“Isn’t that the maid’s job?”
I don’t know why, but I bristle at her words. “I have two able hands, and I can move my own stuff.”
Nix shrugs. “You’re weird.”
“What? Why?”
“The other high fae wouldn’t move their stuff. It’s beneath them.”
I stop walking, placing my hands on my hips. “I’m not them. I think the system needs to change. I hate the way shifters are looked down on.”
Nix grins, her sapphire eyes sparkling with mischief and her razor-sharp teeth on full display. “I knew I liked you.”
I huff out a laugh and reach to open the door to my chambers, but before I can touch the handle, it swings open. Eve stands there, startled, and halts in her tracks.
“Your Majesty,” she blurts, quickly bowing her head.
“Is everything alright, Eve?” I ask, catching a glimpse of her slightly red, glassy eyes.
“Oh, I’m fine.” She forces a tight smile. “I was just checking everything was in order here, just in case the room was needed.”
“That’s fine, but are you sure you’re okay?”
“It’s just been a long few days, and with the funerals . . . ” Her voice trails off.
“You and Lavina were close?” I ask softly, sensing her hesitation.
Eve looks up at me, surprise flickering in her deep brown eyes. “Yes, she took me in after . . . ” Her voice falters.
I frown, curiosity stirring. “After what?”
Eve’s gaze drops to the floor, her hesitation hanging heavy in the air. Before she can respond, Nix speaks up from behind me, her voice quiet but pointed. “Queen Lavina took Eve and her son in after the attack that killed your parents. Eve lived in the Evergreens castle with you, as your mother’s lady-in-waiting.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. My mouth falls open, and I feel as though the ground beneath me has crumbled.
“What?” I breathe, disbelief clouding my thoughts.
Lavina had always been close to my mother, her most trusted friend. It makes sense that she would offer Eve refuge. But why didn’t I know? Why hasn’t anyone told me? I didn’t even find out about Lavina’s relationship with my mother until it was too late.
Eve’s eyes lift to meet Nix’s, confusion mingling with a flicker of anger reflected there. “How did you know that?” she demands.
Nix shrugs. “I’m paid to find things out.”
I stare at Nix, my mind spinning. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to rush your memories,” Nix explains. “Your mother didn’t make it easy for those memories to return.”
“Honestly, I don’t think she ever wanted you to come back to Faerie,” Eve whispers, pushing some of her dark hair back from her face.
Tension snaps in the air as her words hang between us. I can practically feel Nix’s emotions flaring beside me, her face turning the shade of a ripe tomato as her temper boils over. “Do you even know the pain she was in when she went through her Renascitur?” Nix demands, her voice sharp, biting.
I cringe at the memory of the agony, the searing pain that had nearly broken me when the magic and transformation had overtaken me. If it hadn’t been for Maxon, and the bond we shared, I might not have survived it.
Eve’s composure cracks, her voice rising defensively. “If Everly hadn’t returned, it wouldn’t have been an issue.”
“Her suppressed magic would’ve torn her apart eventually!” Nix snaps back, her tiny figure radiating fury as her sharp teeth flash in warning.
“Not if she had been able to recharge in nature,” Eve counters, her voice steady, though hostility bristles in the air between them.
