I raised my brows. “In that case, I’d like to go home.”
Our eyes locked and he approached, stopping just short of touching me. I backed up, hitting the bed. He brushed a lock of hair from my face and I flinched away from him.
He frowned. “Do you think I’m going to attack you?”
“I don’t know what to think. We’ve just met.”
“I promise, I won’t bite you—unless you ask me to. You could be the savior we’ve been waiting for. I’m not going to hurt you. I realize it’ll take some time for you to trust me…” His voice trailed off as his eyes shamelessly traveled down my body.
He was delusional.“It’s almost impressive,” I spat.
“What is?”
“Your Prince-sized ego. I didn’t ask to be your savior—and I have no loyalty to your people.” Morbid curiosity wormed its way into my brain. I chewed at my nails, huffed a sigh, then finally asked, “Why would Ieverask you to bite me?”
He gave a low chuckle. “Because, Marigold… it would feel good.Very good.In fact, some people beg for it.” There was nothing subtle about hisheavy-lidded gaze. It flipped my stomach inside-out. I ducked around him, putting more distance between us.
“And if I can’t use magic—if I’m not your savior—then what? Your mother will throw me in the dungeon to become someone’s next meal? I’m not so convincedthatwould feel good!”
How dare he presume that I’d put his people before mine. I thought arriving here might give me a break from responsibility, but instead I was supposed to be a hero for the Fae? My blood wasboilingas I bared my teeth at him.
“I’d never let her throw you in a dungeon,” he said earnestly. “And youdohave magic. Like I said, all Fae have a particular scent, a specific taste, that’s unique to them—whether magic flows in their blood or not. I can feel it beneath your skin, thrumming like an electric current. Humans may have magic in their veins, but they arenotone of us. There’s nothinghumanabout the power that radiates from you.”
His tone was seductive, but his message was clear; faeries were better than humans. He sounded like the aristocratic men of Aurelius who thought they were superior because of their blood—because of their money—because they weremen.
“You’re not subtle about your distaste for my kind,” I growled, pointing a finger at his chest.
“I donothave a distaste for humans. In fact, quite the opposite. They taste lovely,” he laughed.
The thin ice he’d been walking oncracked.I snarled and launched forward, attempting to smack him. Instead, I found myself gripped in a firm hold. “I do notdislikehumans,” he murmured into my ear. “They’re not my enemy and neither are you. Some Faedohate humans and think themselves better than them. I’m not one of them. However, you’renothuman and the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can stop fightingthis.”
I tried to jerk away from him, but he held me close. Heat radiated from him, causing my pulse to quicken, frustrating me even further. My body wastraitorous.He was trying to prove some point. If he thought I’d submit to him, just because he was stronger, then I’d teach him that I had fangs too. I sunk my teeth into his forearm and he growled in surprise, letting go.
“Did you just bite me?” he asked in disbelief, staring at the crescent-shaped imprint on his arm. It hadn’t evenbroken the skin.
“I wanted to see what the fuss was about,” I panted. I tried to hold back a grin, before we both broke into laughter.
“You’re a feral little thing,” he said as his eyes flashed. “And if you think that biting me is going to deter me, then you’ve got a lot to learn about faeries.”
I rolled my eyes. “As long as you understand where my loyalty lies."
He sighed. “You’ve had enough years as a human, it won’t kill you to spend a little time discovering your faerie side.” He moved to sit in one of two cushioned seats that faced the fireplace and I joined him.
“Arriving here was the first magical thing that’s ever happened to me. Wouldn’t I havesensedit before now? Yesterday I lived in a much simpler world. It’s difficult for me to comprehend what magic is—what it feels like.”
“It will come naturally to you. You just turned twenty-one, you’re very young still, especially for a faerie that’s part-human. You might be just starting to manifest your powers. It’s no coincidence that you ended up in Nymera when you did.”
“I’m a human that might be part-faerie,” I reminded him. Humanity would always come first.Humanis what I identified with, no matter what hethoughtI was.
“Whatever you are, I’m glad you’re here. Try to let go of the things that are beyond your control.” He stood up and offered his hand. “Now let’s go for a ride.”
Galen had a snowy white mare named Hibiscus waiting for me when we arrived at the stables. Galen’s bay horse, Napoleon, was tacked up as well. We’d brought Robert along, leaving me to wonder why we needed a chaperone. Surely Galen could protect us if needed.
“We’re going to Monrovia’s city center,” Galen said. “Our castle sits on the outskirts of town; our kind prefer not to live on top of each other. Faeries like to be surrounded by nature rather than buildings, although some do choose to live in the village. Monrovia is our capital and was the first town to be established when we arrived here. It’s the largest inNymera, but might feel small compared to Aurelius. We’ve only been here two-hundred years, after all.”
I nodded, feeling quiet and contemplative after everything I’d learned. If Galen wanted to be a tour guide and just talk at me, that was fine by me.
“Due to the magic shortage, I usually travel with at least one guard. Tensions are high amongst our people right now and I’m not risking your safety. Faeries become hot-tempered when they’ve been without magic for too long,” Galen explained.
