“What does that mean, exactly?Everyone keeps tiptoeing around me, having fae blood, but no one wants to tell me what that really means.Not being fully fae should protect me, right?”
Lars crossed his legs and sat in the dirt beside him with the same casual elegance he probably used while seated on his throne.“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he tilted sideways to tap shoulders with Quentin.“All fae are full fae.”
“What?That doesn’t make sense genetically.”
“That’s because fae don’t follow genetic markers.We follow magical ones.Fae have such low birth rates that a human and a fae can rarely create a child together, especially one as powerful as you.I believe it is because you were conceived on this ley line.With the protections I put on the house, we pulled some of the magic into you at the time of your conception.”
Quentin waved his hands frantically.“I don’t need any details.”
Lars smirked.“You are rather shy for someone who has a vampire lover.They are seductive creatures.How do you keep up with his libido when you blush at the thought of sex?”
“I don’t blush at the thought of sex.I blush at the thought of my parents having sex.You were about to explain about my fae genetics.You are years too late to discuss the birds and the bees.”
“Even with a ritual and a lot of collective fae magic, I was unable to have children with Allinea.”
Quentin frowned.“But you have three brothers.”
“Ah, that’s because my mother was blessed by a visiting fertility goddess when she was young.Unfortunately, that particular goddess left the realm and never returned after someone tried to imprison her for her gifts.”
“Wow, I guess there are assholes in every realm.What are you going to do when you don’t want to be a ruler anymore?I’m hoping you aren’t considering me for the job.”
Lars laughed.“The court would lose their collective minds if a vampire were your consort.”A wide grin crossed his face.“It is almost worth it to test them.”
“I’d rather not,” Quentin replied.
“Then I will pass the crown to one of my brothers.None of them have children yet, but we have many years before that is an issue.”Lars gave him a sideways glance.“Are you sure you don’t want to be king.You get to wear a shiny, bejeweled piece of jewelry,” he teased.
“If you haven’t noticed, I already have one.”He hooked a thumb through his necklace and raised it slightly.
“So you do.”He admired the necklace without touching it, then continued their conversation.“Don’t worry.Even before you found your vampire, I didn’t consider you for the crown.You weren’t raised in the realm, and the court would eat you for breakfast.You need someone to keep you out of trouble, and your vampire is almost powerful enough to do it.”
“Hey!”Quentin bumped shoulders with his father.“I’m a good boy.”
“Mmhm.Your mother has shared enough stories for me to doubt that.”
Quentin sniffed.“Traitor.”
He enjoyed his father’s quiet companionship for a while before he asked the question he’d been thinking about ever since he noticed the silver tint to his eyes.“What’s going to happen to me?”He didn’t like how small and quiet his voice had turned, but it was hard to fight back his anxiety over an unexpected transformation.It was as if he were losing pieces of himself and turning into someone, or something, completely different.
“Nothing.”Lars wrapped an arm around him and gave him a sideways hug.“Well, nothing you need to worry about.Your ears might turn a little pointier, and your skin could become a little more luminescent, as if you spent every day at a spa.After a while, you’ll notice that you don’t need your glasses anymore, and your magic will grow as you age.Even without your bond with Jaks, you will far outlive most of your human acquaintances.”
“That number is getting smaller every month,” he admitted with a wry grin.He’d have to ask Grevin if necromancers aged differently.It had never been something he thought about before.Not when he’d expected to have a human lifespan.
Separately, it didn’t sound like significant changes, but together, it was a lot.
Lars plucked a flower and twirled it between his fingers.A shimmer of light later, it transformed into a wide grass-green bracelet with a daisy motif.“Wear this, and it will hide your transformation.Better to fit in with the humans.They tend to resent anything they perceive as different or superior.”
“Thank you.”He snatched it up in relief.After he slid it over his hand, it resized to fit comfortably on his wrist.
Lars frowned.“You should be proud to be a fae, but I understand that working on campus, you don’t want others gawking at you.”
“I don’t.I really don’t.Thank you.”He smiled at the powerful fae king.For once, he actually felt like he had a dad.
CHAPTER5
Ateasing waft of warm air ghosted across Quentin’s neck, waking him from his sleep.All the sunshine and gardening had left him with a headache and a sore back.
His father had left after an hour of catching up.
