Page 13 of Cursed (Court of Isles #1)

Chapter 13

“Shut up.”

I stared at Silas. I knew this was not an appropriate response, and yet it was all I could come up with.

“Fae?” I winced as I said it, as if letting myself believe such a big truth for even a second was a dangerous idea. “That’s impossible for so many reasons.”

Silas gave a patient nod, like he was waiting for me to list them out so he could refute them one by one.

“I’m a human, for starters.” I waved a hand. “From Manhattan.”

“Lily thought she was a human from Minneapolis.”

“The Fae are extinct,” I said. “Those words came from your very mouth. You told me how the Queens were slaughtered, and the rest of the species fell shortly thereafter.”

“That’s what I used to believe. Then I met you.”

“How can you possibly believe that I’m Fae?” I waved a hand again. “I’m nothing special. ”

Silas caught my chin in his hand, pressed a kiss to my lips. Soft, gentle, firm—commanding me to look into his eyes. “You are anything but ordinary.”

“Even if you have a...” I hesitated. “A crush on me, that doesn’t mean I’m a Fae.”

“A crush.” Silas’s lips quirked up. “That’s what this is?”

“I don’t know. I’m flustered.”

“I can see that.” Silas brushed my hair back. He stared at my cheeks, which I’m sure were belying my emotions with a blush streaking upward toward my hairline. “Do you have a crush on me?”

“Yeah,” I said. “You’re hot and super studly. But can we revisit this Fae concept? What makes you think I could possibly be something like that?”

“We all know you have power. I think we can both agree that magic is real?”

Silas’s eyes were still searching. I’d never fully admitted my acceptance of The Isle and everything that came with it aloud. I was pretty sure I’d thrown my weight behind the belief when I’d begged to be brought back to this island instead of remaining in Park Slope with my parents, but still.

“Yes.” The words felt foreign in my mouth. “I believe in magic and mermaids and unicorns and curses. I think we’ve established a baseline that magic is real. Or I’m totally crazy. ”

A flicker of a smile from Silas. “When you arrived here, what did you feel?”

I remembered the brush of cotton on my skin as I woke up that first day in a strange sleeping dress. The sea-salt breeze sailing over the sugar-sand shores. Millie’s smile, peering in on me. The lyrical lapping of the water onto the shore, the floral scents of the garden, the baking of bread, the complete and utter peacefulness of Wisteria Cottage.

“I felt like I belonged here,” I admitted. “I felt content in a way I couldn’t describe.”

Silas wasn’t looking at me like I was crazy. He was looking at me like I was making all the sense in the world. “The Fae are tied intensely with their Courts—not just the Queen, but the entire species. They’re incredibly loyal—to their lands and their people. It’s why Fae Queens were so magnificent, so beloved.”

“You think I felt so calm upon arrival because my Fae blood was connecting with its roots?”

“I think it’s as reasonable an explanation as anything else.” Silas continued before I could belabor his point. “You were able to heal Irina on your first day here with zero instruction.”

“Yeah, I can’t explain that one.”

“Unless you have innate magic connected to this island. Unless you are so powerful that you can’t help but channel your magic. Unless that sense of loyalty runs so deep you can’t fathom not helping a fellow islander. One who belongs to your ancient court.”

“It’s a tenuous theory at best. I’m also a doctor, so it’s literally my job to help people.”

“This also supports my theory about the curse.” Silas’s gaze dropped to where our hands were now linked together. “There is a prophecy about a Fae returning to this island. Even if they didn’t know you existed in particular, they knew about the prophecy. It’s why someone would set up a curse hundreds of years ago as they laid in wait for you.”

“Who is they?” I asked. “Why would someone do this?”

“Someone who is threatened by the power of Faes,” Silas said. “I don’t know who, but I have suspicions.”

“Tell me.”

Silas sighed. “If I had to guess, I’d say a magic this strong could only come from the King of the Underworld.”

“Sounds very dastardly.”

“Their magic is everything Fae magic is not. Fae Queens could ruin the underworld if they so desired. The thing is, Fae Queens would never do it unless provoked.”

“Killing off one’s ancestors is quite the provocation.”

“Exactly. It’s entirely possible that the magic powering this curse is ancient, set by the King of the Underworld centuries ago out of an abundance of caution. But if it’s true they found you—”

“Which is very likely, considering they killed the source.”

“Then it makes sense they’d be ramping up the curse to destroy you—and everything in this court.”

“Let’s say I have Fae blood,” I said. “How can you explain my life in New York? My parents are the opposite of magical.”

“Your mother didn’t give birth to you,” Silas said. “You were placed into her care.”

My breathing felt sharp and jagged. “What are you saying?”

