I didn’t need to ask him if it was true anymore.
The words had come from his own mouth.
Though I still didn’t want to believe it, he’d clearly bargained with the lives of two hundred people—and involved me on top of it. Maybe their entire story earlier about rescuing humans had been an elaborate deception as well. I hadn’t paid close-enough attention to their exact words. For all I knew, they could’ve manipulated me into believing that too.
I shouldn’t have let my guard down around him.
He was a means to an end.
A way to find my family.
Just another fae.
I shouldn’t feel so devastated right now.
Lost in the feelings of betrayal, I barely registered the silent way everyone scurried back to the burrow.
Once there, he immediately sent me away with Lore.
Even she seemed different. While she wasn’t upset about the torn shirt, she was distant, distracted, more serious than usual. Maybe this was her real personality and the rest had been a lie. Soren had basically said that was how the fae operated, hadn’t he?
Rushing me up to her room, she grabbed a new dress for the party out of a pile, pressing it into my hands in a hurry. “I hope it fits!” she hollered over her shoulder as she ran back downstairs.
As I changed, I pictured Soren’s face as he’d begun their little meeting. Seeing his face lost in thought over the hundreds of humans he’d obtained made me more angry the longer I thought about it.
He’d used me.
Despite knowing what had happened to my own family, he’d involved me in doing the same to others.
My conscience stung.
I couldn’t stop thinking how I’d trusted him.
I did it for my family, I reminded myself. And those people would be under horrible contracts either way. But that didn’t make me feel any better.
The fabric of Lore’s gold dress flowed over my skin like cool water, with long sleeves that draped open when I held my arms up. It had a flirty wide neckline that showed off my shoulders and collarbones, and Lore had lent me some dainty gold jewelry to match.
Whether I liked it or not, my job was over. Now it was time to think about finding the few people Icouldsave.
I’d never been so overdressed or so underprepared in my life. If Soren’s information was accurate, I was finally about to find my family. Whatever my conflicted feelings were for him and the others, I needed to focus on that.
When I returned to the library, Soren paced alone by the front door.
He glanced up and froze.
His eyes trailed down my dress, then back up, lingering on my hair, which I’d pulled out of the braids, leaving soft waves in their place.
Gwen coughed from the couch, which made him blink, then turn away to open the door. “Ready?”
Was he blushing? The light in here was weird.
“Is her glamour fading?” Gwen spoke up as I moved to follow.
Both of us stopped, tense, staring at each other.
Soren cleared his throat. “I suppose, I should—if you’ll allow—” He stepped closer, waiting for permission.
I gritted my teeth and swallowed until I could speak civilly, though my voice was tight. “Go ahead.”
