Cassia's POV
The golden light explodes from my body like a star being born.
I don't control it. Don't understand it. It just erupts—pure, blazing energy that fills the entire throne room with blinding brightness.
Seraphine screams and throws her arms over her face. Nobles scatter, crashing into each other as they run for the doors. The executioner drops his axe and falls to his knees, shielding his eyes.
The light pours out of me in waves. I feel it burning through my veins, crackling across my skin, lifting my hair like I'm underwater. It doesn't hurt. It feels... powerful. Like I've been asleep my whole life and I'm finally waking up.
"STOP HER!" Seraphine shrieks. "GUARDS! KILL HER NOW!"
Soldiers rush toward me, swords drawn. The first one reaches me and swings his blade—
The light flares brighter. The sword shatters into dust before it touches me.
The soldier stumbles backward, terror written across his face. The other guards freeze, staring at me like I'm a monster.
Maybe I am.
The golden light starts to fade. I feel it draining out of me like water from a broken cup. My knees buckle. I'm so tired suddenly, like I've been running for hours.
The light flickers once, twice, then disappears completely.
I collapse onto the marble floor, gasping for breath. My whole body shakes. What just happened? What did I do?
"Seize her!" Seraphine's voice cracks with fear, but she's trying to sound commanding. "She's a witch! She's been cursed by dark magic! That's why the blade shattered—she's sold her soul to demons!"
Clever. Seraphine is already spinning this to her advantage, turning my power into something evil.
The guards approach cautiously, like I might explode again. Maybe I will. I don't know how any of this works.
Strong hands grab my arms and yank me to my feet. My legs won't support me. I hang between two soldiers like a rag doll.
Seraphine walks down from her throne, adjusting her crown. She's pale, and I can see her hands trembling, but she forces a cold smile.
"Take her to the execution platform," she orders. "We'll do this properly. No more tricks."
"No," I whisper. My voice is barely audible. "Please, no more."
Seraphine leans in close. "You should have just died quietly, Cass. Now everyone sees you for the monster you really are."
The guards drag me through the palace corridors. We're heading toward the main square—I can hear the crowd already gathering, their voices a dull roar. They're chanting something. It takes me a moment to make out the words.
"Burn the witch! Burn the witch!"
Oh god. They're going to burn me alive.
We emerge into blinding sunlight. The execution platform stands in the center of the square, exactly where it was supposed to be this morning. But now there's a wooden stake in the middle, surrounded by bundles of wood.
A burning stake.
Terror gives me strength. I thrash against the guards, kicking and screaming. "NO! PLEASE! I'M NOT A WITCH!"
They force me up the platform steps. The crowd's chanting grows louder. I see their faces—twisted with fear and hatred. These are people who smiled at me two days ago. People who praised my family. Now they want to watch me burn.
The guards chain me to the stake. The metal is cold against my wrists and ankles. I can't move. Can't escape.
Seraphine climbs the platform, carrying a lit torch. The flames dance in the wind.
"People of Aurelia!" she shouts, her voice carrying across the square. "You have witnessed dark magic today! This girl—this traitor—has made a pact with demons! She must be cleansed by fire!"
"I didn't!" I scream. "I don't know what happened! Please, someone help me!"
But no one moves. No one speaks up. They just watch, hungry for blood.
Seraphine approaches me with the torch. The heat makes my eyes water.
"Any last words, cousin?" she whispers, too quiet for the crowd to hear. "Before I burn you alive?"
I look into her eyes—the eyes that used to look at me with love—and I see nothing but cold satisfaction.
"You won't get away with this," I say. My voice is stronger than I feel. "The Dark King will—"
"The Dark King left hours ago to deal with a border dispute," Seraphine interrupts. "He won't return until tomorrow. By then, you'll be ashes." She smiles. "I made sure he received urgent news that required his immediate attention. Amazing what you can accomplish with forged letters."
My heart sinks. She planned this. The moment Theron left, she set this trap.
Seraphine turns to the crowd, raising the torch high. "Let the cleansing begin!"
She throws the torch onto the wood pile.
Flames erupt instantly. They spread fast, crackling and popping as they consume the dry wood. Heat washes over me in waves. Smoke fills my lungs, making me cough.
The crowd roars with approval.
I pull against my chains, panic drowning out everything else. The flames climb higher, reaching for me like hungry fingers. The heat is unbearable. My skin feels like it's already burning.
I'm going to die. Really die this time.
I close my eyes and think of my parents. At least I'll see them again soon.
"STOP!"
The voice cuts through the crowd noise like a blade through silk.
Everyone freezes. Even the flames seem to pause.
I force my eyes open through the smoke and heat.
A figure stands at the edge of the square. Tall. Dressed in black. Silver hair catching the firelight.
Theron.
He's back.
