and shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you. I mean that.”
“But—” I heard the whispers again. They were scratching at my consciousness. They wanted me to remember something. “She’s his.” I asked Kellan, “Who is his? What happened?”
“The messenger in you took control.” He sounded in pain.
“What? Why?” Then I gulped. What had happened when I wasn’t in control?
“She tried to hurt me. My demon came out, and they fought, but it was over quickly.”
I jerked to my feet and darted to the farthest corner of the room. With my back to the wall, I looked at Kellan, still on the bed. “You…” My voice trembled. “You’re not my brother. You told me that before—the thing happened.”
He settled back against the wall and sighed. “Yes. I told you that.”
I swallowed, nervous now. “What does that mean? You’re here because of me.”
Kellan started to stand up, but I shot out my hand. “Please don’t. I’m freaked out. I can’t… Just stay there. Please.”
He sat back down, and I relaxed. His eyes searched mine intently as he spoke, “I’m here because my human side is bonded with your human side. I’m here because of you, for you.”
“How—how do you know?”
“Because you came to me when you were a child. You weren’t in control of your powers, but they were too strong back then. The messenger was mixed with your human side. The two of you flowed together naturally, and you wanted to find your soulmate. You were a child. You didn’t know how frightening your powers were to others, but you came to me. My father felt your presence.”
“What, like a house? Like I literally came to your house?”
“No.” He shook his head, looking sad, almost wounded. “It was through magic. Your presence found mine. My father felt inside of you and found where you were, that you came from demons. He didn’t understand your existence, how you could live in a home of demons when you were half-messenger, but he sent me here. For you. Because of you. I’m here because you wanted me to come here.”
I gaped at him. Had he grown two heads? Had I? “None of this makes sense,” I sputtered out, but it did. Clamping my eyes shut, I tried to ward of memories. They were coming at me fast, hard, too frightening for me to remember. “No, no, no, no. I couldn’t. I hadn’t…”
Then Kellan was in front of me. His hands took my wrists and he lifted them around his head. “Hug me. Please.” He urged me closer, and then I jumped, going into him. I clung to him with my eyes closed, burrowing into him.
The memories kept coming, and I remembered being a little girl. My mother had just read a book to me. I was the princess, and I needed to find my prince. She tucked me in bed, kissed my forehead, and said goodnight. I hadn’t gone to sleep, though. I crawled out and went to my window. As I placed my hand to the window, I closed my eyes and wished to find my prince. I wanted my own fairytale so bad, and I wished with all my heart. Something left my body. It sailed through the window, gliding seamlessly, and looked back once. My body remained in the room with my eyes closed so tight and my lips pursed together, sitting there in my pink princess pajamas. My blonde hair had started to grow, and it flowed over my shoulders, shining from the moonlight. I looked like I was praying, but then I looked back in the air, floating over the forests. I floated over lakes, over houses, over cities.
Then I went somewhere dark. I didn’t know where, but I grew scared. It wasn’t where I wanted my prince to be, and I tried to go back. I couldn’t. Something had taken hold of me. It clamped a hand on my ankle and drew me close. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. Then it pulled me tighter and looked into me. Red eyes pierced through me, and I felt something behind it. I tried to peek around him, but he wouldn’t let me go. He didn’t want me to see, so all I could do was whimper in his hold. Tears ran down my cheeks, I felt them on my skin, and knew I was crying in my own home.
“Dad, let her go,” a little voice spoke up.
I prayed he’d listen to him.
He did; he