He pushes out a breath and doesn’t look impressed or grateful. I see nothing but distrust in his eyes. He still thinks I’m lying.
“It’s the truth.” I insist, wincing because that’s exactly what I would say if I were lying.
“So, you did this out of the goodness of your heart? What are you? You appear to be human but…” He cocks his head. “You are magically gifted, so you can’t be. You said shadowfae, but then…your magic isn’t all shadowfae. And your ears…” He frowns. “Are you part witch? Something else?”
I shake my head and make a small snorting noise. “I’m a fool, is what I am,” I say in a quiet voice. “I should have left you to rot. I thought that you were a… Never mind.”
I thought he was kind, noble, and a little bit broken. In truth, when it comes to the latter, I believed Sebastian to be very much like me, but it turns out that I was wrong on all counts.
He might be beautiful to look at, but he isn’t the male I thought he was. Not by half.
I meant what I said. I should have left him to Snow. He would have deserved it.
Even as I think it, I know it isn’t true.
11
Sebastian
Is she part shadowfae? Or is she lying? Her magic is beyond that of any shadowfae I’ve ever encountered, and yet she wielded shadows like they were second nature.
She has to be a witch...surely.
Or at least part witch?
If she had more fae blood, she would have pointed ears. It’s a conundrum indeed, especially since she isn’t talking.
I don’t trust her, even if I want to. I can’t do it. Belen was right about being careful who I place my faith in.
“Come to the table. Come and sit,” Julienne says, breaking the tense moment. She beckons us toward a rough-hewn table near the hearth. “You must both be hungry. Can I get you something to drink? Sit, sit. We’ll keep an ear open for unwanted guests. I have a hiding place if anyone comes unannounced. You need food.”
There’s a clay jug of water on the table along with two wooden goblets. The cabin smells of wood smoke and the stew in the pot hanging over the flames.
Isla moves to the table and practically collapses into one of the chairs. Now that I really look at her, I can see how exhausted she is. Her eyes are bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles. Her sequined costume is torn and dirty, hanging off one shoulder where it was ripped during our escape.
She reaches for the jug and pours herself a goblet of water. Then she tips her head back and downs the entire thing in several long gulps, a little water spilling down her chin.
Who is she? And more importantly, who sent her?
I don’t believe for one second that she wanted to save me out of the goodness of her heart. That she risked everything just because she felt it was the right thing to do.
No one is that selfless. Not in Snow’s realm.
She broke my spell, and for a moment I was quite sure that I connected with her, but now I’m not so sure I can trust what it is that I felt. The fact that I felt anything at all makes me trust her less. She could have projected those emotions to put me off my guard.
None of this makes sense.
That she broke my spell and then saved me from recapture is a coincidence I can’t ignore. I won’t.
“You were set free. I saw you leaving. Why did they let you out?” I ask her.
“Why all the questions? I just saved you, Sebastian, or should I call you Your Majesty?” she asks, her jaw tight. “Can we not just eat in peace and rest before I get interrogated further?”
“You can call me Sebastian. We will rest soon enough. Right now, I need some answers. Please answer the question. It is a simple one, at that.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know who freed me. One second, I was being questioned by Captain Corvius, and the next, I was being let go.”
“No one is just let go,” I tell her, folding my arms. “Try again.”
