Page 3 of Faerie Marked

“Your uncle only wants to protect you from our enemies,” Jason continued. “There are so many out there who would consider you a way to get to him. He’s prepared for any threat, which makes him a great leader. He keeps us safe. I’m glad.” Then he grabbed two glasses of whatever they were serving from the table ahead, holding one out to me.

I took a sniff. Nonalcoholic cider, no doubt, although I’m sure the adults had found their way to the hard stuff. Uncle Will always kept alcohol around.

“To you. On your birthday,” Jason said sweetly, winking and touching his glass to mine.

My smile cracked around the edges. He didn’t bother to confirm if it was real or fake. He didn’t care. “Thank you.”

I kept quiet. Taking a long sip from the spotless glass, I let Jason continue the conversation, knowing better than to begin an argument I had no chance of winning. But I glanced around at the party and the shine he’d spoken of, the twinkling white lights strung through every tree and the opulence of even the small detail.

Yes, the bright lights were a draw for any creature dazzled by sparkles and glitz. But for him to suggest the Fae would bother to break in here because of a few strands of twinkling bulbs—

I took another swallow just as an interruption came in the form of Uncle William stepping up to the microphone and halting the band’s music with a raised hand. His commanding presence did more than earn him the respect of our fellow wolves. It made him a feared opponent in the courtroom.

“Everyone, may I have your attention please.”

The single statement in his powerful baritone drew a hush over the crowd though it did nothing to drown out the beating of my heart. I placed a hand against it knowing soon the attention would fall on me.

Yuck.

“Thank you all for coming this evening,” William continued. “What a delight it is to see my people,ourpeople, gathered together in one place for this celebration.”

He stood tall, his muscular frame dressed in an expensive three-piece suit and a sky-blue tie to emphasize the interesting color of his eyes. Though in his late forties, his hair held only the barest minimum of gray shooting through the auburn strands. The color I’d inherited from his side of the family.

“If you would raise your glasses, folks, I’d like to propose a toast to celebrate Tavi, my bright and brilliant niece!”

With my name, the gazes of the collective slid to me surer than any spotlight. Jason clapped lightly along with the rest of them as I stifled another snort.

Uncle William’s dark eyes flicked to mine and held, a mix of rich brown and green. “There you are, my dear! Anyway, as you all know, Tavi has been with me from the time she turned six years old. Since then, I have had the pleasure of watching her grow into the smart and capable young woman you see today. Not to mention beautiful. Although I have to admit she’s given me her fair share of trouble along the way.” This drew chuckles from the assemblage, and I ducked my head to hide the slight blush. Not at his words, but from the weight of so many gazes.

“What you don’t know,” William continued, “is how Tavi has spent this summer working as an intern with my law firm. Something she had to be coerced into.” The joke drew more laughter. “However, she has done a marvelous job of each and every task we’ve handed her.”

He jerked his chin in my direction and the clapping grew louder. I forced my smile to widen in response to the noise level. Sure, I worked for him, and I did a good job, if everyone ignored my memory issues.

No one knew how much I hated it. No one noticed how I kept to myself. It wasn’t the job itself, although the world my uncle frequented, the world he thrived in, held no appeal to me. It was how everyone looked at me that irked the most.

I did the work because Uncle William desired it of me, and as his ward, I owed him my gratitude, my life, everything. He’d taken me in when I had no one else in the world. When he wanted something from me, I did it. Familial obligation took on a new meaning for shifters.

“She’s a rising star no matter what room she walks into, and a guiding light for the future of our pack. When her father was murdered by those Faeriepigs—” William paused to shudder, and some of the crowd of shifters took to hissing at his words. “—I wasn’t sure what to do with a child. I’m not the kind of man who gets along with children, generally speaking. But I believe we’ve managed well with each other. Tavi, I am so proud of the woman you have become. Your kindness, your generosity, your courage, and your work ethic. There is no one like you in this world.”

He had the last part right. Only the others could never know the truth about me.

“I cannot wait to see where your future leads,” William stated, gearing up for a big finish. I could tell from the way his gestures broadened, his eyes gleamed. “No matter the darkness in your life, you shine. You will be the one to lead our people into tomorrow. You will be the bridge for the canyon between the Alderidge pack and the Grimaldi pack. Lucky, lucky girl!”

Wait a minute, what?

My stomach curled with dread as William’s smile went supernova. “Because the elders have determined thatyou, my dear niece, are the fated mate for Kendrick Grimaldi. Surprise! Please, everyone, give her another round of applause. What a gift.”

A bomb went off in my head. I was suddenly sick to my stomach at the mention. Kendrick Grimaldi, the bloody alpha of the Grimaldi pack—and my sworn enemy.

2

My fated mate, the man I’m meant to be with, is none other than the alpha of our rival who had risen to his status not by right but bymight, uncaring of who he brutalized on his rise.

No. God, no, it can’t be.

Luck? No, this wasn’t luck. This was suicide.

Uncle William couldn’t be right. It wasimpossible.

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