13
Alex
I’m getting pretty pissed off at Evan. I’m so used to doing things my way, but he’s making it a pain. I’m about to resort to violence when Gemma drops a bomb on us.
“Nicholas is your cousin?” I repeat for the thousandth time, thinking about how many times he came onto her. “ Cousin ?”
She nods, biting at her thumbnail. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“How is that even possible?” Laylen asks, letting go of the collar of Evan’s shirt.
“Why are we just finding out?” I add, taking a step towards her. I can tell she’s uneasy and slightly freaked out, which is pretty understandable, considering some of the things that have happened between her and Nicholas. “And does Nicholas know?”
She shakes her head quickly. “I don’t think so. At least, according to what Nalina told me.”
“And you believe her?” Evan asks, assessing Gemma over as he runs his hands down the front of his black shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles.
“She had enough details that I don’t think she could have been making it up,” Gemma explains with a frown.
“Why haven’t we heard anything about this before?” Laylen asks, his forehead creased as he walks up to Gemma. “You’d think someone would have let it slip out by now.”
Gemma glances at him, taking a deep breath, her chest rising and then falling as she sighs. “It was a secret. My grandmother, Nalini, was basically disowned from the Fey world. My grandfather was a Keeper. And we all know how the Keepers feel about the Fey; how they are supposed to protect people from them. I guess they just decided it was best for everyone to just pretend that part of Nalini’s life didn’t exist.”
“So what does this mean to Luna?” Evan asks, joining us in the middle of room.
Gemma gets this funny look on her face, avoiding eye contact with me. “It means nothing, I don’t think—I mean nothing.”
“You always think you mean nothing,” I say, grabbing her hip and digging my fingertips into her soft skin, just above the top of where her jeans sit. “But you always do.”
“No you think I always do,” she responds, flustered.
I pull her closer to me until I can feel the warmth of her breath touching my cheeks. “Well, the less Luna knows about this, the better.”
“I really doubt Luna doesn’t already know everything,” Evan says, rubbing his jawline. “And I find it hard to believe that Luna doesn’t care. Fey, Keepers, Foreseers—all of you don’t like mixing, especially with royalty blood. I wonder if that’s why Luna’s here… maybe she feels threatened by you… or by Nalina?”
Gemma pulls back from me and rummages in her pocket, withdrawing something. “She might be threatened by this.” She holds up the Cornu Lepore, letting it suspend from her fingertips.
“Why would she find that threatening?” I ask, touching the pendant at the end. “I thought it was powerless?”
“It is powerless unless someone with Fey blood is wearing it.” She eyes it as it sways in the low light of the room.
“And what happens if someone of Fey blood wears it?” I ask, hooking my finger under her chin and making her look up at me.
“Well Royal Fey can control the Faerie Realm with it,” she smiles as if she finds it amusing. It’s kind of freaking me out a little. She’s acting crazy and possessed. “Are you okay?” I ask in a low voice.
She nods, swallowing hard. “I’m fine.”
“So that means if you were to wear the pendant, you can control the Fey?” Laylen muses over the thought, like he’s brainstorming an idea.
“Yeah, but only the Fey in the Faerie Realm,” she clarifies. “When they’re here, they can pretty much do whatever the hell they want.”
Laylen and Gemma exchange this weird look, it makes me wonder and it kind of pisses me off.
“What are you two thinking?” I ask, inching over a
Alex
I’m getting pretty pissed off at Evan. I’m so used to doing things my way, but he’s making it a pain. I’m about to resort to violence when Gemma drops a bomb on us.
“Nicholas is your cousin?” I repeat for the thousandth time, thinking about how many times he came onto her. “ Cousin ?”
She nods, biting at her thumbnail. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“How is that even possible?” Laylen asks, letting go of the collar of Evan’s shirt.
“Why are we just finding out?” I add, taking a step towards her. I can tell she’s uneasy and slightly freaked out, which is pretty understandable, considering some of the things that have happened between her and Nicholas. “And does Nicholas know?”
She shakes her head quickly. “I don’t think so. At least, according to what Nalina told me.”
“And you believe her?” Evan asks, assessing Gemma over as he runs his hands down the front of his black shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles.
“She had enough details that I don’t think she could have been making it up,” Gemma explains with a frown.
“Why haven’t we heard anything about this before?” Laylen asks, his forehead creased as he walks up to Gemma. “You’d think someone would have let it slip out by now.”
Gemma glances at him, taking a deep breath, her chest rising and then falling as she sighs. “It was a secret. My grandmother, Nalini, was basically disowned from the Fey world. My grandfather was a Keeper. And we all know how the Keepers feel about the Fey; how they are supposed to protect people from them. I guess they just decided it was best for everyone to just pretend that part of Nalini’s life didn’t exist.”
“So what does this mean to Luna?” Evan asks, joining us in the middle of room.
Gemma gets this funny look on her face, avoiding eye contact with me. “It means nothing, I don’t think—I mean nothing.”
“You always think you mean nothing,” I say, grabbing her hip and digging my fingertips into her soft skin, just above the top of where her jeans sit. “But you always do.”
“No you think I always do,” she responds, flustered.
I pull her closer to me until I can feel the warmth of her breath touching my cheeks. “Well, the less Luna knows about this, the better.”
“I really doubt Luna doesn’t already know everything,” Evan says, rubbing his jawline. “And I find it hard to believe that Luna doesn’t care. Fey, Keepers, Foreseers—all of you don’t like mixing, especially with royalty blood. I wonder if that’s why Luna’s here… maybe she feels threatened by you… or by Nalina?”
Gemma pulls back from me and rummages in her pocket, withdrawing something. “She might be threatened by this.” She holds up the Cornu Lepore, letting it suspend from her fingertips.
“Why would she find that threatening?” I ask, touching the pendant at the end. “I thought it was powerless?”
“It is powerless unless someone with Fey blood is wearing it.” She eyes it as it sways in the low light of the room.
“And what happens if someone of Fey blood wears it?” I ask, hooking my finger under her chin and making her look up at me.
“Well Royal Fey can control the Faerie Realm with it,” she smiles as if she finds it amusing. It’s kind of freaking me out a little. She’s acting crazy and possessed. “Are you okay?” I ask in a low voice.
She nods, swallowing hard. “I’m fine.”
“So that means if you were to wear the pendant, you can control the Fey?” Laylen muses over the thought, like he’s brainstorming an idea.
“Yeah, but only the Fey in the Faerie Realm,” she clarifies. “When they’re here, they can pretty much do whatever the hell they want.”
Laylen and Gemma exchange this weird look, it makes me wonder and it kind of pisses me off.
“What are you two thinking?” I ask, inching over a
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