CHAPTER ONE
Agony tears through me with merciless, vicious talons, mocking me as I soar high above the Kingdom, riding my Zelon, Keva.
We’re amongst the clouds now where the air is fresh as it whips my cheeks, cooling my skin to the point where I can barely feel my face. Keva snorts, his entire body rumbling, and a smile spreads across my lips despite the lingering ache of betrayal that throbs in time with each beat of my heart.
Flying on my own has always been an exhilarating experience, but riding my own Zelon, my protector, and the fiercest creature we have in our Kingdom is something truly special.
The weeks since learning the truth about my life have ticked slowly by like the arms on a dying clock. I was betrayed by everyone. Lied to my entire life. Taught to believe what they wanted me to. My real father is out there somewhere, and I have to believe he’s alive. That he just doesn’t know about me. Any alternative is too painful to bear.
Forced apart from Kyle and being watched like a hawk to ensure I don’t go to him has been nothing short of torture. My heart aches whenever I think of him, which is every moment ofevery day. I feel as though a piece of me is missing, that there’s a hole in my heart, and if it isn’t repaired soon, I will die.
A whimper almost escapes my lips, but I have to force it down and pretend it doesn’t physically hurt to think of him.
Epic fail.
Keva makes a sudden dive through the clouds, and my stomach free-falls, snapping me out of the emotional spiral I was heading down.
“Woah, easy, Keva.” I stroke his neck to calm him, but it doesn’t help.
He gives me a warning grunt, and I know exactly what’s coming. I hug my legs and arms around him in a vise grip as he spirals vertically down in a nosedive. He then spins, almost knocking me off his back, before changing direction last minute and shooting back up toward the clouds. Although I’ve grown used to the many ways in which Keva flies, this is not something I enjoy.
“Keva, cut it out,” I plead as nausea swirls in my stomach.
And then I spot them over my shoulder. Several guards are in pursuit, causing Keva’s erratic flying patterns. He’s attempting to lose them.
I pat his neck. “Keva, it’s okay,” I tell him, before releasing my wings and letting him go.
I hover in the air as the three guards catch up to me. One of them is Mikel, who stares at me, awaiting an explanation, his complexion pale.
“Hey, what’s up?” I casually ask.
He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes in a deep breath. “That Zelon is crafty.”
I narrow my gaze at him. “He’s just protecting me. Why are you three following us?”
Mikel drops his arm to his side, his complexion slowly returning to normal. “Your father needs to speak with you.”
I have grown used to hiding the truth, so my facial features don’t change at the mention of the word “father.” Harlum isn’t my father, but they don’t know that yet. In fact, I have told no one. Amaros, Harlum’s first guard, is the only one who knows about it now that Hethenos, Harlum’s crazy first wife, is dead.
Whether my real father knows it too is another matter. The memory of him looking at me for the briefest of moments before disappearing plays in my mind, as fresh as if I were living through it right now.
Had he recognized me? Had he known Serona was pregnant with his child, or had he simply thought I looked familiar? Maybe he just looked at me that way because I so strongly resembled Serona, my mother. His fated mate.
I shake the memory off and clear my throat. Mikel is waiting for me to respond, although he didn’t actually ask me a question, did he? It’s only then I note the other two guards hovering behind him. They’re young, and I recall how Harlum had instructed Mikel to replace his guards after everything that went down.
“Where is he?” I ask, refocusing my attention on Mikel.
“Follow me,” he says, swooping down through the clouds toward the castle.
The other two guards linger behind me. Standard protocol when following the King’s orders, I guess.
I roll my eyes and follow Mikel. I haven’t spoken to Harlum in two solid weeks. Probably the longest I have ever gone without speaking to him. Probably the longest I’ve ever gone without visiting him, either. I can’t deny the anger I feel toward him after all those years of lying to me.
It has occurred to me that maybe he really thought Astelle and I were his daughters, but it just didn’t sit right with me. Something deep inside tells me he knew, and he probably knew much more than that. He knew about Amaros, too.
I’m surprised when I find Mikel doesn’t head for the castle, and instead veers off toward the city and lands near an alleyway lined with bars. It’s fairly deserted, especially for this time of night, and I wonder if it’s deliberate. Maybe he had his guards clear the area to dispel any threats. I wouldn’t put it past him. Hell, I wouldn’t even blame him. After everything that went down with Hethenos, the Kingdom had a somewhat divided view about our beloved King. About how his own wife manipulated him all these years.
Mikel lands on the cobblestone road outside a small, antique-looking bar. It’s adorned with little lights draped around the exterior walls that glow in the early evening. A pretty sight with the colours of the setting sun strewn across the sky, just visible above the road between the various bars and restaurants.