Page 47 of The Book of Legends
Jealousy flares in my chest, quick and bitter, but I force it down like bile. I have no right to feel this way.
It doesn’t matter what happened at the lagoon.
It doesn’t matter that, for a fleeting moment, I thought he cared.
Kainen is like any other man where I come from—distant, untouchable.
And she’s right.
I’m a liability. A risk to his safety.
If it weren’t for me, he could have killed those beasts without hesitation. He made a choice to save me, and it nearly cost him everything.
My life isn’t worth the risk.
Not compared to his.
These people depend on him for their safety, their survival.
Three Nights Before the Blood Moon
Iwait to eat until Dedra walks away, then take the same seat I used the first time I was here.
“Don’t listen to her,” Nieve says with a wry smile. “She’s jealous of you.”
“Why? Is there something going on between Kainen and her?”
Nieve places a dainty hand over her mouth. “Oh no. Prince Kainen is… different.”
I take a bite of a juicy apple, making a mental note to finish it—knowing what’s sacrificed to get food like this. “How so?”
“Well, male Fae are different from humans like Kainen. They are the most ancient lineage of magical. Their abilities originate from the four elements: air, fire, water, and stone. However, their silver tongues are the source of their greatest terror. Even though fairies are truth-bound and unable to lie, they are experts at leaving things out and creating illusions. Especially the males. When it comes to Kainen, both have power, but Kainen has aheart—buried deep, where no one thinks one exists. Fae usually marry within their own kind and are fated to one another. But after the war, our cultures changed. Now, we coexist. We mate. But usually, no. It’s still rare. As for Kainen... it’s easier to accept a male human mating with a Nymph—or a Fae with a Nymph—than a Nymph with a Fae.”
“Why is that? And how about Nymphs?”
I recall old myths from fantasy books and movies back home. I never paid much attention to them—until now.
She looks up and smiles. “Because Fae males are bigger assholes than humans. As for Nymphs or my kind, in the past, Nymphs and Fae secretly interacted. It was illegal to have such couplings since Nymph blood, albeit magical, weakens the Fae line. The Fae place an absolute premium on blood. But some hope love would disregard the rule of law.”
I raise a brow wanting to see who has her attention. “So where are these asshole Fae males?”
Her eyes light up. I'm sure there's one in particular she’s thinking of, because she suddenly bolts from her seat, grabs a few pieces of fruit, tosses them in a basket, and snatches my hand.
“Wait—what are you?—”
She pulls me down the hall, through the courtyard, turns left—and then we’re in the middle of a wide training field.
A group of tall, powerful-looking men are practicing magic and hand-to-hand combat. Their pointed ears give them away—Fae. They're massive, easily six-foot-six and towering over me. One throws his hand forward, launching another backward into a row of bushes. Laughter erupts as the other gets up, brushing leaves off as if it’s nothing.
“You think that’s funny?” he grins.
Another steps forward, arms raised in challenge.
“Magnificent, aren’t they?” Nieve says beside me.
“They’re... different,” I say, not sure what else to call it.
“They’re assholes. Stronger than humans, but the one good thing—they can’t lie.”
