chapter 2 : A Secret Deal in the Dark.

Alaric's hand was pinned next to my head. His fingers dug deep into the stone wall. I could see shiny scales on his knuckles. It was proof that the dragon was trying to come out. The beast inside him was hungry and restless.

"Listen, Seraphina," he hissed. His voice was so deep it made my chest shake. "I know you are playing a game. I have watched you tell lies for years. I won't let you do it again. You just want to use me to make your family powerful."

I looked up at him. For a moment, my heart broke.

In my past life, I spent months reading about this man. I knew everything about him. I knew his favorite food. I knew he hated the smell of lavender. I knew he only turned into a dragon because he wanted to protect his people, even though they feared him.

To him, I was a bad person. To me, he was a hero who had never been loved. The disappointment tasted like ash in my mouth.

"No, Alaric," I whispered. My voice was shaking. "I just want to know you more. I want to be a part of your real life. Not just the one in the fancy ballroom."

As I spoke, Alaric's grip became strange. He wasn't just holding me; he was crushing the wall. His eyes turned from gold to a dangerous, glowing orange. The air around us became very hot.

"Alaric... it's too hot. Please, let go," I gasped. The silk of my sleeve was starting to burn against the wall.

He blinked, like he was waking up from a dream. He quickly let go of my arms. He stepped back, breathing hard. His hands were shaking. He looked at his own palms like they were dangerous weapons.

I took a deep breath. The cool air felt like a blessing. I didn't run away. Instead, I stepped closer to him.

"You think I want to use you?" I asked. I looked straight into his glowing eyes. "I know about the nightmares, Alaric. I know that every time you turn into a dragon, you feel like you are losing your soul. I know that your crown feels like a heavy collar of hot iron. I am not the woman you remember."

The room became very quiet. The only sound was the fire and the rain hitting the windows.

Alaric looked at me with suspicion. "Then who are you? Why should I believe your soft words? You are Seraphina. You are the woman who tried to sell my secrets to my enemies."

He stepped closer again. He leaned down until his face was inches from mine. He was looking for a lie.

"If you aren't her," he whispered, "then show me. Because the woman I married would never look at a monster like me with pity."

"It's not pity, Alaric," I said. I reached out and pressed my palm against his cheek. I felt the rough, hot scales under my hand.

He flinched. He expected me to pull away because he was "ugly." Everyone else did. But I didn't move. I moved my thumb over his jawline.

"It's recognition," I whispered. "I don't want your gold. I just want to make sure you don't burn alive from your own fire."

His orange eyes grew wide. For a second, the dragon's glow faded. I saw his real eyes—tired, blue eyes. He leaned his head into my hand for a tiny moment, like a lonely wolf.

But then, he pulled away. He made his face look cold again. His walls were too high to fall in one night.

"Get some rest, Seraphina," he said. He turned his back to me. "The contract signing is at dawn. If you want to be part of my life, you must prove you can handle the danger."

He walked out of the room. His black cloak looked like giant wings behind him.

I sat on the edge of the bed. My hand was still hot from his skin. I was playing a dangerous game. I was a fan who had walked into a sad book. I had just told the most dangerous man in the world that I knew all his secrets.

I have to change the ending, I thought. In the original book, tomorrow is the day someone tries to kill him. If I don't save him, he will die.

The Plan in the Night

Should I tell him? How can I stop him?

The thought circled my mind like a trapped bird. If I told Alaric the truth—that an assassin was going to kill him at the border—he would just laugh. He would think it was another one of my tricks.

He never believes me. But I have to do something. I want him to live. I want him to rule the kingdom in peace.

I stood up. My silk dress made a soft sound on the cold floor. I couldn't just wait for him to die. I had to act now.

"Call a servant!" I shouted into the empty room. "Call that man!"

A moment later, a tall man with scars on his face appeared. It was Kael, the captain of the guards. He looked at me with a mean look. He kept his hand on his sword.

"Lady Seraphina?" he asked. "Why are you out of bed so late?"

I took a deep breath. I tried to stop my hands from shaking. I moved closer to him in the shadows.

"Listen carefully," I whispered. "Tomorrow, a great danger is waiting for Alaric. We have to save him. But if he knows, he won't let us help. The big problem is he doesn't believe me."

Kael narrowed his eyes. "Danger? The King is the strongest warrior. Who would dare touch him?"

"The Shadow Sect," I said. I used the name of the killers from the book. "They will attack at the Iron Pass when the sun is high. They know the King will be tired tomorrow. They have special arrows that can hurt dragons."

Kael froze. He turned pale. This was a big secret.

"How do you know this?" he hissed.

"It doesn't matter how I know," I said. My voice grew stronger. "What matters is that tomorrow I am going with you. We need shields lined with lead to stop those arrows. We must be ready for war."

"You? Going to the border?" Kael looked shocked. "The King will kill me if I let you go to a battlefield!"

"He will be dead anyway if he goes alone!" I snapped. "I am not asking you. I am telling you what to do to keep your King alive."

Outside, the rain got louder. Thunder shook the stone walls. I felt a "shiver." The story was moving, and I was the only one who could change it.

"Prepare the horses and the men," I said. "We leave two hours before the sun comes up. Alaric must not know. If he sees me there, he might be angry, but at least he will be alive."

Kael looked at me for a long time. He was looking for the "mean" Seraphina. But he only saw a girl with fire in her eyes. Finally, he bowed his head.

"As you wish, My Lady. We will get ready in secret."

As he walked away, I leaned against the wall. I was terrified. I was just a reader who loved a book, and now I was going to a war. But I thought of Alaric's tired eyes, and I knew I couldn't let him die.

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