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The tension goes out of Natalie’s body. As in, all the tension, all at once.
“Uh-oh, I think I short-circuited her.” Flora rises higher above the counter to get a closer look at Natalie’s rag-doll slumped position in my arms. “Take her into my apartment at the back, Constantine. I’ll get her a cold drink.”
I scoop Natalie into my arms, holding her tight as I follow Flora through a door and down a short hall that opens into the living room of Flora’s small apartment. By the time I settle on the couch with Natalie on my lap, she’s blinking and looking around. “I’m here,” I say, “you’re safe.”
“Is it true? Am I part fairy?”
“You fainted before we got details, but it sounds like it.” I stroke her hair, everything in me warming when she leans in to the touch. “It would explain how naturally we’re able to share thoughts with our bond.”
“I do like that part.” Her soft lips curve in a smile. “I like all the parts.”
“As do I.”
“Okay, here we go,” Flora calls before fluttering into the room. Giving us a little heads-up, no doubt. She hands Natalie a highball glass of clear, bubbly liquid. “Plain old sparkling water. Not even a pinch of fairy magic.”
A strangled sound leaves Natalie’s lips, then she croaks out, “Thank you.” With each sip, Natalie perks up a bit more, her normal rosy tones fully restored by the time she reaches the bottom of the drink.
“Feel better?” Sitting sideways on the opposite end of the couch, Flora’s wings move in slow, gentle rhythm. “Ready to explore your fairy roots?”
“My fairy roots.” Natalie shakes her head. “Of all the things I’ve learned since I got here, I think this is the most unbelievable.”
“Well, believe it. Fairies are fastidious record-keepers. We write everything down.”
My chuckle gets both women’s attention. My smile is for my mate. “You said that to me the first time we talked. ‘I write everything down.’ Maybe it’s the fairy genes.”
Across from us, Flora beams. “Could be! Natalie, your great-grandfather on your father’s side, Alfred Somers, is a full fairy. He was born and raised in Wildefell, Montana, a magically protected mountain town like this one.”
“Montana?” Natalie jerks upright, staring at me wide-eyed. “Is it coincidence my parents just spent a week there?”
“Your great-grandfather still lives in Wildefell,” Flora says. “Maybe they were visiting him.”
“I have a living great-grandfather? And he’s a full fairy?” She’s not technically screeching, but with each question, the pitch of her voice gets higher. “Wait—do male fairies have wings too?”
“Of course,” Flora says, fluttering her wings fast enough to lift her off the couch. “Even being only half fairy, your grandfather had wings. But then he mated with a human woman, further diluting the fairy genes, and by the time your father was born, there wasn’t enough fairy DNA to produce wings. It’s noted in the records.”
“Holy shit.” Natalie flops back against my chest. “Just…holy shit.”
“What about Rosetta?” I ask. “Is she part fairy too?”
Natalie shakes her head. “No, we’re related on my mom’s side. Oh my god, do you think my mom knows about my dad’s fairy heritage?”
I can’t send a telepathic message to anyone but my mate, but the look I give Flora above Natalie’s head seems to do the trick, because Flora doesn’t speak, though I’m sure she knows the answer to Natalie’s question. “I think there’s one way to find out,” I say, rising from the couch and guiding Natalie to her feet. “Let’s go home and call your parents.”
Thirteen
NATALIE
“Did you know your grandfather? The half-fairy one?” Constantine asks as we step inside his house. He’s been peppering me with questions all the here.
I think he’s trying to make sure I don’t pass out again. Apparently, shock and I don’t mesh well. “I only ever talked to him on the phone. He and my grandmother lived far away. My parents said they couldn’t travel, and I always assumed it was for health reasons. Now I know it was because my grandfather had wings. Wings!” I recognize the hint of hysteria in my laugh. I had it the day I met Constantine. After everything that’s happened, you’d think I’d be handling this better. “They told me he died, but I wonder if he’s still alive, too.” Okay, not the best train of thought for remaining calm.
“From everything you’ve told me about your parents and your relationship with them, if there was any dishonesty on their part, I’m sure it would’ve been to protect the family, not to deceive you.”
“I know.” I lean in to his side, my arms circling his waist as much as possible while we walk through the house. “This is just so much to absorb. My family includes fairies. It’s…”
“Amazing. Exciting.” In the living room, he wraps me in an embrace, his big hand stroking my hair while turning my ear to his chest. The steady thump of his heart calls for mine to slow and match it. “And good news for us, I hope.”
It could be, if the conversation with my parents goes the right way. But even if my mom is aware of my dad’s unique lineage, she may not know about all the other non-human species in existence. Aside from wings and pointy ears, fairies basically look human. My Minotaur mate, on the other hand…
