Mother, sister, or maybe even a distant cousin-her connection to Leonardo was unclear. She looked close to my age, with rich chocolate-brown hair tied back and spilling over her shoulder in a thick braid, glinting with tiny crystals like flecks of starlight. Loose curls framed her angular face, brushing her sharp jawline with elegance. Her attire was both practical and luxurious, a fitted tunic as pale as her eyes, paired with knee-high white leather boots lined in fur at the collar, as though she were prepared to brave a tundra rather than the humid forest.
She had the timeless beauty of all Fae, her large, doe-like eyes shimmering with a glacial intelligence that said she already knew who I was. The thought sent a chill through me, wondering what she intended to do with that knowledge. Across her forehead, she wore a silver wreath, crafted from shards that looked like they could draw blood with a touch. She was royalty, that much was certain.
“Now, aren’t you glad I decided to stop by for a visit?” came a second voice, lilting and sharp. Another Fae stepped into view-a stark contrast to the first. Her hair was black as midnight, cascading straight down her back. Her face wasn’t as sharp, but her eyes sparkled like distant stars, holding a darkness that matched her companion’s pale features. Her tunic and trousers were a deep, stormy blue, and she seemed as though she might disappear into the shadows at any moment.
“Mother will want to meet her,” the blonde Fae spoke, her tone cool as she looked down at me with an expression impossible to decipher. Her glacier-blue gaze turned colder as she continued, “Do you think he will follow her, this… companion?”
I tried to speak, but my mouth was so dry, and all I could manage was a weak croak.
“If they are true mates, he will follow, whether he senses the bond or not,” replied the onyx-haired girl, a sly grin flashing across her face. Her voice carried a confidence that was chilling in its certainty. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already tracking us.”
The first Fae-Isotta, she was called-wrinkled her nose, the disdain barely hidden in her expression. “You always think you know best, do you not?”
“Why, it’s what I live for,” the dark-haired one said with a mocking curtsy, her lips twisting in an insincere smile. Isotta’s braid sparkled as she tossed it over her shoulder, rolling her eyes with impatience.
“Don’t be petulant. It doesn’t suit you,” Isotta snapped, her voice brittle with disdain.
The dark-haired Fae remained unfazed, her midnight eyes twinkling with a dangerous amusement as she stepped closer. I shivered despite the sweltering air, feeling her gaze dig into me.
“Let’s see what you know, shall we?” she murmured, her voice as smooth as silk but with an edge that made me brace myself.
As she drew closer, I felt something stir-a prickling awareness as if a shadow was slipping into my thoughts. Though I couldn’t see the threads of spirit she was using, I could feel them weaving through my mind. I remembered Andrea’s warning: only powerful Fae could wield spirit magic, and this woman was highly skilled. There was a malicious glee in the way she searched my thoughts, a twisted satisfaction that sickened me.
The sensation was invasive, violating, like she was flipping through the pages of my mind, extracting memories one by one. There was nothing I could do to stop her; I was still exhausted, wrung dry from my earlier struggle.
*Get out of my head!* I thought, furious as I felt her pulling up fragments of my past.
She lingered over certain memories: the first day I met Leonardo, the time I’d punched him, and the quiet moments when our relationship deepened. She even skimmed over my brief attempts with spirit magic, storing each fragment away like secrets she planned to use against me.
Anger sparked beneath the helpless fear, smoldering into something fiercer. She was a trespasser in the most private corners of my mind, discarding memories that didn’t suit her, savoring the ones that did. Suddenly, an idea surfaced-born of sheer, unfiltered anger. I forced a grin, feeling my cracked lips pull painfully, and imagined my fury like a whip, lashing out against the intruding threads.
A hiss escaped her, and she staggered back, her tendrils retreating from my mind as quickly as they’d come. My vision darkened around the edges, but I saw her scowling as she regained her composure.
“She can wield fire and nearly grasps Earth,” she spat, speaking to Isotta. “She even has some talent with spirit, though it’s underdeveloped. But we’ll have more opportunities, won’t we?”
Isotta’s icy gaze never left me as she gave a curt nod. “We leave now.”
I was hoisted up into a cold, unyielding grip, slung over someone’s shoulder. Through the haze, I saw the forest around us, reduced to blackened ash, the ground still smoldering with patches of flame. My gaze fell to my hands, red and blistered, the skin already knitting back together as my Fae blood worked to heal me.
The dark-haired Fae loomed behind us, her expression hard and calculating. As she caught my eye, a predatory smile twisted her lips.
“You think you’ve won this round, girl?” she purred, her tone dripping with malice. “You’re mistaken. I will find my way back into your mind, and by then, you’ll be defenseless. And you will give me what you’ve taken-I guarantee it.”