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He also seemed remarkably unaffected by my scent, which was comforting. Compared to Alaroth, or even Ezra, I think I’d much rather this guy show me around. “The King said only a select group of guards were allowed around me?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I’m one of your queensguard.” Huh, I might have liked the sound of that if I was at all interested in becoming a queen here. “And… I’m also your cousin.”

It was like a record scratched in my head. I stopped dead in my tracks, looking at the hulking frame of the fae soldier in front of me. “I’m sorry, did you saycousin?”

Nantier looked back, his cheeks blushing further. “Yes, on your mother’s side.”

Of course, why had I never considered that I might have extended family here? Both my parents were from Vespera, and my mother was a Starborne fae, according to Ezra. Speaking of…

“Wait, does Ezra know?”

I walked around to get a better look at Nantier. My freaking cousin.

He was tall and well built, with dark hair and tanned skin. But his eyes were a similar shade to the color Ezra and I had inherited from our mother—a deep hazel, with hints of gold. The shape of his nose was familiar as well.

Nantier suppressed a smile as he looked at me. “I believe the Commander is aware he has familial relations in Vespera, but he’s never sought us out.”

Well, that made sense. Ezra may have loved me, but he definitely hated our parents, so he must not have been too keen on getting to know the rest of the family, either.

“Okay, I need to know everything,” I said as I slipped my arm through his. “About you, the whole family tree, if you’re the kind of cousin I can get drunk with during the holidays while we make fun of our racist grandma… come on, lay it on me.”

He looked around cautiously and then started talking, and I ate up every word, utterly fascinated by the fact that I hadcousins! I’d always been so jealous of the kids in school who talked about their big families. And while I’d been making one with my pack, it wasn’t quite the same as now knowing I had a living, breathing blood relative in this world besides my brother.

Nantier, it turned out, was around eighty years old, although he looked closer to twenty-two. His dad was my mom’s cousin, which technically made him my second cousin? Or cousin once removed?

Whatever, we were going with the British version of just calling everyone ‘cousin’ who was loosely related to you.

“Did you know my mom, then?”

“Yes, I knew Thistle very well.”

We’d finally made it outside the castle, and Nantier led me towards a large barn. There was a small, thatched roof cottage next to it, and we went there first.

“Matgar?” Nantier called, knocking on the door. “The king’s betrothed wishes to see to her vryscral.”

There was a small crash inside, followed by a series of colorful swear words. I glanced up at my cousin—I still couldn’t believe I got to say that—and he shrugged.

Whoever was inside crashed around some more and I whispered. “Do you get any time off? Because I really want to hang out.”

He opened his mouth to respond when the door finally swung open. Inside was a short, portly man, with streaks of white through his thinning red hair.

He squinted as the morning light hit his eyes, the stench of body odor and alcohol seeping through his skin.

“Eh? Vryscral?”

I took a small step forward. “Yes, her name’s Wasabi. Sheshould have been brought in last night.”

He looked me up and down, then snorted and spit. “King’s betrothed, huh? Yeah, I think I remember something about that. Come on, she’ll be in the bestiary then.”

He slipped on a pair of grimy looking boots and shoved past us, spitting again.

Matgar was the first fae I’d seen who wasn’t drop dead gorgeous. He looked almost human, even. And to be honest, it was kind of refreshing.

A strange chorus of growls, chirps, roars, and other sounds erupted as Matgar stomped closer to the barn, unlocking the chain around the door and sliding it open.

Light poured in from barred windows near the ceiling, and the whole building reeked of animal smells, but it wasn’t unlike going to the zoo.

A flash of red drew my attention to the covered stall on my right, where a bird-like creature was perched high on a beam. With a beat of its wings I saw feathers glowing like embers, sparks falling towards the ground as it shook them.