Page 129 of Hidden
“Her name was Alyssa Titania Dubois, maiden name Stephens. Her brother’s name is Arthur, and her parents are Oliver and Marianne,” Bryce said. “Our mother loved music and art. And she loved plants. She made up all sorts of home remedies. She was soft-spoken, gentle, kind, and was the embodiment of feminine grace.”
My heart filled with warmth and the room seemed to brighten. I could imagine her now—such elegance and poise. She was perfect—everything I imagined a fairy princess to be.
Brayden coughed out a laugh.
“What?” Bryce frowned at him.
He shot his brother an incredulous look. “Are you joking?”
“She was all of those things!” Bryce protested. “At least to me!”
Brayden rolled his eyes, as he held both my hands between his and turned to me.
“Ignore his theatrics,” he said. “I don’t remember much about her, but Bryceisright. She wasallthose things. However, from what I understand, she was also rebellious—”
“Don’t encourage it!” Bryce interjected.
“Shut up.” Brayden continued watching my face. “She was the most god-awful cook known to mankind. She loved playing pranks on people. And while she was hard to anger, when she finally had enough of someone, she didn’t hesitate to kick ass.”
I blinked at him, stunned into silence. Yet, he spoke again—somehow, there was more.
“Gloria was her godmother, and they adored each other. Once Mother was old enough, she spent her summers here, trailing after her. She loved solving mysteries and getting into trouble. Grandfather hated it.”
That sounded kind of fun. “Why did he hate it?”
“She was only allowed out because Grandmother and Gloria are best friends and because of her position. It’s dangerous for a female fae in this world,” Bryce cut in, petulant. “You’ve seen what can happen!”
Brayden shot him a scathing look, but I was hardly paying enough attention to care.
I had all this new information… Shewasn’ta fairy princess.
She wasbetter.
This was everything I’d ever imagined. But there was still…
I bit my lip, glancing at Brayden. I wanted to ask.
“What is it?” he prodded.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the heat warming my face. “Do you have a picture of her?” My voice warbled, and it was a miracle any of those words were understood.
But they had been.
“Of course.” Brayden tugged at my hands, waiting for me to open my eyes. And when I did, he smiled. “You only had to ask.”
Bryce cleared his throat, and my attention turned to him. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a heart-shaped locket. By the time he’d finished opening it, the edges of my vision had turned black and the sound of my heartbeat was all I heard.
I couldn’t speak, I pulled my hands from Brayden, holding them out in front of me as Bryce handed me the small frame. The gold felt hot against my skin, and the nervous excitement flooded my body. As my attention wandered to the picture itself, my breathing shook. A long-haired brunette woman with rosy pink lips and large eyes smiled back at me.
It was at that instant my world stopped.
The sound of my name echoed through my awareness—Brayden calling for me. First as a question, and then in alarm. More commotion pressed in from every direction, fuzzy details in a background that continued to fade from my awareness. Julian was here now, but it didn’t matter.
My body felt numb. It was so cold.
Nothing mattered anymore. I wanted to respond, to scream. But I couldn’t, I was trapped in my own mind, the face of Alyssa Dubois staring back at me.
Judgment heavy in her gaze.
