Free Blood Yellow by Ashley Nemer

She has done an excellent job handling things while you were out, and I think you need to give her credit for that.”
    “You think I need to give her credit . Even after three months of being a ruler, she still acts like a child.”
    “And you don’t think it was childish to leave? You destroyed the house, flooded thousands of years’ worth of artifacts, and you are calling her the child?”
    “Watch your tone, old man.”
    “Kill me if you want, but I promised your parents I would treat you as my own, and that’s what I am doing. You are being selfish, and you need to quit. You have caused your okht to feel isolated, hurt the woman you love, and possibly hurt your child. Stop and look at yourself before you cast judgment onto Nikole.”
    “I don’t have to listen to this.”
    “No you don’t, but you need to hear this. What would your abb say? Would King Tamman look down on you and say, ‘That’s my boy!’ or would he knock some sense into you? This is not the Zayn I watched him raise.”
    “You don’t understand what it’s like watching everyone you love walk out on you. You don’t understand.”
    “I don’t? Do you see me with a wife? Have you ever met any of my lovers?”
    “No.”
    “There is a reason for that. One you are not yet ready to hear. You assume too much, and you do not think about your actions clearly. I’ve watched you lecture Nikole for centuries about her decisions and hold her to this high standard, but the truth of the matter is you’re just as bad. And this past few months’ antics of yours proves me correct.”
    Zayn didn’t say anything; he stared at the dashboard, trying to compile his thoughts. Was what Nasir said true? Was he as bad as Nikole? He couldn’t be. She was constantly in trouble; he was the one always having to save her.
    “I’m nothing like her.”
    “Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day it will be true, but you both are born from the same parents, your DNA is hers. You two share more than just a name. Haydar’s blood is inside both of you, too. Do you think he was the only one in your family with a temper? Your parents just taught you two better manners and how to be good. That doesn’t mean all of you are not alike in some way.”
    “I am not him. I never could do that to my family or my people. We share nothing.”
    “If that was true, then Nikole would be here right now with us, and you would not have hurt her like you did. I watched what Haydar did to your omm over and over, the tears she cried. Don’t forget who you are talking to. I’ve been around a long time. Just because you know right from wrong doesn’t mean you don’t share that. Remember, your gedi took over as king and changed what your ancestors had started; he wiped out the old ways and started anew. Those family traits don’t just vanish. Haydar’s hate and evil are very real and can be very alive in your blood if you let it. You don’t just change your DNA, change your way of thinking, but not what makes up your heritage and being.”
    “This conversation is done. Once you drop me off, you will go back to the hospital and sit with Adara. She is not to be alone. The moment something happens, you call me, and I will come.”
    “Yes, Your Majesty.”
    N ikole watched as their car drove away from her. Those things Zayn said were wrong and cruel. She wanted to think that he only said them because he was in pain. Hopefully, he didn’t mean them. Hopefully, he didn’t think of her like that.
    What is it going to take to prove myself to you, Akh?
    She started to flash her way back home, stopping every couple hundred feet to take a moment and enjoy nature. She had a feeling this would be the last time for a few weeks she would have time to herself. What with Adara in the hospital and Zayn back, there would be a lot going on at the house.
    What was she going to say to Alec? She didn’t want to let him go. He had become as essential to her as breathing. She depended on him for