“We need to call in Dr. Salzman,” Julian decided. “She’s right that something’s wrong. She was hurt in a way I can’t heal just yet. He should run a full battery of everything, but off campus here.”
“Agreed,” Dean White said as she pulled out her phone. “Katrina, do you still have one of those charms for cracked cores, rivers, and accumulators?”
“Yes, I will have one brought to school immediately. If you would, have her roommate meet my courier. I think that best.”
“Got it,” Mel agreed.
Neldor watched it all with curiosity as he kept eating. “Clearly, you’re not alone and well tended to.”
I ignored how much it sounded like they were all my servants then. “It took a long time to get here. I knew Mel, but knowing who to trust, and wouldn’t drain me for magic, or blood, or use me to pump out crystals, or whatever else, has not been easy. I couldn’t tell people I’m a fairy, and the councils aren’t fond of me staying undeclared and a lowly female being uncontrolled.”
He raised his eyebrow at that. “In twenty years, the sexism hasn’t gotten any better?”
Several women there snorted.
“And since you’re a dark fairy, you will have the answers we need about the demons as they’re circling and—”
“You told others about them?” he growled, giving me a look that most would wither under. Honestly, it was scary too.
Guess all fairies being nice and kind was complete bullshit.
“How could you betray your people and tell the secrets to so many—”
Irma slapped a pan on the counter loud enough to make several jump. She was bright red and looked near tears as she stared at Neldor. “You are a disappointment, Prince Neldor. I would have thought your mother, who I respected even among all the fighting, would have taught you better manners and how to treat not only another fairy, but a woman and princess who is heir.”
He cleared his throat, no one able to ignore a lecture from the hobgoblins. “You’re right, I shall—”
But she wasn’t done.
“We told Tamsin over and over and over again that she should not worry on such matters, and her people would understand, listen to all she had been through and not judge her. It was her greatest worry, even over her own safety, that she would tell something she shouldn’t or share secrets fairies wouldn’t forgive her for. She would worry herself into sleepless nights if she accidentally did.
“And we promised her it would be okay. That fairies were forgiving and would understand her survival was worth more than a few secrets she told to people she trusted. Yet, all you are doing is demeaning her, berating her when you have no right to, no justification, as you weren’t here. We watched her suffer and fight to save all the fair folk and all fairies. You are making her feel alone and unwanted.”
I snorted. “After meeting him, I really don’t care if they don’t want me as one of them. I don’t really want to be a fairy.” I stood and went to leave, getting blocked by Julian, who had a worried look in his eyes I would run. “I just need some air, Doc. You guys fill him in on whatever, but I need some fucking air, and away from him before I explode.”
“I feel—” Neldor started.
“You will sleep in the garage with the dogs,” Irma snapped.
Neldor shut his mouth, so clearly, it hadn’t been anything nice.
Wonderful.
I went out back, keenly aware of Julian, especially when he hugged me from behind. “Julian…”
“It’s fine,” he whispered, kissing my hair. “Everything else is on hold, and I’m not expecting anything or saying it’s fixed. I just want to comfort you and I… I found you and brought you into this, into having to deal with that git. I want to hold you while you hurt, love.”
I did too. I turned into his hug and buried my face against his chest. Tears didn’t come, but I was screaming on the inside. This wasn’t what I’d fought for. This wasn’t supposed to be what happened.
These weren’t the answers I wanted.
“You’ll be okay, love, I know it,” he murmured when he could tell I’d calmed down some. “Even if he’s a complete bloody wanker, he’s still help, and there’s hope for more. This is still good, even if all the answers you got hurt.”
That was exactly the problem. Knowing more, learning the answers I’d been craving, wasn’t supposed to hurt this much.
Preferably at all, but I wasn’t that dense to expect no pain in life.
Salzman arrived, and I went inside to get all checked out. It took a while for him to run all of his tests—both with normal medicine and the help of magical instruments—and unfortunately, the answer wasn’t good.
“Do you want everyone to hear this?” Salzman asked me as he glanced around the packed kitchen.
Mel and a few others swore, getting it was bad news.
“They might as well hear it all directly from you because no one’s gonna just chill after today,” I drawled. “How bad?”
He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he leaned against the kitchen island. “Your power has jumped levels since the last time you injured yourself helping Faerie, so, in a way, there’s more of you to hurt. That’s why you’re not passed out or completely bedridden this time, but awakening Prince Neldor did physical damage to you.”
“That doesn’t make any sense—” Neldor started to argue.
Anger filled Salzman’s eyes, which was rare for him. “And with all due respect, you are twenty years behind on everything, and certainly completely behind on all Ms. Vale has done for you and your people. She was an unknown. She lived with humans. Did the magic also make you forget how that hurts supes?”
Neldor opened his mouth, but then
