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“How did you escape?” Nua asked.
My brows twitched into a frown as I recalled the way the Carlin’s throne room had come back to me slowly after that intense heat that felt like it would burn me away entirely. I remembered boiling rage and despair making me shake, until I somehow managed to snap the chains.
“I don’t—I snapped the chains and ran,” I said hoarsely.
Gillie barked out a laugh, making me flinch. “Good boy. I knew you wouldn’t just take it lying down. You’re like your brother. You’re no one’s puppet.”
I met Nua’s gaze, feeling awkward. I kept forgetting that. That he was my brother. I wasn’t sure if I entirely believed it but… he’d said it, and he couldn’t lie.
I couldn’t lie anymore either. It was a deeply unsettling thought. Lies had been my one protection when I’d been stuck on the Carlin’s land. My one tiny morsel of control among Folk who were stronger and faster and trickier than me.
It hadn’t really sunk in yet that I was no longer mortal. I was full fae. My mortal skin shed—burned away, Gillie had said. I raised my one remaining hand and stared down at my golden skin. It wasn’t as bright as Nua’s—more like a light golden brown. But definitely not human.
Gillie chuckled, making me jump.
“Wondering what you look like now, lad? You’re a sight, I’ll give you that. Not as beautiful as your brother, in my opinion, but still dashing.”
Nua rolled his eyes, revealing just a tiny hint of yellowish-white sclera. “Gillie.”
He chuckled again, getting to his feet. “I’ll fetch you a mirror so you can get a good look at yourself.”
His words sent fear shooting through me. What did I look like now? Like Nua? I stared at him, at his solid green eyes and sharp teeth and long deep-green hair. The little black claws tipping his overly long fingers.
I looked back down at my hand. My fingerswerelonger, but my nails were normal. Still short and blunt and colourless.
My breathing sped up just a little when Gillie reappeared holding a small handheld mirror in a burnished copper frame. When he handed it to me, I angled it away from me at first, staring down at it like it was a live snake writhing in my hand.
I didn’t want to look.
Gillie nodded encouragingly as he dropped back down beside Nua with a grunt. “You’re still handsome, don’t worry.”
I didn’t care aboutthat. I cared about lifting the mirror and seeing a stranger looking back at me. Seeing the sharp, cruel face of a fae sneering back.
“You don’t have to look, Ash,” Nua said gently, but I let out a hard breath and raised the mirror to my face.
I went still, my chest unclenching just a little. At first, I didn’t think I looked all that different. But then I realised my eyes were no longer hazel. They were a deep green that shifted to gold in the light. The sight of them brought a flash of a sharp, black-handled dagger to my mind, for some reason. And they reminded me of the fountain pen I’d written out potion recipes with in my cottage.
My irises were bigger, though not as big as Nua’s, like I was wearing those weird contacts. Aside from that, my features were largely the same, but they did look sharper. Crueller. And when I hesitantly bared my teeth at my reflection, they looked sharper too. I turned my head. My stomach lurched when I saw the pointed tip of my ear peeking out from between wild curls. My hair was a deeper brown now, and it looked softer, though still a tangled mop.
“See? Not all that different.” Nua gave me a hesitant smile when I slowly lowered the mirror. “Still you.”
“I’m not me, though, am I,” I croaked. “I’m not mortal anymore. I’m full fae.”
Nua and Gillie exchanged a look.
“No, you’re not mortal anymore,” Nua said carefully. “Your mortal side is gone. Your skin shed.”
I lifted the mirror again and stared at myself. Unnaturally bright greeny-gold eyes stared back. Remembering the sharp pinch I’d felt on my chest after breaking the chains, I angled the mirror down so I could see if I had some kind of cut or mark there.
But my gaze snagged on the necklace I hadn’t realised I was wearing. A tiny black feather was nestled in the hollow of my throat. The sight of it sent a wave of longing through me, and I had no idea why.
Gillie must have realised what I was staring at, because he nudged Nua and nodded towards it.
“We should get rid of that,” he murmured. “Unseelie power.”
“No,” I barked immediately, dropping the mirror to snatch the pendant in my fist. “It’s mine.”
I didn’t even know what it was, or why I was wearing it, but I wasn’t going to let them take it. It wasmine. It was important. Even clutching it in my fist was making my eyes get hot, but I didn’t know why.
