AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The Prince of Fear is not without his own terrors.
And I want nothing more than to kiss away his pain.
“Is that why Tynan is a secret?” His brows pinch together. “I—I accidentally mentioned your brother in front of Eoin, but he didn’t know who I was talking about.”
“Yes,” Rainer says quietly, running a hand through his hair. “Tynan isn’t the secret, but our relationship is. We share the same father—my biological father.”
A demon.
“Tynan’s a vampyr,” I whisper. A chill crawls up my spine. “A full-blooded one?”
Rainer gives a sharp nod. “Fae are not fond of demons. For good reason. They’ve been banned from Avylon. If word got out about my mother’s transgressions, my rule would be challenged on the grounds of an impure bloodline. ”
“Ken said something similar tonight,” I murmur. “But your magic—being a fearcaller—Eoin called it dark magic. A stain on Avylon. Yet no one has figured out… what you are?”
“My abilities as a fearcaller stem from my mother’s side—the royal line. Little does he know the irony of his words.”
“That’s—convenient.” As a half-blooded vampyr, he’s able to hide his demon side beneath his faerie appearance and magic.
“Dark magic is rare among faeries, but not unheard of—especially not in the Umbra Court. It’s the bloodlust that’s my true curse.”
Not a literal curse, but a hereditary one. “Speaking of curses, it was you that cursed the forest, right?”
“That enchantment was meant to keep the humans away.” He scowls.
“Because of your… temptation? The bloodlust?”
“Yes,” he whispers.
“You don’t hate humans for being human, you fear for them. You’ve only tried to protect them.”
“Don’t make me out to be a hero, Alessia. I meant it when I said that isn’t me. My intentions were to protect myself, and my court from knowing the truth, moreso than protecting the humans.”
I reach up to tenderly cup his cheek. “Not everyone wants a hero, Rainer. Some of us want a monster of their very own.”
He brushes a stray curl behind my ear. “Can you forgive me?”
The revelations overwhelm me. It connects so many of the pieces floating around—answers many of my pressing questions. I understand why he pushed me away, why he didn’t open up to me. And I’m extremely relieved to know he and Fern are not intimate.
I can forgive him for that, but it still doesn’t explain why he found it necessary to be so cruel.
“You used your fearcaller power on me,” I accuse. “Why?”
He sighs. “I was trying to protect you—from Eoin, from Tynan, from myself. And I wanted you to see that you are strong, Alessia. I wanted you to believe in yourself.”
“And did that work out for you?” I ask, sarcastically.
“You’ve come a long way, so I’ll say yes in that regard. But considering you had Eoin in your bed, and now here I am begging for forgiveness, I’d say it backfired.”
I arch a brow at him. “Begging? I don’t see any begging.”
He tightens his grip on my hand, bowing his head.
“Can you forgive me, mo róisín? For hurting you. For keeping secrets. For pushing you away.”
I pull my hand out of his grip, crossing my arms and scrutinizing him. We both know I’ll forgive him. I don’t have it in me to hate him for trying to do the right thing. Especially after losing Char and understanding how valuable friendship and love are.
“I don’t know—”
