Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,71

twisted his lips. “I wasn’t exactly myself the first few days, Azara. What I endured in the Underworld…” His words fell away, and I immediately regretted my hasty words. I should’ve realized that was why he had been acting so different.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” I blurted.

“No, it’s fine. I probably should. Maybe it’ll help me heal or at least that’s what the psych said.”

I knew we had a psych ward, but I’d never actually met the doctor. Was he even a doctor? Or a healer? Shaman, maybe? I pushed the random thoughts aside and refocused on Vander. “Well, I’m here if you want to let it out.”

“Thanks. I was just pissed at myself for being caught, blowing my cover, and most of all, spilling what I knew about you.”

My eyes widened. “Like what?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face and let out a frustrated grunt. “That’s the thing. I don’t even know. They used some truth potion on me, and it screwed with my memories. I could’ve told them everything or maybe only some of it, but I know for sure they got information out of me. Thax repeated some of it.”

“Are you going to tell me what or am I going to need the truth potion to drag it out of you?”

“Something about your powers and the sigil on your arm. That’s what they used to decipher the oracle’s warning.”

Crapola. Did Thax know about my warlockness? “What exactly about my powers, Vander?”

“Nothing specific. They kept asking me if I’d seen you use magic, and I kept telling them I hadn’t. You barely used your demon powers.”

Phew. For a second, I’d forgotten my magical woo-woo didn’t start until after lock-up.

“But I knew that mark was hiding something.”

“So you told them that?” I cried.

“I don’t know. Probably. I didn’t mean to. I had no control over anything, Azara.”

I threw my hands in the air and trudged on, my boots sinking into the snow.

“There’s one more thing you should know.”

“I’m not sure I want to.”

He stopped and grabbed my arm, spinning me toward him. “I know who your parents are.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Darkness uncoiled in my core, traveling through my veins. Before I could stop myself, my hand shot out and wrapped around Vander’s neck. Black encroached my vision as my fingers tightened.

“Azara!”

A muffled voice came from far away, but it was too faint to distract me for long. Dryness clawed at the back of my throat as tendrils of dark energy coated my mouth. I inched closer, my nose nearly touching Vander’s. “Tell me what you know,” I hissed, but the voice wasn’t mine. It sounded wrong even to my own muddled ears.

“Let go of me,” he choked out.

Ah, that was the voice. I loosened my grip only a tad so he could speak. “Tell me.”

“Your father is Ryder Strong. Your mother… Luna Hallows,” he rasped.

“Who else knows?”

“I don’t know. I swear I haven’t told anyone of my own free will. Not even Talon.”

A hint of light crept across my vision at the name. The name that incited something deep within me. Talon.

“Azara, please. Let me go. Think of Melzor, remember your breathing exercises and your training.”

I loosened my grip another millimeter as the darkness began to wane. The murky pools of black invading my irises receded, and my eyes landed on a pair of panicked ones. Steel bands wrenched around my chest, and I sucked in a haggard breath. Oh gods, no.

I released Vander and sank down to the ground, the soft snow cushioning my fall. Burying my face in my hands, I let the tears flow. How could I have lost control like that? I hadn’t come that close in weeks. My chest heaved as I sobbed, a mixture of guilt over what I’d done, fear for my parents and the pain of losing what I’d had with Talon. It was always there, no matter how hard I tried to bury it beneath the surface.

“Hey, Azara…” Warm hands closed over mine and dragged them off my face. “Look at me.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head.

“Azara, please. It’s okay, I swear.”

Vander’s hand closed around my cheek, and he swept a tear away with his thumb. “You’re safe. Everything’s going to be fine.”

I hazarded a peek under slitted lids and met warm hazel eyes. “I almost lost control,” I spluttered.

“Almost,” he said with a reassuring smile. “But you didn’t.”

“I could’ve killed you.”

“But you didn’t.” He knelt down in front of me.

“How could you be so nice to me