With a shriek, I made sure the sheet covered my body and I scrambled to the other side of the bed. “Who are you?” I asked. I cursed the tremor in my voice, but it was inevitable. Men still made me nervous, especially ones I didn’t know. “Bastian’s brother, Rheul.” My brow furrowed. “How did he end up with an Earth name and…” “And I have a less conventional name?” I nodded. “Why is that? Why is Bastian different?” “His mother was a slave, much like yourself. She came from Earth and named him when he was born, just minutes before she died. It isn’t typical for a slave’s child to live with the rest of the male’s family, but our father cared for Bastian’s mother. Since he claimed Bastian as a Vaaden child, he was accepted by others as well.” My heart ached for Bastian, but that still didn’t tell me why his brother was here. Now that I really looked at him, I saw that he had Bastian’s violet eyes. His hair was brown instead of black and he was shorter, but their faces were similar.
