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“So I’ve been told.”
“You know he’s unseelie.”
I search the firm line of Castor’s mouth. “I’ve been told that as well.”
“Are you aware what you are?”
My heart dips as a horrible realization comes over me. When I asked Pollux if there were anyone who could reveal what Zahra was…he said Castor. If Castor has that ability, he probably knows what I am, too…
But.
Also.
I have no reason to believe he cares about me or my well-being in the way Pollux does. And Pollux made it very clear last night that learning what I am is not something else I need to grapple with right now.
“You aren’t aware,” Castor murmurs in response to my silence.
I clench my fists at my sides. “I don’t want to know.” The lie stings, physically, inside me, but I cling to it. “I don’t want anything to do with this right now.”
His head tilts, and his long white hair shifts with the motion. “No? Interesting. You don’t want anything to do with what you are? Or anything to do with any of it?”
“I’m still deciding.” I angle my head toward the shower curtain to keep from focusing anywhere near where his eyes are shielded beneath his blindfold. “Pollux is…very pretty. In case you didn’t know. Having a pretty husband is a major pro point.”
Castor laughs. “I suppose I’ve never thought of it before. Tell me…do you feel inexplicably drawn to him? Is there an overwhelming peace that consumes you in his presence? Do you see the beginning and end of all your pain in his eyes?”
“Is that what the soulmate bond is supposed to feel like?”
“Legends would suggest at least that much. I am wondering if you feel it, since you happen to be a different shade than the likes of Pollux and me.”
“I know whatever fae I am is seelie. This isn’t some drama where you get to sneak up behind Pollux and shatter my faith by revealing how he’s manipulated or kept things from me. I know I’m part fae. I know that fae part is so powerful it mutes the effects of a dream eater’s fear-soaked presence. I know more than I care to.”
“You are incredibly skilled in the art of assumption. Bear in mind you have no idea what I seek to obtain from this. If I wanted to shatter your faith in Pollux, I’d focus more deeply on how he’s kept the very title of what you are from you.”
“Because,” I grit, “I don’t want to know.”
“Human lies have an aroma, child. Don’t suspect I don’t know more than even you do of your own tangled emotions. You want to know. You want to make sense of everything. You want to place every detail into a perfect box, just as you have been trained to from your youth. It’s all that has helped make the confusion of living in this world bearable. Rules. Regulations. Patterns and routines.”
I bury my nails into my flesh, lock my jaw, and glare.
“I can’t see your expression, but the tension you’re pouring between us gives me enough information.”
“What do you want, Castor? I’m not familiar enough with anything to be as brave as Alana and Willow are when they say you aren’t bad and treat you like one of their friends.”
Castor stills, lifts his face. “They say that about me?”
“They seem inexplicably fond of you, yes.”
His teeth flash in a bright smile. “My villain girlies. I do quite adore them.”
“You consider yourself a villain?”
He splays a hand, sweeping it gracefully away from himself. “Let’s just say I am learning to embrace what I have been considered. Now. The point. Child, I would like you to lend me your power.”
“And if I say no?”
“I will find a way to it that is less appealing than my current request.”
“Kasserole!” Dad calls from the kitchen. “Breakfast is almost ready. How long are you going to be in there?”
