Page 35 of Dragon Slayer

Mia opened her mouth and no sound came out.

He gave her a wry smile, gaze miserable. “I knew who you were the day we met. When you told me your last name. And now Talbot knows I’ve been visiting you. He’ll punish me, and he’s sending people here now to collect you. To take you to Virginia for treatment.”

“Val,” she said, helplessly, shaking now. “I don’t – how can you–”

“Shh.” He took a step closer. “It’s alright. It’s fine if you hate me, everyone does. Just one more thing. There’s something I want to try.” He lifted both hands. “I don’t know if it will work. I might not be strong enough. But I don’t think we’ll see each other again, and I want to show you. I want someone to know – I wantyouto know. I owe you that at least, I think. No one knows the real story. No one’s ever seen it. Not all of it.”

He gritted his teeth, bracing himself. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s – some of it is – well, I’m sorry. But I don’t think I’ve got the energy to skip over the bad parts. I don’t know how much you’ll see, or if I can…”

His past, she realized. He wanted to show her what had happened to him. The reason he was locked up, and starved; the reason her father was keeping him, manipulating him.

“It’s alright,” she whispered. “Show me.”

He shut his eyes…and surged toward her.

Mia gasped. She saw a bright white flash, felt a powerful burst of coldness steal across her body.

And then…

Then…

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