Solan steps forwards, his fists clenched, literal steam rising from his body as his anger reaches a boiling point. “I don’t answer to you,” he growls.
He says something sharp that pisses Solan off in Glowranthian. “Enough!” the prince then snaps, his gaze shifting to me. His nostrils flare as he sniffs the air, his expression darkening. “The human. Where are they?”
I manage a strangled, “What?”
The blade at my throat presses against my skin, and I feel a sharp sting as it nicks me.
“The human who arrived with the last rift,” Aelith says, his tone icy. “I can smell them. We’ve been tracking the human for days. Tell me where they are, or?—”
“Back off,” Solan growls, his voice like thunder. His body is a furnace of heat, and I feel his power building, a storm waiting to be unleashed.
“Solan,”I say through our bond, trying to calm him.“Don’t lose control.”
The tension is unbearable, and I see Jamie struggling against the bark-skinned rebel holding him back.
“Let him go!” Jamie shouts, his voice breaking.
“Stay back!” someone orders, but Jamie doesn’t listen. He breaks free, charging towards me, and for a terrifying moment, I think the prince’s bodyguard—a massive Glowranth in heavy battle armour—is going to strike him down.
Panic surges through me, and I react instinctively. Fire erupts from my hands, wild and untamed, forcing the bodyguard to back off. The flames don’t touch anyone, but the heat is intense enough to make everyone hesitate.
I seize the opportunity to shove the prince’s blade away and dive for Jamie, pulling him to safety the moment I douse my flames.
The prince’s expression darkens, but there’s something else there—shock. His gaze locks onto me, and for a moment, the world seems to hold its breath.
“You,” he says, his voice low and dangerous. He sniffs again and seems to scent the air. “You’re mine.”
“Wh-What?” I manage, my chest heaving, the word somewhat strangled.
“I felt it the moment you arrived in this world,” he says, his tone laced with grim certainty. “You’re my fated mate. My bonded.”
The words hit like a thunderclap, leaving me reeling. Solan’s fury flares hotter than ever, his body trembling with rage.
Shanae steps forwards, her expression grim. “This just got a hell of a lot more complicated.”
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
The tensionin the air is a tangible thing, thick and suffocating. Solan’s hands are clenched into fists at his sides, his golden eyes blazing as he glares at the Glowranth prince. His entire body is practically vibrating with suppressed fury. I can feel his emotions through our bond, the raw mix of protectiveness and rage like a wildfire threatening to consume him.
“Solan, calm down,” I murmur, though my voice is tight. I don’t know who I’m trying to reassure—him or myself.
“Calm?” His voice, low and dangerous, feels like a warning growl. “He thinks you’re his fated mate.You.”
“Yeah, well, that makes two of us who think it’s bullshit,” I snap back, but my throat feels dry.
The Glowranth prince, tall and elegant in that unnervingly monstrous way, watches me with narrowed eyes. His skin, that deep, dark blue that gleams faintly in the dim light, practically pulses with a faint bioluminescent glow along the ridges of his arms. The effect is both hypnotic and infuriating.
“It’s not bullshit,” he says, his voice smooth and cool, conveying just the right amount of condescension to make me want to punch him. “You carry his blood.”
I glance down at my shirt, still stained from when we found the human man—the blood that I put there to rub the red stains off my hands. Realisation dawns, and a wave of awkward heat creeps up my neck.
“Wait, you think this blood is mine?” I bark out a laugh, the sound a little more frantic than I’d like. “Oh, mate, you’ve got it all wrong.”
The prince’s lips curl into a faint, disdainful smile. “Do I? You wield fire. You’re strong. Stronger than any other human I’ve seen. Only someone worthy of my bloodline could?—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I hold up a hand, cutting him off. “First of all, thanks for the compliment,Your Highness.” Sarcasm drips from my tone. “Second, this isn’t my blood. It’s from the guy we just found. Y’know, the unconscious, dehydrated bloke in his boxers.”
