As I blinked awake, groggy and disoriented, I struggled to sit up from the unyielding surface beneath me, knowing deep down that something monumental had shifted. The world around me seemed sharper, every color intensified, as if a filter had been removed from my vision. Faint scarlet threads, flickering like fine strands of light, trailed over random spots across the house. Through the large window in the living room, I caught a glimpse of dawn’s first light. Hours-long, draining hours-had passed as I wrestled to reclaim the memories locked away. My back should have ached, yet I felt surprisingly loose, like I’d shed a layer of weariness. That hollow void within me, the one I’d carried for as long as I could remember, had finally vanished. Once, I had wandered blindly, grasping for meaning. Now, I was filled with a newfound clarity and purpose. I didn’t yet understand the memories I’d seen, but their presence had unlocked something profound inside me. I was no longer the lost, grieving girl named Isabella. I didn’t yet know who I was, but I knew I was finally on the path to finding out.
“Give her a moment to absorb this,” I heard Emiliano murmur quietly to Leonardo, who looked anything but patient.
“What did you do to her?” Leonardo’s voice, low and icy, was filled with a lethal intent.
Sound itself had changed, taking on depth and weight; I could sense the jagged edges of bitterness, sadness, loyalty, and protectiveness woven into Leonardo’s words. His voice, with its rough intensity, held a regret I hadn’t fully appreciated before. All the wasted time between us suddenly felt like a wound I’d only just noticed.
The feelings that had plagued me-betrayal, resentment, loss-lingered faintly but were pushed so far beneath the surface, I wasn’t sure I’d ever summon them again.
As though magnetized, I found myself drawn toward where Leonardo stood. I felt helpless, like a small shell pulled irresistibly by a rising wave.
He was no longer on the couch but leaning against the doorway leading to the kitchen, his dark hair tousled and disheveled. Signs of stress marked his face, the creases of irritation on his brow, the way he’d bitten his lip raw. I caught the restless flex of his hands, the muscles of his jaw tensing-a silent storm brewing within him. Our gazes met, and in that moment, the room and everything around us faded into insignificance.
Then, I felt it-an unmistakable hum, a melody only I could hear. It trickled into every corner of the cabin, drifting on the chill air and filling the space between us. Whatever had changed between Leonardo and me went far deeper than any word or touch could convey. His soul called to mine, and mine answered without hesitation. This wasn’t just the magnetic pull I’d always felt; it was complete surrender, a silent recognition that, no matter my anger or hurt, I would never be whole without him. He was the missing piece, the other half of who I was meant to be.
Leonardo’s expression softened from awe to shock as he took in my changed appearance. Shock quickly shifted to anger, his fierce gaze snapping to Emiliano.
“What did you do to her?” Leonardo’s voice grew dangerously low as he pushed off the wall, every step taut with fury.
“I did nothing but what she asked,” Emiliano replied curtly, his patience thinning.
“Then how is this possible?” Leonardo’s words made me glance down at my hands, and I gasped as a faint glow pulsed beneath my skin. I rushed to the mirror hanging over the fireplace, nearly stumbling in my haste. My familiar face stared back at me, though transformed: the soft contours of my cheeks were now sharper, my lips brighter, my skin a flawless alabaster. The delicate freckles I once had were gone. My eyes crystal green, large and luminous, gazed back with a spark of wonder. My hair white, once dull, shimmered with subtle golden undertones. But what truly stole my breath were my ears-long and ending in a graceful point.
The person in the mirror wasn’t entirely me, but neither was she a stranger. Underneath that Fae mask, I felt an undeniable surge of power crackling within, like a live wire humming just below the surface. Though I had no idea how to wield it, I was no longer the person I’d once been. My mind, my spirit, my very blood sang with energy. For the first time, I felt whole.
“The memory charm I placed on you as a child was my strongest,” Emiliano explained, his face softening just a fraction. “To protect you, I had to lock away every trace of your power. Anything Fae had to be erased from your world.”
“I’m Fae?” I whispered, the weight of it sinking in.
“You were made Fae-rare, but it’s happened,” Emiliano nodded, his gaze probing. “Each case is unique, but that’s what makes it so powerful. Tell me, what did you see?”
“I saw the Fae realm-it was dying,” I murmured, recalling the barren landscapes and crumbling houses. “Then I was in a castle perched on a mountaintop. Six Fae men were there, along with six orbs of power. I think it was a ceremony, but I’m not certain. The orbs… they found me as a baby. They’re what made me, aren’t they?”
Emiliano nodded, his eyes shadowed as he replied. “Yes, those orbs imbued you with power. Each one carries a piece of a Fae Lord’s essence.”
Leonardo’s concerned expression met mine before turning to Emiliano. “Is there a way to reverse this?” His question wasn’t cruel; it was laced with worry.
Though a part of me feared he would leave me again, that pain paled compared to the idea that it might be permanent this time. The thought filled me with a dread that left no room for doubt: our lives were intertwined, inseparable now.
“No. Not without killing her,” Emiliano answered with a touch of sympathy. “It’s what her mother asked me the first time. I gave her the same answer. The orbs chose Isabella for a reason.”
“So now, I have six High Lords seeking me,” I said aloud, needing the truth laid bare. “Six who want their power back.”
“You still have time,” Emiliano replied. “Though how much, I can’t say. Stay here and let me teach you.”
Leonardo’s eyes narrowed, his voice clipped. “How can you help her? How do you even understand her powers?”
While I bristled at Leonardo’s constant distrust, he was right to question. How would Emiliano know? The men I saw in the vision had seemed unmatched in strength and stature, each distinctly different, each wearing a unique crown of stars, fire, or sunlight. They had felt as old as time itself.
The image flashed in my mind-a man crowned with stars, another with flames, one with eyes like burnished gold.
“You’re one of them,” I said, my voice trembling. “One of the High Lords.”