Revealed

by Riana Lucas

  My breath is knocked out of me, and I can tell by the wheezing sound coming from my enemy that it has done the same to him. I regain my composure and untangle myself from my opponent, jumping back into an attack crouch, daggers at the ready. As I watch, my enemy gains his composure as well, but somewhat slower. He pulls himself to a sitting position at the base of the tree, breathing heavily. When he finally catches his breath and looks up at me, there is an amused smile on his face.

  I narrow my eyes in return, not finding the humor in the situation. This only makes him chuckle.

  I blink twice, a bit confused. While he chuckles, I take a moment to examine him. He is a Golden Fae. From head to toe, he looks as if he were made of pure yellow gold. His skin even sparkles a bit when the sun hits him just right. I am not sure of his age, but I know that Golden Fae are quite rare. In fact, I have never come across one myself, which tells me that he is probably very old and has become rather good at keeping himself hidden. He does not carry the scent of either Court, which means he does not belong to either, but a faint human smell is there. I cannot figure out where it is coming from, because he does not show any physical human traits. If he is a Halfing, his Fae side is dominant. However, I am still not convinced that he is actually a Halfling. Shaking my head at my own confusion, I finish my initial assessment and find him still laughing quietly to himself while he studies me in return.

  “Would you mind telling me what you find so funny?”

  “Why, you my dear. That was exciting! I haven’t had a tumble like that in quite some time. It was rather invigorating!” He begins to laugh again, and I am completely baffled.

  I decide to ignore my confusion and get on with the interrogation. “What are you doing here, and why were you sneaking up on me?”

  He finally begins to sober up, and even though there is still a small smile on his face, the laughing has ceased. Thank the Faeries.

  “I was not sneaking up on you, my dear. I was merely out for an afternoon stroll when I was ambushed by you.” There is a twinkle in his eye, and I can tell that he is teasing me. We both know he was sneaking up on me, but he does not seem to want to admit it. Deciding a bit more intense interrogation will be necessary, I take a step closer to him, making sure the sun glints off the blades of my daggers in the process. His face jerks up, and his eyes zero in on the steel blades. This is when I notice his pupils dilate, and a bit of red seeps into the whites of his eyes.

  He is an Unclaimed Fae.

  This changes things. Stepping back, I take my battle stance, and my limbs quiver just a bit in fear. My one and only meeting with an Unclaimed Fae did not go so well. If it had not been for my friends, I would not be alive today. So obviously the idea of fighting one again, alone, is a bit terrifying.

  “Yes, my dear, taking a step back for just a moment might be a wise choice.” The smile has slipped from his face, and his voice no longer holds a teasing note. It is very deadly and serious now.

  I swallow in fear, standing frozen in place, not knowing what to do next. If I run, it will definitely result in a chase, but standing here feels a bit like offering myself up as a sacrifice.

  Staring at the Golden Unclaimed Fae, I try to weigh my options. As I do this I watch his eyes. The dilation has begun to go away, and the red is fading. He has not moved a muscle the entire time or spoken other than his first warning. After a few seconds his chest expands, and my grip tightens painfully on my daggers. Instead of attacking, he lets out a deep breath and shakes his head. His body falls back against the tree once again, as if exhausted, looking up at me with another smile. However, this one appears strained and does not quite reach his eyes.

  “I do apologize, my dear. That was rather rude of me. But the sight of those lethal daggers of yours, ready to attack, seemed to bring out the feral side of me.” He flashes me a bright smile that seems oddly familiar, but begins to speak once again before I can place it. “So you were saying?”

  “I…you…I am not…” I fumble for the right words, running everything that has just happened through my mind. I shake my head and gather my thoughts. I need answers, but I am not even sure where to begin now.

  “I am sorry for startling you. I see I have caused you some distress. Why don’t you come sit?” He pats the ground next to him. “And then we can talk.”

  “I am fine where I am.”

