Page 10 of Silent Secrets

I hesitate to answer him as I try to gather my bearings. I wonder if that isn’t why he’s behaving this way, hoping to throw me off my game.

“I happen to love reading and I’d much prefer it to cleaning the bathroom.”

“We’ll see if it remains that way when you’re spending all of your free time reading this shit.” He leans back in his chair, the picture of ease. “What did Grace tell you about the Fae and Sorlphi? With as much as there is to cover, there’s no point in going over anything you already know.”

I quickly go over what Grace covered with me the previous night, fighting a shiver as Caiden’s focus locks on me. I know he has to pay attention to what I’m saying, but there’s something in his eyes that sets my nerves on edge—something that I don’t understand.

“Not much, but better than nothing.”

Before Caiden can continue, a blonde girl around my age appears, clearing her throat. She’s pushing a cart filled with muffins, juices, and what I’m pretty sure is coffee.

Oh, thank goodness. I’m in desperate need of coffee.

The girl giggles, making me realize that I’ve spoken out loud. Oops.

“Good morning, Miss Hadley. My name is Adaline. My mother said that you would need breakfast brought to you today, but she said to tell you that this is the only time she will have breakfast delivered to you. She expects you to wake early enough to have breakfast before your lessons in the future.”

“Your mother?” I pause in pouring my coffee to glance up at her, wondering who her mother could be.

“Grace, Miss Hadley.” Adaline pushes her hair behind her ear as she ducks her head, revealing her perfectly rounded ears to me.

Holy crap. This is the girl that they stole from the mortal realm and swapped me with.

“I’m so sorry,” I blurt.

Adaline frowns as confusion paints her face. “Sorry for what, Miss Hadley?”

“It’s just Hadley. And I’m sorry that you were taken from your mother and your home.”

Adaline laughs quietly. “Oh, do not apologize. I’ve had a happy life here in Sorlphi and Grace has been a wonderful mother. I have wanted for nothing.”

I sip my coffee, unsure what to say at this point. I’m glad that she’s had a happy life, but I don’t understand how she can’t hate me. It’s because of me that she was ripped from her home—from her family, her realm. I’m sure that if I were in her place, I’d hate myself. But maybe that’s just because I’m a bitch.

“Thank you for the food, Adaline.” Caiden grins at the other girl. “But we have a lot to go over.”

“Of course, Caiden.” Adaline’s face flushes as she ducks her head. Her smile is bashful when she glances at him from under her eyelashes.

Well, it seems Adaline has a bit of a crush on Caiden, which is understandable with how hot he is. When he winks at her, I can’t help but wonder if they aren’t involved. Adaline is beautiful, there’s no questioning that, but she lacks the ethereal quality that Grace and Caiden have—that I guess I have as well. Would that appeal to the Fae? That she’s different from everyone else? Honestly, I can see the appeal.

With a shake of my head to clear my thoughts, I recall Grace said the courts couldn’t marry outside of their own court, but does that apply to humans? Do the Fae marry humans? Do they even date outside of their court? What would be the point if the relationship couldn’t progress?

Ugh, there’s so much that I don’t know about this world. And that’s exactly why I’m here.

“Thank you, Adaline. I hope to see you later so we can get to know one another better.”

“You as well, Miss… I mean, Hadley.”

As Adaline steps away, I turn my attention back to Caiden. “Okay, Teach, teach me good.”

Caiden snorts before laughing. He grabs the first book off the stack and flips it open before setting it in front of me.

“We’ll start with the gods and goddesses. I know that beliefs in L’Airid differ based upon the region that you’re born in, but their gods are based upon the true gods that originate in Sorlphi.”

Caiden explains that there are nine gods and goddesses in Sorlphi lore. Bria is the goddess of creation, Davina is the goddess of love, Kessem is the goddess of magic, and twin goddesses Seena and Eleena are the goddesses of day and night. The god of the elements and seasons is Mishal and the god of knowledge is Viisaus. The god of chaos is Rainer and Gudfrid is the god of the arts.

Caiden glances at his watch before shutting the book. “That’s all we have time for. You’ll want to read as much of this book as possible when you have the time, because we won’t be coming back to this topic. There just isn’t time. You’ll need to focus on the goddess Bria, and how we celebrate her. We have minor holidays for the other gods, but she is the goddess of creation. It is from her that we all came to be.”

He stands up, heading for the door without another word.

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