He should have forged his father’s signature.
“Forging my signature wouldn’t have worked,” his father said knowingly. “A child crossing alone would have raised flags, regardless.”
“Something happened. It hurt,” Rennick said softly, placing his palm against his chest. “Not physically, but she was upset, Dad. I had to do something.”
“I think writing her letters is a good idea.” His father’s words surprised him. “The humans don’t teach much about fae, and it’s a good idea to tell her as much about us as you can.”
“She can’t know who I am.” Rennick raked a hand through his sweaty hair. “If someone found out, she might get hurt.”Like Mom.
The unspoken words hung between them, and his father’s face softened.
“I know, son, and that’s why she cannot write you back. If another fae, even a palace maid, were to see a letter from her in your room, where she calls you her mate, or intercept it somehow, it would put her in danger.”
“I’m not going to write to her again,” Rennick told him. “I can send her a history book on fae.”
His father studied him for a moment. “I think the letters willhelp keep you two connected. You don’t want to be detached and forget the importance of your bond.”
Rennick pulled himself up to his full height. “I would never forget. I know my duty.”
“And her?” his father asked. “If she never hears from you again, there is nothing stopping her from falling in love with another and marrying them before you can retrieve her.”
He’d not thought of that. What would he do if that happened?
“The royal bloodline would weaken,” his father went on. “We cannot allow that to happen, and I don’t want you to miss out on the joys of marrying your fated mate.”
“Just because she’s my mate doesn’t mean I’ll love her.” Rennick set his jaw stubbornly. “That’s not how the bond works.”
“Even if you do not love her romantically, you will love her deeply. Your souls are one and the same.”
“I can’t stop her from marrying someone else if I’m not there.” Rennick silently implored his father to refute his claim.
He did no such thing. “You’re right. You’ve been dealt a bad hand, son, but that doesn’t mean you roll over. The least you can do is try.” His father’s eyes glazed over briefly before clearing. “We need to head back. Finn and Reyna just arrived.”
“Reyna?” Rennick echoed.
Reyna was his father’sfamiliar. The snow leopard’s head came to Rennick’s chest, and her teeth looked like rows of triangular ivory razor blades. Her eyes were pitch black against her solid white fur, and had Rennick not grown up with her, he’d be terrified.
“I glamoured her,” his father assured him.
Royals could glamour entire kingdoms if they needed to, and with Amelia’s village being only an hour away from the barrier on horseback, glamouring Reyna that far away was nothing for the king. Only one thing gave Rennick pause.
“You can glamour past the barrier?”
His father looked amused. “The barrier does not affect fae, son.”
Rennick knew that, but it still surprised him. He hadn’t really thought about it.
His father’s eyes glazed over momentarily. “Finn is almost to your rooms.”
Rennick nodded and followed his father home with a new fear. What if his mate fell in love with someone else? What ifhedid?
3
SIX MONTHS LATER
Amelia sat on a worn settee in the common room of the orphanage with a new book. The dark wooden walls and mismatched furniture felt cozier than her small room, and the fire roaring in the stone fireplace gave off a warm glow alongside the lanterns adorning the side tables. But the best part was that she wasn’t alone. Clover, a girl her age who’d joined the orphanage a few months ago, often read quietly in the large room, too.
Amelia and Clover sat together many nights, sharing a lantern to read by without saying a word. Did that make them friends? Amelia wasn’t sure, but the prospect of finally finding someone who enjoyed the same things she did, mainly reading and talking about books, was exciting.
