Page 37 of The Masked Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 1)

BRAHM

Wallen stands before me, silently frowning. “You want me to find information about Alice’s sister?”

I nod, shuffling papers on my desk. “That’s right. A child who disappeared when she was very young.”

Regina shifts next to me, uncomfortable. “Do you think…”

I look over. “I believe it’s possible.”

But mostly, I want assurance that I’m wrong. Because if I’m right, then my family has committed a wicked crime against Alice’s family—something she is not likely to forgive.

“The chances are so slim,” Regina says quietly. “You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”

“I need to know.”

“I will look into it,” my valet says, bowing before he leaves.

“Tell no one,” I instruct, though I know he won’t. He and Regina are the two people in my life I trust explicitly.

My brother and Sabine come in at a close second, though sometimes I’m unsure exactly where my sister’s allegiances lie.

Wallen slips out the door, shutting it silently behind him.

Regina turns to me, looking uncomfortable. “Sisters don’t often share the same name.”

“I’m counting on it. I just need to be certain.”

“Brahm,” she says gently. “I think you need to free Alice’s brother and send them home. Pretend this never happened.”

“Lord Ambrose does not show mercy,” I remind her. “That’s why I created the Highwayman.”

And Alice’s brother does not deserve mercy—something I believe even more strongly now that I know his sister.

“You’re stumbling in too deep with this girl. Her presence alone is dredging up things best left buried.”

I choose not to answer.

“Do you have any idea what your mother would do if she found out you’re taken with a human?”

I jerk my head up, dropping the papers on my desk. “Excuse me?”

“This isn’t about our Alice anymore. This is about this Alice. The feelings you have for her aren’t brotherly as I originally thought.”

“She’s human,” I say, trying not to remember the kiss.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Regina demands. “Bluntly say your interest isn’t romantic in nature. Tell me you aren’t attracted to her as a woman.”

I struggle, fighting my magic before I finally give up. Defeated, I admit, “I can’t.”

“Then you are walking a dangerous path.”

I know she’s not wrong.

In Faerie, it’s acceptable to take a human as a pet, even to go as far as to keep them as casual lovers and shower them with riches.

It’s not allowed, however, to court a human. It’s certainly not allowed to give them our name and let them mother children.

In Faerie, humans are for entertainment and sport—both of which I find abhorrent.