Indulge Read Free Page A

city built on a rocky coast with towering stone buildings and crashing waves against its shores. Some say the water is so clear that the moon reflects off it and lights the entire city.”
    “Sounds pretty. You really miss it there don’t you?”
    “More than I realized.”
    Arrick had opened his mouth to say more but the sound of his phone buzzing in his shirt pocket broke his concentration.
    I needed only one guess for who was calling him and it made my stomach ties in knots of nervousness. I knew there was no avoiding it, but meeting my real parents scared the hell out of me.
    Focusing intently on Arrick, whose brow was furrowed, I tried to pick up on the conversation. Sadly Arrick only responded with ‘Mhm’ or ‘No sir’, making it super difficult to get any details. Yet, when he glanced toward me and gave another ‘Mhm’, I knew without a doubt who and what they were talking about. Me.
    I ran my tongue absentmindedly against my fangs until Arrick clicked his phone shut and slid it back into his shirt pocket. “Well? What did they say?”
    “They got my message.”
    I hated that I had to pull every bit of information out of him. “Yeah, so… are we allowed to go there or not? Are they happy I am coming home?” A growl of annoyance tumbled from my throat, but Arrick only smiled.
    “Yes and yes, Claire. That was Cathair.” He shot me a sidelong glance before clarifying, “Your father.”
    “Wow, so that’s my dad’s name. Cathair,” I repeated the name again in hopes that it would somehow stir something inside me, but it didn’t. “What’s my mother’s name?”
    “Her name is Ione. You look so much like her.”
    “I do?” I flipped down the sun visor and opened the small compartment on the back that revealed a small mirror illuminated in a slight yellow glow. I stared at my reflection and wondered what about me, resembled my mother. Was it my round eyes, my long lashes or my auburn hair? Did her nose wrinkle like mine did when she laughed really hard?
    I looked to Arrick, whose expression made my heart pound heavily in my chest. His feelings for me hit me head on, yet I did not feel the same. A small part of my heart longed for Dmitry and the other yearned to reciprocate Arrick’s feelings. My heart was in a battle with itself. But maybe I could be wrong about Arrick’s feelings. He had never verbally expressed them. Perhaps I was reading the signals wrong? Maybe I was mistaking his devotion to his duty of protecting me for eighteen years, for love.
    “We will make it there by sunset tomorrow.”
    “That long?” I was starting to hope it would be sooner. Not from excitement, but I was just sick of riding in the car. I was never very good at sitting still for very long.
    “That long; we are still about a day away, and you can’t exactly stroll through town mid-day now, can you?”
    “No.”
    “Sunset tomorrow will be perfect, Claire. You will see Naos in its finest.”
    “Can I call on Robin when we get there?” Arrick’s muscles tightened at that, and I continued quickly before he could shut me down. “She’s got to be worried sick and I trust her completely. She deserves to know I am alright.”
    “We don’t know what kind of situation we are in, Claire. The attempt on your life and my taking you can have our regions at the brink of war.” His tone was rising in defiance.
    There was no arguing; Arrick’s duty would always overshadow my needs. He had been watching over me for eighteen years. There was no way I could talk him into risking that so I could call my best friend.
    I folded my arms in defeat and went back to staring out the window. I focused on the night sky, hoping that Nyx would connect with me and give me some peace. If even a little.
    “If you’re going to keep sighing like that, I can promise only that I will ask the King.”
    I swirled in my seat and beamed at Arrick. I could tell he wasn’t happy about giving in but he attempted a weak smile anyway.
    “I