Aidan has been warned about the dangers of being with a human. His people live on the edges of society, in the shadows and alleys. And one day, if he's willing to submit to the birthright ceremony, he'll lead the next generation to continued wealth...
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Emmerson is in my arms, and I'm running towards Trident's cottage. He's not there, but I'm hoping he's left behind enough of his materials for me to fix Emmerson's leg and give her something for the pain in her head.
Whoever meddled didn't know what the fuck they were doing, or she wouldn't be in this kind of pain. Amateur hour. Which is both comforting and worrying. Whoever is playing with Emmerson doesn't have enough power to be a true concern, but the fact that someone is messing with her makes me wonder what they're after. Is it someone trying to get to me? To my family?
My name set off the migraine, so whatever tinkering happened, it was around something to do with me. The stupid part is that Emmerson never remembers me anyway. By design, humans don't remember me or my immediate family. There'd be no need for anyone to intervene. At least not with her memory.
Ahead of me, Kaden is leading the charge. To say he's a reluctant part of this is an understatement. But when I told him I was answering Emmerson's screams whether he heard them or not, he figured he should tag along in case I got myself killed. Given how weak I've become, I was happy for the company.
Even shifting, something I used to be able to do with ease, takes an intense amount of effort. It's why Kaden had to jump in to protect Emmerson first. I wasn't sure I could hold my wolf form, and if I couldn't, I'd be fucking useless if the wolves surrounding her decided to attack.
The door to the cottage is already missing, and Kaden enters, immediately searching through what's been left behind, potions, bottles, and spells, strewn all over tables and shelves. The place has been ransacked, and it's possible anything of value is already gone. Other witches, people who fancy themselves to have some sort of power, maybe even my father, have pillaged Trident's stash.
I lay Emmerson on the couch and take up the search with my brother.
"Here," Kaden says, tossing me a vial. "Fairy blood. Basic pain killer. It'll fix her head."
"And it might turn her insane." I grimace at the blue liquid.
"She's not human," Kaden says. "I don't know what the fuck she is, but she's not human."
"Smells pretty fucking human to me."
"Yeah, of course," Kaden says. "Someone has gone to some trouble to disguise whatever she is. The witch in her head isn't the same one hiding her identity, guaran-fucking-teed."
Tonight has turned everything I thought I knew upside down and shook it. "She's not one of us," I say.
Kaden goes to her sliced heel and takes a deep sniff. "Fuck, she smells human. Like one hundred percent human."
"I know." Seeing him do that reminds me that her head isn't the only thing I need to take care of. On one of the shelves I find a mummy poultice, and I unravel it, striding to her foot while Kaden stands over her, shaking his head.
