When I first saw the man about to kick the woman, I just burst into action and raced over to rip him away from her.
For a flash, it reminded me of all the times I saw Slade’s father hit my mother. All those times I was helpless and far too young to do anything. So seeing that man fling back his foot made my vision go red.
But this woman isn’t my mother. She’s a fae. A Stone Sword. And if there’s one thing that’s been made very clear in my life, it’s that you can’t trust a fae. Save for my brother and Auren, I’ve hated every other one I’ve ever known or come across.
I need answers, and it’s clear neither fae wants to give them to me. I glare down at the woman’s bruised face, eyeing the strange small antler growing out of her left ear and curling around it in thin swoops.
Despite how badly beaten she is, I have to remind myself not to take pity on her. She’s a soldier. She marched here with the intention to invade and massacre us.
She and the other fae are having some sort of stare-off. I don’t understand the questions she asked him, but he’s glaring daggers at her.
But it’sherexpression I’m more interested in. Because there’s a gleam in those strange eyes of hers that looks a lot like excited hope. And anything she’s excited about can’t possibly be good for us.
“You saidwhere does it lead,” I repeat, looking right at her as I hold her by the collar. “What does that mean? What are you talking about?”
“Say nothing, or I will crush you!” the other fae shouts at her, just as he tries to lash out at Lu.
But he’s clearly underestimated her, because when he tries to hit her leg to knock her back, Lu just swings back her foot and kicks him in the temple. Just like he was going to do to the woman, so I don’t think Lu did it by coincidence. His brown eyes flare for a split second before he slumps into unconsciousness.
My brows lift, but Lu just glances at me and shrugs.
I look over at the patch of grass. It’s grown up from the snow to form a perfect circle, and there are even white and purple flowers blooming through it. Way too strange to be natural.
“What does this mean?” I ask the fae woman. “Did you make this?”
She snorts, though it comes out more like a wheeze. I think her nose may be broken. “Me? Don’t be ridiculous. My magic has nothing to do with grass.”
“So it’shismagic?”
She hesitates. “I didn’t say that.”
I grind my teeth around a growl. “You will start giving me answers, or you will find yourself at the end of my sword again.”
“But Ididgive you an answer,” she snaps with irritation. “I told you it’s not my magic.”
“You could be lying.”
Her lips press together, and then her hand comes up and slaps the side of my face—not hard, but with enough force that I blink in surprise.
“You—” Whatever I was about to say cuts off as her face suddenly starts to change.
I rear back in shock, watching her skin stretch and pale, her hair darkening, face shape morphing and jawline sharpening. Then I gape even more, because she’s somehow turned into…me.
She’s still swollen and bruised, but it’s definitelymyface.
I let go like she’s on fire, and she goes tumbling back, landing ass-first in the snow.
“What the fuck?” I shout, my pulse whipping around in my ears.
“What the fuck,” she mocks with a low-pitched voice that apparently is supposed to sound like me.
Behind me, I hear Lu snort under her breath.
The fae screws up her face and rolls her one eye.Myeye. It’s green now instead of the red-orange it was before.
“You tried to say I was lying. Well, this proves I’m not. I have glamour magic,” she tells me before she morphs back into herself, feature by feature. “See? That grass has nothing to do with me.”
She tries to push herself up as I glare at her. “So you didn’t lie, but you’re a liar by nature,” I counter. “Every time you use your magic, you’re lying about who you are.”
