Dark and cold and damp. That was all that surrounded me in the endless loop of time. I didn't know how long I had been locked up, how long the feeling of steel had bitten into my ankles and wrists with the chains I had been bound with, but it felt like it had been days. Thin slits of glass in the ground were my only source of light as I lay on top of them, no strength left in my body to move. When I peered through them, there was nothing but clouds beneath me.

My mouth was so dry that my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, making it difficult to swallow, and my stomach clawed away at my insides, demanding any sort of food since it had been deprived for days on end. I had tried to talk to some of the guards stationed outside my cell when I had first been thrown and sealed in the iron bars, but it was no use. Either they didn't speak the human tongue, or they were excellent at hiding it.

I was so weak that I couldn't even feel my power beneath my skin anymore, racing through my veins. The Goddess's presence, despite her body now being nothing more than a corpse of shadows, would have been comforting throughout my time spent in Nusal so far.

How could I have been so foolish to trust the enemy so blindly? I had seen Larc in pain and all it took was my power to surge through me to heal him and trust him with everything I had, all because I felt bad. Haera had been right all along.

My eyes stung, as if tears were trying to emerge but I knew my body didn't have the resources to create them.

Footsteps approached the bars and, from what I could tell, there were more sets of feet than there usually were. Normally only one guard unlocked my cell to prod me and make sure I was still breathing, but now there had to be at least three or four guards. What was going on?

I didn't bother to turn over to see them, nor did I try and ask what was going on. Even if they did understand me, my pleas to speak to Larc or even the Queen were left unheard. If I could just find out what they wanted with me, I could negotiate something and form a plan to get out of Nusual, to get back to the Kingdom of Aerla.

The iron bars behind me slid away, scraping along the ground, and the cuffs around my ankles and wrists were unlocked, causing me to finally look around at what was happening. Two red-winged Dragon-borns surrounded me, their wings acting as a barricade to stop me from fleeing whatever they had planned for me.

I almost chuckled at the fact that they thought I even had the energy to move.

One guard picked me up and threw me over her shoulder, her hands holding me tightly so I didn't wriggle. I watched the ground as I was carried and flown out of the dungeons where I had been kept. It changed from damp stone bricks with moss growing between the cracks, to a smooth wood that shined with polish, then to a soft cream carpet.

The guard holding me spoke in Kaeuni and a familiar voice replied in the same language — Larc's voice.

The arms holding me removed themselves from my body and I fell to the floor. As I hit the carpeted ground, Larc's voice increased in rage, the Kaeuni rushing from his lips like an uncontrollable waterfall. Whatever he said made the guards quickly leave the room, closing the door behind them.

Moments later, I was scooped up into a warm embrace and held tightly against a chest. "Zofia?"

"No," I croaked, attempting to push him away from me, but it was no use. My arms were too weak, strength fleeing my body even faster than it had before.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Zofia. I never meant for it to end up like this."

When I opened my eyes, I saw Larc checking my wrists and ankles and anger flaring in his eyes — his golden eyes — at the bruises that covered them. As soon as he had told us the Queen had golden wings, I should have put the pieces together. No normal Dragon-born would have golden eyes if the Queen had the same shade of wings.

"Stop." Adrenaline surged through me, granting me the strength to wiggle out of his hold and shuffle backwards into the corner of the room.

Beside me was a grand bed with lace sheets that acted as curtains, flowing down from the canopy, the size of it big enough to fit a large pair of wings. A balcony ran the length of one side of the room yet no railing was attached to the side of it, the white marble providing the perfect platform to land and take off from. Along another wall was a broad set of mirrors with what appeared to be small sketches pinned to them.

Larc froze at my frightened movements. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Too late," I whispered as my throat screamed for water. "You lied to us, you used us, and you toyed with my feelings to get me to trust you." Curling myself up into a ball, I prayed to the Goddess that if I squeezed my eyes tight enough, she would wake me up from this nightmare. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to go. It was just me and Larc. Even if I could freely run out of the castle without being caught, there was no way I was getting off the floating islands without plunging to my death.

"That's not how I wanted-"

"And then you had me locked up for days without food!" I added when he persisted with his lies. How was I ever going to trust a word that came from his mouth again?

