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"What is she having us do?" I whispered as two Azeeds were helping, well rather forcing, my mother and me to get undressed.

"Shhh." Idal kept her head downward and winced once one of the men dragged a damp cloth over her bruises. Something was wrong. Why wasn't she healing herself?

Every other time she was hurt, all she had to do was wave a hand over the injury, and within seconds it would heal. But not now. Why?

I stood, stark naked with my hands and arms strategically positioned over any possible embarrassing parts. The only thing I was allowed to do of my own free will was to stare at the high ceiling. A small gasp escaped my lips, and a sharp shiver zipped through me as an Azeed pressed a cold, wet rag against the bare skin on my stomach. Every fine hair covering my body rose in an attempt to add warmth.

"How much longer is this going to take?" The quivering in my voice was apparent as a different set of hands roughly shoved mine away from my chest. In an instant, I flipped my long blonde hair forward to hide the blush blazing across my cheeks at being so exposed.

"Not much longer, Astra" Melinah said after she rounded the open doorway. Only I didn't speak that loudly. How could she hear me?

"What?" I asked.

"It's not like they can actually see you." She waved a hand before one of the men to prove her point. He made no notice of her whatsoever. It was like he was blind or under some trance.

Idal cut her hazel eyes to me. Don't say another word or she'll use it against you.

Melinah smirked and came to a complete standstill before us. "Which one?" A long-nailed finger tapped at her chin as an Azeed raised a pale yellow flimsy dress next to Idal's naked form. "No, that coloring does nothing for her." The blue woman snapped her fingers thrice, and three more bleached men marched into the room, each carrying dresses of varied pastel hues.

One after the other, she took turns comparing the gowns by holding them to my mother's body. She huffed. "I know what the problem is. Idal, you really need to do something about." Melinah paused while raising a finger to Idal's swollen eye. "That."

"That," Idal muttered with a curt laugh. "Is something I cannot take care of here. And you know that."

I gave my mother a direct, side-long glance. Why couldn't she? She wouldn't turn to meet my gaze. Instead, she stayed deadlocked in a stare off with our hostess.

Melinah shimmied with pride in her place and flashed an unabashed smile. "Ahh. That's right. I keep forgetting where I am. But you made sure to see to that. Didn't you, Idal?"

"Melinah," Idal started but was cut off as the blue woman held her palm, fingers splayed against my mother's face. It was the exact thing she did when draining one of the Azeeds a couple of hours ago.

I interjected myself, shoving Melinah's hand away from Idal's cheek. "Don't! Please."

Melinah turned, glaring. "I wasn't going to drain her, you silly girl." She raised her palm again to my mother's eye and started to chant quietly. It took a minute or so when she beamed at the sight. "There. All better."

Idal swung the veil of blond hair from her face, revealing the aftermath. Swollen eye, gone. Black and blue puffiness to her cheek, vanished. My mother appeared unflawed as usual and as beautiful as ever.

"Thank you, Melinah." Idal made sure to keep her tone even, but still somewhat mocking.

"You don't need to thank me. I didn't do it for you." Melinah released a small "oomph" from her lips as she signed. "I did it to help me. A glamor won't take with you in that flawed state."

Idal wrapped a towel around her body as did I. "Is that what all this is for?" My mother pointed to the five Azeeds. They each held a different colored garment that Melinah had requested.

A slow smile twitched at the corners of Melinah's lips. "Maybe. Why?"

The entire room fell silent. My mother, in a brazen move, strode past Melinah as if she was nothing, meant nothing. Like she did not hold any power over us whatsoever, nothing. Idal halted before the identical men and snatched the powder blue ensemble from the one grasping it. "Because. Like you, I think blue is my color."

"Ahhh, Idal." Melinah sauntered toward my mother while her cutting laughter echoed off the glass walls. "Some days I really do miss you." She hastily seized the dress from Idal's clutches. "Only today is not one of those days."

Idal shook her head in disgust. "Then what am I supposed to wear?"

Melinah hesitated for a brief moment before snapping her blue fingers once. Immediately another one of her minions stomped into the room, holding a frilly and lacy dress.

"That's pink." Idal seethed. "That's hardly better than—"

"A gold?" Melinah clapped her hands, and in an instant Killian found himself propelled through the doorway with enough force that he toppled to the floor. He, fortunately, or not, wore a gold ensemble: jacket, shirt, pants. Even his pointed shoes were gold, along with his skin, hair, and eyes.

Gold, the lowest ranking of a Traon. Well not as low as an Azeed, but almost.

"You're still holding quite the grudge after all these years," Idal smirked and in one fluent motion, thrust her hand at Melinah and accepted that horrid pink dress.

Melinah took two steps and crouched beside a golden Killian as he pushed himself up off the ground. She pressed a hand to his back, forcing him to the tile floor again. "Oh no. I don't like to think of it as a grudge, Idal. More like payback."

I took a good long look at the blue woman. If her real eyes were unobscured, I would have known more. Like what she was inferring. "Payback for what?"

Melina rose to her full height and huffed. She averted her gaze from mine and settled on my mother. "She doesn't know, does she?"

Know what?

I shivered. The nefarious way her eyes kept watch over Idal as the Azeeds took their time dressing her, unnerved me. A cold sweat covered me from head to toe as if someone threw a bucket of water right at me.

