Fuck.That hurt.
“He really does sleep like the dead,” Emmrich notes.
Deep breaths.
Turning to him, I scour the details of his face as I try to calm down, searching for any signs I could’ve missed, like glowing eyes. They seem normal, other than the color.
“Your ear…” I reach out, brushing the tip of the one closest to me. Despite looking like it rounds at the top, a pointy tip slides beneath my fingers. My eyes widen.
“A glamour,” Emmrich says.
“A what?” I bend his ear back and forth to see if anything changes in my vision. Nothing.
“A glamour. We can use our gifts to change our appearance.”
What the fuck…
I release his ear like it’s a hot pan and scoot away. “Fae can look human?”
“Don’t stop. I was enjoying that.”
I glare at him. “Answer the question.”
He sighs. “Yes, we can, but don’t get all paranoid about it. Most of us have no desire to come here.”
My eyes narrow.He’s being awfully forthcoming.
“And you’re just spilling your people’s biggest secrets? Why?”
He tilts his head, his eyes darting across my face. After a second, he speaks. “From what I’ve come to know about you, that seems to be my best option right now.”
Is that some roundabout way of saying he trusts me?My stomach flutters, but I squash the feeling down.
“If you really are fae, how did I catch you so easily?”
“Our gifts fade the longer we’re in your realm, and I’ve been here a long time. I let my guard down—I hadn’t expected to fight you, and got stuck relying solely on my physical prowess against your foul incantations. Of course you win.” He tenses against his constraints, and there’s a clear venom behind his words as he eyes the vines.
As much as my brain warns me not to trust a word he says, the rest of me wants to believe he’s telling the truth. It’s probably a terrible idea, but I loosen his restraints. They wilt, crumbling into dust within seconds.
Surprise flashes in Emmrich’s eyes, then he rolls his shoulders, savoring the freedom of his arms.
“Don’t make me regret that,” I grumble. “I can tie you back up faster than you can blink.”
He presses his shoulder into mine and locks eyes with me, the gold within them sparkling.
“I know.”
That was definitely a bad idea.But I can’t back down. I’ve made progress, and Arandur help me, I am not losing control now.
“If you can’t do magic, how are you glamouring your ears?” I flick one of them to make my point.
“I drink a small amount of water from home every day—just enough to maintain it.”
Alright. Now for the big one.
“And your friend? Did he take Ellie?”
Emmrich’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t say anything.
