Page 29 of Beyond the Faerie Gate

“Once they mate, there’s no one else for them.” Titania sighs. “Mates are literally perfect for one another.”

“And, once they’ve bonded, they usually can’t keep their hands off one another for the first hundred years,” Maeve adds.

First hundred years? “Just how long do fae live for?” Jaro said I’d outlive the villagers, but this…

They all hesitate, and I know it’s going to be bad when Mab is the one who answers. “Your mother was over four thousand years old when she died.”

I’m still clutching the dress as I try to process this. The sense of alienation which has been building since I first set foot in this world has finally escalated beyond my ability to cope.

I was coming to terms with magic. I might have struggled a bit with the culture difference, but I liked the romantic idea of soul mates. But living for thousands of years? I’ve never felt so out of my depth.

And now, thanks to my brother’s bargain, there’s no way for me to go back.

“This is too much,” I mumble. “I can’t do this.”

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