Page 57 of Wings of Betrayal

She nods as if in agreement. “Yes, you might be right. Is Harlum aware of this? Of any of this?”

I stop pacing. “No. Not of me gaining my memories back, or that I know he isn’t my real father.”

She sighs. “Zarla, I can understand your apprehension of trusting him after what you remember. But he needs to know about Amaros. Amaros is dangerous. He cannot be trusted, and he shouldn’t be allowed around our King or you.”

I chew my nails once more and stare out her balcony doors across the Kingdom. The last of the sunset splashes across the sky, and the colours are as beautiful as ever. Purples and pinks, swallowed up by darkness.

“I remember a male who Serona spoke of as her ‘true love,’ Lissian says. “I never met him, but he fits the description.”

I spin around to face her. “What did she say about him?”

She takes a deep breath. “Not a lot. She just said there’s another male she dreams about, one she cannot be with. She spoke of how special he was, with his gold wings. I didn’t understand, and I assumed it was just a dream. No angels with gold wings exist, at least as far as I knew.”

Confusion creases my forehead. “And that’s all she said about him?”

She nods. “Like I said, I assumed it was just a male from her dreams. Zarla, you can’t trust anyone with this. You must keep it to yourself. If other angels catch word of this, of you not being Harlum’s real daughter, it could put your life in danger. You need to find your real father before someone else does. And I would warn Astelle of this, too.”

“Ok, thank you. I’ll be careful,” I say, and head for the door.

“Goodbye,” she says, giving me a hug.

“Goodbye.”

I leave Lissian’s quarters and head back to mine as nerves swirl around inside me. Telling her about Astelle wasn’t possible. If Amaros found out I had told her… I’d hate to think what he would do. I have to be careful with this information, and I need to avoid Amaros where possible. If my father is who I think he is, he must be powerful. And maybe Amaros is intimidated by him.

I’m barely down the corridor when Amaros rounds the corner ahead. Our eyes lock, and a scowl seeps into his features. He knows where I’ve been. Lissian’s quarters are the only ones around here that I would visit.

He storms toward me, grips my throat, and thrusts me up against the corridor wall.

My heart races as I stare into his rage filled eyes.

“Where have you been?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Where have you been?” Amaros demands again.

Shoot. What do I say? I open my mouth to answer but can’t think of a good enough explanation.

He tightens his grip on my throat and I can’t breathe. I claw at his hand as I gasp for a breath. Pure rage fills his eyes, and although it’s a side I’ve seen before, this is a heightened version of it.

“Do not lie to me.” He loosens his grip but doesn’t remove his hand.

I suck in air and cough. “Let. Go.”

He ignores my feeble attempts to have him release me.

“Answer me.” He grits his teeth as his gaze bores into mine.

Tears well in my eyes, and I will them to go away. I will not cry in front of him.

After swallowing hard, I respond, “I went to see Lissian.”

“Why?”

Gripping his hand, I attempt to pry it off again, but he’s too strong. “Because she’s like a mother to me. Am I not allowed to see her anymore?”

He removes his hand from my throat, braces them both on either side of my head against the stone wall, and leans in closer. “If I find out you’ve spoken a word to her about anything?—”

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