“You can’t seriously believe those ridiculous people are your birth parents.”

My mouth felt dry and rough, my tongue a swatch of sandpaper. “I never considered they weren’t. Why would I?”

“They’re terrible people. You couldn’t have come from them.” Silas frowned, like this was the most natural theory in the world.

His reaction, as if it was sheer blasphemy that I could’ve come from Lucinda and Dr. Wells, was oddly liberating.

“Then who are my real parents?” I asked.

“I believe your real parents were Fae.” A somber expression appeared on Silas’s face. “Long dead. I believe they placed you under an enchantment that kept you hidden for a long, long time.”

“They pulled a Sleeping Beauty? ”

“Essentially. I believe that enchantment wore off, or was broken, and you were then placed under the care of your parents approximately thirty years ago. You’d have been bespelled to live a human life, to age as a human would age, and appear human in all ways to protect you for as long as possible.”

“Why would living among mortals protect me?” I felt a sense of broken heartedness that I could’ve belonged to this island my whole life, and so much of it had been stolen from me. “Why wouldn’t they leave me here?”

“You would’ve been a target. You would’ve been dead before you could walk.”

My heart felt heavy. The weight of it all bore down on my shoulders, so I physically folded forward. “Silas.”

“I’m so sorry, Alessia. I know it’s a lot. But I think it’s time you know the truth,” he said. “I always suspected what you were, but it wasn’t until you pulled me back to The Isle with your spell that I knew for sure.”

“Why then?”

“Because.” Silas looked around the Preserve of Wonders. “I’m part Fae, and it was that bond that connected us.”

“I used Atlas to find you,” I said. “It was a brotherly bond.”

“That might be how you located me, but that’s not how I was retrieved. That magic is not strong enough, and you know it. You could feel it, and so could I.”

“So when Atlas said he saw the bond between us, that’s what he meant?” I bit down on the inside of my cheek as if to convince myself this was all real. “Fae to Fae?”

“Something like that.” Silas looked down at the swaying grasses. “You brought me back with your power. You have roots on the island that extend even deeper than mine.”

“It’s why you believe I’m the only one capable of breaking the curse,” I said with finality. “Because I’m a member of the Court of Isles. You said only a true Fae can break the curse.”

He bowed his head toward me. “Yes.”

“I don’t know what to say. What if I’m not enough? What if I let you down?”

Silas looked at me so earnestly that the expression alone almost destroyed me. “You could never let me down. You are already enough.”

“How can I possibly be more powerful than you if you’re also Fae?” I paused. “And if I’m not more powerful, then why can’t you do it?”

“My mother was Fae. I’m not full-blooded.” Silas gave a heavy sigh, like he equally admired and hated what he was about to say. “I believe you might be the last pureblood Fae in existence.”

My eyes pricked with tears at the way he looked at me, with such hope and admiration in his gaze .

“It’s why you might be able to save us all.” Silas cradled my face in his palms. “And why it might get you killed.”

I couldn’t speak for a long time.

Finally, I muttered, “No pressure.”

He gave a rough laugh, dropped his hand from my face, helped me to my feet.

“You don’t have to do any of it alone,” he said. “And now that we know what you are, it will be easier to instruct you. We’ll have a crash course in magic and spells and potions and enchantments. A quick history on paranormal species. A quick crash course on breaking curses.”

I gaped at him. “This is where it gets easier?”

Silas grabbed my hand with his, gave it a squeeze. “You will never be alone again. Doesn’t that count for something?”

“It counts for a lot,” I found myself saying as he tugged me forward.

We walked hand in hand through a pasture glittering with tall grasses and bobbing flowers and chirping birds. Sunlight dazzled in the distance, glancing off green leaves. Rustles came from around us, from creatures I’d never believed to be real. The sensation of promise and peace embraced us in this magnificent space.

Without warning, I doubled over in a sudden onslaught of pain. It felt like my stomach was a puzzle, and the pieces had all come apart. A jagged hot streak of lightning had seared through my body, sizzling me to my core.

“Alessia.” Silas’s voice was grated and hard. He’d felt it too, but he hadn’t buckled, not to the extent I had. “Are you all right?”

“You felt that.” It was a statement. I could barely speak through the intensity. “My body feels like it’s falling apart.”

“You are becoming more connected to your magic the longer you’re here. It’s good because you’ll grow stronger. But it’s a double-edged sword, because you can feel when your court is being attacked.”

“What was that?”

“The wards are collapsing.” Silas’s tone tried and failed to hide his urgency. “We need to get back. Can you travel?”

In answer, I grasped his other hand in mine, so both of our hands were interlocked. “Take me to the wards.”