Page 35 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown (Kingdom of Bellhollow #1)

I t’s been a day since Kieran healed my finger twice. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around everything he has told me and what happened. I continue to scrub the pot as I try to work through my thoughts.

“Adeline?” Mother calls out.

“Yes?” I ask, looking over at her.

Mother is currently sewing some men’s pants together and soon she’ll be working on dresses. Her dresses are stunning, and she’s offered to let me have one, but I feel bad taking it when I don’t necessarily need them. Sure, mine have a lot of patches, but they do what they need to do right now.

But I would do anything to have a new dress and be able to show Kieran.

My hands still on the pot at the thought.

Once again, I’m thinking about Kieran and what he would think.

I think back to when he healed my finger.

That was just the other day, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

I’m still trying to comprehend whether it actually happened or if he was playing some kind of mind game on me.

Looking down at my hand, I look at where Kieran healed me.

Soft little scars are still there, making me realize that what happened was real.

It wouldn’t leave a scar and stay if it was mind tricks.

I thought about asking my mother to see if she can see them, but I don’t want her to ask a lot of questions and get worried about me.

Maybe Kieran and I really are mates. I feel a connection with him, the tug he has talked about, and the calming effect he gives me whenever he feels that I am stressed or worried about something. I have felt all of those things and yet I don’t want to truly believe that we are mates.

What will this mean for me?

Will I get disowned by my parents when it comes to light? Will I have to live with the Fae, get treated like one of them for the rest of my life, or will I die? There are so many questions, and I don’t have a single answer for any of them.

Maybe I should ask Kieran if there are any other human mates who I can talk to. Maybe then I can see if what we are feeling is the same or if Kieran is making it all up. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner. But Kieran could tell the humans what to say to make me believe.

I groan and close my eyes, taking a deep breath.

It all comes back to whether Kieran is telling the truth or not, or trying to manipulate me.

I want to desperately trust him, and part of me does, but there is a part of me that knows I shouldn’t.

All my life I’ve been taught that they are beneath us and should always be beneath us.

“Adeline?” Mother inquires. “Are you okay? What’s on your mind?”

“Sorry, mother. Just thinking about a lot,” I reply and start to scrub the pan again.

“What’s on your mind?” she inquires again.

Great. Now what am I going to tell her? She can’t know about Kieran, or else she might tell one of the guards or Avira. I don’t even want to think what my sister would do if she found out I was mated to a Fae.

“When you first met father, how did you feel?” I ask, turning around to see her face.

“Why do you ask?” She stops sewing and looks at me.

I shrug. “I’m just curious. Do you feel a tug? Sparks when you touch? Emotions from the other person? Or feel a calmness wash over you when you are anxious, and it’s from the other person?” I ask all in one breath.

Mother blinks several times at me, tilting her head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

I rub the back of my neck, scrunching my nose. “I’m guessing you don’t feel that way?” I shrug my shoulders. “Or do you feel something in that list?”

I stare at her, waiting for her to answer my question. I need to know if she feels the same things I feel or if I’m going mad here.

“I don’t feel a random tug or your father’s emotions.

Humans don’t have a connection like that.

Sure, I may feel sparks when your father touches me, but they aren’t actually sparks.

It’s more like a little flutter in my stomach because I love him so much.

When he is near and touches me when I’m anxious or scared, normally it helps me calm down but it doesn’t get rid of the feeling,” Mother explains.

“What you are describing doesn’t exist. At least not between humans.

You need to not let your mind wander so much.

You are going to be very disappointed when you meet your husband and only feel love and nothing else you described. ”

I sigh and nod. She said between humans, but Kieran isn’t human.

I thought she would help me, that maybe humans have mates as well, but it seems they don’t.

Unless my father isn’t my mother’s mate.

But I think we all would have heard if humans have mates with other humans. It would make life so much simpler.

“I know you want to find love and you will, but don’t create ideas in your mind that are false. I don’t want you disappointed when the time comes that you do find someone for you. I would hate for you to come up with all these ideas and never find love,” mother gently says.

“I would hate that as well,” I reply, looking away.

But maybe I’ll never find human love since I am mates with Kieran. Maybe the love he has talked about will be enough for me or even more than I ever imagined and dreamed of.

“Can I go out?” I ask as I finish washing the pot I was working on earlier.

“You don’t have to ask every time you want to go out. You are an adult but you can. I know you are trying to get in as much time outside as you can while the prince is gone.” Mother chuckles.

“It’s habit asking now. You know me so well.” I laugh with her. “But at the same time, I do really just want to go outside. I want to feel the cold air fill my lungs and to feel it across my face.”

“You are so much like your father. He loves all of that. Now go and don’t be long. I don’t want you getting sick,” she shoos me away.

I grab my coat and walk outside as I put it on. I immediately take a deep breath and let my shoulders relax. If only I could be Fae so I could stay outside all the time. It would be a dream come true.

Heading toward the forest and away from prying eyes, I calm even further as I hear some birds talking to each other. This is such a beautiful part of nature that I think everyone should enjoy.

“No bucket this time?” Kieran asks as he steps out in front of me.

“Not today. We don’t need the stream water for another couple of days,” I reply, smiling a little.

