“We’re mates.” I finish for him, shivering when I utter the word, unsure whether in elation or dread. He wipes a tear from my cheek, then cups my face in his palm. “But—but mates… mates aren’t real,” I whisper, tears continuing to stream down my face. “They’re fables, silly stories we tell children.” Thorne doesn’t falter, just continues staring at me with that look of pure adoration that makes me uncomfortable.

“All fables come from somewhere. Think about it, Laurel. You’re the most powerful fae in a millennium, maybe ever. I’m the most powerful light channeler to exist, as far as anyone knows. There are prophecies about you, maybe even some about me. If any two fae were going to somehow turn myth into reality, it’s us.”

I open my mouth, then close it. I have nothing to say. Shock and fear run through me in equal measure. I can’t process this, not right now. Not when I just found out about Nemesia. My breathing comes in fast pants. Not now, not here.

I stand and pace away from Thorne. From my mate. I try to take deep breaths, but they won’t come. My chest is heaving, and I bring my head to my knees to try and gain some control. Thorne doesn’t hesitate. He’s up and by my side in an instant, rubbing soothing circles across my back that I both crave and abhor at the same time.

“Talk to me. What’s going through that mind of yours?” His voice is still steady, calm, like all I have to do to make this all okay is open up and tell him what I’m feeling.

I stand and face him, my breathing still ragged. At least this explains the unbearable attraction I’ve felt for him, why I’ve been compelled to open up to him again and again. It explains the constant game of catch and release we’ve played with one another, neither of us able to truly stay away from the other. But the information is too much for me right now with everything else I’m carrying. And nothing about our situation changes with this discovery. He’s still Mazus’s son, Crown Prince of Velmara, the Shining Prince. And I’m still the Witch Queen, a figure reviled by his people and feared across the Four Kingdoms for good reason. Despite what Nemesia has done, I cannot forget that she believed Mazus wanted Thorne and I to meet. And Thorne, he’s—he’s betrothed to another.