“I’m alright. You pulled the arrow out before the paralytic spread. I was able to heal myself.”
“Heal yourself?”
I stare at the tiny pink mark above his breast where there should be a gaping hole. The skin is perfectly smooth. My eyes snag on the small tattoo across from it. Over his heart are two overlapping circles joined with a small star in the shared space.
I wrench my hands out of his grasp.
“What are you? Where thefuckare we?” The questions tumble out of me like an avalanche, each one competing to be voiced first.
“We’re in my home, Solterre, world of the fae.”
World of the fae.
I blink and give that a moment to sink in.
“Thatfox-wolfthing from the forest is called anOrCat. And yes, that was me. I’m fae.” He turns his head to the side and tucks his silky, caramel-colored hair behind his ear. His slightlypointedear. “And a shifter.”
“A shapeshifter? You’re fae…and a shapeshifter?” I repeat mechanically.
“I’m sorry you had to find out like this. About all of it.” His expression is sincere.
I don’t trust it.
But with the wall at my back and his half-naked body so close, I have nowhere to retreat. A beat passes while I stare at him, grasping at straws for any logical explanation for what’s happening, but it’s getting harder to deny how very real it all feels.
“What did you do to Tatler?”
His brown eyes hold mine as he takes a steadying breath. “I am Tatler. Just as I have been many people to you.”
I wait with narrowed eyes.
“I have been Tatler. I have been Annie Arnold, I’ve been your third-grade math teacher, the health inspector for The Black Rose, and many, many others. My name is Zadyn. I am your familiar, blood sworn to you at birth to protect and guide you. I have been with you your whole life, though unbeknownst to you.”
“You’ve been posing as different people in my life ever since I was born?”
He nods.
“That’s impossible. Annie? One of my best friends?” I gape.
There is no way.No wayshe could have been this person all along. Although, she did drop off the face of the earth pretty abruptly. I remember thinking it was strange at the time, but I just chalked it up to her being happily married in a foreign country. My heart sinks at the possible truth of his claim. Shaking the thought from my head, I force myself to stay present.
“Why am I here? Why is my dad here, my sister, Ja—” I swallow abruptly. Saying that name will just trigger the waterworks all over again. “Why is my family here, and why don’t they know me?”
He sighs, leaning back, palms splayed on the stone floor. His abs threaten to distract me from the rising panic.
“The world of the fae is like a mirror to the human world. A parallel universe. People here may seem familiar, but do not mistake them for the people you know—the people you love—despite any appearances. You must treat them like strangers, or else it can cause a ripple effect that alters nature’s course,” he warns. I shake my head in opposition.
“I need to speak with my dad. He’ll recognize me if…” My voice trails off feebly.
The stranger—Zadyn—shakes his head, his eyes filled with regret. “I’m afraid that won’t be the case. The king has an entirely different set of memories, a past absent of you. That isn’t the man that raised you.”
I blink back idiotic tears.
“In this world, your father is King Derek Accostia, one of the five fae kings of Solterre. This is his kingdom, Aegar.” He pauses, no doubt reading my crestfallen expression.
“And my sister?
“Her name is Sorscha. She’s the king’s only living heir, born from his late wife, Queen Margot. Queen Ilspeth is her stepmother.”