The Dark King strides through the crowd, and people scramble to get out of his way. The temperature drops so sharply I can see my breath despite the fire. Ice actually forms on the cobblestones where he walks.
He reaches the platform in seconds and leaps up without using the stairs. Lands right in front of Seraphine.
"You dare," he says, his voice deadly quiet, "to touch what is mine?"
Seraphine's face goes white. "Your Majesty, I received reports that you wouldn't return until—"
"You received forged reports." Theron's eyes are like winter storms. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice when someone tried to manipulate me?"
He waves his hand almost casually. Ice shoots from his palm, dousing the flames instantly. Steam hisses as fire meets frost.
Then he turns to me.
For a moment, we just look at each other. His eyes search my face, and I see something in them I didn't see before—concern. Actual, real concern.
He breaks my chains with his bare hands. The metal snaps like twigs.
I collapse forward, and he catches me. His arms are cold but steady.
"Can you walk?" he asks quietly.
I shake my head. Everything hurts. My lungs burn from smoke. My skin feels scorched.
Without a word, Theron picks me up. I'm too weak to protest. Too tired to be embarrassed. I just let him carry me like a child.
"Your Majesty!" Seraphine's voice is desperate now. "Please, you must understand—she used dark magic! She's dangerous! She could—"
Theron finally looks at her. The expression on his face makes even me shiver, and I'm not the target of his rage.
"She used magic," he says coldly. "But not dark magic. What you witnessed was divine power awakening. The kind that hasn't been seen in this world for three hundred years." He shifts me in his arms, holding me closer. "The kind that marks her as descended from the gods themselves."
Gasps ripple through the crowd.
"More importantly," Theron continues, his voice dropping to something dangerous, "she is my fated mate. Bound to me by ancient prophecy. Her life is tied to mine. If she dies, I die." He takes a step toward Seraphine. "You just tried to murder your king, Queen Seraphine."
Seraphine stumbles backward. "No! I didn't know! How could I have known?"
"Ignorance is not an excuse." Theron's eyes glow with power. "You have committed treason. The penalty is death."
"WAIT!" I croak out, surprising myself. Everyone looks at me. "Don't... don't kill her."
Theron's eyebrows raise slightly. "She tried to burn you alive."
"I know." My throat hurts from the smoke. "But killing her makes you the monster everyone thinks you are. Let the people see mercy instead."
For a long moment, Theron studies my face. Something shifts in his expression—something I can't quite read.
"Very well," he says finally. He looks at Seraphine. "You will live. For now. But you are hereby stripped of your title and throne. You will serve in the palace kitchens until I decide what to do with you."
Seraphine's jaw drops. "You can't—"
"I am the king. I can do whatever I wish." Theron turns away from her, dismissing her like she's nothing. "Guards, take the former queen to her new quarters. If she resists, kill her."
Guards drag Seraphine away. She's screaming, cursing, threatening, but no one listens.
Theron carries me down from the platform. The crowd parts silently, staring at us with wide eyes.
As we leave the square, I hear whispers starting:
"Fated mate?" "Divine power?" "The prophecy?" "What does it mean?"
I rest my head against Theron's chest. I'm too exhausted to care what it means. Too exhausted to even be afraid anymore.
"Where are you taking me?" I whisper.
"Somewhere safe," he replies. "Somewhere no one can hurt you again."
"Why?" The question slips out. "Why do you care?"
Theron is quiet for a moment. When he speaks, his voice is softer than I've ever heard it.
"Because when I thought you were dying in those flames, something impossible happened." He looks down at me, and his eyes are no longer empty. There's something there now—something warm and alive. "For the first time in twenty years, I felt fear."
We reach the palace. He carries me through corridors I don't recognize, up stairs, through guarded doors.
Finally, we enter a massive chamber. A bedroom, I realize. His bedroom.
He sets me gently on the bed.
"Rest," he commands. "We'll talk when you're stronger."
He turns to leave, but I grab his hand. The same electric spark jumps between us.
"The prophecy," I say. "What does it really mean? About us being fated mates?"
Theron stares at our joined hands. When he looks at me again, his expression is grave.
"It means our souls are bound together. If you die, I die. If you suffer, I suffer." He pauses. "And if you ever fall in love with me freely—without force, without manipulation—a curse will activate that could end the world."
My breath catches. "End the world?"
"Plunge it into eternal darkness. Give dark forces enough power to reshape reality." His jaw tightens. "So you see, Lady Cassia, we are caught in an impossible situation. I need you alive to feel human again. But we must never fall in love, or we'll destroy everything."
He pulls his hand away and walks to the door.
"Sleep. Tomorrow, we begin figuring out how to survive this prophecy together."
The door closes behind him.
I lie there, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing.
Fated mates. Divine power. A world-ending prophecy.
And somehow, I'm at the center of it all.
Outside my window, thunder rumbles. Lightning flashes.
And in the distance, I swear I hear someone laughing.