Avery smiled at Savine. “You’re like a fairy Robin Hood.”
“I’m not familiar with that person, and I am not a fairy. It’s my turn to ask the questions.” Savine shifted his body and looked around the room. “I think we need a glass of wine before continuing.”
He turned from the chair and walked to the door, speaking to Weston in hushed tones before sitting back in his seat. A few moments later, a slender fae woman with bluish hair and skim-milk-coloredskin brought in a bottle and two glasses. She asked if Savine needed anything else before revealing sharp, fishlike teeth that made Avery jump back.
Savine poured two glasses of wine and passed one to Avery. She noticed how carefully he held the glass to ensure that their hands didn’t touch. Weird. Maybe he had some sort of prejudice against humans and didn’t want to touch her.
Savine took a drink of his wine before he spoke to her. As he set the cup down, he said, “Tell me, Avery Hollis, what are you most ashamed of?”
“What kind of question is that? I’m not telling you that,” Avery argued.
“It’s the kind of question that gets to the heart of what type of person you are. I answered your questions. You answer mine.” He leaned back in his chair as he brought the wine glass to his full lips. His teeth scraped his bottom lip, sucking the bit of wine that shone there. His trimmed beard accentuated those full lips and his strong jaw. Why the hell was she noticing those lips and that jaw when he was invading her privacy? There must be something wrong with her.
“It’s easy to answer. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I had a great life until a few days ago.”
“Are you lying, little flower? I wondered if you were capable of such a thing. Very interesting.”
“Stop calling me a little flower. And no, I’m not lying.” Avery gulped down a mouthful of wine. The sweet, slightly floral flavor was intoxicating. As she said the words, her chest tightened, and she was hit with a fit of uncontrollable coughing. She grasped for her water bottle and drank the water down in a few gulps, but the tightness continued.
“Hmm… It seems like that wine isn’t settling right. I suspected as much. There’s an old witch’s tale that parents share with their childrenabout the ancient humans’ capabilities to lie. We cannot lie, but it appears you can. There is also an old legend that if you give a human the food of the fae, you can stop their lies. Looks like those old stories are true.”
Avery’s coughing continued. Her chest tightened as she continued to struggle to breathe without coughing. “You asshole!”
“Now, now, Avery. You are looking very uncomfortable. And I don’t appreciate being lied to. Tell me the truth, and I will not ask any more invasive questions.”
“Fine! I’ve always been ashamed of my jealousy toward my sister. She’s smarter and more motivated than I am. She always has been.” The pressure on her chest immediately receded. Avery stopped coughing.
“Next time we play this game, little flower, I want you to be truthful. It is unnecessary for you to be so uncomfortable. I hate to see you in pain. But, now I know those old stories are true. How fascinating!”
Avery glared at him. Well, they both learned something about each other. She couldn’t trust the man, but at least he couldn’t outwardly lie to her. Meanwhile, she’d be damned if she ate or drank near him again.
“You were honest with me and shared some of your story. I’ll share a bit more just to help you see you can trust me and my people. Humans are unheard of in Aeritis, other than in children’s stories. According to the stories, long ago, they outnumbered the fae, but were used for labor. Many humans were subject to unfair treatment by the fae. A group of magical humans separated our realm from the human realm to save the humans from mistreatment. The folk have seen very few humans since. I have never seen one return to this world until you, but my grandfather told me stories of their existence. He claimed that the worst of our kind often found the humans, and they did not survivelong here. But, in the right hands, a human, particularly the right human, could be a powerful force in this land. I believe you could be that human, and the Goddess Althea entrusted your care to me,” Savine finished and looked into her eyes with those dusty-blue eyes.
Avery stared at Savine, mouth agape. “Um. Wow. This whole thing keeps getting more bizarre.Youactually thinkI’msome sort of hero?” Avery couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow. Thanks? Unfortunately, you have a hyperinflated view of who or what I am.” Avery saw a tinge of disappointment in Savine’s face. He shifted both feet to the ground. He was silent for quite a while before he sat upright and looked her in the eyes.
“I will prove it to you. You are marked by the Goddess, sent here for a purpose.” Savine lifted his hand and brushed it against Avery’s forehead. A tingling sensation caressed her skin, and Avery rubbed the area. Avery was surprised to see Savine pull a mirror out of the drawer of the small dresser in the corner. “All tents are stocked with the basics for my people’s comfort. Look at yourself and tell me what you see.”
A startled cry escaped Avery’s lips as she examined the tiny stars interconnected with a vine across her forehead. She hadn’t noticed it being there before, but didn’t have long to examine it before he brushed his hand against her forehead, hiding the mark again.
“What the hell sort of magic was that?” Surely that was some sort of illusion.
“That’s the mark of our Goddess, Althea, on your forehead. Outside of a few priestesses, nobody carries Althea’s mark on their head.”
“How do I know you didn’t just make it appear for a while, then remove it to trick me? It’s gone now.” Whatever he was trying to prove, he was playing her for a fool.
Savine swiped her forehead again as he lifted the mirror to Avery’s face. “It’s still there, just under a glamour. Kyla put one in place tokeep others from knowing you’re marked. I expect you to keep it in place. I can’t begin to fathom what some of the folk would do with a human marked by the Goddess. If you value your life, keep the mark a secret.”
He brushed his hand across her face again, and the tingling sensation settled into her skin. Avery couldn’t see any remnant of the tiny stars on her forehead.
“What do you plan to do with me?” Avery asked.
“Althea allowed me to find you, so you’re mine. You are destined to be here, and I’ll make you see that leaving isn’t an option. Let’s return to Quartz Mountain. I will give you the chance to travel back to your lands, and if you cannot, then you'll willingly come with my rebels and fight against the Latian king. But I know you won’t be returning to Montana.”
Fight against a king? He had to be kidding. But it didn’t matter. He would bring her back to Quartz Mountain, and she’d be on her way home. Avery didn’t back down from Savine’s stare. She stuck out her hand to shake his, but he only looked up at her.
“You’ve got a deal. This doesn’t change the fact that I hate you though,” she said before she placed his hand in hers and shook it. Tiny jolts went through their touching skin. A flash of something crossed Savine’s face. Was it fear? Surprise? Savine pulled his hand away from hers, balling it into a fist before he stood and walked out of her tent without another word.
Chapter ten
