Page 38 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

“Oh my god, I have pointed ears?!”

“Yep. Fae.”

“But aren’t supernaturals supposed to be hiding? I’ve never seen anyone walk around with pointed ears before, like, out in the open.”

“That’s because generally, the glamor that supernaturals like the fae use only render them invisible to other humans,” he said, a hint of impatience seeping into his tone.

“Wait so if other supernaturals look at you right this second, they will see gray skin, extra piercings, and all that?”

“Yup. Let’s get a move on, sugar. Take off your jacket.”

I shucked it off and handed it over. The second he touched it, it was gone. A slight chill caressed my skin, followed by heat as he looked me up and down. He grunted. “Huh. I think I prefer your ears rounded.”

“Okay?”

“Much cuter that way. Let’s go, Dancing Queen.”

I chuckled, hooking my arm through his. There was a crowd gathered at the side entrance to the building, which, presumably led into the basement. “So, let me get this straight. Anyone here will look at me and see that I’m fae. But if humans are around, they’ll only see my normal self?”

“I thought we’d already established that.”

“Well, we did. But I’m just tripping because that’s like…glamor inception. A human, who looks like a fae, who looks like a human, who looks like⁠—”

“Eleanor.”

“Ohhhh. Pulling out the big guns. Okay, fine. I’ll shut up now.”

We were within earshot of other people now, so we needed to play the part. My heart leapt in my chest. “Uh, any way you can amp up my, you know, so that I can also see what everyone is?”

“I thought you could already do that.”

“Well, yeah, but I have to stare at them kinda awkwardly first, and blink a little, and all that.”

He suffered a long sigh but said, “There. How’s that?”

“Holy…” I trailed off, blinking rapidly. Everyone around me was suddenly more defined. While I still saw humans for shifters, somehow, I could still sense what they were. A leopard shifter there, an eagle shifter beside her. Across the way there stood a group of mingling fae. I didn’t see any elves, but I didn’t expect to. They mostly kept to their forests. But what I really wanted to know is what their tensile silver hair looked like in person⁠—

“Wait, aren’t we going to get in line?” Bastian led me past it, straight up to the main door at the front.

“Well, fuck me,” said a gravelly voice from one of the bouncers. “Aramis better be expecting you, Bastian. Cause if not, you ain’t getting in.”

“You know I wouldn’t step foot in here if he wasn’t.”

“Well, shit. Good to see you, man. Business running okay?”

“Do you really care?”

“Only as long as you’re not bringing it into this club.”

“Fuck off, Ravi. I got shit to discuss with Aramis. And yes, he’s expecting me.”

Ravi nodded. The guy beside him, the other bouncer, turned away from the line, halting the flow of traffic as his eyes ran over me. “Cute little fae you got there.”

“Fuck off, Caris.”

Caris lifted a shoulder. “You’re good man. Just don’t make trouble. Last time you were here⁠—”

“Yes, my memory is solid. Thanks,” Bastian said, sounding like a real asshole as he cut off the bouncer and pulled me forward, right past them. I glanced over my shoulder, trying to offer an apology.