Page 134 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

Of course he knows.

I handed the secret to him on a silver platter.

I don’t know Anders well at all. He could be telling Augustus the truth about me right now.

What will happen if he does?

Will they trap me in Virendrell?

Will I ever see Ferria again?

“Hey,” Rian says, voice softening. “It’s okay. Just breathe⁠—”

“No.” I shake my head as strands of hair stick to my face and tears roll down my cheeks. “N-nothing is okay. This is…this is a nightmare.”

My entire life, I feared what would happen if someone discovered my magic. My own parents ran to escape persecution for their magic, leaving me and Ferria behind.

But at least one of my parents was part Fae.

Why would they leave us behind knowing what we are?

“Elara,” Rian bites out, “stop this right now. Breathe.”

If I weren’t in the middle of the panic attack to end all panic attacks, I might’ve laughed at the pained expression twisting the prince’s face.

Who knew the formidable Shadow Prince could be undone by a few tears?

I hiccup and drag my hands over my cheeks, but more tears are quick to come. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you have believed me if I tried?”

“Of course,” I snap.

The words are too quick.

Too sharp.

“Really?” He arches a dark brow.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to insist I would, but a surge of power in my chest pushes the words back.

Would I have believed Rian?

Back in Verdanthia, when I still wasn’t sure about the Fae—when I was determined to fulfill our deal and escape them at all costs—would I have believed him if he told me I was part Fae?

Would I have trusted him?

My power flares again.

I refocus my narrowed eyes on Rian and whisper, “You still should have told me.”

All softness fades. The stoic mask I’ve come to associate with the Shadow Prince falls into place.

“It wasn’t relevant.”

The words cut sharper than any blade.

A knot lodges behind my ribs. “Not relevant?”