Page 50 of Fae Farewells

“She wanted me to prove we were mates. The crown appeared, and she told me I could fake it. I didn’t disagree with her, because I’m sure I could fake it. So, I let her know I don’t have time to lie about material bullshit... What else was I supposed to say?”

“That about sums it up.”

I grinned at my fae. “Then she locked us in a dusty suite as a grand gesture of welcome.”

“Lot of good that did her.” He glanced around us, then rolled his icy blue eyes.

“Listening to authority figures isn’t really my forte.” I shrugged. “But I did notice something. At first I thought it was nothing, but Palmer asked me about it, too. The longer I stew on it, the more important I think it is.”

“Show me,” Vaughn demanded, winking when I raised a brow at his tone.

“What do you mean by show you?” Freya asked her brother.

“Uhm, just... open your mind, sort of like meditating,” he explained poorly. “She’ll show us what she saw.”

Freya blinked at me.

“I’m telepathic,” I acknowledged slowly, unsure if that’s what she was waiting on.

“You can read my thoughts?” Her voice was curious, but her eyes were disbelieving.

“Technically?” I countered, and she nodded. “Yes. But I don’t like to.”

“Privacy is important to Sloane,” Vaughn mocked, coughing when I elbowed his ribs.

“Right,” Freya drawled. “Here?”

I chose the clearest clip of memory I had and dropped it on her mental doorstep. She sucked in a sharp breath, tilting her head as she watched through my eyes. I showed them the magic on Alania’s exposed arms, how it was blurry, smudged but also moving.

“It’s magic, of that I’m sure,” I informed them. “But I don’t know why it would be there or look like it’s been smeared across her skin.”

“That’s not defense magic.” Vaughn shook his head. “I mean, it is, but it isn’t. That’s complex glamor.”

“She’s hiding something on her arms?” Freya shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

He nodded. “It seems like it’s something to do with her appearance.”

“I’ve never noticed it,” she told my fae, still confused about the image.

“You wouldn’t notice if she’s been slowly building it layer by layer over time. She didn’t have that much glamor in place when I saw her last,” Vaughn clarified. “That’s new.”

“I need to show you something else,” I commented, biting at my lip as I watched his reactions.

“What is it?”

I frowned. “It’s a dream I had. Novak brought the guys into my mind while it was happening. I don’t remember it, but this is what he showed me when he woke me up.”

I replayed the dream, making sure to recall the voices as clearly as possible. I felt terrible for showing him when I had a feeling that the dead body was Reagan, but he knew I was there. That couldn’t be changed. I couldn’t go back and save him, no matter how badly I wanted to.

Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose. “That can’t be Alric.”

“I know.”

“What’s the suspicion for?”

I smiled sadly. “Caught that, did you?”

He raised a brow, and I sighed.