Page 111 of His Retribution

I nod.

Ok.

Ok, so I'm not just some freak, not some weird girl. I'm a fae.

I'm a mythical creature that is pretty much extinct.

My entire life before Havok was not at all what it seemed because it wasn't really mine.

Definitely explains why my parents hated me and why we never had any real connection. And maybe that's why I fell in so easily with Havok and the Dragovihk clan.

Hell, it’s probably even why I didn't have parents in each of my lives since then. I just sort of appeared and never felt like I belonged but not just because I was running scared or searching for Havok—I felt like I didn't belong because I really didn't.

"Ok." I sigh. "Ok. So I'm fae. You are dragons, my mate is a vampire, and I'm a fucking fairy."

Everyone laughs; even Andrej lets out a small chuckle, and I feel something inside shift into place.

Ok.

"I know it's not the same as having someone teach you the ways of your people, but that book"—Henrich nods toward the small one in front of me—"is everything our father learned about the fae, directly from Tolan and Ellida. Perhaps it will be helpful, help you understand yourself a little better, and help gain use of the gifts you have."

I smile, take the book and flip through a few pages.

Maybe it can be my training guide.

Or maybe it'll scare the hell out of me and I won't want to read it.

Or maybe I'll die in another few hours and won't get the chance.

Which has me thinking...

"Do you think..." I look at Henrich, his brothers, then Havok. "Do you think Nero somehow knew that?"

"Knows you are fae?" my mate asks, a low growl accompanying his words. "To be honest, it would not shock me. He was even more intense in his pursuit of the fae, more cruel than his father before him. If your kind had essentially been exterminated centuries before you were born and he somehow got wind of Tolan and Ellida's whereabouts, their activity, it would not be at all surprising that he learned of your existence." His eyes flash red. "I'd put money on him finding you and manipulating the human king into agreeing to your betrothal."

"Which would explain why I was so old when it happened." Havok frowns at my words. "You know what I mean. Twenty-four was old to enter into an arranged marriage back then and let’s face it, Josef may have been loyal to his king and relatively high ranking, but he was a weasel."

"And really fucking annoying," Andrej grunts.

To which I giggle. "That he was." Then in all too vivid detail I recall Nero's words when he killed me the first time. "What if..." Oh my gosh, it makes so much sense. "What if I'm fae but Tolan and Ellida took an extra protective measure? Not just by placing me with humans to mask my scent?"

Havok shifts me so I'm facing him. "Such as?"

"Nero said something, said something that I never gave much thought to before because honestly it was just scary and creepy at the time, but he said something to me in the cabin that didn't really make any sense until now."

"What was that, little one?" Kai asks as he and his kin lean toward us.

"Can vampires scent fae? Is that how they hunted them?"

"Yes." Havok nods. "As I said, that sugary sweet fragrance is a trademark of fae."

"I don't think Nero picked up on that."

"Really?"

I nod. "He didn't say anything about me being fae, just that he would have liked to"—I shudder—"feedfrom me, but he said nothing about it being because I was fae or anything else. As a matter of fact, I don't think Nero could scent me at all."

"Interesting." Henrich leans even closer. "And what leads you to believe that?"