Chapter 11

Escape Attempt

Evelynn spent the next two days trying very hard not to think about the sentence:

“You are the first thing my dragon does not want to destroy.”

Unfortunately, her brain refused to cooperate.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw golden eyes in firelight and claws stopping just short of her throat.

Which was deeply inconvenient.

Because no matter how emotionally confusing Kael had become, one fact remained painfully clear:

She was still trapped inside a dragon fortress in the middle of frozen nowhere.

And people trapped inside dangerous castles generally did not survive long enough to unpack emotionally.

So naturally, Evelynn decided to run.

The idea started forming after dinner when Serin casually mentioned that the palace supply tunnels connected to older routes beneath the mountain. He clearly regretted the information the moment Evelynn became interested.

“You are making that face,” he said suspiciously.

“What face?”

“The one people make right before guards start screaming.”

Rude.

Evelynn smiled innocently into her tea. “I would never.”

Serin stared at her for several long seconds. “That was deeply unconvincing.”

Still, he made the fatal mistake of leaving afterward.

And by midnight, Evelynn was already sneaking through the lower palace corridors wrapped in a dark cloak with a stolen lantern in hand.

In her defense, the plan sounded much better inside her own head.

The underground passages beneath Black Citadel were colder than the palace above, narrow stone tunnels winding deep through the mountain like veins beneath skin. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling while distant wind howled through cracks in the rock.

At least no dragons lived down here.

Probably.

Evelynn moved quickly, following faded markings along the walls that old servants used for storage routes. The further she descended, the rougher the tunnels became until the polished palace stone gave way to ancient carved rock.

Nobody guarded these passages anymore.

Which either meant she was clever—

or walking directly into a terrible decision.

Honestly both felt possible.

After nearly an hour of navigating underground corridors, she finally spotted it.

Moonlight.

Faint silver light spilling through a narrow opening ahead.

Evelynn’s heart immediately started pounding harder.

An exit.

Actual freedom.

She hurried forward and pushed through the narrow stone archway into freezing night air so cold it instantly burned her lungs.

Snow stretched endlessly across the mountains outside Black Citadel. Wind whipped violently across the cliffs while dark storm clouds rolled overhead, hiding most of the stars.

But she was outside.

Actually outside.

For the first time since arriving at the palace, nobody stood beside her. No guards. No dragon servants. No gold eyes watching every movement she made.

Freedom smelled like snow and terrible life choices.

Evelynn pulled the cloak tighter and started moving.

Fast.

The mountains surrounding Black Citadel were brutal at night. Thick snow reached nearly to her knees in some places while sharp wind tore through the cliffs hard enough to steal breath from her lungs. Behind her, the black fortress loomed against the mountains like a living nightmare carved into stone.

She didn’t look back often.

Mostly because every time she did, the palace somehow looked closer.

As if it was watching her leave.

Hours passed.

Or maybe less. Time became strange in the storm.

Evelynn’s legs ached constantly now, boots soaked through from snow while freezing wind numbed her fingers beneath the gloves she stole from the eastern wing.

Her brilliant escape plan had failed to include one important detail:

She had absolutely no idea where she was going.

South, technically.

Beyond that? Nothing.

Mountains stretched endlessly in every direction.

And somewhere overhead, hidden inside storm clouds, dragons occasionally roared through the night.

That part felt especially discouraging.

Evelynn stopped briefly behind a large ridge of stone to catch her breath. Her entire body hurt. Snow clung to her hair and eyelashes while cold seeped painfully through every layer of clothing.

This was insane.

She should go back.

No.

Absolutely not.

Going back meant accepting this whole impossible situation. The bond. The palace. Kael looking at her like she was simultaneously dangerous and necessary.

It was too much.

A sudden shadow passed overhead.

Evelynn froze instantly.

The wind changed.

Heavy.

Powerful.

Then came the sound.

Massive wings cutting through storm air.

Oh no.

Very slowly, Evelynn looked upward.

A huge dark shape circled above the cliffs through snow and cloud.

Not fully visible.

But large enough to block moonlight when it passed overhead.

Her stomach dropped.

Run.

Now.

Evelynn turned sharply and sprinted across the snowfield as fast as exhausted legs allowed. Wind roared violently behind her. Somewhere overhead, another powerful wingbeat shook the air.

Too close.

Way too close.

Then suddenly—

something enormous slammed down directly in front of her.

Snow exploded upward.

Evelynn stumbled backward hard, nearly falling as massive black wings spread across the storm like shadows swallowing the mountain.

The dragon landed between her and freedom.

Huge.

Terrifying.

Black scales glistened beneath moonlight while golden eyes burned through the snowfall.

Evelynn’s pulse stopped completely.

The dragon lowered its head slowly.

And then—

its body shifted.

The transformation happened fast and wrong and strangely beautiful all at once. Scales disappeared beneath skin. Wings folded inward. Massive claws reshaped into hands.

Until Kael stood there instead, breathing visible in the frozen air.

His dark hair whipped violently in the wind while black wings still remained partially unfolded behind him.

Half-transformed again.

His expression looked furious.

And underneath that—

something worse.

Fear.

Kael stared at her across the snowfield for several long seconds before speaking.

“Are you completely insane?”

Honestly?

Fair question.

Evelynn folded her arms tightly against the cold. “I was leaving.”

“Yes,” Kael snapped, “I noticed.”

Snow swirled violently around them while his wings shifted restlessly behind him, enormous against the storm.

Evelynn’s frustration finally broke through exhaustion. “You can’t keep me locked in that palace forever.”

Kael took one step closer.

“You think the mountains are safer?”

“At least the mountains aren’t emotionally threatening.”

That actually startled a short laugh out of him.

Brief.

Disbelieving.

Then his expression darkened again immediately.

“You crossed into the outer range alone at night during storm season.”

Evelynn glared at him. “You’re being dramatic.”

A distant roar echoed somewhere far beyond the cliffs.

Not Kael.

Something else.

His eyes sharpened instantly.

Then he looked back at her like she’d personally become a migraine.

“There are feral dragons beyond the northern ridges.”

Evelynn went still.

“…I’m sorry, the dragons here come in different categories?”

Kael looked deeply unimpressed.

“The wild ones do not reason. They do not negotiate.” His gaze flicked toward the darkness beyond the cliffs. “And they would smell you from miles away.”

Suddenly the freezing mountain night felt much less adventurous.

Kael exhaled slowly through his nose.

“Get back to the palace.”

Evelynn hesitated.

Then quietly:

“I don’t belong there.”

The storm howled around them.

Kael’s expression changed slightly.

Not softer.

Just tired.

“You think you belong out here?” he asked quietly. “Alone in a frozen mountain range full of starving dragons?”

Evelynn didn’t answer.

Because honestly, when he said it like that, her plan sounded significantly worse.

Kael stepped closer again, wings folding partially behind him as snow gathered along the dark edges.

His voice lowered.

“The bond lets me feel when you’re afraid.”

Evelynn blinked slowly.

“That’s invasive.”

“You ran into a blizzard.”

“Still invasive.”

Another almost-smile flickered briefly across his face before disappearing again.

Then Kael held out one hand toward her.

Simple gesture.

No command.

No force.

Just an offer.

Snow fell quietly between them.

And after a long moment, Evelynn realized something deeply inconvenient:

Despite everything, despite the fear and confusion and impossible bond between them—

the safest place in the entire mountain range was standing beside the monster everyone else feared.