Chapter 23: Under Attack

Evie Stanton

I was sick of feeling sorry for myself.

Fuck him.

Fuck everyone here.

Then why couldn't I stop fucking crying? My eyes burned, cheeks wet. Katarina had tied me to a support ballast in Thane's cabin. I sat there, head bowed forward, my shirt wet from how many tears I've cried these past twelve hours.

I didn't think I'd ever be the type of woman to cry after a man. Every man in my life looked at me like I was a possession. A trophy to parade around on their arm.

I hated it. I hated all of them. I never let anyone in, not like I let Thane in. Then, I thought about the creature that emerged from the ocean, and I tried to be scared of it. Stand behind the awful things I said.

I should be afraid of dragons. Those jagged teeth. Massive wings. Leathered skin with the gant of an apex predator. Golden horns coiled around his head like a crown. I suppose it made sense. Thane was the crown prince, and his dragon form showed it off unabashedly. The light that reflec