Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
My breath hitched and I nodded. Greyson shook his hands, clenching and unclenching them while Lucy seemed to hold her breath, her eyes big and wide while aimed at the fairy man.
The man squeezed his eyes shut, and his transformation began. Unlike the werewolves, Greyson’s body didn’t change in size or shape and didn’t sprout fur. There were no visible signs of prolonged fangs like the vampires.
The first sign of change was Greyson’s skin. His slender, graceful physique reflected an otherworldly elegance. His complexion possessed a subtle luminescence that seemed to emanate from within, giving him a glow.
His ears, just like Torin’s, elongated, but unlike Torin’s, Greyson’s long and pointy ears stuck to the sides—a striking feature you wouldn’t miss if you passed by Greyson.
He reopened his eyes, displaying deep emeralds that shimmered with a glint that no longer hid his secret.
His nose was slightly pointed, changing his face, giving him a refined and distinguished look.
His thin lips curved in a small, gentle smile as if he were too shy to reveal his true self to strangers.
Even if he somehow hid his ears with a hat, his long, silver hair that reached his waist couldn’t be easily hidden. Unlike werewolves and vampires who easily blended among the humans, his supernatural beauty couldn’t be concealed.
As a fairy, Greyson had an aura like a halo that gave away his origin. Without the crystal to amplify his power of illusion, hiding his true identity, Greyson would be stuck in his office or pushed to live on the streets again.
Although his appearance mesmerized me, Greyson’s sadness and longing radiated in waves from his body, causing my chest to tighten. The Lunarimar had served as his lifeline, and now Lucy and I threatened to steal it from him.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I realized taking the crystal away from Greyson wasn’t right.
With two long steps, Greyson stood in front of the coffee table. He picked up a hair band and tied his hair in a low ponytail with swift moves.
“Now you know,” he said, talking with his back to us. “I only wanted to have a normal life. I would have loved to meet more fairies, but I can’t go anywhere since the crystal has to be displayed here.”
Lucy cleared her throat. “Well, you could have stolen the crystal and traveled the world.”
She had a mischievous smile on her lips and amusement in her eyes. She seemed to be testing Greyson to determine if he would be a friend or a foe.
Greyson turned around, shaking his head. “I’ve lived a life of illusion, lies, and deception.” He paused, pain flashing behind his eyes. “I’m not proud of how I live my life, but at least I wouldn’t steal the crystal.”
“Do you know of your father? Who is he?” I asked.
“My mother said she had no idea about the existence of fairies until she met the most handsome man in her life. She spoke with so much love of my father that only made me hate him even more,” Greyson said.
“Once I pieced the story together, it seems that this fairy man seduced Mom. He broke Mom’s heart when he left her after their one-night stand.
He didn’t even hide his true form from her. Maybe that’s why she fell for him.”
Lucy walked to Greyson and reached for his hair, but Greyson stepped back, flinching. He glanced at me as if searching for reassurance that Lucy wouldn’t hurt him.
“Lucy won’t harm you, Greyson. We’ve never met another supernatural like you, so it’s only natural to be curious. Just like you’re curious about us.”
He nodded and retraced his step closer to Lucy. She smiled and grasped a strand of silver hair between her fingers, feeling the texture.
“Like silk,” she mumbled, and Greyson frowned, but he let her touch him.
Lucy paced around him, staring at his features until the air in the small office filled with tension and awkwardness. I pulled Lucy by her wrist to my side, giving her a small smile.
Greyson broke the silence first. “My mother didn’t tell me anything about magic powers, and I think she didn’t know anything about it,” he said. “When I don’t have the crystal on a day when it’s displayed, I usually stay in my office.”
The rubber band around my chest tightened.
Greyson seemed lonely and starved for human contact.
He couldn’t relinquish the crystal without risking exposure of his true identity, leading to being ostracized, hunted, or experimented on.
Greyson didn’t appear combative and aggressive, but he could be deemed a threat because he was different.
The fairy man’s gaze turned dull and clouded as he stared out the office window. The more he shared with us about his past, the more his life spark faded.
“I’ve always wanted to go on a hike, in a forest, around a lake. But the crystal’s maintenance schedule doesn’t allow long periods of breaks. The farthest I’ve been is the grocery store across the street,” he said, turning his head to face us again.
Lucy shuffled next to me. “Everyone struggles with something, Greyson. If it’s not solitude, it’ll be grief or regret.