He cocks his head to the side and looks at me. “What has you smiling?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m in a good mood, I guess.”

Maybe it’s because the guards in the city have become less and less and I know that when I come out to the forest and Kieran meets me that I will be able to spend more time with him.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve been able to spend a lot of time outside recently.

I know once the baby comes, it’s going to change, so I’m trying to soak it up right now.

What will happen with meeting Kieran once the baby comes? My heart breaks a little, and my face falls.

“I liked it better when you were smiling,” he gently observes. “Why did you stop?”

I shrug, but I know the reason.

“Adeline,” he whispers, getting closer to me. “Tell me. Let me help you.”

“When the baby comes, I won’t be able to see you as much,” I reply, not looking him in the eyes.

I don’t know why it’s hitting me so hard. Maybe because I really want to be around him. I’ve grown to love being around him. Crave it even. We have a connection.

Maybe we really are mates.

“We will see each other, I promise. It may not be as much, but you will make time. I will keep a lookout for you. In the meantime, we’ll practice to try and talk to each other through the bond.

See if I have enough magic for that,” he explains.

“I don’t know if it’s possible for more than a word or two, but it’s worth a try. ”

It warms my heart, knowing he is trying to come up with some way for us to still talk.

He wants to be with me. Kieran hasn’t wavered in telling me we are mates.

Either he is trying really hard to lie and convince me or he really is telling the truth but I’m leaning more towards he’s actually tell the truth.

“I suspect we will since you told me you were struggling in the snow all those weeks ago, but it was very faint. So we may be able to do it but it will be quiet and spotty.” He cups my face with his hands.

“And even if it will only work when you are in danger, we will figure it out. We always will.”

Sighing, I nod and lean into his touch. Everything feels so right with him.

“Are there other humans who have Fae mates?” I quietly ask.

I know no one is around us to see or hear what we are talking about, but I’m still hesitant to ask.

“There are others,” he gently replies. “Would you like to meet them?”

I shrug and take a step back. I look down at my feet, clasping my hands in front of me as I shift in place.

Do I really want to meet them? Yes, I do, but at the same time I don’t.

I want to see who they are and if they can talk to me about everything, to see if they believe they are mates with a Fae man.

“If you want to meet with them, I can talk to their mates and set up a time. Or I can tell them who you are and for them to contact you,” Kieran suggests, placing his fingers under my chin and lifting my head.

We make eye contact, and I see him smile at me.

“Or if you want to think about it a little more, you can. I don’t want to pressure you into anything. ”

“I-” I take a deep breath.

What do I want? “All of them accept that they are mates with the Fae and believe?” I ask quietly.

Am I the only one who doesn’t believe?

“They do now. In the beginning, they didn’t, so don’t feel bad,” he replies.

“They would be happy to talk to you if you want to. They would be happy to answer all your questions. I like to think that you would ask me the questions, but I understand if you aren’t comfortable or don’t believe me yet.

Times are weird right now, and I don’t blame you for being hesitant. ”

He doesn’t blame me. He understands why I’m being hesitant, and he’s still being patient with me and trying. What did I do to deserve someone like him? Nothing and yet he is here in front of me, wanting to take care of me and make sure everything is okay.

“Now, let’s relax a little and enjoy the time we have,” Kieran suggests. “Unless you have to head back now.”

Do I have to leave now? Whenever I’m with Kieran I lose track of time.

“You’ve only been here for ten minutes,” he tells me. “Come snuggle and listen to the birds with me?” he asks. “You can ask me any questions you want, and I’ll answer them. Unless they are things that will confuse you. Or anything that will get you in trouble.”

I chuckle and sit on the ground. “So I can’t ask you anything.”

He sighs and sits down right next to me. “No, sadly, you can’t. Not yet. I wish, but in time you will be able to tell you so much more.”

Lying down on the ground, I look up at the trees and see some of the branches with birds on them. But with each passing second, the snow seeps into my clothes .

“I can’t lay here. What was I thinking? I clearly don’t think when I’m around you. It’s like everything around me disappears and I just want to be with you.” I stand up quickly. “My clothes are wet. I’m going to get sick if I don’t get out of these soon.”

I try to brush all the snow off my clothes, but it’s hard when it’s on my back.

“My brain just turns off when I’m around you. It’s like it knows it’s safe with you, that you will take care of everything, and I don’t know why. I’ve never felt this way before and yet the first time I met you, it happened,” I ramble.

Kieran stands and helps get the snow off my back before pulling me into his embrace. “Deep breaths,” he gently says. “Take a deep breath for me and calm down.”

Following his instruction, my body melts into his as he holds me close.

“Everything is going to be okay. I know it can be scary when this first happens. Your body recognizes that you are my mate. It trusts me to take care of you and make sure that you are safe,” he explains.

“It happens to everyone. Deep down, you know you can trust me, and your body is trying to tell you that.”

But I shouldn’t want that.

“I know you are still struggling with what you were taught growing up, and it’s going to take time, but it’s not bad that you trust me. It’s not bad that you feel a connection with me and feel safe. I’m honored you do, and I will never betray that,” he whispers and kisses my forehead.