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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I barely make it outside before I collapse on the curb, arms slung over my knees, forehead pressed into the space between, sucking in deep, filling my lungs with air. The pain in my head is gone, but it feels like the world as I know it is spiraling out of control. Nothing makes sense. My best friend is a witch?
"You all right?" A deep male voice asks from the shadows.
I gasp and jump to my feet. Whether I'm poised for fight or flight, I'm not sure. But when the hulking figure steps out of the shadows, my shoulders drop in relief. Kaden.
"Are you a shifter too?" I ask, my tone accusatory.
"He finally told you?"
"He did not." I stare at him, trying to reconcile the man standing in front of me with the beasts that saved me from the wolves trying to rip me apart.
"You figured it out?" This seems to surprise him more.
"Also a no," I admit, annoyed with myself. Now that the truth is staring me in the face, I feel stupid for not having seen it earlier. Where did I think Kaden and Aidan appeared from? Where did I think the giant wolves had gone to when they appeared? Did I really tell myself they scared them off? It's like something in my mind wouldn't let me see the truth.
"Good talk," he says, glancing around. "You have another head splitter?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You smell like fairy blood." He takes a deep inhale. "And something else, but I can't figure out what it is."
"Do you remember Hailey at all?" I scan his face as I ask, searching for any clues.
"Hailey?" He smirks. "I probably met a Hailey at some point. She cute?"
"She's got main character energy." In fact, if I'd had to pick a star of my life, Hailey would have been it. But now I feel duped, betrayed, as though her friendship was never really mine.
"I do like my women fierce," he says, the smirk a permanent fixture.
"Is the woman Aidan is supposed to... The one his parents made the arrangement with... I mean, does this work like in the books? Is she his fated mate or something? Like, the one he's destined to be with."
Kaden's smirk fades, and now he's searching my face. "I don't know what to say to you right now. It's possible my brother would fucking kill me for so much as hurting your feelings. I'm gonna keep my mouth shut on all that." He waves a hand toward the apartment building.
"So, it is then, right? She's his destiny or whatever?" My heart squeezes hard in my chest, making it tough to get a full breath. "He's your brother?" I don't remember Aidan giving Kaden a specific role of any sort. He had a name, and he appeared to be my de-facto bodyguard when Aidan wasn't around, but I didn't know they were related. Other than their immense size, they don't look alike. "Hailey called Aidan the first son?"
