Page 46 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

Seventeen

When I wake,I’m no more rested than before I went to sleep. The new magic inside me has been moving around all night like it’s wrestling my own powers. I tossed and turned so much that Harek sat next to me and rubbed my back at one point. It didn’t stop the roiling inside me, but it did actually help me fall asleep.

I roll over away from the wall, expecting to see Harek reading the book I’d left out.

The cabin is empty.

Did something happen overnight? I slept so fitfully, I don’t know how I would’ve missed a scuffle. It doesn’t seem possible.

My palm is warm. It’s glowing orange. The new magic didn’t kill my powers. Relief floods me, though only for a moment. The glow means a dangerous fae must be nearby. It never lights up around Harek, who is safe.

He also isn’t in here.

I scramble out of bed, slide on my shoes, then fling open the door.

Conversation sounds. I recognize Harek’s voice but not the other person’s.

My palm brightens, and a light mist forms. Thankfully, it’s still orange. My magic isn’t changed, even with the mess I inhaled.

I tiptoe toward the voices, pausing at the corner of the building.

Harek and someone who looks like a normal human are exchanging words, and neither appears happy. That fits with my increasingly warm palm.

As I near, Harek glances my way. He gives me a subtle look which sends a clear message—don’t come any closer.

Seriously? I can kill the other guy if need be. But the question is, do I want to? If his magic enters me like with the other two, it could really throw me off. If the stuff inside me doesn’t settle down soon, I’m never going to get a decent night’s sleep.

My palm is as warm as it was when those other two fae showed up, right before I killed them. I hold my palm up, watching the mist ball grow in both size and intensity of color.

The fae stops talking mid-sentence and stares at me, his eyes widening. “You’re…”

“What?” I yell. “What am I?”

If this guy tells me what kind of fae I am, I might just let him live. It’s about time someone gives me my answer.

He runs in the opposite direction.

My heart sinks. Of course it couldn’t be that easy.

Harek yells after him.

I run over. “Want me to kill him?”

He gives me a double-take. “I can’t believe you’re asking me that.”

“I killed two fae yesterday.”

“Let him go. He isn’t worth it.”

The ball of mist starts to fade.

“It’s just as well. The magic from the others is still messing with me.”

“Just as bad as before?”

“A little better.”

Harek glances in the direction the fae ran off. “Are you up for food? We should head out soon. I was going to wake you a little earlier, but I thought you could use the rest.”

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