  His shoulders slump a bit in disappointment, and I feel a little bad for causing him that emotion, but I do not know him or trust him. On top of that, he appears to be an Unclaimed Fae, even if the ability to control his emotions and instincts is extraordinary. Although I have only had the one other encounter, I have heard enough stories to know that his control is not normal.

  My hand cramps, all the blood having left my fingers from holding my daggers far too tightly. They are as white as snow and becoming quite painful. When I loosen my grip, I almost drop the daggers, because the tingling sensation of the blood flowing back into them is so strong. I hide the weakness by glancing at the tree behind me and taking a few steps backwards. As soon as I am sure he will not see my pain, I return my gaze to the Golden one as I continue to step back until my back brushes the tree trunk. Leaning against it, I sheath one of my daggers but keep the other loosely in my grip. Being completely unguarded would be stupid in my current situation.

  “I need answers.” This is all I say. I know what I want to know, but I am not sure where to start or even how. My hope is that he will offer information, because I am not sure I would be able to force it from him.

  “I am Rowan.” He looks at me imploringly as if this should mean something. I stare back at him blankly.

  I finally get tired of the silence. “Is that supposed to mean something to me? Because I assure you, it does not.”

  A look passes over his face, almost too quick for me to catch it, but I do. He seems relieved that I do not recognize him, which tells me that I probably will not get the answers I am looking for. But I wait, hoping that I do.

  He finally speaks again. “I am a very old Fae, and very rare, as you can see.” He sweeps his hand up and down his torso, indicating his golden body. “As far as I know, I am the only Golden Fae alive.”

  I nod my head, having already guessed at both of these things, but I do not say anything, hoping he will keep explaining. He does.

  “Well, as you probably already guessed, I am also an Unclaimed Fae.”

  I shake my head at this. “But not a traditional Unclaimed Fae. You showed restraint. You controlled it. You kept it at bay and regained control over yourself. Is that normal? Can all of you do that, or just you?”

  “You are right. I am not a normal feral one. I can control it, and I am the only one of my kind that I have met that can do that.”

  “How can you do that, and why are you the only one? What is different about you?”

  He hesitates for just a moment before answering me, causing me to believe that he is not being completely honest with me when he finally answers. “No. I do not know why. I have been trying to figure it out for a while, but as I am sure you very well know, the feral Fae are not that keen on having a discussion. Not even with one of their own.” He shrugs it off and looks out into the forest, not meeting my eyes.

  I bite my lip, knowing now that he is lying to me but unable to do anything about it.

  “Why were you following me then? And do not try to deny it. I know you were!” My voice rises a bit in frustration by the time I finish. I take a deep breath and sit back against the tree again, trying to appear relaxed. The last thing I want to do is anger him, but I do not wish to be treated like some stupid, young Fae either.

  The Golden one, Rowan, raises an eyebrow at my actions. He seems to be able to read me, and I do not care for it. I raise a mocking eyebrow back at him, waiting for an answer.

  He stares at me for a long moment, not flinching or breaking eye contact at all. I do the same. After a few moments, he finally takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, and glances to the sid
e.

  “I was curious about you.”

  “Why? We have never met before.”

  “That may be true, but every Fae in Faery Land knows who you are, my dear.”

  My head jerks back just a bit at this statement. I knew that word in the Seelie Court had spread quickly when I returned home, but the entire Faery Land? That does not make any sense to me.

  “Why? How?” I shake my head to clear my thoughts so that I form coherent sentences instead of babbling. “Why would all of Faery Land be concerned with me?” I ask, baffled.

  “Why wouldn’t they?” He chuckles softly. “You are one of the most famous Fae in Faery Land. You are the Princess of the Seelie Court, raised by the Unseelie king’s second, your best friend killed the Unseelie king, there’s a rumor the Unseelie king was your father, your consort is a Halfling…need I go on?” He lifts one eyebrow when asking.

