Blood Born: Assassin Book 2

Blood Born - Chapter 26

"Land somewhere!" I shouted over the wind.

"It's not safe," my mother said.

"I don't care. I have questions for you."

"I'm sure you do, Evelyn, but we're not landing here. We have to get a safe distance away from the Guild. Do you realize what you've done?" Mother asked.

"Yes. I know what I did. I saved all those girls."

"Yes, you did. You also killed all the Watchers. Agnolo will not take that lightly."

I let out a scream and fell from Draco's back. Closing my eyes, I held out my arms as my body plummeted toward the hard ground below.

"Evelyn!" Draco yelled.

His scaly body dived toward me, the massive claws reaching for me. A flash of green then brown zipped by me. He pulled his wings in, seeming to become even faster. He stretched his talons, the tip of a claw skimming my stomach. He narrowed his eyes and flapped his mighty wings once more, shooting toward me. My mother screamed, and he roared as his claws wrapped around my body, pulling me up as he let his wings out. He missed the ground by mere inches. We were so close my fingers skimmed across the grass. He dodged trees while heading toward the skies above.

"What were you thinking?" he asked.

"I wasn't. I needed to get away from her."

"Evelyn! Don't do that again!" Mother shouted at me.

"Of course, your majesty."

"Don't act like that, Ellie."

"God, mother! I finally did something good. I did something on my own, and you still manage to scold me!"

"I'm trying to keep you alive, Ellie. Please, just listen to me. I've dealt with them much longer than you have."

"Why can't you let me fix things? They want to kill you, father, and James. Let me fix it."

"Do you know what they want us all dead?" she asked.

"Because you married dad."

"That and the fact I defied them. I killed one of the Guild leaders. I was Agnolo's prized assassin, and I abandoned them."

"So?"

Draco placed me on the ground as he landed beside me. Queen Joselyn, my mother, slid from his back in all her grace. The skirt of her gown blew about her ankles as the wind whipped about us on the mountaintop. Her hair flowed freely as the crown that sat atop her head caught the sun's shine. It gleamed, making her seem more magnificent than ever. My heart pulled in a million different ways. I wanted to do things on my own to be sure they were safe, but I knew I'd need her. I always needed my mother. She was the strength that I required. She was my guiding star. She was what I wanted to be when I was queen.

"I only do what I do because I love you, Evelyn. You are my precious daughter. The product of the love your father and I have for each other. You are the embodiment of everything I sacrificed to have a life. I know you don't understand and think I'm being overprotective of you, but it's because I want to see you grow to be a mighty queen. I want to see you unite kingdoms and inspire our people. You are a special girl, Ellie," she said.

I sighed heavily and ran into her arms. "I know. I'm sorry, mother. I just want to keep everybody safe. I'm scared. I'm so scared."

Tears streamed down my cheeks, staining my mother's beautiful satin gown as I pressed my face into her chest.

"Oh my sweet girl, I know. You're more like me than you could ever possibly know."

I sniffed very unladylike. "Am I?"