“Why would I see Cernunnos?”
“Just curious.” I glanced at Thalia, who wore a mysterious smile on her lips.
I wondered if I could find the spell she was supposedly under and break that rather than trying to break Caelan or my father.
But he was going to tell me about Thalia when we were married. I kept telling myself that, but the thought made me squirm. There were numerous other reasons for us to marry—the main one being I was in love with him.
“For fuck’s sake, Caelan. Just tell her,” Garrett snarled.
The Lord sent him a withering look. “You know I cannot.”
Garrett’s nostrils flared, but he stayed silent.
“You know what this is,” I accused. “My father didn’t swear you to an oath, either, did he?”
Garrett’s cheeks colored. His jaw tightened.
“Don’t you dare, Garrett.” Caelan’s voice held a touch of the wolf.
“She needs to know,” his Second said.
“She will in a couple of weeks.”
Garrett scoffed. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I can’t believe Evie is letting you string her along like this. Doesn’t seem like her style.”
I closed my eyes and let out a breath. “Garrett’s right.”
All eyes swung to me. Caelan stilled. “Evie.”
“Going into a marriage with secrets will kill the marriage before it even starts. I need to know so I can walk into this with my head on straight.”
Anger rolled over Caelan’s eyes. “I’ve told you that I cannot tell you.”
“Why?” I stood, my fingers trembling with anger. “This seems so stupid. Why are you clinging so hard to what might be a small secret? What does my father have on you?”
“Evie—”
“Thalia is your sister,” Garrett blurted.
All the air was sucked out of my lungs. I snapped my attention to Garrett and Thalia. The seer’s eyes were wide with stunned shock.
“Garrett!” she whispered.
“She’s Cernunnos’s child?” I asked.
Garrett nodded.
I turned to Caelan. “Is that why you were so eager to marry me before you told me? Because then I would look more appealing to my father to carry on his legacy?”
“Evie,” Garrett said.
I held a hand up to silence him, screaming in my head that surely Caelan would deny this. He’d deny he’d manipulated me into marriage in order to claim the fae crown.
But he stayed silent, and my heart crashed to the earth.
“I see,” I said quietly.
Caelan took a step forward. “Evie. This situation is a lot more complicated than your simplistic take.”
