I rubbed my forehead, trying to ward off the looming headache from absorbing such a shocking revelation. My entire world had been rattled. Everything I thought I had known for the past five years was a lie.
A hot lump formed in my throat, my eyes burning with unshed tears as I remembered the day I’d been told my father had fallen ill. How I’d suspected Calista at first.
But the physicians told me he’d been poisoned by a Demon Fae in the woods, and the creature had run off before the hunters could catch it.
Now that I’d seen what Calista was, I knew better. Calista had poisoned him.
And my closest friends shared the same blood as my father’s killer.
“Now you understand why we don’t like to announce it to the world,” Frisk said bitterly. “People dislike fae creatures enough as it is. But to label us as Demon Fae? That’s basically a death sentence for us.”
“The hunter may be an ass, but he is right to be wary of fae creatures,” Mauro said. “Not all are as friendly as we are.”
“We never thought you’d encounter any of them, Snow,” Frisk said apologetically. “The forest in Knockspur is only populated with civilized beasts like Mauro and me. But in the wilds, you’ll encounter all sorts of monsters.”
I was shaken. Frisk and Mauro—my friends—wereDemon Fae.Deep down, I knew they were the same creatures I’d known all these years. And yet the truth of their bloodline rattled me.
My life in the palace had sheltered me from the existence of fae creatures. I knew they were out there somewhere, but they were so far from my reality that I never concerned myself with them until I was banished. And once I’d met Frisk, Mauro, and all the other sentient fae beasts that lived in the woods of Knockspur, I assumed they were just another species of fae. Like the unseelie.
Oh, how wrong I’d been.
“For what it’s worth,” Kendra chimed in, “the scent of Demon Fae I can smell on them isquitefaint.”
“Snow,” Frisk said, “we are still your friends.”
“I know,” I said quickly. Too quickly. Ididknow that. And yet, they’d hidden their identity from me for years now. “Butyou deceived me. You kept this from me when I deserved to know.”
Frisk and Mauro said nothing. I ground my teeth together, trying to subdue my anger. They might not have lied to me, but they’d hidden the truth. And it stung.
“We were just trying to protect ourselves,” Frisk said at last. “You were the first seelie fae to truly befriend us, and we didn’t want you to think of us any differently.”
I had no response to that. Because if Ihadknown they were Demon Fae, I would have fled from their presence. We never would have become friends.
“Besides, if you remained in Knockspur, you would never have encountered any other Demon Fae but us,” Frisk went on. “There was no need to tell you. You would never be in any danger.”
“But I would have left those woods eventually!” I argued. “It was always the plan for me to return to Taerin and take back the throne.”
“Yes, but it didn’t seem like…” Frisk trailed off uncertainly.
“Didn’t seem like what?” I prompted. When the fox didn’t say anything, I said, “Frisk!”
“It didn’t seem like that was what you truly wanted,” Frisk said, his tone chagrined.
His words stunned me. “What?”
“You seemed so content to live in the woods!” Frisk said hastily. “We thought—maybe evenhoped—that you’d forget about this plan to take the throne and just live happily with us in the forest.”
I hissed a breath through my teeth, prepared to throttle Frisk. “That crown is my birthright.”
“We know. But, Snow, you belong in the forest. That is your true home.”
“You know nothing about my true home. You lied to me for years, and now you claim to know what I want? What I need?” I huffed a hollow laugh and shook my head, too furious for words.
“We care about you, Snow,” Mauro said, his deep voice gruff and strained. “And the queen is powerful. We didn’t want to see you get killed.”
“I’m so glad you two have such confidence in me,” I snapped. “Do the others feel this way, too?”
“The humans?” Frisk asked. “No, they have complete faith in the success of this mission.”
