Free Anastasia (The Bolton Series Book 1) by Heaven Lyanne Flores

“She’s not a people person.”
    I nodded my head. My mind was going crazy over his breath on my neck. The heat his body released warmed my left side. I do not know why my body was reacting this way. It never had before. Then again, I had never met someone like Yelson. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I didn’t even know him.
    “You just gonna stand there or what?” Weldon waved his hand to the now empty seat next to him. I sat down across from him, glad to see that Yelson did not leave me alone but took the seat closest to Weldon. “We heard about your family, Annie. I’m very sorry. No one should have to go through that.”
    The look on Weldon’s face was a genuine one. The smirk that was usually there was gone.
    “Thank you,” I whispered. I did not want to be reminded of my family. Not when I knew it would bring tears to my eyes again.
    “I was thinking you could use a distraction so I grabbed this.” He pulled out a leather book that sat on the windowsill behind him. “It’s just some paintings but they helped me forget so I thought they would help you.”
    I wondered what it was that he had to forget. Was his family taken from him the way mine was? My hand traced over the leather cover. There was no writing on it only a flower that was carved into the middle. I opened to the first page.
    A woman was sitting by a river. Her long dark hair covered her face as she washed away the dirt from her hands. Bolton’s two moons covered the sky giving her protection during the night. The painting itself was breath taking even in just black and white.
    “This is beautiful,” I said aloud. I moved to the next page. A small boy hid behind a tree. His face looked up into the night sky as blood trickled down his arm into a puddle on the ground. I wondered what happened to this boy. Who would hurt such an innocent looking child?
    “Master Kai gave it to me when I first came here. It helped to keep my mind off things.”
    “Who’s Master Kai?” I asked looking between both men. I remembered Cabel talking about him when I first got here.
    “He is our trainer,” Yelson replied looking at the book in my hand. “He helps to prepare us for anything.”
    “Like what?” I closed the book and placed it on the table next to me.
    “War,” Weldon said it as it was something to be expected.
    “War against whom? Daruka? My parents said this was a safe planet when we moved here. That everyone gets along.”
    “You honestly believed that?” Yelson tore his eyes away from the book to look up at me. “Your parents lied to you Annie. Bolton has not been that way since before you were born.”
    No, he was lying. My parents would not have told me that if it was not true. I knew they kept a lot from me, most things from me, but they would not lie about that. The reason why we left earth was the war, which everyone was fighting with each other. They would not have brought their children to this planet if it were just the same. Then again, they were kidnapped.
    “Daruka started trying to control the species over twenty years ago. Many sided with him because they wanted earth for themselves. That was what Daruka promised them. If they fought for him, he will allow them to roam freely over earth once again.” Yelson took the book from the table. He held it with such carefulness as if he was afraid of break it. “The royal family tried to stop him, still are. If the species are allowed that freedom, it will destroy earth. The humans will cease to either exist or be enslaved.”
    “We have a secret weapon though.” Yelson shot Weldon a sharp look at his statement. I even cringed a little. The color drained from Weldon’s face as he looked to me and back to Yelson. “Don’t you think she should know?”
    “No,” Yelson replied through closed teeth.
    “What are you talking about?” My eyes bounced between both men waiting for an answer. They stared at each other in a silent debate. A minute later Yelson spoke