The Dragon Queen's Heir [book one]

27

THE WEIGHT OF COLIN'S WORDS hangs in the air, briefly cutting off my ability to speak. Milay killed his parents. She's the reason he's an orphan. Though I've always known Milay has, allegedly, committed atrocious crimes, I've never actually met anyone personally affected by her evil.

Her evil.

Because that's what she is, isn't she? Pure evil, a caricature, nothing more than the face of all the things humanity hates. A scapegoat, an object for the afflicted to point at whenever they go through tough times. She's the embodiment of the wicked, the leader of the soulless, the reason children fearfully obey their parents--because Milay is always out there, ready to attack her unsuspecting prey, like the evil, soulless being she is.

"You think you're the only one who has been through tragedy?"

They are not the words that I expected to pour from my mouth, but my tongue has a mind of its own now, seeking vindication for what I believe. "Did you know Nikolai's mother committed suicide? Did you know my father was assassinated when a was a child? Do you know about the countless other unspeakable evils that are out there, and you're blaming everything that has gone wrong in your life on someone you've never even met?"

I expect Colin to be angry. I expect his cold, steely eyes to burn with righteous anger, for his jaw to clench, for his fists to curl up by his sides. But he does none of those things. Instead, he sighs, rubs his face with one hand, and slides his back down a tree so he's sitting on the rough, leaf-strewn dirt. "Take deep breaths, Ash. Put the bracelet back on. Sit next to me, and we'll talk."

I want to stomp away, to curse and scream in Colin's face, to punch him so hard his perfect little nose becomes crooked. Anything to wipe away that soft look in his eyes. To break his perfect calm facade. To make him seem human.

And suddenly the anger whooshes out in one long breath, leaving me slightly cold and suddenly aware of the bright red locks resting against my arms. I slide on the bracelet and sit down next to Colin, lacking the energy to say a word.

"She can't keep her hold on you forever," is all Colin says. "You have a couple minutes before she's strong enough to grab hold of you again."

My eyelids threaten to drop as I lean my head against the rough bark of the tree. "Me? Or my emotions?"

Beside me, Colin shifts, and a few seconds later, he takes my hand and places a smooth strap of leather on my palm. "This will keep you protected from her effects," he says. "Without this, she will be able to control your feelings and some of your thoughts. No one would like the outcome of that." When I don't respond, he hesitates, then says, "Do you want me to put it on for you?"

I make a noncommittal sound in my throat, and Colin takes that as a yes, taking the bracelet from my hand and tying it around my wrist, just above the bracelet already hiding my identity. "There," he says. "Don't take this off if you know what's good for you. I don't imagine she'll be very happy to find she's lost her hold on you."

Nodding, I stand slowly, groaning when I put weight on my injured ankle. Colin helps me regain my balance; I partially lean my weight on him as I wait for my head to stop spinning. "Thank you," I breathe, closing my eyes and letting out a long sigh. "Stars, I feel so stupid. I don't even know who to trust anymore. Milay . . . she won me over so easily. Who's to say that's not going to happen again?"

Colin nods, his brows creased as he bites his lip and stares at the ground. "I know. It's so confusing for you, and I'm sure the way Professor Singh has been handling it isn't helping. Just know, Milay is very powerful. She has very compelling reasons for you to join her, but you need to resist." He pauses, raising his gaze so he's looking right into my eyes. His blue gaze is unflinching as he says, "You need to fight her. She needs to be destroyed, stopped at all costs."