“Shut up.”
I stared at Silas. I knew this was not an appropriate response, and yet it was all I could come up with.
“Fae?” I winced as I said it, as if letting myself believe such a big truth for even a second was a dangerous idea. “That’s impossible for so many reasons.”
Silas gave a patient nod, like he was waiting for me to list them out so he could refute them one by one.
“I’m a human, for starters.” I waved a hand. “From Manhattan.”
“Lily thought she was a human from Minneapolis.”
“The Fae are extinct,” I said. “Those words came from your very mouth. You told me how the Queens were slaughtered, and the rest of the species fell shortly thereafter.”
“That’s what I used to believe. Then I met you.”
“How can you possibly believe that I’m Fae?” I waved a hand again. “I’m nothing special.”
Silas caught my chin in his hand, pressed a kiss to my lips. Soft, gentle, firm—commanding me to look into his eyes. “You are anything but ordinary.”
“Even if you have a...” I hesitated. “Acrushon me, that doesn’t mean I’m a Fae.”
“A crush.” Silas’s lips quirked up. “That’s what this is?”
“I don’t know. I’m flustered.”
“I can see that.” Silas brushed my hair back. He stared at my cheeks, which I’m sure were belying my emotions with a blush streaking upward toward my hairline. “Do you have a crush on me?”
“Yeah,” I said. “You’re hot and super studly. But can we revisit this Fae concept? What makes you think I could possibly be something like that?”
“We all know you have power. I think we can both agree that magic is real?”
Silas’s eyes were still searching. I’d never fully admitted my acceptance of The Isle and everything that came with it aloud. I was pretty sure I’d thrown my weight behind the belief when I’d begged to be brought back to this island instead of remaining in Park Slope with my parents, but still.
“Yes.” The words felt foreign in my mouth. “I believe in magic and mermaids and unicorns and curses. I think we’ve established a baseline that magic is real. Or I’m totally crazy.”
A flicker of a smile from Silas. “When you arrived here, what did you feel?”
I remembered the brush of cotton on my skin as I woke up that first day in a strange sleeping dress. The sea-salt breeze sailing over the sugar-sand shores. Millie’s smile, peering in on me. The lyrical lapping of the water onto the shore, the floral scents of the garden, the baking of bread, the complete and utter peacefulness of Wisteria Cottage.
“I felt like I belonged here,” I admitted. “I felt content in a way I couldn’t describe.”
Silas wasn’t looking at me like I was crazy. He was looking at me like I was making all the sense in the world. “The Fae are tied intensely with their Courts—not just the Queen, but the entire species. They’re incredibly loyal—to their lands and their people. It’s why Fae Queens were so magnificent, so beloved.”
“You think I felt so calm upon arrival because my Fae blood was connecting with its roots?”
“I think it’s as reasonable an explanation as anything else.” Silas continued before I could belabor his point. “You were able to heal Irina on your first day here with zero instruction.”
“Yeah, I can’t explain that one.”
“Unless you have innate magic connected to this island. Unless you are so powerful that you can’t help but channel your magic. Unless that sense of loyalty runsso deep you can’t fathomnothelping a fellow islander. One who belongs to your ancient court.”
“It’s a tenuous theory at best. I’m also a doctor, so it’s literally my job to help people.”
“This also supports my theory about the curse.” Silas’s gaze dropped to where our hands were now linked together. “There is a prophecy about a Fae returning to this island. Even if they didn’t knowyouexisted in particular, they knew about the prophecy. It’s why someone would set up a curse hundreds of years ago as they laid in wait for you.”
“Who is they?” I asked. “Why would someone do this?”
“Someone who is threatened by the power of Faes,” Silas said. “I don’t know who, but I have suspicions.”