In this respect, supernaturals are similar to humans.
That’s why we’re comfortable living in the mortal realm with them,” she said and then cleared her throat.
She tilted her head and nodded toward Greyson’s body.
“And your tattoos. Were you born with them? Are they a fairy thing, or are they real tattoos?”
I immediately scanned Greyson’s body. I’d been so lost in thought about his struggles that I hadn’t noticed the ends of ink lines peeking from his dress shirt collar.
Greyson’s gaze darted between me and Lucy as if hesitant to answer, but then he sighed. “Well, since my fate is at stake here, I guess I have nothing else to lose,” he said and straightened up. “Do you want to see?”
Greyson reached for the buttons at the top of his dress shirt and unfastened a few.
Lucy and I answered at the same time with a “no” and a “yes.”
She gave me a strange look. “What if he’s a pervert?” she asked me with raised eyebrows. “I can’t even compel him to stop undressing.”
Greyson’s fingers stopped moving at the collar, and his face turned red. “I haven’t shown my tattoos to anyone else… You don’t have to…see,” he said in a low, shaky voice.
Greyson seemed starved for close contact with people. I could tell he wanted to share himself with someone but couldn’t. Perhaps that feeling fueled his bravery to want to show his fairy tattoos.
“No, please, show us your markings. Other supernaturals also wear marks on their bodies for different reasons, like when we mate or are accepted into a pack,” I said, and Greyson’s eyes grew wider.
Lucy dragged her hands over her face. “Fine, but Breanna, you are way too trusting.”
I was, but Greyson needed someone to listen to him right now. He unbuttoned his dress shirt. Underneath, he had another white cotton shirt that he took off and tossed on the coffee table.
I drew in a sharp breath as Greyson stood shirtless in front of us with his hands clasped together and his gaze stuck on the floor.
His markings were similar tribal tattoos to mine, but he had more lines than me.
Several lines ran down his arms to his elbows.
I swept my gaze over two thick lines at his neck that curved over his pectoral muscles.
“Were you…”—I had to take a deep breath to steady my nerves—“born with these?”
“My mother said I was born with one short line, and more tattoos appeared as I grew. Around my twenty-first birthday, the ink stopped spreading over my skin.”
My hand flew to the crook of my neck, and it felt like my mate mark burned there, even underneath the material of my shirt.
“Breanna?” Lucy stepped in front of me. “Why are you so pale all of a sudden?”
I wouldn’t be able to hide my mate tattoos much longer, and Hayden promised to explain the unusual tribal tattoos on my body after we returned from the war.
I pulled the hem of my shirt down, revealing the inked lines that started at the spot where Hayden had marked me. Lucy gasped, and Greyson walked around her to take a look.
“Are you a fairy?” he asked me with a smile.
“Definitely not,” I said. “Mine are mate markings.”
Lucy’s eyes narrowed at my tattoo. “These appeared after you were marked by Hayden?” she asked but didn’t wait for my answer. “Does he have any?”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Who’s Hayden?” Greyson’s gaze darted between me and Lucy.
“My mate and the werewolf King,” I said.
“Are you mated to someone, Greyson?” Lucy asked.
He shook his head.
“It was a stupid question, but I just had to check,” she said. “Then Hayden must be hiding his…maybe with the same power of illusion.”
My pulse sped up. “No, how can this be? Hayden can’t be…” I took a deep breath. “First, we don’t know if fairy tattoos transferred with mating. Second, how can Hayden be a…fairy”—my voice broke, and I swallowed hard—“when he can shift into a wolf. I’ve seen his wolf.”
Lucy placed her hands on her hips and bowed her head, seeming deep in thought. After a long silence, she asked, “Can Hayden be compelled by vampires?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t remember an incident when he was.”
“I can try,” Lucy said and lifted her gaze.
“No way. You can’t try to compel the werewolf King, Lucy. He won’t take it well.” I paused, thinking about it. “At least not now. I need Hayden’s help to win the war, and I don’t want to trigger him more.”
“Okay, but I’ll keep my eye on him because that’s what girls do for each other.”
Her words, so simple yet so powerful, resonated deep within me. Although we were different species, my heart swelled with a sense of belonging, and hope washed over me. The unwavering support that women offered each other in times of need could also build a bond—one of trust and friendship.
I smiled at her. “Thank you, Lucy.”
Greyson’s head snapped my way. “What war?”
Lucy and I exchanged looks, and she nodded.