“What?”
She licked her lips, hesitating.
Grabbing her hands, I persisted. “What is it? Tell me.”
Delaney’s eyes widened, and her face contorted with pain. Yanking her hands from mine, she said, “Easy there, buddy. You’re stronger than you used to be.”
Dropping my gaze from hers, I stared at my hands. They looked the same.
Delaney cleared her throat. “The truth is, I’m a fae.”
I stared at her. Blinked. Then stared some more. A fae? What the fuck was she on about? No one had ever said anything about fae. Vampires and shifters, yes, but not fae. Gran would’ve told me. She was a High Priestess.
After several minutes, Delaney tilted her head. “Ego?”
I swallowed thickly. “This can’t be happening.”
“I know this all seems…” She trailed off.
“Before Willowhope, the world was ordinary. I thought there was more to it than met the eye, but everything made sense. The next thing you know, my cousin’s a tether-witch, his best friend’s a green witch and psychic medium, I’m a sound witch, the manor has ghost butlers, my biggest fan has been dead for years, and I met the coolest vampire ever.”
My body started to shake.
“But that thing, that man from last night, there was nothing cool about him. He was pure evil.” Turning accusing eyes on Delaney, I said, “And now my longest friend, the person who runs my career, and I trust for everything, tells me she’s a?—”
Delaney’s face blanched as my volume rose. “I know, I’m sorry. But people—humans—aren’t supposed to know about our world. I had no idea you knew, but you’ve been so different since you returned from that small town.” She shook her head. “But I should’ve known anyway.”
“You should’ve known what?”
Her lips tilted in a slight smile. “That you were a sound witch, of course. Your music, your voice—it’s so beautiful and transformative. It speaks to people’s souls.”
My pleasure at her words evaporated as the menacing figure from last night flashed through my mind. The way he sank histeeth into my neck. That man—that thing—had taken my life and left me…I didn’t even know how he left me.
Scarred.
Damaged.
No longer a sound witch, but a vampire.
Suddenly, my body grew weak. I felt dizzy.
“Delaney, something’s wrong.”
She clapped her hands on her thighs and stood with an abruptness I was used to from her. “I know. Let me fix you up.”
She strode to the kitchen area, and I heard her sharp, concise moments before she returned with a gold goblet nestled between her hands.
“Drink this. It’ll help.”
Delaney had been forcing water, protein drinks, and energy boosters down my throat for years, so I took it without hesitation.
Putting my mouth to the rim of the unusual glass, I took a sip. A coppery, tangy taste flooded my mouth. It was disgusting.
Before I asked if she was trying to poison me, a hunger like nothing I’d ever felt seized me, and I brought the vessel back to my lips and guzzled down the gross, thick liquid within.
Delaney watched approvingly, but I saw a hint of sadness.
As soon as I was done, the goblet slipped from my hands, bouncing off my body and onto the floor.
