The Faerie Prince (Creepy Hollow, #2) (29 page)

The shapeshifter closes his eyes and sighs. The look of defeat on his face gives me hope; he’s going to cave and tell me what’s going on. He sits down in a cushioned chair, leans forward on his knees, and looks up at me. “My beautiful girl,” he says softly. “You look so much like your mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“I should have known you’d be here. Of course you’d win the graduation prize—it’s what you always wanted.”

“Okay, I don’t know what you’re doing—” aside from creeping me out “—but you’re not answering my question.” I walk over to him and hold the arrow inches from his forehead. “Who. Are. You?”

He raises his eyes and says simply, “Your father.”

Despite the warmth of the evening air, a shiver races across my arms. “My father is dead,” I tell him. “I saw his body. They put it in a canoe and I watched him float away and disappear beneath the Infinity Falls. He’s
gone
, which means you’re not him.”

He rubs a hand across his eyes. “I’m so sorry, V. You weren’t supposed to ever find out about this. At least, not until everything is finally over and we’re safe again.” He groans and mutters something about the Queen and being careless.

“I hate to be repetitive,” I say, “
but you’re not answering my question
.”

He focuses somewhere on the floor and says, “It wasn’t me in the canoe. It was a shapeshifter. The Queen used him to fake my death so that I could continue a dangerous assignment undercover. Everyone had to believe I was dead so that the person I’m after would no longer be suspicious.”

I can feel a part of me daring to hope. It sounds farfetched, but maybe it’s true. Maybe this man sitting here watching me with something like pride really is my father.

“Do you expect us to believe that?” Ryn asks. “What a ridiculous story. Wouldn’t a shapeshifter return to his or her original form when dead anyway? If your story’s true then we would have seen some stranger in the canoe, not Violet’s father.”

I shake my head. “I killed a shapeshifter. He . . .”
He still looked like Nate when he was dead.
“He didn’t return to his original form after he died.”

“You don’t have to believe me.” The man stands, and I keep my arrow trained on his forehead. “In fact, it would be better if you didn’t. It would be better if we all walked away now and pretended this hadn’t happened.” His voice is steady, but his eyes are filled with an infinite sadness. Damn, this guy is either a really good actor or he’s telling the truth. He looks straight at me and says, “You should let me go.”

“That’s exactly what you want, isn’t it?” Ryn mutters. He turns to me. “Can’t we give this guy a compulsion potion and force him to tell the truth?”

“We could. Or he could just answer a question.” I’ve managed to think of something nobody else should know. “What did my father say to me the night the boy everyone loved died?” That should be cryptic enough if this man really is a fraud.

The-man-who-might-be-my-father steps closer to me. So close that my arrow is almost touching his skin. “What do you want, Violet?” he asks softly. “Do you want it to be me? Or is it easier for you if I’m nothing but an imposter?”

My voice cracks when I say, “I already know it’s you.” I think I knew the moment he called me V.

Alive. He’s
alive
. How am I supposed to process this?

“Forgive my cynicism,” Ryn says, “but I’d still like to hear the answer to that question.”

My father looks at Ryn, then back at me. He takes a deep breath. “You saw my tears and said you’d never seen me crying before. I told you it was only the second time I’d shed tears in my adult life. I also told you that I didn’t know why, but I’d always loved that boy like he was my own son.”

I nod. That’s exactly what Dad told me. Dad. My father.
Who isn’t dead.
The realization hits home and a shudder passes through my body. “Dad?” I whisper.

He pulls me into his arms. “Baby girl, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I’ve missed you every single day. I never wanted to leave you.”

Amidst my tangle of emotions, I find myself wriggling free from his arms. “But you did,” I say through my tears. “You did leave. You said everyone had to believe you were dead, but why me? Why couldn’t you have just told
me
what you were really doing? I would have kept your secret. You know I would have.”

“I
especially
couldn’t tell you, V. You were in danger. He wanted to kill you. You had to believe I was dead or he would have searched until he found you.”

“What?” What the freak is he talking about?

