Page 56 of Wings of Death

Lissian stepped in to fill the void of not just his wife, but my mother, and Harlum is happy with that. He’s relieved that he doesn’t have to worry about me. Hethenos and their daughter, Astelle, are the perfect little family. I’m the outcast, the nuisance. But despite that, despite how he treats me in private, he puts me on a pedestal in public. He has to prove that his beautiful daughter is as amazing as her beloved mother was.

He doesn’t want to be seen as a failure. That is the truth.

“Zarla, I’m sorry. I never meant for anything like this to happen. It was too painful for me to face it, to face you. You remind me so much of her, it hurts just to look at you sometimes. She was my soulmate.”

Tears fall down my cheeks, and I harshly wipe them away. He doesn’t deserve them.

“I don’t need to hear your excuses. I was your daughter. Hell, I’mstillyour daughter. If she was so important to you, you wouldn’t have treated her the way you did. You wouldn’t have treatedmethe way you did. The way you do.”

I get to my feet as his features shift, mirroring the hurt and pain I have felt my entire life. Maybe now he will understand. Although I doubt that he ever will.

“I don’t know what to say, except that I’m sorry. I wish she were here. She would have done a much better job at raising you than I.”

I let out a strained laugh. “Yes, that much we can agree on.”

I leave the Great Library, sick to my stomach. The fact that he pretends to care about me makes it that much worse. He doesn’t give a shit about me. He cares about upholding appearances, nothing more.

When I reach my quarters, I hesitate outside the door. I don’t want Kyle to see me like this, but I know just being in his presence will help to soothe my pain. I take a deep breath and open the door, but he’s nowhere to be seen. My heart drops as I close the door and search for him, and then I sense the veil is still up. I lower it to find him standing before me, and relief floods my body.

“You’re hurt,” he says, cupping my face between his hands as concern twists his features.

The warmth from his touch soothes some of the pain, and I all but collapse into his arms. He carries me to the bed and holds me while I lie against his chest, tears staining his white shirt as I absently trace my fingers along the tattoos on his arm.

“What happened?” he softly asks after a few minutes.

I swallow the lump in my throat before I answer. “My father. He’s an asshole.”

My voice is raspy from crying, but I don’t care, and neither does Kyle.

He presses a kiss to my head and strokes my back, and it’s incredibly comforting.

“He doesn’t want me going back to Earth,” I say.

Kyle tenses.

“I won’t listen to him,” I quickly add. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m in no more danger down there than I am here.”

As I look into Kyle's eyes, I roll onto my stomach and prop myself up on my elbows. “I don’t want us to be apart again. I’ve never felt more safe than I do when I’m with you.”

He leans down and brushes his lips against mine. The kiss is sweet, and it’s just what I need right now.

He pulls back too quickly. “I don’t want to be apart from you either,” he says, “but I have to go back to Earth. I need to tidy up my life down there before I dive into this one.” He must see the worry in my eyes and adds, “But I want to. Dive into this life, that is.”

I curl my lips into a small smile as a giddy feeling settles inside me. “What did I do to deserve you, Kyle Smith?”

His brows furrow. “Oh, about that. I remembered my last name is actually Laskaris. It means a kind of soldier.”

I glide my fingers across his lips. “I like it. It suits you.”

He takes my hand and presses a kiss to the back of it.

“So, does that mean you remember your parents?” I ask.

He nods, sliding an arm behind his head. “Some more memories came back while you were gone. I remember my family, and my Kingdom. Or some of it, at least.”

Warmth spreads through me as happiness tugs at my heart. Happiness for Kyle, because he deserves to remember his past. “I can’t wait to hear more about them.”

He tucks a stray lock of my hair behind my ear and gently tugs the end. “Come on. Let’s go back to Earth and figure out our next move.”

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