Page 71 of Demonic Prince

“I remembered.”

“Breathe.”

I suck in a ragged breath, my throat choked by emotion. My ribs feel like an iron cage, crushing my lungs. I’m terrified of losing control.

I shake my head. “I can’t.”

“May I touch you?”

I nod.

He takes my hand and places it flat against his chest. My hand rises and falls with his breath. I focus on the steady rhythm, the one constant while I’m falling apart. My gaze lingers on his silver skin, watching how it gleams in the sunlight.

“That’s it,” he says. “Good.”

Slowly, my breathing matches his, and the choking in my throat fades.

“Better?” he asks.

“I think so.” I keep my hand on his chest, as if he’s an amulet protecting me from harm. I’m still shaking all over. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

Strange how his gravel-rough voice could be so soothing, or how his glowing red eyes could be so gentle.

“I dreamed of the village,” I murmur.

“I’m listening.”

“Quickmire. That was its name, though I’m sure it has been crossed off the map. I pretended to be a human girl in Quickmire, and tried to keep my dragon form hidden. And I did, until the day…”

It’s difficult to keep speaking. I bow my head and stare down at the ground. Tears sting my eyes but don’t fall.

“You don’t have to continue,” Rook says. “Only if you wish.”

“I’ve never told anyone this before.” It comes out as a whisper throttled by pain. “I don’t know what the bounty posters say, but I never meant to burn the village to the ground. I never meant to kill anyone except forhim.”

“Who?”

“I don’t even know his name. He’s dead now, nothing more than bones and ashes in the ruins of a forgotten town.”

“Why?”

“He killed my mother.” The words spill from my lips as if I’m spitting up blood. “Because she was a dragon.”

His jaw hardens. “I understand why you killed him.”

“But the village? No. That, I regret.”

His eyebrows angle in a frown. “Was he the only one who died?”

“No.”

“Was he hunting you?”

“He didn’t even recognize me. Not at first. But he would have killed me when he found out. He had no mercy for my mother.”

Rook places his hand on my shoulder. His careful touch is my undoing. Tears fall from my eyes and trickle down my face.

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