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Arnold responded, unfazed. “Oh yes, I was born in Aurelius. I’m one of the thousands who came here to start a new life.

I wish we’d known how things would play out—I would’ve brought more blood with me.

” His callus laugh grated against my bones.

“The day the curse took hold of us, my father dropped dead. It was a dark time, trying to find our missing magic. I watched humans march through our fallen wards, destroying what we’d built.

I was there when humans savagely secured faeries in chains and burned us to ash.

My first wife, my children… all murdered— like so many others.

I tore apart the men who killed them and drank from their corpses, but it didn’t bring back my family.

Humans gave me this scar when I was chained and unable to heal.

” He motioned to the long, ugly line down the side of his face and I winced.

“I don’t mind it, actually. It serves as a reminder of who they really are. ”

I looked down at my food, trying to slow my thundering heart.

The table stayed silent as he paused to take a sip of wine.

“We need them—don’t get me wrong—but I’ll never forgive them after what I’ve lived through.

There’s a reason humans weren’t blessed with our gifts; they’re not worthy .

Keep that in mind—next time you sink your teeth into one of them.

Don’t let them trick you into thinking they’re like us.

” He’d seemed docile— friendly , even, moments ago.

But he’d turned into a fuming beast before my eyes.

I checked that my hair was still covering my rounded ears.

Galen stepped in. “Arnold, I apologize on behalf of my… cousin . She’s never met an elder and was unaware of the trauma they carry from their days in Erador.”

“Quite alright. I want the future generation to know what we went through—the anger we still feel—so they’ll never forget. We show humans too much mercy—more kindness than they deserve.” He grinned at me, before continuing on his salad .

“Things are different now, Arnold,” Louis said. “Most faeries believe in equal rights for humans. It would benefit the council to acknowledge this. If you haven’t noticed, we’re experiencing a magic shortage.”

Sylvia hissed at her son, while Arnold pretended not to hear him. No one else spoke up. They ignored Louis as if he was a young radical, who didn’t know his own mind. Tears hovered at my lashes, but I pushed the emotion away, along with my plate. I’d lost my appetite.

I stared at the ornate floral centerpiece, attempting to shrink into nothing, as the first course was removed, and the next plate arrived. This one came with a pairing of sparkling blood berry wine and I took a generous sip.

“I didn’t expect you to prove my point so quickly,” Rafael whispered.

“I don’t belong here,” I replied with a clipped tone.

“Neither do I.”

“Of course you do. You’re a Fae Prince, where else would you belong?” I asked, fiddling with the napkin in my lap.

I glanced his direction and found him intently staring back.

It was the first time I dared to really look at him.

His irises were a caramel-brown with flecks of gold in them.

They glowed as if illuminated from within…

a trick of the candlelight, most likely.

Then I picked up the scent of his cologne.

It was piny with notes of a crisp, drizzly morning. Goosebumps formed on my arms.

“Do you feel like you belong… where you’re from?” he asked.

I cleared my throat, trying to find my way out of the misty grove I’d wandered into. Gods , that scent… I’d have to hold my breath to get through this dinner.

He’d asked me a question… I stared blankly at him.

“Are you alright?”

“Er… yes. What was your question again?”

He arched a brow. “I asked if you fit in back home.”

Well that was a nosy question. I felt a flush crawling up my neck. “Uh… no. Not really. I suppose you’re right. It doesn’t take showing up in a different world to feel like an outsider.”

“Do you get along with your family?” he asked, still studying me.

I treaded cautiously. Why did he even feel the need to converse with me? “I do. My mother died a decade ago. I live with my aunt. She’s the only real family I have. ”

Lived . Past tense, because this was my home now… indefinitely. Until the Queen tired of me and drained me like a glass of wine.

“I’m sorry to hear that. The death of a parent… there’s a void that never leaves you.”

“Galen mentioned you lost your father… I’m sorry for your loss.”

It took him a moment to respond. He focused on his drink as he swirled it. “Yes… he died twenty years ago. He wasn’t perfect, but a much more competent ruler than her .”

I choked on my wine. To say such a thing about his own mother, while she sat so close. His boldness made me smile. I covered my mouth with my napkin, stifling a laugh.

