Page 22 of These Fractured Bonds

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Who are you?” Yareli’s voice cracked.

He frowned, and she had a sinking feeling they might have already had this conversation before.

“My memory… it’s messed up. I can’t remember things very well, and things come and go.” Shame burned her cheeks.

Scar-face had broken something in her.

“Did he look at your memories?”

Yareli nodded.

He cursed, and she flinched.

“It’s not your fault. Mental magic has its risks. Don’t worry. It’s not always permanent. I have a friend…”

She ceased listening. It hadn’t crossed her mind that her ailment may be permanent, and the thought was terrifying. It wasn’t that all her memories were gone. Although jumbled like a tossed salad, she could recall most of them. Missing faces, faces on the wrong bodies, missing objects, fleeting understandings, veiled memories. A pervading sense of wrongness hung over them. To test herself, she would think of objects. For example, she could remember what an airplane was two out of five times. She would sometimes mix it up with a car.

But there were three things she didn’t forget: her name, Scar-face, and that she was decidedly human.

The white-haired Fae waved his hand in front of her face, drawing her attention back to him. “Everything okay?”

No, she thought.Everything was not okay.

“Can you remind me of your name again?”

“I’m Leo.” He had a friendly smile, but his eyes held a pitying look, pushing Yareli away.

She wanted to tell him to stop looking at her like that.It’s not my fault I’m like this.It wasyourkind who did this to me.To demand that he fix her somehow. To make her whole once more. She held her tongue; if she spoke up, would Leo’s behavior change? No, she couldn’t risk him turning against her. From that moment onward, Yareli followed his instructions. When he reintroduced Bri, his loyal lieutenant with a sharp tongue, Yareli smiled and thanked her for her help. Except, she didn’t trust them. Their pointed ears, blemish-free skin, and pretty faces reminded her of their differences—her human, them Fae.

After a few weeks, she regained enough strength to wander in Leo’s sizable cottage, but she couldn’t go past the yard unaccompanied. She smelled human, and she was told many creatures in the forest wouldn’t mind a taste. At first, she was all right with it, spending her time sleeping. Bri and Leo had both healed what they could, but they had warned her that her internal injuries needed time and rest. So, she rested. And rested until she caught up on her sleep, and the days became long.

She’d wake up alone, wander around the cottage, and work through her memories. Leo had mentioned it was vital that she keep sorting through them, because it would keep the wound fresh. An open wound was easier to heal than a scar. What Yareli didn’t admit was that it hurt. Her mind understood their wrongness, and she could feel it trying to correct them. It gave her a bad headache that she would sleep off. It was after one of these naps that she encountered Leo sitting in an armchair in the living room.

“You’re awake,” he exclaimed, his face lighting up.

“When did you get here?” she asked.

“Not too long ago. Are you hungry? I made some sandwiches.”

He bounded for the kitchen and reappeared in a jiff with a platter in his hand. Yareli thanked him, grabbed a sandwich, and sat across from him, munching away. He smiled at her, and his attention returned to his documents on his lap. The platter lay on the coffee table between them, available for her to take.

While Yareli was no longer as apprehensive as she had been the first two weeks, she was still careful. Leo was a bundle of energy; it rolled off him in waves and followed every movement he made. If he said good morning, it was a loud exclamation. If he said good night, it was a long affair with many side stories. She had the sneaking suspicion that he would hug her and kiss her cheeks if she weren’t standoffish. If Yareli were to describe him, he would be a simmering pot, constantly churning through his emotions. It wasn’t a bad thing—it was endearing, really. It made it hard to maintain the distance between them. It made it harder to ignore how handsome he was. Although overwhelming, it was also reassuring. It signaled sincerity in his actions. And it was this belief in his sincerity that encouraged her following question.

“Can you explain the courts?”

Izmari, the Fae realm, was an island divided into five courts. Leo had shared that she was in his home court in the southeastern corner, and that she was safe, but she was curious to learn more about the new world she inhabited.

He looked surprised, and she smiled awkwardly. She didn’t often initiate conversations.

“Of course!” The smile he gave her was almost blinding.

She looked away. How he wore his emotions so plainly on his sleeve was beyond her.

He dove into his explanation. “There are four island courts—Earth, Water, Air, and Fire—and the imperial court, Lumen. Each island court has an equal share of Izmari outside ofNuiwen, the capital city. The Lumen Court, presided over by the Fae Queen herself, resides in the capital.”

“Who heads the island courts?”