  I shake my head, mouth gaping open in a mixture of disbelief and horror. How had all of this been spread? How does everyone know all of these things about me? But most importantly… “He is not my consort! He is my friend! What does that even mean? Consort?” I sniff and turn my head, hoping he does not see the blush in my cheeks. That is the last thing I want being spread around Faery Land about me, and I definitely do not want Reed to hear it.

  I am torn from my thoughts by the sound of Rowan’s laughter. As I glare back at him, I demand, “Well, why are you so interested in me?”

  His chuckle dies down, and something in his eyes flash. He looks away again, staring out into the forest. I can tell that he did not want me to ask that question and does not want to answer it. I lean forward, preparing to push him when I hear a loud noise coming from behind me. My head whips around, and my grip tightens on the dagger in my hand. Closing my eyes, I listen, instantly sensing Reed. Relieved this is not a new threat, I relax and turn back to Rowan, but he is no longer there.

  Chapter Ten

  Letting out a sigh in both frustration and relief, I turn back and wait for Reed to finish making his way to me.

  My frustration stems from the lack of answers I received. Rowan knew things I did not realize were so widespread throughout Faery Land. He also knew things I am sure are not common knowledge. Although he tried to make me believe he was just curious about me, I know he was hiding things from me. Which is why I am also relieved. Some of what he told me I do not want Reed to hear, like this consort nonsense. The last thing I want is for Reed to hear or think that he is seen that way. He is my friend and a very important part of the Seelie Guard. Labeling him as something that holds no true value among the Fae would only be an insult.

  I can admit that as much as Rowan frustrated me, he intrigued me as well. A Golden Fae is rare, but an Unclaimed one that has the ability to control his instincts is unheard of. Then there was his personality. Not only could he control himself, but he was happy and joking around which is very uncommon with the Unclaimed. There was also something about him that seemed vaguely familiar, but I just cannot place it. Before I can dwell on the thought too long, Reed steps around a massive oak tree and into my line of sight.

  A big smile takes over his face as he walks toward me. “Hey. What are you doing all the way out here?”

  Shrugging, I smile back and watch as he takes a seat next to me. He lowers himself to the ground, settling in close, his left leg brushing against my right and his foot tipping back and forth to knock lightly against mine. I roll my eyes at his playfulness but remain quiet as we both lean back against the rough bark of the tree behind us. Taking a deep breath and relaxing completely, I knock his foot back with my own. “Just thinking.”

  He raises an eyebrow at my unsheathed dagger, the one I had forgotten I had been holding since my encounter with Rowan. I put it away and give him a sheepish look. “You can never be too careful,” I mumble, hoping he does not call me on my lie. I sensed him well before he reached me, just as he knew exactly where to find me. There was really no reason for my weapon to be drawn, but instead of asking more about it, he asks something equally as difficult to answer.

  “Thinking about what?” His tone remains teasing as he bumps my shoulder with his.

  “Everything?” I do not mean for the answer to come out as a question, but it does, causing me to wince at myself. Sharing my feelings with someone is new to me, and I do not know where to start.

  As if reading my exact thoughts, Reed answers, “Why don’t you just start at the beginning?”

  I look up sharply at him. He shrugs and smiles, turning his head to look out into the forest, not meeting my eyes or offering an answer to my unanswered question.

  Watching him closely, I avoid his question and ask one of my own. “How did you know where to find me?”

  He shrugs again and still does not look at me.

  “I am serious. How did you know where I was, Reed?” I hear the hint of desperation in my own voice and feel my heartbeat accelerating. Almost sure he can hear these things too, I wipe my hands on my pants and hope he cannot sense how scared I am.

  This time when he shrugs he turns to look at me. “I don’t know, Poppy,” he finally says, and although there is a smile on his face, his eyes are weary. Does he feel what I feel? The next set of words out of his mouth confirm that he does. “I just seem to be able to sense you.” He hesitates, but continues. “You don’t feel it?”

  This time I am the one to shrug and look out into the forest. The forest is much thicker here, with trees that seem to reach to the heavens and so big around that Reed and I are both able to lean against the same tree, completely hidden from the other side. The scents are deeper and sharper out here. I can smell the dirt, trees, flowers, and animals all in the same breath. It should be relaxing and comforting.

