"Thank you for helping Elizabeth," Ariel said softly. "She told me everything."
"She was hell-bent on finding you," Knox replied. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing—especially after hearing what happened. It broke me."
"Since you know about my mate's mother," Horace said calmly, "why don't you tell us more about her?"
Knox paused.
Horace felt the subtle tension ripple through the room. Sensing Knox's unease, he pressed Ariel's hand gently, a silent reassurance.
"I've already told her," Knox finally said. "Her mother wasn't human. Lilac was her real name—not Lily. She was a fairy… a very powerful one."
"If my mother was a fairy as you said,then what am I?" Ariel asked quietly.
The question struck the room like a blade.
Horace stiffened. He hadn't expected Ariel to ask that—though after her conversation with Elizabeth, perhaps it was inevitable.
"When I encounter my own kind, I will know," Knox said evenly. "But one thing is certain—you are not a fairy."
