Page 11 of Wings of Betrayal

Before he has time to talk to me, I hurry away. But then I hear footfalls as he follows behind me. Shoot.

“Hey, wait a second,” he says, grabbing hold of my arm and spinning me to face him. “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange toward me for weeks.”

I pull my arm free and take a few steps back until I can feel the stone wall against my back.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” I say, my voice cracking slightly.

I clear my throat and try to play it cool, like I don’t know that he stole my memories from me, memories that I now have back.

“I’m fine,” I tell him. “I’m just trying to process everything that happened with Hethenos and all the new information I learned about me and Astelle. And you. And how you never told me any of it. How you never told me Harlum isn’t my father.”

“Zarla,” he says, reaching out to touch my face, but I jump back on instinct.

Not long ago, I enjoyed his touch. I welcomed it. I knew it was wrong, but I still liked it. But now…now I know what he has been keeping from me my entire life. And the thought of his hands on me, his lips on mine, makes me uneasy.

His brows crease, and his focus drops to the new ring Kyle gave me.

“Where’d you get that?” he asks, although something tells me he probably already knows.

Shoot. I cover it with my other hand, gently caressing the intricate gold details and blue stones. It reminds me of what’s easily becoming my favourite place in all the Kingdoms. Zarquon. The last thing I need is him knowing what this ring is or what it represents. He really doesn’t like Kyle, and all it will do is piss him off.

“It’s none of your concern,” I tell him and leave him in the corridor.

He deserves nothing from me. And he has no right to expect it. One day I’ll confront him about what’s he’s done. And I look forward to hearing his explanation.

It’s nearing the end of winter in Silanthia, and it’s a beautiful day outside. The skies are blue, no clouds in sight, and it’s calm.

I find a tree near the edge of the lawn and remove my coat, using it as a blanket to sit on. Leaning back on my elbows, I close my eyes and enjoy the sensation of the sun’s rays hitting my skin.

“Nice day out, isn’t it?”

I jump at the male’s voice, shielding my eyes with my hand, to see Nilo standing over me.

He raises his hands. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

I sit forward, placing my free hand across my chest as my heartbeat returns to its normal rhythm. “Gods above, you scared me.”

He chuckles and kneels down on the grass in front of me. “Sorry. How are you doing? Haven’t seen you in a while.”

I haven’t had much interaction with Nilo, but the few times we have spoken, he has always been kind to me. I really like this male, and I trust him.

Although you trusted Amaros once, and look how that turned out, my conscience reminds me.

He arches a brow at me, and I realise I haven’t answered him.

“Oh, I’m okay. Still processing everything, but I’m good. How have you been?”

He tilts his head from side to side and bites his bottom lip. “Not too bad. Trying out for a new guard role.”

“Nice. I hope it works out for you.”

He smiles, his dimples showing on either side of his cheeks. “Hey, I was about to head to the academy to train. Wanna join me? I find it’s a great way to let off some steam.”

That is exactly what I need. I haven’t trained in a while. I think I have forgotten to since my body has been through enough in my day-to-day life. But I am ready to get back into a routine.

“Yeah, sure, that sounds great.”

Nilo gives me a hand up before releasing his wings and flying up into the sky. I release mine and follow him as he flies overthe Kingdom toward the Academy. We land on the back field and head into the arena. It’s empty at this time of day, which is nice. Being known as the King’s daughter has always brought unwanted attention, so time alone without an audience is always welcome.

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