YILEYNAOur entry was no longer a secret. We fought the Nagas. They were relentless, powerful, and violent. The worst part was that we had to be careful not to be poisoned by their fangs. The two brothers had their auras wrapped around themselves. I think it was the first time they had fought side by side, and despite the severity of the situation, they were competing against each other and seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"I think that’s eight," Hunter smirked, yanking his sword from yet another dead Naga.
"Nine…oh, wait, make it ten," Theon’s deep, husky voice called out as he decapitated another Naga.
I would have said something if I wasn’t busy making sure the Nagas didn’t get too close. The emperor’s grandson was obviously trying to kill us, yet he was still smart enough to keep his distance and send his men after us.
Ice may be my go-to power, but I was channelling my connection to the earth, making the roots of the trees weave through the air like tentacles. They wrapped around the bodies of the Nagas and pinned them to the ground. I was trying not to kill anyone, but I had killed two when they got too close, and I was unable to do anything but protect myself.
I gasped when the tail of a Naga wrapped around my ankle, dragging me down.
"Yileyna!" Theon shouted. He turned instantly, his hair flicking across his forehead.
"I'm fine! Be careful!" I shouted back as he narrowly missed an attack.
My sword slipped from my hands when the Naga violently slammed me against a nearby tree, the taste of dirt and blood filling my mouth as I tried to focus. I raised my hand, ready to kill, when a menacing growl filled the air, and I saw Theon’s huge wolf bite into the Naga.
"No!" Theon’s body slid under me as he caught me, dropping to the ground and taking the brunt of the fall. I wasn’t bothered about the Naga, but my heart was thudding in fear for Theon. The blood of a Naga was not something a werewolf should ever digest.
"Theon!" He shifted, and I felt my heart squeeze painfully as he spat the blood out. He was in a terrible state. Even if he still looked godlike, his wounds had once again been torn open when he had shifted. I created a barrier, grabbing his duffle bag and the water bottle and holding it to him with shaking fingers.
"Gargle and spit it out!" I shouted, my attention flickering to Hunter.
"I'm fine," Theon murmured after taking a gulp and spitting the water out. "Let’s kill these bastards."
I was angry. He shouldn’t have saved me, but now wasn’t the time to argue. Our eyes met, eyes filled with so much emotion…
I saw the tiniest hint of a smile on his face, and it made my heart soar. I took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of power I could. The Heart of Kaeladia belongs to all. I belonged to this world… and the world was a part of me… right?
I stilled, focusing… feeling the power spread through me and into the grounds.
"We are not here to fight, but if it is what you want, we will not hesitate to raise our swords in defence." My eyes snapped open, looking at the emperor’s Grandson, the most powerful Naga there. What was he worth? He was far off, watching and commanding his men. "I want to know what the emperor’s own blood means to him. Stand down, or your prince dies!" I shouted, and with those words, the sky flashed with lightning. The tree behind the Naga prince wrapped around his powerful body as the bolt of lightning simply skimmed past him, making him roar in pain.
"Stand down!"My heart was thundering as I glared at the Naga. My mind was screaming to run to Theon’s side and stop him from losing any more blood, but I remained put, channelling my frustration towards the Naga in the grasp of the tree. His eyes blazed with hatred and pure fury. His eyes flicked as he hissed at his people to back away. I picked up my sword from the floor and walked over to him, placing it against his neck and looking around at the Naga, who seemed to be ready to attack.
"I will only repeat myself once. We are not here to kill but try to attack us once more, and we will not hesitate," I growled, taking a few steps back.
I knelt down, placing my hands on the ground, and closed my eyes, allowing myself to draw from the earth. The roaring shrieks and hisses of the Naga filled the air as every single one of them was trapped by the roots of the trees. Naran may not have much water, but it had plenty of trees…
I felt my heart palpating, and fatigue washed over me. Goddess, I think I overexerted myself…"Come on, let’s keep moving," Theon said, coming over. Despite everything, my heart still fluttered as I tried not to look at his abs. He was shirtless, but he had pulled on a pair of pants.
He helped me to my feet, and as much as I wanted to collapse into his arms, I had to remind myself that he was injured far worse than any of us. How was he still fighting on? What kind of willpower did he hold? Sure, he was powerful, and his aura was magnificent, but it was his determination and stubbornness that kept him going.
"I'm angry at you," I said quietly, glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow, his hand gripping my waist firmly.
"I can tell without you having to state it." Hunter chuckled as he grabbed my sword and bags.