  Instead, a mixture of fear and relief rush through me. I wanted to know I was not the only one feeling this, but I am scared of what he will think. Will it bother him, or will he like the connection? What if it scares him and he wants to stay away from me? I could not bear it if Reed were not a part of my life. My fear wins out and I, not so subtly, change the subject.

  “We have not had much time lately, with the training and all, to talk. I have not been able to ask how you are doing. How are you adjusting?”

  He looks at me for a moment, his knowledge of what I am doing clear in his eyes, and I fear for a moment he will press the issue. His mouth tightens just slightly in annoyance and I hold my breath, waiting. When he finally breaks eye contact, I let it out slowly and look down at the ground where his fingers play with a blade of grass.

  Plucking it from the ground, he twirls it between two fingers as he speaks again. “I’m okay. The training and planning have been a good distraction. It’s definitely much different here than it was at the Unseelie Court.” He lets out a humorless chuckle, and a pang of sympathy hits my heart. His time in the dungeon must have been horrible, but we have not talked about it.

  Reaching hesitantly for his free hand, I wrap my fingers around his. He does not look up at me when our skin touches, but wraps his fingers around mine tightly. Once I can catch my breath from the shock of holding his hand, I ask, “Do you…do you want to talk about it?”

  He squeezes my hand and lets out a tired sigh, all while shaking his head slightly. I try not to take it personally, but his not wanting to talk to me still hurts a little. I cannot really blame him; it seems as if we both have issues with opening up and telling our secrets. But then he begins to talk.

  “I was so scared, Poppy,” he says so softly that I am forced to lean a little closer. “One minute I was standing there with you, and the next I was grabbed from behind by some stranger who was much stronger than I was and being dragged away from you. Then without even knowing what happened or where I was, I was thrown into a dungeon.” A slight tremor quakes his body, and I find myself getting angry at Damien all over again.

  “Were you hurt?” As much as I hate the idea of him and Rho being tortured, I need to know if and what was done to them.

>   He shakes his head again but I hold my breath, needing the words. They finally come, and a huge sense of relief rushes over me. “No. Not really. They threw us around a bit, only fed us once a day, and yelled a lot. But that was pretty much the worst of it. Rho did good. You would have been so proud of her.” He glances up at me with a small smile and then looks back down at the blade of grass still between his fingers. “She fought back and defended you whenever they said you wouldn’t come for us.”

  I smile a little, too. Seeing Rho in my mind, pink eyes blazing, pink hair wild, giving the guards all she had. I snicker at the picture that forms in my head.

  Reed snickers too. “Yeah, probably exactly what you’re imagining is right.”

  We both fall silent for a bit, lost in our own thoughts, but sensing they are closer to each other’s than normal.

  “I miss my mom,” Reed finally whispers into the silence.

  I nod, knowing this would come up eventually. “I know. Probably all of your friends, too.”

  “No, just my mom.”

  I am a bit surprised by his comment. Reed seemed so popular and friendly. I knew he left behind more than a few broken hearts and best guy friends. The fact that he does not miss any of that is not what I had expected. I tilt my head to study his profile as he continues to twirl that lone blade of grass.

  “I understand that you must miss your mom terribly, but why not your friends? You had so many.” I am genuinely curious.

  “No, not really.”

  I raise an eyebrow, but he does not look up to see it. My silence must ask my questions for me.

  “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I hung out with a lot of guys and had a lot of girlfriends.” His cheeks turn a bit pink at the admission, but I decide against teasing him. I would rather hear what he has to say. “But it wasn’t real. You know? It was just convenient and comfortable. The only thing I had ever known. But this…” He gestures with the blade of grass in one hand and mine in the other, encompassing the forest and all that lay beyond. “This is all real. My place at the Seelie Court is real.” He hesitates once again but turns his gaze to me when he finally finishes. “You are real.”