed my hair. I had to look normal like nothing had gone wrong. I couldn't afford to raise suspicion, not with the guards outside.

Once I felt calm enough, I walked to the chamber door and opened it.

Just as expected, the guards were standing right there.

The moment I saw them, my heart sank a little. They had been outside the whole time. They probably heard everything.

How embarrassing. They must think I’m just another woman trying to seduce the Dragon King. A whore, probably.

But again what did it matter? Let them think what they want.

I gave them a small, polite smile. They didn’t say anything, just gave a slight nod in return.

Without looking back, I walked down the hallway toward my chambers, trying to calm the nerves building up inside me.

One step at a time. Just get through tonight.

“How did it go, my lady?” Larissa asked quickly, barely letting me step into the room.

I didn’t answer right away. I looked at her, trying to calm my breathing, trying to stop my hands from shaking. I was still too tense.

“My lady did something go wrong?” she asked again, her voice trembling now. “Is this the part where we panic and prepare for our heads to be hung on spikes?”

“Calm down, Larissa,” I said as I slowly walked over to the chair and sat down, letting out a long breath. “I got the blood.”

I pulled out the small bottle and showed it to her.

She gasped, running a hand through her hair as she let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank the gods. I thought we were caught. I was really scared.”

I didn’t respond. I just stared at the bottle in my hand. So small and yet it held the power to change everything.

“I am sure everything will go as the Queen Mother planned,” I said quietly. “All that’s left now is to meet her and let her do the spell that will bind me to the Dragon King.”

Larissa nodded slowly, forcing a small smile, though I could still see the fear in her eyes.

The night dragged on painfully after that.

I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. My mind kept replaying everything. Every second. Every risk. And just like that, morning arrived.

A loud knock on the door snapped me out of sleep. My heart began to race, panic rising in my chest. Did he find out?

Did the Dragon King somehow realize what I had done? Was he here to punish me? Behead me?

But then the door opened, and to my relief, it was Larissa.

“The Queen wants to see you now,” she said quietly, stepping in and closing the door behind her. “Please, my lady, let me help you get ready so we can go to her chambers.”

I nodded quickly and got out of bed. My legs felt a little weak, but I pushed through it. I cleaned myself up and dressed in something simple yet proper.

After checking my reflection in the mirror and making sure I looked presentable enough, I moved toward the door, ready to leave.

But just as my hand touched the handle, the door suddenly swung open from the other side.

My breath caught in my throat.

It was Vladimir.

He stood there, staring at me with that same cold, unreadable expression. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but the intensity in his eyes was enough to make me feel weird.

Still, I forced myself to remain calm.

“Dragon King,” I said, keeping my voice calm, “what brings you here?”

He didn’t answer right away. He looked past me into the room, scanning everything, before finally letting his eyes settle on me again.

“You,” he said, his voice serious. “What did you do last night?”

My body went cold. I felt like all the blood drained from my face.

But I swallowed the panic in me and tried to keep my expression calm, even though every nerve in my body was screaming.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to sound calm, though I was filled with so much fear.

“I am asking you,” he repeated, “what did you do?”

I glanced behind him. His guards were standing outside the doorway, still and alert just waiting for his order to come in and take me away.

Was this it? Was he going to have me executed right here?

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Dragon King,” I replied carefully, trying not to show any emotion.

But that only seemed to make him more angry.

He stepped closer.

“I hate repeating myself,” he said, “But since you seem to enjoy testing me, I will ask one last time, what did you do?”

My throat went dry, but I refused to look away.

“What did I do?” I said, forcing a slight smile. “Or are you talking about what we did? Besides you slamming into me like a beast all night, what else could I possibly have done?” My tone was light and sarcastic, almost teasing.

I shouldn’t have said that.

The moment the words left my mouth, his expression darkened. He grabbed my arm roughly, so hard it made me gasp. The sudden movement shook my whole body, and I felt the hidden bottle in my clothes fall to the floor. It rolled away slowly but didn’t break.

But I felt like I would.

His grip was tight. My bones ached from the pressure. This is it, I thought. He is going to kill me.

“Is this some kind of joke to…” he began, but stopped mid-sentence.

His eyes dropped to the floor.

He had seen the bottle.

His hand loosened around my arm as he stepped back, eyes locked on the object rolling gently across the floor.

“What the hell is that?” he asked.