There were humans and fae who would have continued living together but were forced to choose. Most sided with their species. There were fae who fought with the humans, but if the fae rebellion caught them, they would be killed. Fae may be hard to defeat, but with cold iron or beheading, it is possible—not that most humans stood a chance of getting close enough to inflict said damage. The only thing that helped us was our numbers. The human population was ten times that of the fae.
Once the capital city of the continent, Anaeris, was destroyed in the fighting, it doomed any possibility of reconciliation between our species.
That is what the history books wrote, but it appears they were wrong.
“All right, here we are,” Reagan says as we stop outside a massive ornate wooden door.
I push my shock aside and roll my shoulders back, readying myself for whatever lies beyond the threshold.
He pushes the door open, and we step into a grand hall. Golden crystal chandeliers hang from vaulted ceilings casting shimmering light throughout the space. We cross the room and stop at the foot of a raised dais with a massive golden throne atop it.
“Your Majesty, I have our guest, as requested,” Reagan declares, bowing at the waist.
“Ah, yes, thank you, Reagan. That will be all for now.” The king’s eyes meet mine, and the corners crinkle as a wide smile spreads across his face. “I have been waiting for you, and I must say you are far lovelier than I expected.”
My breath catches at the sight of the king. He is incredibly handsome; his dark hair hangs loose, fanning his tanned skin and framing his gray eyes. The amethyst tunic and black trousers he wears fit snugly, showing the taut muscles beneath. And his smile makes thinking nearly impossible—but wait. My brows furrow as thoughts return to my brain. “What do you mean,than you expected?”
He settles back on the throne with an exaggerated casualness. “That’s not important right now. What is important is us getting to know one another. I am King Grager, ruler of Selen. Now, what is your name, and where are you from, my dear?” He all but purrs when he saysmy dear.
“I am Grace Helden from Trimton.” All the questions in my mind from moments before vanish as my heart thuds wildly, torn between apprehension, fear, and something else. Excitement.The king is intimidating, but not in a menacing way; more a seductive one.
He tousles his long dark hair with his hand, but instead of looking messy, it makes him more handsome. His straight white teeth gleam as he beams at me, and a dimple appears on his cheek. “Grace Helden of Trimton,” he drawls, “you have the most beautiful eyes. One blue and one green. So at odds with each other, yet perfectly paired. It’s quite stunning. Does your mother also have those eyes?” His head tilts, studying me.
“No, my mom’s eyes are only blue, but her mother, my grandmother, had the same coloring as mine.”
“Well, it suits you. Beautiful eyes for a gorgeous woman.” He winks, and my cheeks heat. After a moment of silence, his knuckles rap on the arm of the throne before he stands and comes off the dais, stopping only an arm’s length away from me. “While I am overjoyed to have you here, my dear, do you know how you made the crossing?”
“I’m not sure what you mean bycrossing. I was hiking in the woods when the world went dark, and the ground shifted beneath me. After that, everything appeared normal, except for—” My eyes narrow. “When I was shot with a poisoned arrow.”
He lays a hand over his heart and grimaces.“I apologize for how you were welcomed into Selen. Rarely do we have guests wandering in the woods. But you should consider yourself lucky you crossedinto my lands. The other kings may not have been as welcoming.”
Other kings?
While there are dozens of towns and cities across Esmarae, none has a king or queen.The surprise must show on my face because he laughs deeply. “Ah, yes, it must be quite a shock, finding we still exist in this world. You humans believed us gone for so long, you all but forgot us. Yet here I am. Does it scare you I am fae?”
I swallow thickly. He scares me, but not for the reason he thinks. I’m fearful because even now, I find myself leaning closer to him, drawn like a moth to a flame. “No, you do not frighten me. The idea of never going home does.”
His amused smile disappears and he gestures around the room. “My kingdom is not so horrible that you need to escape. A crossing will come, and you will leave mylandswhen the time is right. The faerealmcan be crossed back.”
“So, we are where, exactly? Inside a bubble?”
Amusement lights his eyes again and he drops his hands, clasping them together behind his back. “Something like that. When the once-king and -queen of Esmarae, Gabriel and Alessandra Anaeris, separated the fae and humans, they used strong magic and took the lands surrounding our cities to create our new homes. Where your human eyes see only mountains and forests are our hidden cities.”
My mouth falls open slightly with the realization the fae have been hiding in plain sight this entire time. “How do you keep humans from crossing into your realm? What if someone stumbles into the border?”
“The magic is keyed, so if humans approach one, they’ll have the strong desire to turn and go the other direction, unbeknownst to them. And rarely, if a human makes it past the border magic, well, they don’t return to the human realm but live in ours. But do not worry. That won’t be your fate. Since the guards found you on my lands and not in the veil, I believe you used a crossing,” I stare at him blankly, andhe smirks.“That’s right. You don’t know what a crossing is. Well, crossings are invisible holes that, when opened, lead to another place, much like a tunnel. Only fae have access to these crossing points, but you used one. Isn’t thatcurious?”
I shake my head, rejecting the idea. “There’s no way I crossed. I am certainly not fae, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
“No, you are far more than that. But we can discuss this in more detail later. You must be tired from the day’s events. Let me have one of my servants escort you to a room.”
“But wait. I need to get home. I can’t stay here.”
His face softens and his voice takes on a soothing tone. “I wish I could make that happen today, but the crossings are fickle things, only appearing when they want. All we can do is wait.”
My breath comes fast as his words sink in.
I can’t go home today, and perhaps not for many more days.