Idal didn't say a word. Instead, the grimace adorning her lips silently spoke for her.

Melinah wrapped an arm around my shoulder and escorted me to the Azeed with the blue gown. Twice, I caught her smirking over her shoulder at my mother. "You see, Astra. Your mother and I go way back." She stopped, pointing to the side of us. "And he. Well, let's just say that I'm sure there is no love lost. Isn't that right, Killian?"

"Melinah," Killian sighed. "I never meant..."

"Nope. Nope. Nope." Melinah held her hand high and snapped one finger. Instantly, Killian was silenced by three of the Azeeds closest to him. She spun on her heels and glared. "You lost the right to say anything about what happened when you had our bond severed."

My eyes stretched with her accusation. Now it was my turn to point. From Killian to her and back again. "You two were intended?"

And even worse if what she said was true, he had severed their bond. That was unheard of, at least I'd never heard of it before today.

A small throaty chuckle emanated from her mouth. "Oh, you have so much to learn, my pet." Her hands patted down the ends of my hair. Out of nowhere she raised her shoulders and smiled so brightly, it scared me a little. "I know what I should do."

"What?" My trembling voice stuttered on that one word.

"I'll keep you here with me." Her matter-of-fact attitude sparked both my mother and Killian to react.

"Melinah, no!" came Idal from behind. "You can't."

Killian grunted and groaned as he struggled against the confines of the men holding him captive.

Melinah's haughty cackle carried for a few moments. She received the backlash she evidently wanted. "Oh, I'm just thinking out loud here." Her hand grabbed mine and gave it a tight squeeze. "I just know I could do a much better job than you, Idal. And anyway, I'd only be saving your daughter if I kept her here with me."

I tipped my head to the side with a firm frown in place. "Saving me, how?"

"Well let's see." Melinah took one step and then another before she just began pacing in circles. "First off, you wouldn't have to worry if you'd be safe or have to jump realms with the likes of this scum." She strode past Killian, pushing his shoulder until he stumbled backward. That was proof right there that she definitely still held a grudge. "And then there's the whole bounty over your pretty little head, Astra."

That wasn't news to me. There had been a bounty on my head since I was ten years old. And the reason was simple. I was destined to be this powerful Blood Reader, as everyone had foreseen. Therefore, everyone wanted me for my power, what I could do, what I'd become. It was only a downfall for me that "my gift" as Idal called it, had manifested itself at such a young age. If only it would have stayed dormant inside of me for a while longer, maybe we could have remained in the same place for more than two weeks at a time. All of this was my fault. All of it.

"Okay, so." I shrugged, showing my indifference.

"And there's the matter of the secrets your dear mother is keeping from you." Melinah grabbed hold of my arms and spun me so that I could only see her. Carefully, while she used my height to her advantage, she wiped the blue film covering both her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

My blue gaze stayed fixed on her as she "showed" me a few things. A thick haze met my thoughts as it slowly evaporated, and snippets of her life came into view.

Melinah and Killian at their joining ceremony, kissing and laughing and evidently so in love with each other, my heart warmed. The thundering of my heart matched Melinah's as the scene morphed to them fighting and Killian hitting her, only for her to flee— running as fast as she could from him.

The thoughts trickled forward to Idal and her, talking and seemingly they were friends, or at least friendly. The same instances played over again, muted and distorted a little, but that was an effect of Melinah's jilted view of their interactions. But then something changed. Something dark. All of her memories she showed me were clouded, murky even.

Next the sight of my mother standing beside a man as he laid some judgment on Melinah and dragged away while she screamed for Idal's help. For her to give mercy. For Idal to save her. So that Melinah could stay.

Melinah clenched her eyes briefly as tears welled in the corners. Don't ever tell him; her gaze spoke once she opened them again. The sight of a little boy with bright green eyes and skin almost the dark coloring of Killian's darted across my mind. His son. Killian had a son. And even worse, my mother was the cause of her being sent here to this realm and leaving Laumeier and her son behind.

It was easier for me to look away then have to deal with the incoming emotions that poured into me from Melinah. That was part of my power that I loathed. The empathy. The emotions that were just byproducts and not my own. It's why I hated being me. I always felt too much.

"How long have you been here?" I asked once it was safe. And safe meaning she placed the blue film over her eyes again.

"Way too long." Melinah wiped the remaining tears from her face. And like that, she changed again. Gone was the woman that let her guard down enough for me to experience her emotions and her sorrow. Replaced with now, the stone cold blueness of her inside and out.

"I'm sorry," I offered with a tame smile. I had no idea what else to say.

Melinah smiled back at me. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Anyway, since you have yet to cross me, I've decided."

"Decided what?"

She snapped a finger again, and the Azeed with the short blue gown slipped the garment over my head. She waited until he finished and positioned me beside Idal, in her gaudy pastel pink floor-length ensemble.

Melinah's candid gaze met mine as she flung two vials of some clear liquid to the floor. The glass shattered, emitting a gaseous substance as it wrapped around our legs and slowly traveled upwards. Lowered puffs of trailing tentacles of light blue smoke twisted and turned as it covered every inch of my body. When it finished, the cloud hovering above our heads dissipated into thin air, leaving both my mother's and my appearance an entirely different tinge than before.

Her satisfied eyes scanned me over. "As you can see, Astra. I've decided that you, too, shall enjoy the rank of cerulean tonight."

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