Page 59 of The Witch's Spell
Thorne seems to consider for a moment, like he’s still not sure if he wants to be completely honest or not.
Then his face changes. It gets sharper, slimmer. Everything about him takes on a subtle shimmer. And his ears get pointy.
Pointy.
“You’re a fucking elf?” I say.
One of Thorne’s snowy brows arches in the corner. “No. I’m a fairy.”
A beat of silence passes.
And then Rowan and Alden burst out laughing at me.
“Shut up,” I snap. But that just makes them laugh harder. And it makes Thorne laugh too. But with his face like that now, his smile is sharper, to the point where the wolf in me almost wants to consider him a fellow predator, another beast that haunts the woods. And maybe my wolf is right. My instincts told me something was off about him the moment he stepped into the cottage.
I know very little about fairies, except for the fact that some of them are pesky and annoying, and some of them aredownright dangerous. And I’m pretty sure he’s the latter. He did throw me and my brother ten feet with the flick of a wrist. I wonder what damage he could inflict if he actually tried.
Once the others have stopped laughing, Rowan asks Thorne, “Why didn’t you tell us?”
And Alden interjects, “Does Aurora know?”
“Of course she knows,” I scoff as I lean back, wincing again at the wounds etched into my skin. “Aurora knows everything.”
It’s true. You can’t slip a single thing by her. It’ll probably drive her kid crazy. I almost smirk at the thought.
Alden and Rowan nod their agreement.
“Humans,” Thorne starts, already revealing howotherhe is, “react to my kind in various ways. I wasn’t sure how you three would respond, and I didn’t wish to make things any more difficult around here. I felt I was doing the right thing.” He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “But I’m not so sure I’ve done much good since I’ve been here.” Grasping a lock of white hair, which looks shinier now that he’s revealed his true self to us, he continues, “I’m the reason the fog is here. We, Aurora and I, discovered that when I crossed into this realm, I brought the magic of Fairyland with me. It’s too powerful, and it caused the portal to malfunction. Now we’re all stuck here—humans and fairies alike.”
I want to be pissed at him, and if he’d told me that this morning, I probably would’ve been. But with each moment I’m sitting here, with the cold air chasing the heat from my skin and the adrenaline leaving my veins, I’m losing more of my energy, and it takes alotof energy forme to be so angry.
“And why didn’t Aurora tell us?” Rowan asks, pushing upright from where he’s been leaning against the porch banister.
Thorne’s mouth flicks into a ghost of a smile. “She was trying to respect my wishes, for which I am very grateful. Though I apologize if it has caused any trouble between you.”
Alden, Rowan, and I exchange glances. Aurora has felt distant lately, distracted. Often when I wake, she’s gone from the cottage, Thorne having vanished with her.
At least now I know why they’ve been spending so much time together. But if she knows what he really is, she’s likely seen his face.
I’m not into men, not one little bit, but evenIknow he’s beautiful. I wonder if Aurora does too. Probably.
Dammit.
“So, you two have been trying to solve the problem on your own?” Rowan asks, gesturing toward the woods, where we all know the fog still lingers.
Thorne nods once. “We thought we figured it out, but...” He sighs again and shakes his head. “It didn’t work. And we’re not sure what to do next.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Alden asks.
He looks funny seated at such a small table. I almost tell him just that, but I think I’m losing the energy to even poke fun at him. Which means I need a nap. Soon.
“I don’t know,” Thorne says. Then he smiles. “But I think Aurora would like to know that you’re here if she needs you. I think keeping my secret from you was wearing on her. I’ve not known her long, but I get the feeling she doesn’t like being deceptive.”
“No,” Rowan says. His eyes find Alden’s, and I wonder what they’re connecting over. “She doesn’t.”
With a huff, Alden stands from the table. “I’ll go talk to her. She was pretty upset earlier.” He flicks his gaze to me. “You coming?”
“No.” I scrub a hand down my face again. “I don’t think she wants to see my face right now.”
