"I Was Supposed to Destroy You"

Loira Vex "The girl who's only friend is grief"

I was seven when my father told me I'd have to kill the boy with the golden eyes. I was seventeen when I realized I kind of wanted to kiss him instead.

The prophecy said he would ruin us all.

So naturally, I was told to ruin him first.

My name is Loire Vex, daughter of the most feared sorcerer in the world, and heir to a throne made of bones and bad decisions. My whole life has been darkness, shadows, power. No friends. No love. Just orders.

Until I met him.

Cassian Solis.

The sun's favorite child.
He shines like everything I was told to hate. His the lightest shade of hazel almost looking gold, how I loved to stare into those eyes

We first crossed paths at the Academy of Arcane Defense—neutral territory for royals, rebels, and cursed legacies like me. I wore black. He wore confidence and a crooked smile.

And when he looked at me...
I forgot why I was supposed to destroy him.

"You're staring," he said one day, halfway through a duel. We were both covered in bruises and dirt.

"I'm plotting your demise," I replied.

"With heart eyes?" he grinned.

I almost stabbed him. In self-defense, obviously. Against the feelings.

What they don't tell you about evil plans is that feelings ruin them.
Especially when your enemy holds your hand after training. Or saves you from a collapsing bookshelf. Or gives you his last healing elixir even though you called him a "golden retriever with a savior complex."

Ugh. I hated how kind he was.
I hated how safe I felt around him.
And most of all—I hated how I wanted to tell him everything. Even the part where I wasn't supposed to exist in his world.

Because one day soon...
I would have to choose:

His life.
Or my legacy.

And the worst part?
Somehow... I knew he'd choose me.

chapter 2

After a long day of school and training, my dad pulled up to pick me up on a horse.

Weird. I usually walk home — because, as my dad says,

"It builds character. You think when you destroy everything on Earth you'll get a chauffeur?"

So seeing him there, fuming, was... suspicious.

Behind him stood Dylan, his bodyguard. Why my dad still trusted him after everything he'd done, I had no idea.

Before I could think, my dad yanked me by my backpack, shoved me into the car, and sped off down a street I didn't recognize. My brows furrowed. My chest tightened.

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked.

He huffed.

"Since you can't take your eyes off that little hero boy, I'm going to give you something to remember next time you pull a stunt."

My stomach dropped. My skin burned with fear.

We stopped suddenly—at a crumbling, abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. The place looked like it hadn't seen life in years.

My dad dragged me inside.

It was a horror movie come to life.
Children locked in dog cages.
Adults half-submerged in tanks.
Cells lining every wall.
Weapons—guns, swords, daggers—lined up on display like a museum of cruelty.