Tarrin nodded, staring down Summer’s second as if daring him to challenge his words.
“That’s why Luca and I found you in autumn,” I said, piecing it together.
“Yes,” he said, shifting his focus back to me.
I faced Caius. “If I understand correctly, given how much time passed before Thaddeus had called of the official search, nearly a year has passed in the human realm in the span of a month here—maybe a little more.” No one contradicted my assessment, so I continued. “How does this change our plan?”
“What plan?” Tarrin chimed in, eyes alert.
The High Lord shared a long look with his commanders, ignoring the question.
After a moment of silence, Sidrick asked, “Did Wymond implement any safety precautions at all, like, say, limiting outside contact?”
I straightened, my eyes darting between the two as I held my breath for the answer.
Tarrin narrowed his eyes a fraction before answering. “That’s oddly specific, but yes. Why?”
Caius’ gaze locked with mine the instant I turned to him, as if waiting for me to ask the silent question that had been weighing onmy heart:Endymion?His chin dipped ever so slightly, indicating that it’s exactly why they were asking—and also why he hadn’t been able to get word to us after once he was deep into the Autumn Court. I needed to know the answer to my next question, but Caius gave me a warning look that reminded me that we had to tread lightly when discussing Endymion with others. It also told me just how much trust Tarrin held in this group.
“Why did it take so long for Wymond to enforce the border lockdown?” Caius asked, and I had to admire the subtlety he went about mining for the information he sought.
“From what I overheard, he needed his commander on autumn soil beforehand, but he was here helping you while his magic…” Tarrin trailed off, looking from me to Caius and back. It was as if I could physically see him putting the pieces together, his mouth slack as he stared, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he knew.
“You can’t tell anyone,” I pleaded.
“Nyleeria,” Caius chided.
Tarrin cut him a hard look. “I might be human, but I’m not an idiot.”
“There’s no evidence of that,” Artton mocked.
It was my turn to cut a warning look. The summer fae’s jaw ticked, but he stayed quiet.
“It makes so much sense,” Tarrin said, rubbing his hands across his face. One moment he was calm, the next his eyes bore into mine, anger radiating off of him. “Is that who changed you intothis?” he spat, indicating all of me.
I flinched, not from the accusation, but from the vitriol and disgust he had toward me being fae.
“You’ll mind who you’re speaking to, Lord Tarrin,” Kaelun said with a firmness that shocked me. “Whether you hold our customs by showing Lady Nyleeria the reverence she deserves by being the spark, or not, you’d do well to remember the atrocities you put her through as a human. And while you swallow that truth, I’d recommend you sweeten the bitterness on your tongue with gratitude forher and the High Lord who brought you back from Father Death’s clutches, unless you’d prefer to be returned to them.”
I blinked at Kaelun, wondering who’d taken over his body and spoken with such eloquence.
“I apologize,” Tarrin gritted out.
“I’m not the one who requires an apology, Lord Tarrin, though that would’ve hardly sufficed if I was.” Kaelun’s warning was loud and clear.
Something shifted as I focused on Tarrin and he on me. Only it wasn’t between the two of us. It wasn’t me versus Tarrin—it wasusversushim, like I’d stopped being an outlander.
“I’m sorry, Ny.”
I accepted his apology with a nod, my mind already shifting to the future. Looking to my far left, I asked, “How does this change what you promised me, Caius?”
True to his nature, the High Lord leaned back in his chair, ankle on knee, finger steepled below his chin. After a moment he looked to Artton, who gave him a silent nod, then Sidrick, who did the same. Lowering his hands, Caius said, “It won’t be without its challenges, and we’ll have to take our time to formulate a new plan that takes everything Tarrin knows into account, but the only thing it changes is when, Because I think it’s high time you got your family back.”
Chapter 35
Incompatibility Elemental
The following afternoon I sat out on my veranda, knee bouncing in anticipation as I counted down the hours to when we’d meet to discuss the plan for getting the twins back. A part of me couldn’t believe it was finally happening. I’d clung onto this goal so hard that the other part of me was almost afraid to accomplish it; because what happens after?
