House of Lies and Sorrow (Fae of Rewyth #1)(21)

If she would just trust me, keeping her alive would be a lot easier.

But what was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell her that the rumors weren’t true. I couldn’t tell her that I wasn’t the horrific, violent Prince of Shadows she had heard about. I couldn't tell her those things because they weren’t true.

The things I did to survive were less than admirable. But Jade had those same instincts. Maybe she would understand.

Or maybe she would hate me for everything I had done. She probably already did. I couldn’t ask her what she had heard about me. Saints, did I even care? People had been spreading rumors about me longer than Jade had been alive. For years, I had heard about the Prince of Shadows who could kill an entire room of fae with just a look. I had heard about the Saint-cursed fae with black wings who was touched by the demons. I had heard about the slave of the king who carried out his assassinations with ease and delight.

The stories had gotten so ridiculous, Serefin and I had often sat down and joked about how twisted they became. But that’s the thing about rumors. Truth is usually mixed in there somewhere.

“How’s it going in there?” I asked.

“I am very capable of taking showers without the need for you to check up on me, thanks,” she yelled from the bathroom.

Great.

I tugged my shirt off and threw it into my closet, lying back on the bed. The stars were bright tonight. That was one thing I actually admired about Rewyth: the stars. They were brighter here than anything else I had ever seen. It was why half the castle was built with transparent ceilings. The view was too beautiful to ignore.

It was a view I would fight for.

Amongst other things.

My thoughts were interrupted when Jade stepped out of the bathroom. Wearing my clothes. With dripping wet hair.

Saints save me.

“Nice shower,” she chirped.

I nodded, trying not to stare. “Our ancestors wanted us to be connected to nature. I like it. Reminds me of where we come from.”

“And where’s that?” she asked.

“You have a lot to learn about the history of fae. We didn’t always reside here. The fae had to fight for this land. There was a time when fae weren’t at all powerful. We were the weakest of the creatures. We fought for decades to claim our power. To claim our lands.”

She listened as I talked.

“Many fae used to believe we drew our power from the elements. It’s not practiced as much anymore, but it used to be. Fae would partner with witches and warlocks to strengthen their gifts.”

“Gifts?” she asked.

I nodded. “Some fae have special gifts. Magic, I guess. But not everyone.”

Jade walked around the bed and sat on the edge, as far from me as possible. Her eyes flickered to my bare chest.

“I won’t bite, you know. You may think whatever you’d like about me, but I’m not going to touch you.”

She nodded but didn’t move. Clearly she didn’t trust me. It made me wonder if another man had ever hurt her before. And that made me want to storm right back to the human lands and rip the head off anyone who did.

Jade interrupted my thoughts with, “Can I ask you a question, Malachi?”

“Depends on the question.”

“You don’t look like fae. None of you do. On the way here, Serefin told me you used…”

“Glamour?” I finished for her. “We all do. It's simple magic to make us appear normal.”

“But why? You’re in your own castle, why wouldn’t you just be yourself?”

The question made me smile. “It’s a simple trick so you would feel more relaxed. It’s bad enough that we drag a young woman into our castle and force her to marry. Better not scare you with our looks.”

She scoffed. “How noble of you.”

A feral sense of competition creeped into me. Jade was challenging me. She was challenging my words. Stupid, stubborn human. I rolled off the bed and walked around to her side, inches from where she sat. “Would you like to see what the fae really look like, princess?”

She swallowed once.

“Or are you afraid?”

“I’m not afraid,” she answered quickly.

I stepped closer, looking down to where she sat on the bed. “No?” I teased.

Jade lifted her chin and stared at me with those big, endless eyes. “Let me see,” she said.

I couldn't tell if it was fake confidence or simple arrogance.

But I didn’t care. If Jade was going to survive the night, she was going to have to learn what she was up against.

With a single breath, I dropped the glamour that was concealing my fae characteristics. The glamour that hid my large, uniquely black wings. The glamour that hid the points in my ears.

Jade’s eyes widened. I growled and spread my wings, nearly covering us both with the sheer size.

“Well?” I asked. “What do you think?”

Her eyes dragged across my torso and drank up every new detail. She wasn’t afraid like I had expected her to be.

No, she was feeling something else. She stood from where she sat on the edge of the bed, her head just meeting the top of my chest despite the fact that she was tall for a human.

Slowly, Jade smiled. Wicked curiosity washed over her face. “They call you the Prince of Shadows for a reason, I see.”