Page 67 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

“I said forget it.”

“No.”

We stare each other down.

“Drop it, Eira. It isn’t worth discussing. She’s gone, and we can’t fix the past.”

“If you know something about my mother that I don’t, you better tell me now.”

He sighs dramatically. “I was going to wait.”

“For what?”

“Until we find your father.”

“What does he have to do with anything?” I press my palms on the table and lean forward.

Harek glances at Vivvi. “Later.”

“Now.”

He leans back in the chair, shaking his head in frustration. “Fine. You want to know with a stranger listening? I can tell you everything. Is that what you want?”

“If you’re hiding anything more from me, I want to know.”

Harek turns to Vivvi. “You seem to know more than you should. Do you want to tell us what you think?”

“I’m far more interested in what you have to say.”

Irritation runs through me. “Would one of you say what you know?” I turn to Vivvi. “It’s obvious you were surprised when I said I’m a halfling. Either you didn’t realize that, which I find unlikely, or you’ve figured out something about my powers that I haven’t. What is it?”

She glances at Harek. “Why don’t you tell her?”

He crosses his arms. “You’re not a halfling, Eira.”

The words are like a slap across my face. “But… but that’s not possible. You’ve seen what I can do. I have powers. I’m definitely fae.”

“You aren’thalffae.”

I try to speak but the air feels charged as the realization of his words hits me. “You’re saying…” I struggle to get the words out. “…that I’m full fae?”

He glances down and plays with a nail before looking me in the eyes. “Your mother comes from the same line of werewolves as my family. That’s why she moved to Skoro, why she entrusted my parents with her secret about you being a mixed fae.”

Vivvi pours more bubbly. “And that’s even more scandalous than being a halfling, my dear.”

“But… but…” Nothing makes sense. None of it. “My mother never shifted. She can’t be—have been—a werewolf. It’s not possible.”

“She never triggered the curse, so you’re right that she never shifted. It was dormant in her, but she passed the genes onto you.”

“And my siblings.” I bury my face in my hands, the gravity of the situation pressing on me like a rushing river.

“It should be dormant in halflings,” he says. “Unless that’s only a rumor. In that case, then yes, they could trigger their curse.”

I look up at him. “So there’s a chance they won’t suddenly shift?”

“That was your mother’s hope in marrying a human. She was careful not to trigger the curse and alert Gunnar to her true nature.”

It takes me a moment to find my voice, and when I do, I turn to Vivvi. “Is it true? Do halflings only carry the genes?”

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