by Rye Brewer
“It isn’t just witches who want your blood. It’s any magical creature, any non-human. Fae blood has immeasurable power. And like I said, you’re a beacon. You attract those who want the power of your blood.” She looked around, spreading her hands to indicate our surroundings. “Why do you think we are here, in our parallel world? We cannot leave ourselves vulnerable to those who wish us harm. We use enchantments to hide our presence when we venture into other worlds, but enchantments do not last forever. And there are some who have figured out how to bypass our enchantments and find us. Which is how Malory found you.”
“But… I’ve been roaming freely for years, right? This has never been a problem before. Why now?” It was surreal, hearing about my life and my supposed power as though I had nothing to do with it.
“The enchantment is wearing off,” she explained. As though it were that simple.
“What enchantment?” I looked around, desperate to understand. “What’s so special about me?” I knew I was babbling, but I couldn’t help it. This was a lot to absorb.
She sighed lightly, the sigh of someone given a difficult job, who felt put-upon as a result. “I’m sorry,” I said, “but this is all so new to me. I didn’t know I was of the fae until just a few days ago. It’s a lot to take in all at once.”
“I understand,” Felicity replied. “I realize this must be difficult. I’ve been instructed to tell you what you want to know, but only up to a point.”
“Why? What are you keeping from me?”
“I am not the one to tell you the entire story of your birth,” she explained. “All I can say is, after you were born, you were placed under an enchantment. It was clear you had to stay on Earth—the human world. You would co-exist there as vampires have done throughout the ages. But your fae blood would attract the wrong sort to you. However, the enchantment has worn thin. It was predicted that this would happen, of course, and that once it did you would be brought home to us for your protection.”
“Brought home to you?” I shook my head. “This isn’t my home.”
“But it will be.”
A new voice. Someone I hadn’t heard before. But something about that voice called to my nerve endings, sung in my blood even.
All heads turned at the sound of a deep, male voice. I heard sharp footsteps approaching, the sound echoing throughout the chamber. The crowd parted, allowing me sight of a white-haired man who stood a head taller than the others, maybe more. Or it could have been the proud bearing, the way his head tilted back, his chin up.
The stern expression on his handsome face sent a chill down my spine. The heads of the other fae bowed as he passed. His leadership was clear in an instant.
Good—I had a thing or two to say to him.
I sat up a little straighter, ready for confrontation. I needed answers.
He stopped in front of me, a tall, looming presence dressed in black robes from head to toe. His pale skin and white hair stood in stark contrast to his clothing.
“Who are you?” I asked. “And why am I really here?”
“I’m Gregor, ruler of the fae.” He paused, taking a breath as his eyes traveled over me. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
“Why? Why should I matter to you?”
He looked me in the eye, finally, and in his gaze, I saw the answer before it left his lips.
“Because I’m your father, Anissa.”
Chapter 23
Anissa
I felt the breath leave my body. It was as though my entire existence passed before me in a flash. I remembered the few stories I’d heard about my father. My brave father who’d sacrificed himself heroically during the Great War. A father I’d never known, who’d died before memory could form. My father.
Was it all made up?
The man standing before me. He said he was that man. How could it be?
“No,” I said. “That’s not possible. My father is dead.”
Gregor looked around.
He didn’t have to say a word for the other fae to leave us alone. Even Felicity stood and followed the others. I wanted them to stay. I didn’t want to be alone with him, not when he lied to me. They could only be lies. My mother wouldn’t have told me he was dead if he wasn’t. She had always been truthful.
And yet… All I had to do was look at him to know there was a connection between us, just the way the connection between Jonah and me had been obvious. It wasn’t the same sort of connection, of course, but it was just as strong. I felt it before he’d even spoken.
Still, that didn’t mean he was my father. We were both fae. That had to be it.
“I suppose there are many questions you’d like answers to,” he said.
“Yes. For instance, why are you lying to me?”
He shook his head. “Just as stubborn as your mother.”
“Don’t speak of my mother,” I snapped. “You didn’t know her.”
“I didn’t know her?” He laughed, shaking his handsome head. His hair seemed to glow like platinum, just as his eyes glowed like gold. “I knew her very well, for many years. Trust me. You’re just like her.”
“Really?” I lifted my chin. “Tell me something about her.”
His mouth curved into a smile. “Where do I begin? Her name was Tabitha, for one. She had chestnut-brown hair and green eyes. She had the most beautiful singing voice I’d ever heard. And she wasn’t about to let the other members of her clan tell her she shouldn’t take up with a member of the fae. She would do what she wanted, when she wanted to.” His face fell. “Even when I warned her of the danger.”
His description of my mother made some unknown feeling spread through my chest. I could still hear her voice in my head, singing sweet little songs to cheer me or calm me. She did sing beautifully. She did have thick, lustrous brown hair. How many times had I compared my hair to hers and wondered why mine was so different?
