“He’s not my father,” I mutter as I rub at my brow. “And he won’t wake up—he sleeps like he’s dead.”
Emmrich just chuckles. I should punch him in the face. But it’s a nice face. At any other time, I could see myself doing a lot of things to that face. The thought sends heat burning up my collar into my cheeks, and I pray they haven’t turned red.
His smile tells me they did.
I groan, burying my face in my hands. He’s in control, and he knows it. There has to be a way to turn this around, but I’m running out of time. In my desperation, only one idea comes to mind.
“Please.”
“Hmm?” Emmrich’s brow arches up.
“Please,” I repeat, slumping away from the wall. “None of this makes any sense to me, but my gut tells me my friends are gone, and you know why.”
“What doesn’t make sense?”
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
He just eyes me, waiting, so I briefly explain Caeo and Ellie’s memory problems.
“Sounds like a fae curse,” he says.
… What?
I must have blacked out for a second because the world flipped right-side-up and I have no idea how I’m still standing.
“A fae curse?”
“Yep. Not even a terribly creative one, for that matter.”
Oh, fuck.
“I’m so stupid.” Top of my class, and I couldn’t see a fae curse right in front of me.Shit.
“You’re not. Caeo wears a necklace that prevents mortals from thinking of anything fae related to him. Though it seems to crack if someone pokes at it enough.”
My thoughts stutter to a halt.
What did he just say?
“How in the name of Arandur’s wrinkly sack would you know that?”
Emmrich cocks his head to the side and raises his eyebrows.
“Because I’m fae.”
…
WHAT?
I don’t even know what obscenities tumble out of my mouth. Pain sears my foot as I kick the bed. A ball of ice shatters against the wall that I must have thrown.
I almost fucked a fae. The enemy. Who have been warring with us for thousands of years.
FUCK.
And he has the nerve to watch my outburst like he’s evaluating one of Ellie’s drawings. I hate this man—this fae.I hate this fae!
After releasing a final stream of curses that make little sense, even to me, I collapse on the thin mattress next to him, cradling my throbbing foot. Then I slam my fist against the wall because I don’t learn from my mistakes.
