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“I’m assuming Finch showed you?” Daisy started off the conversation.
“He did. Do you look like he does?”
She sat back in the glider and sighed. “No. I mean, I’m fae, but I’m an elite protector so my wings are gold. Finch’s are bluish like his hair. Elite protectors are generally more metal in appearance.”
“Elite protector? I don’t know what that is.”
Finch flinched, and that was all I needed to know that I was about to get more news I would need to adjust to.
“Finch, did you tell him who you were?”
He shook his head. “We had limited time before you all returned from the store. I wasn’t going to word-vomit all over him.”
“Please, word-vomit.” I wanted to know everything, so I could then sort through it all.
Daisy and Finch shared some kind of silent conversation for a beat, and then she faced me.
“You know him as Finch Brightkin, in our realm he is Prince Finch Brightkin, son of King Manchineel and Queen Calantha. He and Prince Zephyr are the only ones of Finch’s siblings who share the same father and mother. While Finch chose the path of light, Zephyr chose the path of darkness.”
He was a prince? “You’re royalty.”
“In my realm, yes,” Finch answered. “But my father was disgusted with me because I wouldn’t join his ranks, so he didn’t fight me when I asked to live in the human world. To him I was a weakness, and he wanted me gone and disconnected from him as much as possible. He had Zephyr as well as Arachnis and Amaris, who are full-on dark fae. I was unimportant to him.”
“Arachnis, that’s who I saw in the fire.”
“He’d do anything for Manchineel,” Daisy said with a sneer. “But he broke fae law, and that will be what we use against the king in the hopes to end an impending war.”
“Broke it, how?”
Finch’s fingers were tapping on the arm of the chair as if he were nervous, but I couldn’t be sure if it was from telling me or what was coming.
“If you had died in that fire, Arachnis wouldn’t be facing an inquiry. Because you lived, he has exposed his magic and himself to you.”
I furrowed my brow, confused. “You showed me your true self also.”
He nodded. “I did. But only after he showed a lot more. Mine was in explanation of what was going on. While it will be argued on my father’s side that I should have killed you instead of pulling you deeper in, it’s not the side I gravitate toward, and I will trust my mother to have my back on this.”
“You know she will.” Daisy reached over and squeezed Finch’s hand, and a need to comfort him overtook me.
“Come here.” I patted the seat beside me on the cushioned bench.
He didn’t hesitate, and a second later he was next to me. I wrapped an arm around him.
“If I was supposed to die, and your old man would have wanted you to do it, does that mean there’s a bounty on my head?”
I didn’t want to ask that question, but out of everything I’d heard tonight, that seemed to be the most vital right now.
“I’m sure it will be argued as such, but understand Queen Calantha is on your side on this. She values humanity, and the fact that her son adores you so much will be all the drive she needs to fight even harder.” Daisy smirked.
“So, what do we do now?”
Daisy sighed, looking quickly at Finch before locking eyes with me.
“I won’t lie to you, Easton. I will be in communication with other protectors, ear to the ground, but King Manchineel is sneaky. I don’t doubt he will try some underhanded shit if he thinks he’s losing this fight. Your family must be protected, and I will see what I can do to get some eyes on all of you.”
“Daisy, ask my mother to request a hold on retaliation.”
“What’s that?” I had no idea what they were talking about.