Gregor’s was just like mine. Then I reminded myself that all of the fae had hair like mine. It meant nothing.
“How could you leave, then, if you’re my father? How could you let me spend my existence thinking you were dead?” I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the settee on which Felicity had placed me. The anger I felt, not to mention the confusion, gave me strength I hadn’t had before meeting Gregor.
“Rest, Anissa. You had a close call.”
“I’m tired of everybody telling me to rest.” I stood—a little shaky, but I stayed on my feet. “I want the truth. If you’re my father, why did you leave? And why reveal yourself now?”
“Come with me,” he said. “We’ll find you something to feed on.”
“I don’t eat food,” I reminded him.
“Don’t you think I know that? But you need something to help you get your strength back.” He looked a little perturbed, like a father irritated with his child’s incessant questions.
I was suddenly very aware of how much larger he was than me, and of how much larger he was than any of the other fae creatures he ruled over. Then I realized, he had an entire army at his disposal. I couldn’t push my luck too far. With that in mind, I followed him to what must have been his chambers.
“What is this place?” I asked,
I noticed more of the vines I’d seen in the room I woke up in. From the vines were suspended the same type of crystal globes emitting that same bright, white light. I noticed, too, that instead of looking as though the halls and chambers were built from scratch, they seemed to be carved out of wood. They were beautiful, hung with colorful and lavish tapestries, cavernous, but still sort of primitive in a way.
“This is just part of our settlement,” Gregor explained. “We make our homes in the trees, high in the air, to avoid notice from those who might wish to do us harm down on the ground.”
“I thought the reason you live in this realm was to avoid harm from those on Earth.”
“It is—still, there are predators everywhere, in every realm. We have magic, but there are creatures far more powerful. Bes
ides, we enjoy being close to nature.” He turned his head slightly to take a glance at me. “Do you ever find that about yourself?”
“I’ve always enjoyed botany,” I mused. “But there isn’t much chance to be close to nature in New York.”
He chuckled. “I forgot about that. You’re absolutely right. I did used to enjoy visiting Central Park, however. You know, when I visited the human world.”
I imagined him meeting my mother there. Funny, how my mind wanted to make up stories like that. I already wanted to believe they knew each other, even if it meant that everything I’d been told up to that point was a lie.
By the time we reached his chambers, I felt exhaustion creeping up on me again. He rang a bell, and immediately a trio of who I guessed were his servants were by my side. They helped me rest on a small sofa, and one of them provided a tall crystal glass filled with what my nose immediately told me was blood.
Gregor turned his back while I fed, probably unable to understand how I could do it.
While his attention was elsewhere, I looked around. A desk in one corner was chock full of scrolls and books, stacked high and covering the entire surface. There were books stacked everywhere, really—on tables, chairs, even on the bed and floor. Stacks and stacks of them. I wondered what they contained, why he read so much. What could he need to know? Or was it reading for the sake of reading?
More crystal globes hung from the ceiling, reflecting light around the room. It was bright, but my eyes had adjusted. The walls and floor were smooth—I wondered what tools had been used in the hollowing out of the tree to leave no marks. It had to be some sort of magical process, an enchantment of some sort. I felt comfortable not just physically, but mentally. I wondered if my fae blood had something to do with it. There was a sense of security I’d never felt, like I was where I belonged for the first time. I hadn’t even felt so comfortable in Jonah’s penthouse.
Jonah.
I couldn’t forget the reason I’d left. I had to find a way to get to Gage. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t find out what had happened once the fae released him. How did they find him in the first place? Where was he? Gregor might tell me.
He was bent over a thick pile of papers until I cleared my throat to signal I’d finished with the blood.
“Feel any better?” he asked.
I nodded. I did feel a little stronger, my thoughts a little clearer. I let myself rest against the pillows Gregor’s servants had provided.
“Good.” He crossed the small, cozy room.
I noticed how he didn’t seem to need the grand space Marcus and even Jonah needed to be comfortable. The room was as big as it needed to be, and through an open door I saw a second room with a bed and a tall chest. That was all. He lived simply, even for all the beauty otherwise surrounding him.
He removed a stack of books from a chair and pulled it over to where I sat, then sat facing me. He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, hands clasped between them. I got the feeling he was sizing me up.
“Am I what you expected?” I asked with a wry smile.
Confusion crossed his face, quickly followed by understanding. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you?” he asked.
“Isn’t it?”
He shook his head. “I’ve watched you throughout your life, whenever I could. It wasn’t always safe for me—I’m sure Felicity told you about the high value of fae blood.”
“Yes, though I’ve learned that on my own.” There was still a sore spot on my throat from where Malory’s fangs had pierced my skin. My hand fluttered toward it self-consciously.
“Don’t worry. I had my most trusted potions master treat your wound when you arrived. It should only bother you for a short while. You won’t even see the mark much longer.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t want to think about what happened.”
“And you shouldn’t have to. But you must be careful from now on, as I’ve been, whenever I wandered the human world.”
