Page 47 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

My palm is now back to normal, and I press it against my abdomen. The weird magic is sloshing around in there, but it doesn’t affect my appetite. “Yes, let’s eat.”

We return to the cabin and have more dried meat before setting out. Some of my nausea is back, but I don’t think it’s bad enough to make me vomit again. Walking seems to help, so it’s a good thing we have a long journey ahead of us.

“How far is the city?” I ask.

“I’m not entirely sure.”

“You’ve never been there?”

He meets my gaze. “There’s a reason my family chose to live among humans—fae don’t generally want us around.”

“Why not?”

“What I told you about werewolves earlier is true, but we’re also at the bottom of the chain. We, like vampires and zombies, are like the dregs of the fae world.”

“Even though you can shift whenever you want?”

“Not whenever. We’re still dependent on the full moon, even if we can choose when to turn within those three days.”

“You’re fae, so why should anyone care?”

He cocks a brow. “You scoop manure. Why don’t you lead the council?”

“Point taken.” When he puts it in human terms, it makes sense. “So, basically you’re me?”

“Right. Not that I don’t think you could lead the council. But with people like Gunnar holding power, other people have to fall in line.”

“You guys don’t.”

“Except we do—fae aren’t allowed in the walls except under special approval.”

I give him an approving smile. “So, you’re rebels.”

“You could look at it like that.”

“Nice.”

“So are you.” He gives me a playful nudge. “You just didn’t know it.”

“Speaking of things I don’t know.”

“Uh-oh,” he mutters.

“You knew this line of questioning was coming.”

“As long as you’re not mad at me.”

I look him square in the eyes. “I definitely am, but I’ll forgive you.”

He gives a little nod. “What’s your first question?”

“Do you know what kind of fae my father is? That I half am?”

“No. Your mother took that secret with her to the grave.”

“But every fae I’ve come across seems to know exactly what I am. The orange glowy palm appears to be a dead giveaway, but none of them stick around long enough to tell me.”

“Don’t forget I grew up around you. I only ever go out into the woods to hunt or shift. The majority of my life has been spent inside the walls of Skoro, just like you. I don’t have fae friends or know what the others know. My life is a human one.”

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