Page 77 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

Will I get disowned by my parents when it comes to light? Will I have to live with the Fae, get treated like one of them for the rest of my life, or will I die? There are so many questions, and I don’t have a single answer for any of them.

Maybe I should ask Kieran if there are any other human mates who I can talk to. Maybe then I can see if what we are feeling is the same or if Kieran is making it all up. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner. But Kieran could tell the humans what to say to make me believe.

I groan and close my eyes, taking a deep breath. It all comes back to whether Kieran is telling the truth or not, or trying to manipulate me. I want to desperately trust him, and part of me does, but there is a part of me that knows I shouldn’t. All my life I’ve been taught that they are beneath us and should always be beneath us.

“Adeline?” Mother inquires. “Are you okay? What’s on your mind?”

“Sorry, mother. Just thinking about a lot,” I reply and start to scrub the pan again.

“What’s on your mind?” she inquires again.

Great. Now what am I going to tell her? She can’t know about Kieran, or else she might tell one of the guards or Avira. I don’t even want to think what my sister would do if she found out I was mated to a Fae.

“When you first met father, how did you feel?” I ask, turning around to see her face.

“Why do you ask?” She stops sewing and looks at me.

I shrug. “I’m just curious. Do you feel a tug? Sparks when you touch? Emotions from the other person? Or feel a calmness wash over you when you are anxious, and it’s from the other person?” I ask all in one breath.

Mother blinks several times at me, tilting her head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

I rub the back of my neck, scrunching my nose. “I’m guessing you don’t feel that way?” I shrug my shoulders. “Or do you feel something in that list?”

I stare at her, waiting for her to answer my question. I need to know if she feels the same things I feel or if I’m going mad here.

“I don’t feel a random tug or your father’s emotions. Humans don’t have a connection like that. Sure, I may feel sparks when your father touches me, but they aren’t actually sparks. It’s more like a little flutter in my stomach because I love him so much. When he is near and touches me when I’m anxious or scared, normally it helps me calm down but it doesn’t get rid of the feeling,” Mother explains. “What you are describing doesn’t exist. At least not between humans. You need to not let your mind wander so much. You are going to be very disappointed when you meet your husband and only feel love and nothing else you described.”

I sigh and nod. She said between humans, but Kieran isn’t human. I thought she would help me, that maybe humans have mates as well, but it seems they don’t. Unless my father isn’t my mother’s mate. But I think we all would have heard if humans have mates with other humans. It would make life so much simpler.

“I know you want to find love and you will, but don’t create ideas in your mind that are false. I don’t want you disappointed when the time comes that you do find someone for you. I would hate for you to come up with all these ideas and never find love,” mother gently says.

“I would hate that as well,” I reply, looking away.

But maybe I’ll never find human love since I am mates with Kieran. Maybe the love he has talked about will be enough for me or even more than I ever imagined and dreamed of.

“Can I go out?” I ask as I finish washing the pot I was working on earlier.

“You don’t have to ask every time you want to go out. You are an adult but you can. I know you are trying to get in as much time outside as you can while the prince is gone.” Mother chuckles.

“It’s habit asking now. You know me so well.” I laugh with her. “But at the same time, I do really just want to go outside. I want to feel the cold air fill my lungs and to feel it across my face.”

“You are so much like your father. He loves all of that. Now go and don’t be long. I don’t want you getting sick,” she shoos me away.

I grab my coat and walk outside as I put it on. I immediately take a deep breath and let my shoulders relax. If only I could be Fae so I could stay outside all the time. It would be a dream come true.

Heading toward the forest and away from prying eyes, I calm even further as I hear some birds talking to each other. This is such a beautiful part of nature that I think everyone should enjoy.

“No bucket this time?” Kieran asks as he steps out in front of me.

“Not today. We don’t need the stream water for another couple of days,” I reply, smiling a little.

He cocks his head to the side and looks at me. “What has you smiling?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m in a good mood, I guess.”

Maybe it’s because the guards in the city have become less and less and I know that when I come out to the forest and Kieran meets me that I will be able to spend more time with him. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been able to spend a lot of time outside recently. I know once the baby comes, it’s going to change, so I’m trying to soak it up right now.

What will happen with meeting Kieran once the baby comes? My heart breaks a little, and my face falls.