"Let’s keep moving. They will all know we are here; we have no choice but to keep going," he said quietly as we walked through the trees, heading towards the other side. The moment we were a good distance from Naga, Hunter paused, his face becoming far more serious. "You’re in bad shape, Theon," he said quietly.
"I'm fine. Tell me, even once, have I slowed anyone down?" Theon retorted icily, his voice tinged with a dangerous edge.
"No, but I'm worried you're pushing yourself too far."
"I don’t fucking care," Theon shot back. "I'm done with this conversation."
"Theon, he isn’t wrong. You attacked a Naga, knowing even a drop of their blood could make you ill," I whispered softly, stepping closer to him as he unwrapped a new roll of bandage. I could tell he only had a few left...
"I'm fine, and I knew what I was doing. I don’t need anyone to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do."
"You risked yourself to protect me. I would have been fine," I protested in frustration, snatching the bandage from him.
"Oh, yeah? From where I stood, all I saw was you being thrown around by that bastard," Theon growled, refusing to let go of the bandage.
"I can take care of myself, Theon. I don’t want you to keep on risking yourself for me," I explained desperately, trying to keep calm as I glared at him and yanked the bandage free from his hold.
"I'm going to do whatever the fuck I want. I'm done listening to others. Besides, it was on reflex. I didn’t think before acting."
"I need you to think. I need you alive, Theon," I said as I began wrapping the bandage around him, despite his irritation. Hunter sighed as he took out a map.
"I’ll give you two a minute. I don’t want to witness anything that may traumatise me for the rest of my years," he murmured. Neither of us bothered to look at him, glaring at one another. The moment he left, I sighed, staring at the painful wounds that I had created. "I'm sorry for this injury…"
"Don’t be. I deserved far more," he replied in a clipped tone.
Our eyes met, and I realised his had dulled even more. They no longer looked amber but a washed-out brown. The wounds I had inflicted upon him were killing him…
"Dad always said to treat everyone with kindness. If we raise the sword to our enemies in anger or to settle a dispute, then there is no hope for our world. He told me forgiveness was the greatest strength one could have… and I failed him…" I found myself whispering, my eyes blurring with tears as I wrapped the gauze around him.
"Don’t feel guilty, I'm fine." I shook my head.
"No… your father manipulated you and let the hatred and bitterness you felt at life cloud your vision, but by attacking you, I proved I was no different. I didn’t realise the pain you were in, what you were going through… I'm not saying what you did was okay, but hatred and revenge do not get us anywhere. It only hurts us further," I whispered, resting my head against his arm. I was exhausted. Life was complicated. His hands gripped my elbows and his lips pressed against the top of my head.
"You don’t need to forgive me, little storm," he whispered, one hand stroking my back.
"I know… and at times I feel…" I whispered, looking up at him, my heart thundering. I needed to tell him. "I feel… like I’ve already forgiven you… I won’t ever forget what happened, and although I sometimes think I shouldn’t forgive you, I'm unable to stop myself from feeling like this. My father told me never to hold on to things that will only make bitterness and vengeance grow, and I know if they were… or if I had a chance to talk to them… I know they’d want me to forgive you and to follow my heart -"
"Stop," he cut me off, cupping my face. I looked into his eyes, my heart aching at the conflict in his eyes.
"Theon, I need to say it. I don’t want -"
"I don’t deserve your forgiveness… nor do I deserve you. Even if it’s the only fucking thing I want in this life, it’s far too late. I love you, little storm, or at least I think that’s what this is, but you are a queen, and I'm just the villain in your story, one who has committed far too many crimes. I’ll be by your side until this is over, but there is no future for us together."
I love you.I gazed up at him, unable to comprehend what else he was saying as I stared at those plump, sexy lips that had just told me he loved me and also that he could not be with me in one sentence.
"You love me?" I asked hoarsely.
I was a fool. Of course he did. Every single act of kindness and concern he had ever shown me returned with full force. His anger when I had been tied up and beaten, his warning to not anger his father, holding back during training, there was so much more. He was always constantly trying to protect me, and the way he couldn’t keep his eyes off me…
I smiled softly, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly. But still. He just confessed he loved me.
"Did you hear anything else I just said?" He asked, grazing his thumb across my cheek.
"Nothing else was important," I whispered, my gaze flickering to his lips, but his face didn’t hold the happiness that mine held…
"Yileyna… you are worth far more than I can ever match up to, and as much as I want to never let you go… Heaven and Hell are never meant to be."
Aren’t they? Then why are they often put together?