With a deep breath, I lifted the bow and stared hard at the target at the other end of the library. Again, every enemy’s face was plastered on the target in my mind’s eye. They had stalked me. They had hurt my friends. They had tried to destroy this Academy. I took a deep breath in through my nose and loosed thearrow.
It soared across the library in a perfect arc, the sharp end hurtling straight into the center of the target. With wide eyes, I dropped the bow to the floor and stumbledback.
“Wait a minute,” I mumbled. “That can’t bepossible.”
Rourke moved up behind me and handed me another arrow. His eyes were flickering as he searched my face, and my stomach flipped over a thousand times. Leaning forward, he dropped his gaze to my chest again and breathed deeply through hisnose.
“Do you know what you smell like, Norah?” he asked in a voice that was almost agrowl.
Shivers coursed along my skin as I stood there frozen in place, every single part of me sparking with a delicious need that made it difficult to think about anything else. All I could do was whisper in response, “No.”
“You smell like fire and rain, but also like frost and starlight.” He leaned in closer, pressing his nose to my hair. “Like wildflowers and crackling leaves and the damp earth after rain. I didn’t notice it until now, but you smell like every season in thisrealm.”
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, still frozen to the spot. “What does thatmean?”
“It means you’re different. And it means that something has been hiding the truth from all of us.” He held up the necklace and closed his fingers around the pendant. “You won’t be wearing this everagain.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“What’sthis all supposed to mean?” I asked as I perched on the library study table. After my little demonstration with the bow and arrow, Rourke had rounded up the others. He’d filled them in on what had happened, and every single one of them was now looking at me with expressions of pureawe.
Which...I didn’t really understand. All I’d done was shoot an arrow into a target, something many of the other recruits had alreadydone.
“What did your mother say to you when she gave you that necklace?” Kael asked quietly as he rubbed hisjaw.
Frowning, I thought back to that moment. It was difficult to remember her exact words. My emotions has been running high, and my step-dad had just slammed his fist into the wall beside my head. I’d been a lot more focused on getting the hell out of there than my mother’s words about thenecklace.
“She said something about wearing it always,” I said with a shrug. “I assumed she just meant that it would be her way of always being with me, even if not in person. Why? What’s the big deal about mynecklace?”
Kael exchanged a look with Rourke, who dangled the necklace just in front of his squintedeyes.
“Autumn fae possess a particular set of skills,” Rourke murmured as he spun the necklace this way and that. “One of them is imbuing objects—and even living beings—with our will. If, for example, a fae wished to keep your true power hidden underneath an illusion of incompetence, a necklace that you wore around your neck might be one way to doit.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Incompetence?”
Finn let out a lighthearted chuckle. “Let’s just say that it could make it seem as though you had trouble with some basic fae skills. Like the ability to dismount a horse without tumbling into aheap.”
At his words, I shot daggers at Liam with my eyes. “You told him how clumsy I was on thehorse.”
Liam laughed, holding up his hands and shaking his head. “Darling, he didn’t need to be told. Your two left feet are pretty much infamous bynow.”
“Wait a minute.” I frowned. “I don’t have two left feet. Have you ever seen me dance? I’m actually pretty good at it, and my balance has always been spot on. It’s something I’ve worked on my entirelife.”
Finn arched his eyebrows. “Wehaveseen you dance, and you’re more than good at it. So, then isn’t it strange you aren’t able to do anything fae-like without stumbling aroundeverywhere?”
He had a point, one I’d never considered until now. I’d never been clumsy. In fact, I’d been the opposite. Dancing had given me a strong core and serious flexibility. There was no reason why I should be tripping on my feet every time I tried to take on a faechallenge.
“So, what are you saying? Thatnecklacemade me terrible at being afae?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Rourke dropped the necklace onto the table as if it had a disease he might catch if he stood close to it for toolong.
“She was able to heal Kael,” Finn argued. “And don’t forget she shifted off of thatcliff.”
“Both of those things happened when she was terrified,” Rourke replied. “Her strong emotions must have temporarily overcome the power of theillusion.”
I held up my hands, glancing from Rourke to Finn to Kael and then to Liam. “Okay, guys. It’s a good theory, but my mother gave me this necklace. My very human mother who knows nothing about any ofthis.”
“Maybe she knows more than you thought,” Rourke said quietly. “Regardless, the necklace has clearly been masking your true powers. I think everyone will agree that it’s best if one of us keeps ahold of it fornow.”
