Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,21

through my barrier and punched him back down when he tried to sit up. Rage filled his eyes and he called on electricity, using my own trick against me.

Except his whips didn’t cut through my barrier.

Mine was stronger.

“Interesting,” I hummed, smirking at him. I didn’t linger on it, using the fairy rune to call vines to completely cover him and tie him down to the cold ground. I stepped on his healing leg until he gave a shout of pain and then placed my shoe on the middle of his chest. “As I said, you showed your hand last night.”

“I did as you asked to work as a team and—”

“You are not as shielded from me as you think, Neldor,” I busted, finally letting that cat out of the bag.

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah, ‘oh shit’ is right,” I purred, letting him know I heard that too. “Yes, you found Cluym because you thought it would give me the kick in the ass I needed after I’ve been so disheartened that I got you when I was promised fairies were awesome. But, you also want him because he’s a dark fairy and loyal to you. Very loyal to you, from your thoughts.

“And would influence Geiger to push me to your way of thinking. Cluym might have switched sides to help bring peace, but he was one of your faction tired of the queens fighting and believed it was time for a king to take over if the realms were to be combined. So you have another agenda, as you always do. You’re not acting in good faith. You’re trying to pull a fast one, and I’m not stupid enough to fall for it.

“You were also going to use this as an ace later and make sure everyone knew that I only wanted to free Cluym because it benefitted someone I cared about and I don’t value other fairies as I should. That I’ve been poisoned by the humans and not truly one of you and need to be guided, controlled, on how to handle this power and what to do going forward.

“And you planned to play the card that you gave me the choice I wanted so you got a choice next, as you think is fair. The ones you let me pick next would be carefully chosen, and I’m dense and flippant about the whole thing, so fucking abused and injured that I’m easily manipulated and would free everyone you wanted first to push your narrative.”

He opened his mouth to argue or defend himself, but I broke both of his arms, a loud cry of pain coming out instead.

I squatted down, my foot digging into his arm in a way I knew had to hurt. “You will get in line or you’re out on your own. You are a guest here, and I allowed you to stay because you promised to help. So this is the last talk we will have and you will cut your shit out, or I’ll order my pack to fucking burn you right now, and I won’t have to worry about anyone trying to take over anything.”

His eyes went bug wide and his thoughts raced with too much so fast, it was hard to keep up.

“Wait, Tamsin, that’s too—” Larson interjected.

“He is a threat to her and even more so now with what she learned,” Zack snapped. “You think it will get better once he’s got people at his back? Our job is protecting her. We’re on her side. Remember that!”

“I do. I am and—”

“Oh yeah? Really?” Ray challenged. “So why is he Prince Neldor and she’s Tamsin when you talk to them. Are your family dark fairies?”

“Yes,” I answered, already having figured that out. “And I don’t fucking care.” I nodded when Neldor’s thoughts raced on that. “I don’t care that you’re a dark fairy. That’s your biases and fights and bullshit that has done so much damage. You say ‘our people’ to pull at my heart strings, but they are. They are our people, light or dark. I don’t care. I know you can see it in my eyes. Fairies are fairies to me.”

“They are,” he whispered in awe, pain still lacing his tone. “I don’t understand that.”

I shrugged as I stood. “You don’t have to, Neldor. We weren’t raised the same. I’m starting to wonder if that wasn’t an accident after all.”

“What do you mean?” he demanded, frowning at me.

But I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to smear the legacy of Queen Meira that