Page 67 of Bound in Blood

I am grateful for your presence here, my friend.

I know.

I recall with startling clarity the day we met, near a beach much like this one. I was barely fourteen years old when I came face-to-face with the most fearsome creature ever to have roamed the skies. I had met dragons before him, but none so terrifying—or so opinionated as he.

You never used to be so prone to bouts of nostalgia, Dragon Whisperer.

I never had much cause to be when we were last acquainted.

He tilts his head, his huge green eyes unblinking.Ask whatever question it is that you are wrestling with, Alexandros. Uncertainty and indecision do not become you.

They are not traits I value or usually possess, but I am aware that what I am about to ask would keep him from his kind for much longer than he anticipated.Whilst I am grateful for all you have done, Anikêtos, I must ask for more. Would you and Elpis consider remaining here in the mortal realm for a short while longer? Until I am more certain of Giorgios’s intent.

He blinks at me before looking to the sky.I must speak with Elpis.Without another word to me, he takes flight and disappears into the clouds.

I make my way through the thick grasses bordering the garden back toward the house. Her presence sets my teeth on edge, and I spin around to face her, my fangs bared and my blood boiling.

“I am only here to help, Alexandros.”

Fury burns hot in my chest, and it is only my many years of practiced restraint that prevent me from tearing out Nazeel Danraath’s throat. As powerful as she is, such is the strength of my rage that she would not have a hope of stopping me. A fact she is well aware of.

“Why would I trust a word that comes from your mouth, Nazeel? You betrayed me.”

“I did not betray you. I did not learn of your fate until days after it happened.”

“Days!” I spit out the word like an accusation. “I was in that place for nearly four weeks. If you knew what he had done, why did you do nothing to fix it? Why did you not tell them I was alive?”

“I could not. I have been grounded. Unable to leave the mountain fortress of our home. I have taken a great risk in coming here today.”

Is that supposed to make me pity her? Supposed to undo the pain and torment she caused? Perhaps if her actions had only affected me, it would, but I will never forgive her for breaking their hearts. Especially Ophelia’s.

She takes a cautious step closer. “That I had no idea of Giorgios’s true motives pains me greatly. Yet, his ability to deceive was so great, he fooled even you, Alexandros Drakos, whose power is unparalleled when it comes to matters of the mind.”

“Do you think reminding me of my own failings will be of any benefit to you?”

She shakes her head. “I am simply pointing out the facts. He fooled us all, hiding his true intentions and the full strength of his own power of the mind. How do you suppose he managed such a feat?”

I grind my teeth. “I do not know.”

She says nothing for a long moment.

“You also think that his powers of teleportation are not innate?” I ask, mirroring the question she is already asking herself.

“You read my mind?” She blinks at me but does not appear overly surprised.

I did not read her mind as such—more like she is an open book. Which is puzzling given the amount of power she possesses. “I can hear every thought in your head.”

She laughs, a musical sound so at odds with the situation that it only fuels my anger. Nothing about this is amusing. A second later, her hypnotizing green eyes are back on me. “If you can hear my thoughts so easily, then you must know I did not betray you, Alexandros. I was of the understanding that you andOphelia would be reunited within a matter of hours. I simply wished to fully awaken the child’s powers through the quickest and surest route.”

That she was willing to put Ophelia through such torment simply to expedite the awakening of her powers comes as no surprise to me, but it still stokes the flames of my rage. “She isnota child.”

My snarl catches her off guard, and she flinches before quickly regaining her composure. “No, you are quite right. She is not. You and I both know what she truly is, yes?”

“Do not, Nazeel.” Her thoughts are growing increasingly fervent, and I want to ignore them and divert this conversation away from where it is surely headed.

“If you knew the full prophecy, Alexandros. So very few know of the forgotten verse, for it is never spoken of. But the Skotádi know, and that is why they want her. Because she is about to fulfill her destiny. All of the pieces are finally in place.”

“She is not the Chosen One.” I shake my head. “The world cannot have her!” I roar.

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