Chapter 3

Talen

 

My thoughts lingered on my conversation with Anna earlier tonight. I had held in the pain of losing my family, my love, and my world for too long. I couldn’t remember the last time I had someone to confide in, or even someone who was interested in anything I had to say. Life in the fae world was all about political games and power.

Fae made and broke alliances easily and without regret. The world that I had left behind was all about getting the upper hand and accumulating power. Being here in the human world was relaxing in some ways, but I could feel the constant drain of my power. Life in the world of the Winter Fae was difficult, but at least I had a faint connection there. I didn’t have a connection to the earth at all in this realm; I needed to go back to one of the fae realms soon if I wanted to stay alive. My life force was fading faster every day.

I walked slowly down the dark hallway toward the room that the wolves had assigned to me. The house was quiet, all of the wolves must be fast asleep. I spent as much time as I could outdoors, desperate to try and forge a bond with the earth here. Even if I could tap into the power here just a tiny bit, it would be enough to sustain me. Being trapped in this human construct of a house cut me even further off from the magic in the earth that I needed so badly.

“What are you doing?” Gemma hissed at me from the shadows of her open door.

I stopped in my tracks, turned to look at her and simply raised an eyebrow. Gemma was one complication that I hadn’t expected when I agreed to Froston’s conditions to come here. I had thought that I would be able to escape from all the fae while in the human world. The Leanhaum-Sidhe were a small colony of lesser fae that managed to survive in this world by feeding off clueless humans. Many of the fae like me considered them to be little brothers and sisters who lost themselves in the human world.

Gemma had set her sights high by targeting twin shifters. They might have enough magic to sustain her for quite some time and make her one of the more powerful of her kind, but she was taking a huge risk. If these wolves figured out what she was…

“We had a deal,” Gemma accused me. “Now you’re thinking about going back on it because of that… abomination?”

I glanced up and down the hall. Gemma wouldn’t have confronted me if any of the wolves were around, so I was free to speak my mind for now. When I first arrived here I was angry at Froston forcing me to babysit his half-breed offspring and jealous of the amount of power Anna had. Fae worked their entire lives to become as powerful as she was, and she didn’t appreciate it. She was living her life as if she was a lowly human, completely neglecting her fae heritage.

As I got to know Anna, I realized that it wasn’t neglect as much as ignorance. Anna had no clue how much power she had and was unsure of how to use it. I was still frustrated when she struggled to embrace her true self, but I had realized that it was fear that held her back. I had gone from thinking of ways to sabotage her, to thinking of how I could help her. I even found myself feeling affectionately towards the wolves that surrounded her. A very small amount of affection. On a rare occasion.

“We made a deal when I thought they were a bunch of mangy mongrels,” I said smoothly. “Things have changed.”

She attempted to slap me but I grabbed her wrist. “I might not be able to come out and tell them what you are,” I cautioned her. “But Anna is smart and soon she’s going to be able to see through your deception.” Anna worked hard during our lessons, but as soon as they were over she closed herself off from her magic again. I was at a loss to find a way to convince her that magic wasn’t a tool that she kept locked away when she wasn’t using it, it was a part of herself. By cutting off a vital part of who she was and keeping it locked away, she was doing herself a disservice. She was also missing what was right in front of her face when it came to Gemma.

“I’m not leaving alone,” Gemma warned. “I’m close to getting two of them, she can keep the other four.”

I shrugged. Gemma was completely insane if she thought that Anna would let any of her guys go without a fight. They had something real, something that I had craved for myself my entire existence and would never find. It might be too late for me, but I wouldn’t begrudge others their happiness.

“I’d advise you to run now, while you still can.”

“What happened to you?” Gemma asked angrily. “How did she get to you?”

I sighed. “I realized that these wolves possess more honor, courage, and loyalty than the entire fae realm put together.”

Gemma snorted. “Weakness.”

I let go of her hand. “Strength,” I countered before walking away.

I might not be able to tell the wolves what Gemma truly was, but I could certainly keep pointing them in the right direction. Anna was learning quickly, but I was worried that it wasn’t quick enough. Fae children were raised with the belief that they could do anything with their magic, that nothing was out of their reach if they became powerful enough. Anna was holding herself back by thinking like a human. She needed to trust her instincts and let go of the idea that doing magic was like following a recipe. Magic was a part of who we were, we bent the world around us to our will.

I sighed as I stepped into my room. I had the feeling that it would take something big to snap Anna out of her way of thinking and let her use magic the way she was meant to do. I was just afraid it would be something too devastating for her to recover from.