Page 89 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

“I certainly did. She was the first, and only, fae I gave my heart to. Nobody else had been worth the risk.”

“Is your heart that valuable?”

He rolls his eyes. “The risk of a hunter is having a son.”

“What about a daughter?”

“No hunter has ever had a daughter.”

“Congratulations, you’re the first.” Though the words fly out quickly, I can’t help feeling conflicted. What does this mean? Could we get around having to attempt to kill each other to protect our own skins?

More importantly, could we have a chance at getting to know each other? He might be able to tell me things about my mother that I don’t know. Chances are, he saw a side of her that nobody else did. His eyes light up when he talks about her, and that’s not something Gunnar has ever done. We’re all his property, and nothing more.

But this man in front of me? He appears to be exactly the opposite of my stepfather. Maybe he could even care about me—not that I’m going to get my hopes up about that yet. I need to see if he’s genuine. He could be faking everything for all I know.

“Do you have the powers?” My father asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

Harek grabs my arm and shakes his head vehemently.

I keep my focus on my father. “You mean the glowing palm? The awesome ability to absorb the souls of evil fae? Check and check.”

He releases a string of swears.

“I’m not excited about any of this either, believe me.” The foreign magic in me roils around, reminding me of exactly why I hate these powers. All I want is to get it out, and all he can do is swear because I’m draining his power.

“You don’t have the sword?” he asks.

“Not anymore.”

His eyes widen. “You lost it?”

I can’t tell if he’s concerned or annoyed. Part of me feels bad for disappointing him, but then again why should I care if he’sannoyed with me? I have bigger problems to worry about, like getting rid of the foreign souls.

“What happened to it?” He looks around, as if it could be just lying around on the street.

“Long story.”

He mumbles something I can’t make out.

“What was that?”

Harek pulls on my arm. “Let’sgo.”

“No.” I turn to my father. “What did you say?”

“You need the sword to get those souls out of you.”

“I know.”

“They’ll fight until it wears you down. We’re not meant to hold onto them forever. It’s just a method of travel.”

“A method of travel?” I ask.

“Carrying the souls until the sword can store them.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “It stores the souls?”

“Yes. That’s why I said you need it.”

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