Page 34 of In the Blood


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“I think you’ll be surprised at how easily it will come to you. You’ve been living with humans your whole life. You’re just beginning to learn what it means to be an immortal. Your magic will emerge as you grow stronger.”

“Y-you think I’m immortal?” I stuttered.

He mentioned it so breezily, like it wasn’t yet another soul-shattering piece of information. I thought of Ophelia, my only living family member, aside from my estranged father. She couldn’t be immortal—she had silver in her hair. But Ihadalways thought she was too perfect to be human…Aku’s Hell,was she hundreds of years old like Arnold? I braced myself on my knees as stars danced across my vision, earning a quirked brow from the Prince.

“Technically, Fae aren’t immortal,” Louis quipped. “We’re just very long-lived. Magic slows the aging process. Not only do you produce magic, but now that we know you’re a healer, we know you can access your magic… so congratulations, you’re not cursed.”

“And that’s because I’m, supposedly, both humanandfaerie?”

“Precisely. I know of one other person like you—a hybrid."

“You do? Who?”

“You don’t discuss this with anyone else. Understood?” Louis rarely looked serious, but he did right now.

“Who would I tell?”

“True. And, well… it’s a poorly kept secret. Since he isn’t limited by the curse, he’s much more powerful than the rest of us—just like you might be.” He was drawing it out.

“Who, Louis?”

“My brother, Rafael. It’s a sensitive subject… we have a lot of family drama. You see, Rafael is a bastard—” He paused when he saw my face.

“He most certainly is!” I declared, crossing my arms. The crows started cawing, echoing his laugh.

“Hah! To be sure, but I meant Sylvia isn’t his mother. Our father had a human consort. She became pregnant, and humans and faeriesdon’tbreed—it’s strictly forbidden. But our father didn’t make her abort the baby as would be customary. Instead, he took in the child and raised him—as a recognized Prince, nonetheless. Our mother was furious. Or so I’ve been told—I wasn’t born yet. But honestly, when is she not angry? The other day she—”

“Louis, focus!” I grinned, shaking my head.

His freckled cheeks reddened. “Sorry. Where was I… Oh yes—those close to the family knew he wasn’t hers, which mortified her. She was—is—horrible to him. But back to the point—he’s half-human, half-faerie. The combination seems to break the curse.”

Rafael said he went to brothels for sex and magic… Or maybe he’d said that’s where other faeries went. But he’d taken my goblet of blood. Did he drink it just so I wouldn’t have to? That didn’t track—he was too much of an asshole to do something so selfless.

“If human faerie pairings can break the curse through their hybrid offspring, why would that be discouraged?” My mind was spinning. Was my mother a faerie? My father? I couldn’t recall obvious features. Were theybothhalf?

“You have too much faith in us. Faeries and humans are ancient enemies. We’ve figured out how to co-exist with this curse, but some elders still believe themselves above humans. Others believe that breeding with humans will dilute a faerie’s power. My mother and her advisors… they benefit from that kind of intolerance. Magic is a commodity here—one that they control. Hybrids who don’t depend on blood threaten the system they’ve built.”

“So they encourage divisiveness,” I scoffed.

“Unfortunately, it goes beyond that. There are some crimes that are considered unforgivable—breeding with humans is now one of them. When our father reigned, it was already frowned upon, but after he passed, it became a criminal offense. If faerie-human relations result in a child, the couple is expected to stand trial. And they’re almost always sentenced to death—their children as well. Father would’ve never stood for it. He valued every life, even after his parents and brother were murdered by humans.”

I covered my mouth as bile threatened to rise. In this world, people like me were killed for simply existing. Aschildren. Entire families eliminated. Evil didn’t even begin to describe Sylvia and her advisors.

I wrapped my arms around myself, while my heart sat in my throat. “So Raf and I are the only two hybrids you know of?”

“Yes, and I’m sure Sylvia thought about trying to kill Raf after our father died, but he’s too strong—he’s the most powerful shadow wielder in Nymera. My mother is cruel, but she’s calculating. She’s not going to start a fight that she won’t win.”

“And Raf’s mother?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Killed. Not long after he was born. Even our father couldn’t protect her,” he said, looking at the ground. My heart sank.

“Sylvia murdered her?” My voice caught as I tried to get the words out.

“I don’t know. No one in our family will talk about it. But that’s what I’ve always assumed.”

Tears formed in the corners of my eyes. Raf lost his mother without ever getting to know her. No wonder he seemed to hate everyone around him. He’d been forced to live amongst those who wished him dead—who’d killed his mother. Thefuryhe must feel. It was a feat that he could even sit at the same table as the Queen.

"We do our best to have a justice system—to abide by a set of laws. My brothers and I are responsible for overseeing the training of the Royal Fae Army. Rafael and I are expected to travel to villages across Nymera to maintain peace and order, with specialized teams. We monitor how magic is being used—how shortages are affecting the citizens. We’ve taken vows to protect faeriesandhumans. I’ve never come across a hybrid child, but if I did, I’d look the other way.”