Chapter 15
910 Words
DIANA
I froze in place.
Not because I wanted to obey him, but because something deep inside my soul made me.
My brows furrowed in frustration. "There it is again."
His expression hardened. "Diana."
"You seem to like doing that," I snapped, taking another defiant step closer.
His eyes flashed red in warning. "You should not come closer."
The words struck deep inside me as I could hear the rejection tied to it. He couldn't even bear the thought of me standing near him.
I laughed bitterly. "You truly dislike me that much?"
His face went terrifyingly still. "I did not say that."
"You don't need to."
The ache in my chest intensified. Creator, what is wrong with me? Why am I acting like this?
"I am your wife," I demanded, my voice beginning to shake. "And according to dragon tradition...your mate."
Something flickered in his eyes, yet the words kept pouring out of me like a broken dam. Weeks of distance and questions could no longer be contained.
"You leave me alone for a month. You refuse to come near me. You barely speak to me."
He still didn't say anything.
"I nearly died today!" I finally screamed.
I swallowed hard, but I refused to back down. "There was an archer. An iron arrow."
He kept staring at me, and Creator... I almost waivered, looking into his beautiful eyes.
"It was aimed directly at my throat. It almost struck me."
I still didn't get a reaction from him, not even a blink.
"If Aeris hadn't appeared and saved me-"
At that, the room grew so chilly that I could see my breath in the air.
I stopped speaking instantly as the words died in my throat.
For one terrifying second, something monstrous looked back at me through those eyes.
Karl.
When he spoke, his voice was rough. "The arrow would not have harmed you."
I stared at him, utterly bewildered. "What?"
"It would not have harmed you."
My frustration returned ten times hotter, burning away the shock. "That makes no sense! It was aimed at my throat!"
"It is not a matter for your discussion, human."
I threw my hands in the air. "Of course it isn't! Because I'm just weak and naive to you!"
If only he knew how wrong he was.
"Diana."
"No! I almost died!"
"You did not."
"I almost did!" I screamed back, my chest rising and falling unevenly.
His expression darkened as his gaze locked on my trembling lips for a second, making the air between us grow so thick with tension.
Neither of us spoke for what felt like a whole minute.
Then he said quietly, "Do not expect a husband out of me."
I stared at him as I felt my heart shattering into a million pieces.
I shook my head fiercely, backing away.
The ache inside me became unbearable and my vision suddenly blurred.
A hot drop of tear rolled down my cheek.
Was I... crying? Why was I crying over a monster who despised me?
I wiped at the tears angrily, but it only got worse.
"Creator," I laughed shakily. "I don't understand."
Draven still didn't move a single inch from the door, but something about him seemed different now.
His eyes were white, yet it was as though he was barely holding himself together.
I shook my head, my chest heaving. "I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should be afraid of you. I should hate you. I should want to flee every single time I look at you."
I placed my hand over my chest. The ache was there, tearing me apart from the inside and that hollow emptiness and insatiable longing that I didn't quite understand.
"I feel..." My voice faltered, completely breaking. "It feels like something is missing."
The confession slipped out before my pride could stop it.
"I don't understand why," I whispered. "I don't know why I'm crying. I don't know why I'm so angry."
Another tear escaped, running down to my neck. "I don't know why it hurts so much."
Draven closed his eyes for a painful second. When they opened again, the white irises looked almost haunted.
"You need rest," he said flatly.
The clinical answer made me laugh again. "Rest?"
I gestured helplessly to myself. "I've rested for a month, Your Highness."
"I sleep. I eat. I train with a wooden sword, and it still feels exactly the same."
For a fleeting second, his eyes flashed red again, then it vanished.
I suddenly became hyper aware of myself. The tears, the unhinged emotion, the humiliation of begging for something from a dragon prince.
Creator, what am I doing?
I stepped back away from him, wiping my face furiously with the back of my hands.
"I apologize," I mumbled, lowering my gaze to the floor. "This was... inappropriate."
He didn't say anything.
"Forget I said anything. You already hate me anyway."
Draven slowly turned on his heel towards the door.
I looked away, staring at the floor again. It hurt less that way.
I heard his movement stop which made me look up.
"If I hated you, Diana..."
The sound of my name on his lips did strange things to me.
His intense gaze lingered on my tear stained face, then his expression turned cold again. "You would have been dead long ago."
Before I could respond, he vanished right in front of me, leaving me confused about what he meant.
- Writer