"I didn't even realise you were in Nusal. The guards weren't following my command. I only ordered them to not hurt any humans. If I had known, I would have gone to you..." Larc trailed off as his eyes widened in realisation. "You haven't had food for days?"

I didn't respond, afraid of what to answer with.

"Wait here," he said as he charged from the room, his wings lowering as he moved through the doorway to fit through the frame. Before I could do anything, he returned moments later. "I've asked a servant to get some food. You should have never been treated like this."

With slow footsteps, Larc made his way over to me, making me try and shuffle back further into the wall. I wished it would open up and swallow me whole so I could get away from everything, but it remained solid. When he saw my panic, he sat on the ground a few feet away from me.

"I never meant to hurt you, or even Haera for that matter."

"What about the blood oath?" My stomach growled at the thought of the food he had sent for, but I had to push it away. "Did it not work? You lied to us so it had to have gone wrong somewhere. Did it mean nothing to you?" My fingers traced the wound that had scabbed over on my palm, the eventual scar that would be there as a constant reminder of his betrayal.

"I... used a fake name, so I lied then too." There was no satisfaction in his words — all that clung to him was regret.

"Your real name is Larcith..." I trailed off, unable to remember the exact name the guard had used back in the cave.

"Larcitharius. My full name is Larcitharius Arlasa Thathrin II and not Larc Skythen."

"So the blood oath didn't work," I confirmed aloud, letting the words wrap around me. "So are we technically not married either?"

Larc winced. "We are married. A marriage bond doesn't need words to be fulfilled like a human blood oath does. All it requires is the blood of the two people and the joining of their hands."

I didn't know what to say or do. The Dragon-born I thought hated his kind for wronging him and taking his wings was actually their prince. For all I knew, he could have commanded some of the soldiers to attack our kingdom.

"Can I see where you're hurt?" Larc asked when all I presented was silence. "I can try and find something to-"

"No." I blurted out before he could finish speaking. "Don't touch me or come near me. I don't trust anything about you right now, so please don't." What if he was pretending to be nice so he could use me again?

His shoulders slumped and his wings drooped, a crest-fallen expression finding its way to his face, as he stayed put. We remained staring at each other, wondering what had gone so wrong to make things this way, until the food arrived.

The all-consuming silence gave me some time to watch the man before me, studying his every move. The way his chest rose more quickly than it used to, the way his fingers bunched around the rich fabric of his trousers, the way his golden eyes flickered up and down to periodically check on me.

Larc looked much better than he had when we were travelling through the Silverwood Forest. His hair had been thoroughly cleaned and brushed, giving the dark blue strands a fluffy appearance as they were pulled into a short, low ponytail. The clothes he wore were much different to the soldiers' uniform I had found him in too. Now, he adorned a deep navy doublet embroidered with golden leaves, almost the perfect match in shades to his new wings.

A servant knocked before she entered, pulling me from my observations, and handed the plate and cup directly to Larc. She was a small Dragon-born girl with large wings that didn't quite seem to suit her stature. He thanked her and dismissed her without leaving the ground.

"Can I put this in front of you?" I couldn't tell what exactly was on the plate, but the steam rising from it and the mouth-watering aroma had me ravenous.

I shook my head. "Put it by the door then back away to the windows. I can get it myself."

The Dragon-born did as I demanded, placing them carefully on the carpeted floor and stepping away. "Don't try to leave," he warned. "There are several royal guards outside of the door."

That would be the smart plan of action if I had enough energy to do so. However, right now as I used the wall to help haul myself up, I realised I barely had enough strength to stand. After a few small steps, my legs gave out from underneath me and Larc rushed over to catch me in his arms.

"Zofia, please let me help." With gentle hands, he moved me into a sitting position so my face wasn't inches from the floor.

The warmth of his body reminded me of all the moments we had shared the night before we climbed up the mountain — where we had almost kissed. He had even said then that he would do anything to get his wings back. The intimacy had to have been faked.

"Please," he repeated. "You once helped me when I was a stranger — when you didn't know if you could trust me. Let me repay the favour and help you now."

I knew I needed to eat, but I couldn't even get to the food. What other choice did I have?

I nodded weakly. "Okay."