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A pucker forms between Jules’ brows. “No, you are.”
“B-but the pain is gone,” I sputter. “And I can breathe now.”
“Thank the fucking vampires you’re all right.” Legend sighs, flopping back in the seat.
I shoot him a pissed off look, warning him that I’m mad and that he has a lot of questions to answer.
He swallows hard then nods, understanding.
“The pain is gone because …” Jules’ nostrils flare as he breathes in, his eyes widening in awe. “You’re royalty.”
Rune and Shade return to the table just in time to hear him say that. They don’t have anything in their hands, so I’m guessing they didn’t find any of that Lily Kiss stuff.
“You have got to be shitting me.” Shade gapes at me. “Is she …? Do you think—”
“I don’t know.” Jules stares at me like I’m a complicated puzzle he desperately wants to solve. “Legend said you couldn’t remember a lot about your life?”
I shake my head. “Not anything before I was eight.”
Jules swallows, his fingers delving into my hips.
“Fuck me.” Rune blows out a deafening exhale. “That can’t be a coincidence.”
Reality threatens to creep up on me, that I am a werewolf and these wolves seem to know me. But I’m not ready to face the truth yet, so I latch on to denial.
“I’m from the Common Realm. I’m human,” I insist. But deep down, my blank past haunts me. Before the age of eight, I can’t remember anything, so who’s to say where I came from and what I am. Why have I never thought about this before? “I’m not royalty … I’m not a werewolf … I’m not anything.”
“Yes, you are.” Jules traces circles on my hips, a move that reminds me of the dream I had about the werewolf with the glowing violet eyes. “The only creatures that reacts to silver the way you just did are werewolves. And the only werewolves who can self-heal from silver wounds are those with royal blood.”
“Maybe I have a mild allergy,” I suggest. “Maybe that’s why the silver burned me and I didn’t die. I mean, silver isn’t something humans drink, so I’ve never actually drank it before.”
“Your eyes are teal, too,” he says, as if that means something.
“And your eyes are blue,” I say with a confused shrug.
He slowly lets out a breath. “Who are your parents?”
I squirm a bit at the question. “I don’t know … When I was found walking on the side of the road, I couldn’t—still can’t—remember anything before that, other than I was eight years old. I couldn’t—can’t—remember who my parents are. And since no one came forward to claim me, I was put in foster care.” I smash my lips together as memories of my time bouncing through homes surface.
He tilts his head, strands of hair falling into his eyes. “What’s foster care?”
I lift a shoulder. “It basically means you live with a complete stranger until they get bored, angry, or sick of you, and then you get passed along to another one.”
Pity fills his eyes. “That’s how you grew up?”
I shrug again. “That’s how things work in the Common Realm for kids who are parentless. I mean, sometimes they get put in permanent homes, but that usually only happens to younger kids.” I sigh. “Look, I don’t get why any of this is important. So what if I can’t remember my childhood and grew up in foster care? Who cares? That part of my life is over, and I’ve moved on.”Have you, though?
Jules trades a quick look with Shade and Rune before focusing back on me. “It’s important because, a little over ten years ago, our pack lost someone that was …” He wavers, his voice wobbling, “important to us. We thought she died. Everyone was convinced she was dead.” As his eyes start to water, I again have the strangest compulsion to hug him, but I keep my arms at my side. “Anyway.” He clears the emotions clogging his throat. “A few of us have always wondered—hoped—that maybe she was stolen from the pack and that she wasn’t dead. She would’ve been your age by now, and she had teal eyes.” He pauses. “Her name was Elora.”
He waits for me to say something, but my lips won’t form words.
“Holy Vampire Eternals,” Legend whispers from behind me.
Jules stares at me with hope in his eyes. “Is that your real name?”
I shake my head. “No, but I’ve heard that name before.”
His brows furrow. “When?”
