can tell me anything, Dylan.” I sat down in the chair opposite him and reached across the table to clasp his little hands in mine. “You can trust me. You know that, right?”
He nodded, dropping his eyes. “I do, but I’ve been scared.” He drew in a deep breath, then looked back at me. “But I’m not afraid anymore.”
My sweet, brave boy. He’d been through so much, some of which I still didn’t have the details of.
I smiled and squeezed his hands. “I’m so glad to hear that. Now, what is it you want to tell me?”
“My father…he was the horrible sorcerer that put the metal strip on my arm,” he began softly. “It happened years ago. I can’t even remember how old I was. And any time he wanted to punish me, he would use this giant staff.”
My heart thundered in my chest as Dylan spoke. His father had been the one to do this to him. I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Not after the warning June had given me.
“Did he hurt you, Dylan?”
Dylan nodded slowly. “He had a matching piece of metal around his own arm. He would use that staff—touch it to his metal band—and bad things would happen to me.” His voice was a whisper when he said, “He would do it to punish Mommy.”
I felt nauseous. This poor child, being used as a weapon against my own sister. But he wasn’t finished yet.
“It happened all the time. I would get sick, or I would get hurt. And it all happened because of those metal bands. Then, when I came here, I would hear his voice.” Dylan swallowed, his eyes filling with tears. “I don’t know why he’s still trying to hurt me. Mommy’s dead. He can’t punish her anymore. And I’m here now, far away.”
There was raw fear in his voice, fear that this evil man would still find a way to hurt him, even though we’d removed the bands—or rather, Soren had. He’d been the one to figure out that something very wrong was going on.
I sat back, slightly in shock at what I’d heard. Soren had been right. All the aliens had been. They hadn’t been lying to me, trying to deceive me. They really had been trying to help. Now another wave of sickness roiled through me as I remembered the terrible things I’d said. How I’d made it clear to Soren that I couldn’t trust him. But that wasn’t true, was it? I could trust him—at least to an extent.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Dylan? About the metal, about your father hurting you?”
Dylan dropped his eyes, biting his lower lip. “I’m sorry, Aunt Maya. The voice told me that it would make you suffer if I told anyone the truth.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” I said, jumping from my chair and rounding the table. I knelt down beside him and wrapped my arms around him. “You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong.”
I pulled back and rested my hands on his cheeks, struggling to keep my voice even and the tears at bay—I had to be strong for him after all he’d been through, even if it was taking a toll on my own emotions. “And you have nothing to worry about. You’re safe now. I don’t want you to feel like you have to protect me. That isn’t your job. All I want is for you to be a kid. To be happy and healthy and safe.”
“That’s what the nice aliens on the screens said the day they took the metal off of me. And Soren. He said that too.” Dylan gave me a solemn nod. “I’ll remember that next time.”
My heart felt like it was breaking for this sweet boy and all that he’d endured. But he was okay now. He was safe. Thanks to Soren.
“I miss my mom,” Dylan whispered, reaching for me and hugging me tightly now. “But I’m so glad that I get to be with you. That’s what Mommy wanted most—for me to be safe. And I feel safe with you.”
My throat constricted, and I couldn’t have spoken even if I had the words to say. I simply held him, and we both cried for a few moments in each other’s arms. My brave, brave boy.
“I love you,” I whispered after I managed to compose myself. “Always.”
“I love you too.” He gave me a tremulous smile.
“Okay,” I said, clapping my hands after I released him. “Enough tears for now. You’re safe, and that’s what matters. And