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“Remember the book that I gave you, the story about revenge?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“What happened to the man?”

“He became a monster.”

“And then?”

“And then he died while killing his enemy. They both then fell into an old well and got buried there.”

Her heart sank. She knew exactly what he was telling her. He had become the monster and he would die with the enemy. Share a grave with the enemy. And she couldn’t even tell him to stop because reading that book she had also decided that she would die fighting the enemy than give up. She would also become the monster.

“What about the other story in the book. The man who succeeded in winning and ate the enemy?” Her uncle asked.

“When he ate the monster, it grew inside of him.”

Her uncle nodded. “You remember.”

Yes. It was her favorite book. There was so much pain and grief. So much anger and hatred she could resonate with.

Her uncle reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Here.” He said handing it to her.

Ravina took the key from him and looked at it confused.

“There will come a time when I am not here to protect you and you will still need protection. This key is the key to my secret.”

His secret.

“When that time comes, I want you to unlock it.”

“Where?” She asked.

“You will find out when the time comes. Before that, don’t waste your time trying. The secret is very dangerous in the wrong hands so it will be impossible to find out unless I want you to.”

“Why can’t you just tell me?”

He smiled. “I already made the mistake of involving you in this. I should have married you off earlier and sent you away. Now, I won’t make the same mistake twice. It is enough with one of us is becoming a monster. I am already going through the transition. I can’t go back.”

Ravina shook her head as tears burned her eyes.

“You don’t have to go through this alone.”

“I am not alone,” he told her.

She wiped the tears away. Her uncle had saved her so many times. She should atleast save him once but God, she cursed herself. She was too damaged to save someone.

Ravina didn’t ask who. She knew he wouldn’t tell.

“Does any of this have to do with the prisoner?” He had been like this since the prisoner came.

“Maybe. I have seen lives destroyed many times before but today… ” He shook his head. “The three black dragons, it was a message.”

Ravina frowned not understanding.

“The time of the terrorizers. The three black dragons. The king and his two eldest sons. One of them is the prisoner now.”

The terrorizers. The ones her father wanted to stop. They were three black dragons, always three with one flying at the front and one on each behind him. They were known to cause terror and therefore got the name. Alone, they took many lives and burned villages down to the ground.

King Malachi was one of them? Since he was king, the eldest son? Unless he killed his older brother as well. Deep down she hoped he had nothing to do with her parents death, but she doubted it. From his reaction, he was there the day her parents died and he knew who killed her father. Her guess was either his father or someone of his brothers. And she would be his breedmate? She scoffed.

“The message… they will cause terror again.”

Her uncle nodded. Now she understood why he prepared for a second attack.

“What are you going to do with him?” She asked.

“I am not sure.” He said.

Well, she had a few ideas.

Her uncle stood up and turned around. “Let me know when you are ready get married and leave.”

She nodded.

He looked at her for a long moment. “I want you to know…” he said his eyes glistening. “That no matter how much I have changes and will change, my love for you have remained the same.”

Ravina fought back the tears. “I know.” She croaked.

He nodded and then walked away. She watched him disappoar behind the hedges. Her uncle, the one who kept her sane and alive, she would lose him too.

She looked at the key in her hand. Whatever this secret was she knew she shouldn’t take it lightly. She had seen the laboratory and how her uncle made sure that even if it was found, nothing could really be found.

Ravina contemplated whether to go back to her room or the inventory. At the moment, she feared both. She walked through the halls unsure of what to do, feeling the panic of having another nightmare suffocate her. This time she began to peel an old wound on her arm open when she came by a maid walking with a tray containing medical aid tools.

“Where are you taking this?” She asked her.

“I am taking it to Lord Steele, Your Highness.”

If he was awake at this hour, he wasn’t alright as he claimed to be.

“I’ll take it to him.” She said.

The maid handed her the tray and Ravina went to Ares’s chambers. She shouldn’t but she never really cared about her virtue. She knocked on the door and he called for her to come inside.

Ravina walked in and closed the door behind her. As she stepped further in she froze in place at what she saw. Ares sat on the bed with his back turned to her. His whole shoulder was burned, covered with redness, bristles, and bubbles. It looked really painful.

“Just place it here.” He said motioning toward the table.

“It is me.” She announced before stepping in any further.

Startled, he looked over his shoulder. “Ravina. What are you doing here?”

Her legs carried her across the room and to the bed.

“You said you were fine.”

“I am fine.” He said curtly.

She looked at his bare shoulder and arm. This didn’t look fine.

“Let me help you.”

Without waiting for his permission, she sat beside him and put the tray nearby.

“I can do it alone.” He said.

“Just let me help you. You got this while saving me.”

“Not all of it.” He told her.

She took the medicine paste and began to gently apply it on the burns. “This must hurt a lot.” She said with a frown.

He stared ahead in silence.

“Did you use cold water?” She asked.

“Yes. Why are you still awake?”

“I woke up just recently and… ” She just shook her head.

“You didn’t have a good sleep.” He said. It was a simple sentence but she felt like he understood what she went through.

She nodded while continuing to tend to his wounds.

“You could have died.” She told him.

Now a smile curved his lips. “You are just like your uncle.” He said. “Willing to die but being afraid for others.”

“Well, I can’t let you die.”

He replied with a faint smile.

When she was done applying the paste, she went on to bandage him. She had to stand up and bow down, so to make it easier for her, he stood up as well, coming to stand in front of her with his exposed torso.

Why did she keep seeing male bodies these days. Strong ones. She could see the strength in his shoulders, arms, and chest. Ignoring the distraction, she worked around him while he stood still.

“Done.” She told him.

They locked eyes for a moment, standing alone in his dimly lit room with his chest bare and she only wearing her nightgown. She even removed her shawl somewhere in the process but his eyes didn’t leave hers.

“Thank you.” He said.

She felt like now was the time to leave but she didn’t want to go back to the loneliness. Not her bed. Not her room. Not even to the inventory. That would bring back the memories.

She shivered.

Ares went and picked up her shawl from his bed. He approached her carefully and put it around her shoulders. Ravina felt a lump in her throat.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” He asked.

“Can I… sleep here tonight?”