I gritted my teeth, staring back at him. I was being lulled into a false sense of security by him. He was a flirt, but he was friendly and seemed to be helping me when he didn’t need to. But he was still one of them. He’d still played a part in kidnapping me and bringing me here.
“I’m sure this is a shock,” Caom said, pausing when I let out a humourless snort. That was the second time I’d heard that in the last few weeks.
My heart spasmed at the thought of Dad and Mags. Guilt churned in my guts that I could have gone even a few hours without thinking of them, despite everything.
If I was forced to stay here, would I forget them entirely?
“I’m not saying this to manipulate you, Ash.” Caom leaned forwards on the sofa, crossing his long legs. “But you don’t want to anger the Carlin too much by trying to escape constantly. Her guards are in the forest. They will be watching for you. She will take it as a personal slight if you try and leave.”
“As if I give a shit if I offend her,” I muttered, slouching back in the armchair and folding my arms over my chest like a petulant child.
“You will if she changes her mind about her hospitality.” His voice was flat. “You will if she sends her blade here to gut you in your sleep.”
I stared at him. “Her blade?”
He nodded, mouth grim. “Her youngest son. Lonan. All of them are snakes that slither round the place spying for her, but he is her killing blow. Her assassin.”
I shivered, wondering whether that was the black-haired son. “What about the others?”
“Balor is the eldest. He’s her eyes. He seeseverythingand reports it all back to her. Bres is the second eldest, with the honeyed voice. Her mouthpiece. Cethlen, the second youngest, hears all gossip and rumours among the Folk. And Lonan is her blade. Her killing hand.”
“How…” I licked my lips. “How can I tell them apart?”
“Lonan is the most dangerous, and he’s the easiest to spot. Black hair and dead eyes. If he comes for you, you’re fucked.”
So that onewashim. I thought back to seeing him in the Carlin’s court. His eyes had been jet black, but… they hadn’t looked dead to me.
Although I wasn’t so sure how happy I was that an assassin had been staring at me.
“Balor is the tallest, and his eyes are the same colour as the Carlin’s. Bres has her bronze teeth. Cethlen has filmy eyes. He’s blind. He’s accompanied by a hellhound at all times. Small and white, with red eyes. You’ll see the hellhound before you spot him.”
I exhaled a shaky breath. “Thanks for the info.”
The tiny cut on my neck throbbed, and I glanced over at Caom as I reached up to touch it. “The Carlin cut me when I met her.”
He went still, copper eyes tracking my fingers where they rubbed just beneath my earlobe. His gaze slowly lifted to meet mine.
“You can’t leave then,” he said, making me freeze. “You wouldn’t be able to get into the forest even if you avoided all the guards.”
“What?”
He gestured at my neck. “That wasn’t an accident, Ash. She’s bound you to her land. To her.”
“What?” I repeated, horror creeping into my voice. “Boundme to her? What does that mean? What do you mean?”
“Just that you can’t leave unseelie ground now.” He exhaled, then tried to give me a smile. “At least it stops you agonising over it, doesn’t it? Just relax and enjoy it. Enjoy your new life.”
I shot to my feet, hands clenching into fists. “Enjoy it?Enjoy it?I’m supposed to sit here and fucking… play make-believe in this house like I should be here?”
“Youareone of us, Ash.” Caom’s voice was harder and more impatient as he stood up. “You can deny it a million times, but that won’t make it any less true. You know I can’t lie. None of us can lie. Well, except you.”
“No, I don’tknowthat, because fairies aren’t supposed to be fucking real.” I was breathing hard now. “So anything I’ve read wasfiction.Folklore. How can I trust any of it?”
“Well, you’ll see eventually.” Caom walked to the door, but paused and looked back at me. “I’ll come back in the morning. I know you’re still going to try and leave. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Then he was gone.
I stood there, panting with impotent rage for long moments. Fury burst through me in hot waves, driving me outside and towards the looming wall of the forest.