Sera's POV
The voice in my head hasn't spoken again, but I can feel it watching me from somewhere deep inside.
I yank at the chains for the hundredth time. They don't budge. My wrists are raw and bleeding, but like before, the cuts heal themselves within seconds. I watch the skin knit together and want to scream.
What kind of monster heals this fast?
Hours pass. I count them by watching the thin strip of sunlight move across the stone floor. Through the single window high on the wall, I see trees endless green forest stretching in every direction. No buildings. No roads. Nothing.
I'm in the middle of nowhere with a man who claims he's protecting me.
Or keeping me prisoner.
Maybe both.
The door opens without warning. I jump, chains rattling.
Caspian enters carrying a wooden tray with food and a pitcher of water. He moves slowly, carefully, like every step hurts. Up close, he looks even worse than before paler, with sweat on his forehead despite the cool air.
I'm not eating anything you give me, I say, crossing my arms.
He sets the tray on the small table near my bed. You haven't eaten in three weeks. You need food.
Three weeks? The number punches me in the gut. You said I was asleep most of that time. What does that mean?
Caspian straightens up and immediately grabs the edge of the table to steady himself. His hand shakes. I see it clearly now he's sick. Really sick.
It means you were in a coma-like state, he says, not meeting my eyes. Your body was healing. Resetting. It happens sometimes when you... when you lose control of your power.
My power. I look at my hands again. The light thing.
Yes.
What am I? I demand. And don't tell me it's complicated. I deserve the truth.
Caspian is quiet for a long moment. Then he sits in the chair across from me, moving like an old man even though he can't be older than thirty-five.
You're being hunted, he says finally. By people who want you dead. That's all you need to know right now.
That's not good enough!
It has to be. His green eyes meet mine, and I see something there desperation. Fear. If I tell you everything at once, your mind will break. Trust me. I've seen it happen.
When? I press. When have you seen it happen?
He looks away. Every time you wake up.
The words hang in the air. Every time. Like this has happened before. Multiple times.
How many times have I woken up and forgotten everything? I whisper.
Too many, Caspian says quietly.
My stomach twists. The food on the tray smells good bread, cheese, some kind of soup but suddenly I feel sick.
Why do I keep forgetting?
Because remembering is dangerous, he says. The memories... they trigger your power. And when your power triggers without control, you destroy everything around you. Including yourself.
I want to argue, but I remember the light exploding from my hands earlier. The walls shaking. The terror in his eyes.
So you keep me chained and ignorant, I say bitterly.
I keep you alive, Caspian corrects, and there's an edge to his voice now frustration, maybe anger. You think I want this? You think I enjoy watching you wake up scared and confused over and over again, knowing you'll never remember me, never trust me, never He stops himself. Takes a breath. I'm doing the best I can with an impossible situation.
Then let me go, I beg. Please. I'll run far away. Your enemies won't find me.
They will. He touches the wall beside him. Symbols I hadn't noticed before start glowing with soft blue light. These are protection spells. Ancient magic that hides you from divine detection. They only work here, in this fortress, because it sits on a nexus of power. Step outside these walls, and you'll light up like a beacon. They'll find you in hours.
Divine detection. The words send a chill down my spine.
What are they? I ask. These hunters. Are they... human?
Caspian's laugh is bitter. No. They're gods. And you're the fallen goddess they want to erase from existence.
The room spins. I grip the edge of the bed.
Goddess. The word echoes in my head, and suddenly the voice from before whispers again:
Finally, he tells part of the truth.
I gasp. Caspian notices immediately.
What's wrong?
Nothing, I lie. I can't tell him about the voice. Not yet. Not until I understand what it means.
He doesn't believe me, but he doesn't push. Instead, he stands too fast. His face goes white and he says. I lunge forward without thinking, forgetting the chains. They jerk me back, but not before I see blood on his sleeve.
You're bleeding, I say, shocked.
Caspian pulls his sleeve down quickly. It's nothing.
That's not nothing! You need a doctor!
I'm fine.
You're dying! The words burst out of me before I can stop them. But somehow, I know they're true. I can feel it something inside me recognizes the slow fading of his life force.
Caspian freezes. For the first time, real emotion cracks through his careful mask surprise, fear, and something that looks like grief.
How did you know that? he whispers.
I don't have an answer. But the voice in my head does:
Because we can sense death coming, my dear. We always could.
I just know, I say weakly. The same way I know you're not just my keeper. You're killing yourself to keep me hidden, aren't you? The spells they're draining your life.
Caspian sinks back into the chair. All the fight goes out of him.
Four months, he admits. Maybe less. The magic required to hide a goddess from divine detection... it consumes life force. My life force.
Horror floods through me. Then stop! Let me go, let them find me, I'm not worth
Yes, you are. He says it with such fierce certainty that I stop breathing. You're worth everything. And I made a choice a long time ago. I don't regret it.
You don't even know me!
I know you better than you know yourself, Caspian says softly. I've watched over you for fifteen years, Sera. Every time you wake, every time you forget, every time you look at me like I'm a stranger I've been there. And I'll keep being there until my last breath.
Tears burn my eyes. Why?
He stands and walks to the door. Pauses with his hand on the handle.
Because every man in my family has loved you, he says without turning around. It's our curse. Our privilege. Our choice. And I chose this path knowing exactly what it would cost.
The door closes behind him. The lock clicks.
I sit frozen, his words echoing in my mind. Loved you. Present tense.
Through the door, I hear him walking away. Then the sound I heard before deep, wet coughing that goes on and on.
I pull at the chains with new urgency. Not to escape.
To get to him.
But they won't break.
That night, I finally eat the food. It's cold now, but I force it down. I need strength. I need to understand what's happening.
When I close my eyes, sleep pulls me under immediately.
And I dream.
I'm standing in a palace made of clouds and light. I'm wearing a flowing dress that shimmers like dawn. A crown of pure sunlight rests on my head. People beautiful, terrible people with glowing eyebrow as I pass.
I feel powerful. Ancient. Immortal.
A man approaches. Handsome with golden hair and eyes like fire. He smiles, but it doesn't reach those burning eyes.
You belong to me, Seraphine, he says, reaching for my face.
I try to pull away, but I can't move. His hand touches my cheek, and pain explodes through my skull.
You can't hide forever, he whispers. I will find you. And when I do, you'll wish the gods had killed you when they had the chance.
I wake up screaming
and find Caspian kneeling beside my bed, hands hovering near my shoulders but not touching.
It's okay, he's saying. You're safe. It was just a dream.
It wasn't a dream, I gasp. It was a memory. The man with golden hair
Caspian's face goes white. Azrael.
Who?
The God of Vengeance. His voice is hollow. And your former lover. He's the one hunting you.
My stomach drops.
But before I can respond, something changes in the air. The protection symbols on the walls flicker.
Then go dark.
Caspian's head snaps toward the window. No, he breathes.
What's wrong?
He looks at me, and I've never seen anyone look so terrified.
The wards just failed, he says. They found you.