our people,” Prince Neldor bit out after several moments.
“What?” Geiger gasped, his eyes wide as he looked at me. “I didn’t know that. You never—I was never told. You said you were left—”
“Where?” Neldor demanded, his hard gaze locked on me. “Where were you left?”
“Why does it matter?” I whispered. “I’m just some orphan unknown. Probably noble-born with my power and…” I cursed under my breath when several people flinched.
I wasn’t wearing my charms.
“Oh, you know who and what you are,” Neldor chuckled. “And you haven’t shared with your friends it seems.”
“Tamsin?” Mel murmured.
I sighed heavily. “I don’t know but I think, I mean, it makes sense that I was born of a forbidden match, maybe a noble one. It’s the only reason I could think of that I was smuggled out of Faerie and risked in the other world with what else that could happen to me. If my parents died and people found out I was born of the pairing, people would lose it.”
“There might be an intelligence about you after all,” Neldor muttered, studying me carefully. “But no, you are not born of a forbidden match. You were smuggled out because you were the only one who could save us when you were old enough, powerful enough, and free us all.”
“I don’t understand. I’m no one,” I argued.
He chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “Vale is the surname used in the human and supe world for a certain bloodline of the light fairies.”
“Which one?” Mel asked when I couldn’t make my mouth work.
“The royal one.”
Oh fuck me dead.
Just fuck.
“Now, where were you left?” he pushed while I was still reeling with that one.
“Back off,” Darby warned as he moved closer and put his arm around me.
“Get your dirty, vampire hands of my betrothed,” Neldor demanded, his tone cold and deadly.
“What?” several people gasped.
All I could do was lean into Darby when I felt my knees start to give out, spots filling my vision. I had wanted answers. All I had wanted were answers.
But not these answers. Anything but being told this shit.
“I said get away from her,” Neldor repeated, grabbing my wrist and trying to pull me away.
That snapped me out of my shock and before we could blink, I broke his hold and shoved him away. “Do not touch me. Darby’s my boyfriend and I don’t know you.”
“You are my betrothed. You were promised to me moments after you were born.”
“You mean I was sold to you for something, and that’s disgusting,” I replied, not able to hide my feelings on it. “I don’t give a flying fuck what was promised to you in regards to me—by people who aren’t me and don’t fucking own me, that I’ve never met—but it’s not happening.”
“Let’s all take a step back and settle with all this new information,” Mr. Vogel cut in. “You must need sustenance, and we have a lot of questions Tamsin needs answers to, Prince Neldor. The world is vastly different than before and the situation dire. There are councils gunning for her and—”
“What messes did you make?” Neldor asked—well, ordered me to answer.
I ignored him this time. “I was to be brought to Geiger and what?”
He wasn’t going to answer at first, but we stared each other down, and he finally relented. “Hide you. I do not know what your mother’s letter fully detailed and outlined. I was not that much in her confidence. You were to be protected and raised as a light fairy princess should be.”
“The only light fairy princess,” Mrs. Vogel muttered. “You’re the heir to the light fairy realm, Tamsin.”
“Oh just fucking great,” I groaned. I waved off everyone when they started talking and decided to give Neldor what he’d asked for as well. “I was left with the humans. At a fire station, where it’s safe for anyone to drop off a baby and not get in trouble. I was left with a note of my name and with a key, a ring, and a medallion sort of thing.”
“You never told us about the ring and medallion, just the key, and only after Geiger needed it for the trust,” Mel muttered.
“Because it freaked me the fuck out that they always found me again. No matter how many times people took them at group homes or stole them from me because they looked valuable, they would just show up again. I didn’t know about magic, Mel. I thought I had something wrong with me.”
“Something must have happened to the courier,” Neldor