He had an expression on his face that I couldn’t decipher, but it felt as if he was staring straight into my soul, rather than my eyes. And I didn’t like it.

“How old are you and your brothers, if you don’t mind me asking?” If he could be nosy, so could I.

“Galen is the oldest—he’s one-hundred and fifty years old. I’m one-hundred and five. Louis is the youngest, he’s only thirty-three. And you?”

I tried to mask my surprise. Both him and Galen had already lived longer lives than any human could hope to. “I’m twenty-one. You have a few years on me. It’s strange—that you all look roughly the same age. When do you stop aging?”

“We seem to settle into our physical form around twenty-five. We age very slowly after that—you see that Arnold has greying hair…” He nodded his head towards the old man.

“Fae can live over one-thousand years. He’s considered middle-aged.

He’s only had one child in the last two-hundred years. We reproduce rarely, especially now.”

“What must it feel like—to have so much life ahead of you? How would one fill their time?” I pondered out loud.

“Most faeries have a deep love for nature, art… reading. One would assume that wisdom would grow with age, but unfortunately that’s not what I’ve found to be true.

Many elders seem to insist on staying ignorant—stuck in another time.

The same faeries that claim we’re more evolved than humans, are the ones that prove that we’re not.

And of course it’s always the small-minded thinkers that worm their way into power.

The castle is full of them.” He curled his lip, not hiding his disgust .

“You speak so highly of your family.”

He gave a tight smile. “We can’t choose our family. But I hope I can create my own someday. It’s a nice thought, at least. Currently, I’m very far from that goal. And glad to be.”

“Who knows, you could be a father already—with the way you boast of visiting brothels.” I covered my mouth in shock.

Had I said that out loud?

His eyes darkened. “So you think you have me figured out, do you? I wonder how my brother—you know, the one you kissed yesterday—would feel about your interest in my sex life.”

Rendered speechless, I turned away from him. And then I had nothing to do besides watch Isla flirt with Galen. Everything he said brought forth another giggle from her perfect mouth.

What could possibly be so funny?

Out of boredom, I decided to delicately breech another subject with Rafael as the third course came. “If humans aren’t allowed in the castle, where does the royal family get their blood? Do you keep them with the livestock?”

I was pushing the limits of table conversation, but felt compelled to provoke him in the same reckless way a child might poke a sleeping cat.

“Brothels are one option,” he said with a rogue smile.

“ Brothels ? The women working at brothels are humans?” I hissed in outrage.

“And Fae males and females. But yes, of course. What’s better than blood and magic? Sex , blood, and magic.” He said it sardonically, trying to get under my skin. My curiosity played right into his hand.

“Are they slaves? Are they bitten… during sex ?” I whispered the last word.

“Slaves exist, but not legally. In most establishments the humans are treated fairly and paid well. There are limits to how many times they can be bitten in one day. It’s quite an advantage for a sex worker to have magic flowing through their veins.

They never want for customers.” He gave a low laugh as he watched me squirm.

I resisted the urge to slap him in his obnoxiously handsome face. “You’re a brute,” I huffed.

“And my brother’s not?”

I eyed Galen who was still talking to Isla and huffed again. “He at least pretends to be a gentleman.”

He gave a crooked smile. “Is that your type, then? Charm over substance?”

I gave him an incredulous look. “At the moment, my type is anyone but you.”

He laughed, shaking the hair from his eyes, like a shaggy dog . I became very focused on the peas on my plate and avoided his gaze until he took the hint and fell into conversation with Louis.

He had no decency . How dare he pick on his brother—who’d been there for me, when no one else had. And six gods … the way he smelled. I felt flustered. Annoyed . He was obviously full of dark magic and I was an easy target—a sitting duck.

Had he been casting a spell on me while I answered his intrusive questions? I wouldn’t put it past him. I made a mental note to be more careful around him from now on.

Through the rest of dinner, I listened to idle chatter, hoping to learn more about the Fae. I was disheartened to find a lack of substance that echoed of dinners back home. Easily a thousand years between them, yet discussing the same empty topics. Mostly gossip.

Perhaps they were holding back on my account, but I suspected a simpler explanation; humans and faeries were all the same deep down. And then there was me. Born to be an outcast. An orphan. Alone.