“How have I never seen you, if you’ve watched me?”
He shrugged. “You were always busy tracking someone—or something—else.”
I stiffened, and he nodded.
“Yes. I knew what you were doing all this time. And I know why you did it. You’re my daughter, through and through.”
I brushed what I supposed was a compliment aside. “If you knew, why didn’t you…?”
“Help you?” He shook his head. “It’s not that easy. It’s never been that easy. I had to keep my distance, or risk causing trouble for both the fae and the vampires. It’s a burden I’ve carried for a long, long time, not being able to be part of your life. But I took a vow, one which I had no choice but to heed.”
My head spun. I wasn’t sure if it was all the new information he threw at me or the lack of blood in my system. I needed time to process what he was saying, regardless.
“Should I tell you the story?” he asked in a gentle voice.
I could only nod. Words escaped me.
Chapter 24
Anissa
“I was born three hundred human years ago,” he began. “Before what’s now America was heavily colonized. In those times, the woodland areas were larger, lusher, and safer for those of our kind. We coexisted with the vampires, the werewolves—all creatures of magic. We didn’t mingle, of course. Had occasional scuffles. The natives that were here gave us our space, they respected the magic of what we and other beings were. We knew our boundaries. It was a fool who overstepped the boundaries of their clans or kinds.”
He looked down and paused for so long I was ready to ask him to continue, then he glanced back up, as if remembering I was there.
He laughed to himself. “I was a fool.”
“Y fool? How? You explored other territories?” I asked.
“It was something many of us did, those of my age. When I was young, it was a rite of passage. We dared each other to go further and further. Most of us grew out of it. I didn’t.”
He sat back with a sigh. “The world fascinated me. It still does.” He looked around, gesturing toward his books. “This is a small sampling of my books and papers. I want to know everything. I want to be part of everything the world has to offer.”
He smiled then, staring at something only he saw. His golden eyes sparkled. “And then everything happened. War among the humans, for one. We could stand at a distance, those of my kind, but only to a point. That was around the time we first built the portal to this realm, the one we’re in now. It was to ensure our safety, to ensure we weren’t discovered. The Revolution, as they called it. Technology happened. In many ways, technology has been the bane of our existence. Of all supernatural beings’ existences.”
I nodded. I could relate to that.
He continued. “Ah yes. Technology. After that, development. So much development. On the one hand, it was a thrill. Progress. Many of the fae don’t care for such things. They want nothing to do with human concerns. But it fascinated me. Even when I didn’t understand why they cleared the forests our kind had called home for centuries, it still thrilled me to watch them work from the tops of the trees they left intact. I would even play tricks on them to amuse myself and my friends. You know, tampering with their tools, moving things when they weren’t paying attention. It was all in fun.”
His expression darkened almost imperceptibly. “Then came the Civil War, and things only got worse after that. It became more dangerous to travel from place to place in the human world. Rules were put in place to keep the fae within their realm. We were expected to follow the rules, of course, for our sake and the same of our kind. It wouldn’t do to lead a human into our realm. Greedy humans. That’s how we saw them—how we’ve always seen them.”
I could agree with him, though I did remember having some human friends that I never thought were greedy.
He continued. “Only I couldn’t stay away.” He spread his hands, chuckling in spite of himself. “It was too tempting. That was an exciting t
ime. I wish you could have seen the world back then. So much progress. It felt like something was coming alive. The entire world, maybe.”
“I didn’t think the fae cared so much about what happened in the human world,” I pointed out.
“They don’t. Not normally. I never quite fit in. Of course, I was marked for leadership from the moment I was born. My father was leader, his father before him. My blood clan has always ruled the far of the light. And my father, so stern and strict, wanted me to have nothing to do with humans or anyone outside our kind. They meant nothing to us, they bore no importance in our world. I was supposed to learn how to lead.”
He stood, folding his arms. I watched as he rocked back and forth on his heels and the balls of his feet. “I did my best to show my father how sincerely I wanted to rule. He was pleased with me. But something was missing. I did everything I could to stay away from the outside world. It wasn’t possible. After a few years, I needed to go back. I couldn’t stay away any longer.”
I wondered what it must have been like for him.
“I think I told you before how much I’ve always enjoyed Central Park,” he said. “There were so few really beautiful places in New York—my favorite city, by far. As the years went on, concrete and steel replaced the trees and plant life we fae thrive around. So, I spent more and more time there in the park, among the living things. And that was when I met your mother.”
Now I was sitting on the edge of my seat. I wanted to hear about my mother. I missed her so much.
His eyes took on a faraway look again. “She wasn’t supposed to be there any more than I was, and we both knew it at first sight. We were like two children getting away with something. There was magic in that. It brought us together. But oh, I would have been drawn to her no matter what. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid eyes on. We didn’t exchange a single word during that first meeting until it was time to part ways, and we agreed to meet there a week later.”