I don’t need to open my eyes, I can sense him here as soon as I feel the smoke blowing around my body. I can feel him near me, I can smell his smoky scent as it surrounds me. Like it’s trying to slowly choke me to death with its seductive smell. My dragon is practically purring in my mind, wanting to be closer to the man I hate.
“Issy,” he says, and I finally look. Thorne is stood close to me, about a footstep away, with his hands held behind his back. His cloak moves in the breeze, swaying around the guard uniform he is wearing. The leather is stretched tightly across his chest, and when I look up, I see his blue eyes gazing at me with a look I don't understand. He isn’t smiling, or frowning, just stood like a statue. Like a predator waiting for its prey to run or face him. I hate that he looks good, so attractive to me, and I pull my eyes away from him.
“Thorne, you don’t get to call me that. It’s Princess Isola to you,” I reply coldly.
“I will never call you that, you will always be Issy to me,” he says, stepping closer. I keep very still as he reaches a hand out to touch my hair. He tucks a stray piece behind my ear, and my heart pounds against my chest as I stare into his blue eyes. I actually wouldn’t even describe them as blue, more silver than anything else. They are like silver pools, mixed with blue dots and darkness around the corners. They bounce off his blonde hair, which only serves to remind me of who he is.
“I hate you,” is all I can think to say, and then I move away, clearing my throat. Telling him I hate him has become a defence mechanism, because I can’t say anything else. I can’t feel anything else.
“I deserve for you to hate me, I don’t expect anything less,” he says, his words hollow as I hear the pain in them.
“Why? Why are the guys here with me? It doesn’t make any sense the more I think about it,” I ask, trying to ignore any pain I can hear in his words. Ignore that it mirrors my own pain, and forget that I can see his own loneliness reflected in his eyes and words.
“I sent them to you and kept them alive for you,” he tells me, and I want to call him out on lying, but I can’t. I know he is telling me the truth, I see it in his eyes. I’ve seen him lie to me enough to pick up on it now. Plus, I don’t think the guys could have escaped without help, and Melody would have told me if it were her.
“But why?” I demand, and he looks away.
“Let me tell you something, and I promise if you still want the answer…I will tell you,” he asks and I shrug.
“It’s not like I can escape you here, so go on,” I say, waving a hand at the circle of smoke we are inside. He frowns, but doesn’t call me out on it.
“My mother was a happy woman once. She had a good life, and was mated to a fire dragon guard. One day after she found out she was pregnant; my father was killed protecting your mother and father from an attack. My mother kept the pregnancy a secret, knowing I would be in danger if anyone knew who I really was. She left me with my adoptive parents to keep me safe. She was one of the selected, and one of the last ice dragons. It was too dangerous to have me close to her, and keep me hidden at the same time. She was happy with her life, seeing me in secret when she could. She was happy with her close childhood friends bringing me up, and it likely would have stayed like that forever…but then your mother was killed,” he pauses and shakes his head as snow starts falling from his hands.
“We all know what happened after that,” I say.
“Yes, your father’s side of the story,” he says bitterly and I just nod, almost wanting to hear the side he has been told. I want to know what makes him so sure about following his mother's orders while they sit on the throne I'm meant to be on. I have a feeling Thorne isn’t in control at all, just being used by his mother for what she wants.
“My mother was demanded to marry an old man, a king twice her age. She was forced to sleep with him and she had no choice in any of it. I bet your father never told you that, huh?” he growls.
“She got to be queen, and from what I remember she liked her power, but I didn’t know she was forced. For that I’m sorry, but you are punishing me for something I had no control over,” I say, struggling to feel sorry for the person who started the fire rebellion, and ordered her son to kill my father. Who most likely ordered her sister to kill my intended mate.
“Don’t be sorry, you have no idea! No idea what is going on or what works are in play,” he turns away from me, running his hands through his hair.
“No, but I know you’re a murderer! I know you killed my father!” I spit out, losing all sympathy for him when I picture my father dead on his throne.
“I didn’t,” he says so quietly, but it shocks me to my core, just the same as if he’d shouted the words. I stumble back, all the hate I feel for him, all the times I’ve pictured killing him for what he has done flashing across my mind. He still betrayed me, but he didn’t kill my father… how did that not happen?
“What?” I ask.
“I was meant to kill him, but when I looked into his eyes, I saw you. I saw the girl I sat telling stories to about my bad past, and how she made me laugh in the darkness. The brave girl who lost so much, but it didn’t let it corrupt her. I saw the innocence and the beauty of his daughter. The daughter I couldn’t get out of my head, and I couldn’t do it,” he admits, and I step back in shock.
“Who did?” I ask, seeing the truth in his eyes as he looks up at me.
“My mother, and I didn’t stop her. You should hate me for that,” he tells me. So Tatarina is the one that should be on the throne, she is the one that killed the last king. It makes no sense for her to put Thorne on the throne, unless it was because of his blood. Yet, that wouldn’t make anyone respect him.
“Why do you want me to hate you?” I ask him, and he doesn’t answer me. He only stares, a hopeless stare which says more than I want to know.
“Why do you listen to her? You know she is evil, right? You can choose to be good, to be different Thorne,” I beg him. His eyes glaze over, the silver almost glowing, and it reminds me so much of Jace that it hurts. But Thorne is different, darker, and more messed up than anyone I know. It makes me want to fix him, help him, because I have a feeling he isn’t all bad. I can feel it inside of me, and it’s not something I can ignore anymore. I feel a connection to him, like I do Elias, Korbin, and Dagan. Yet, I have no idea what it means and it makes no sense. Being connected to any of them means death.
“You’re asking me to choose you over my family,” he whispers.
“I’m asking you to choose the side for good, to choose someone that could care,” I say, my voice catching.
“Could care? Issy don’t lie to a liar. You care more than you can even admit to yourself,” he chuckles darkly, and everything becomes hazy.
“How are you connected to me?” I ask, feeling myself falling backwards into the smoke, and I can’t see him anymore. I just feel him near me.
“Fate,” is the last word I hear him whisper before darkness takes over.
I blink my eyes open, hearing my phone ringing, and am momentarily blinded by the light blasting through a gap in my curtains. It’s in my eyes. I pick the phone up, seeing Hallie’s name flashing on the bright screen and answer it.
“How was the date?” she asks straight away, sounding like an excited bunny. How is she so happy this damn early?
“Erm…” I say, blushing when I think back to the date, and everything comes flashing back. I can’t believe what happened last night, but I wouldn't change it.
“You totally slept with hottie number two, didn’t you?” Hallie asks, laughing.
“Why is Korbin number two?” I ask, curious and not answering her. She knows, I don’t need to confirm it.