Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,116

did. More and more fairies came with reclaimed fairy belongings and magic, journals enough to line the hallways of my mansion and fill up the whole party room. People were going to be pissed when they realized what else had been taken besides hobgoblins.

Good. Let them report it. Let them report how much they stole from others.

But that meant it was time to warn some people for more than they knew. Hudson said he’d handle telling his parents and the Diazes while he headed out to meet up with Juan’s parents while Darby went off for whatever surprise he had.

To say they were shocked was an understatement.

Even more so when Iolas and Taeral, who they both recognized, stood at my side. They had a ton of questions, but understood they couldn’t have answers yet, simply that fairies were coming back soon, and I was the representative of the queens, here to make it happen.

Well, it wasn’t a lie exactly. I also locked their minds of that knowledge so it was safe.

Then I went to meet up with the Courtenays, and they weren’t the ones shocked.

I was.

“Yes, I’ve known you’re a fairy,” Mrs. Courtenay chuckled. “I was there the night you were born, Tamsin. Your mother and I have long been friends. I’ve missed her so much. Now that you’re telling me, that means she’s coming back, right? How much longer?”

“You knew of my birth?”

She frowned. “Of course. Didn’t Meira tell…” Her eyes filled with tears as her hand moved over her heart. “No. No, please don’t say it!”

“Queen Meira fell protecting all fairies,” Iolas told her gently.

I felt the painful wail she let out in my soul, knowing the friendship they had shared was true and more than casual. It made me feel… Well, I knew that loss and was currently experiencing it, even if Mel was still alive.

“I didn’t know, and I’m so very sorry for your loss,” Mr. Courtenay said as he comforted his mate. “Your mother was a wondrous woman. She will be mourned by many. This is a travesty.”

I simply nodded. I felt a fraud accepting condolences for a woman I despised. Maybe one day I could understand what she’d done if I had more answers but right then… I couldn’t feel anything for my mother other than hate.

“I’m sorry, but we have to lock this knowledge away,” I whispered as people gathered around the barrier, anxious and worried their queen was so upset. “You have to understand that—”

“Of course,” Mrs. Courtenay agreed, between sobs. “Of course. Do it. I will do anything I can to protect Meira’s daughter. She was—I loved your mother like a sister, Tamsin. We will always be here for you. For all light fairies.”

“Thank you but I’ll be there for all fairies, not just the light ones.”

Her eyes filled with more tears as she gave a firm nod. “Meira would be so damn proud of you for that. She hated the divide. She hated it. Her mother…” She glanced around and saw the crazy before holding out her arm. “Lock it away. Quickly. We will speak more later when there is less confusion. There is much to tell you now that I know you were in the dark.”

“Thank you. I need—” I swallowed loudly. Yeah, I needed information, but not right then. Later.

It seemed that was always my answer, and maybe that made me weak… But there was always a lot of fucking information too.

Some days, I just needed a fucking break instead of more bullshit.

I quickly put the magical locks on what they knew and checked the other fairies were cloaked before lowering the barrier and heading out. I knew they were going to hide themselves from everyone besides the royals, but it was always smart to double check given how often I had eyes on me.

And it was smart to assume, more than I ever realized. That had kept me alive more times than I could count.

I left Iolas and Taeral to handle coordinating the fun of helping get hobgoblins out and handling the recovery of stolen fairy belongings as I headed back to enjoy my delayed Valentine’s Day celebration.

Only to find a cotton candy burrito filled with ten scoops of ice cream and tons of toppings. Two of them. Just for me.

“I love this fucking holiday,” I whispered as I took in the monsters Darby had waiting for me. “Can we make this like, a monthly thing?”

Lucca snorted, the others trying to hide their amusement. “We can definitely