“I always knew you’d be angry if you ever found out about this, but I’ve never regretted it. As much as it broke my heart to leave you, my decision kept you safe. It was worth the pain we both had to go through.”

Anger flares within me. What right did he have to decide what pain I should go through? Ryn touches my arm. “Don’t fight with him, V. He’s
alive
. This should be a moment of joy, not anger.”

I squeeze my eyes closed. Tears drip over the edge of my eyelids and run down my cheeks. Why is Ryn always right? I should be rejoicing right now, not acting like a difficult child. I step forward and wrap my arms around my father’s neck. He hugs me back.
This is real,
I tell myself. His arms around me are
real
. And although I detest talking about feelings, I figure I should tell him something, just in case this is all a dream and I don’t get another chance. “I love you, Dad,” I whisper.

“I love
you
.” He squeezes me tight and lifts me off the ground for a second. “And I’m so proud of you. You’ve grown into such an amazing, smart, beautiful young lady—and guardian.” He sets me down on my feet. “And why are you wearing this hideous dress? You hate purple clothes.”

I laugh as I wipe tears from my face. “I didn’t choose it. Didn’t Mom tell you that they pick your outfits for you when you stay here?”

Dad shakes his head with a chuckle. He looks over my shoulder and extends a hand to Ryn. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here either. You were always just as competitive as Violet. Congratulations on graduating at the top of your class.” He shakes Ryn’s hand. “I
am
surprised to see the two of you standing in the same room without wanting to hurt each other. I thought you’d both sworn never to be friends again?”

I look at Ryn, then quickly look away. “Yes, um, we decided to put all that behind us.”

“Uh, I have a question, sir,” Ryn says. “Was it you I saw at the Harts’ house?”

“What?” I ask just as Dad nods and says, “Yes.”

“Um . . . yeah.” Ryn turns to me. “Remember when I said I saw someone who looked like Cecy? Well, I was lying.”

My mouth gapes open. “You saw my
father
and you didn’t tell me?” I try to shove him but he catches my hands.

“I just figured it couldn’t possibly be him, so why freak you out?”

“Ryn, that is
so
not a good enough reason to keep something like that from me.” I feel hurt and betrayed, but I’m trying to be mature, so I let it go. I sit down on the edge of a chair and turn to my father. “Okay, you have a lot of explaining to do. What undercover assignment are you on that’s taking so many years to complete? And why exactly was it better for everyone if we all thought you were dead? You said someone was trying to
kill
me? And what exactly were you doing at the Harts’ house?”

Dad holds his hands up. “Look, you know I can’t tell you anything. Firstly, it’s against protocol to share the details of an assignment, and, secondly, it’s for your own safety.”

“Dad, you abandoned me for the past five years. I think you owe me this much.” Yeah, I’m playing the guilt card. An underhanded move, but I don’t care right now.

“V, I . . .”

“Tell me! You can’t just show up in my life all of a sudden and not explain anything.”

He sits on the edge of a small table. “Okay, look, it’s something to do with the Unseelie Queen’s son, but that’s all I can say. I’m dealing with some very dangerous people, V, and I can’t have you getting involved.”

“The Unseelie Queen’s son?” I glance at Ryn, who’s sitting backwards on a nearby chair. “You mean Zell?”

Dad frowns. “Yes. Marzell. How do you know him?”

I roll my eyes. “You’re afraid of me being involved, Dad? Well, it’s too late for that. I’m already involved. Big time. So there’s no need for you to keep any more secrets from me.”

“What do you mean you’re involved?” Dad stands up quickly. “How? What happened?”

“No, no, no,” I say. “You don’t get to demand details without sharing any of your own. You tell me your story, and I’ll tell you mine.”

With disbelief written all over his face, Dad looks at Ryn as if for backup. “Sorry, but I’m with V on this one,” Ryn says.

After another pause, Dad says, “Okay, but I don’t have time to tell you everything now. I’m already late for the meeting I was on my way to when you chased me down.”

Panic tightens around my heart. We’re leaving first thing in the morning; when will I see him again? “So come home,” I say, standing quickly. “Come home and explain everything to me.”

Dad reaches forward and touches my cheek. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight if you’re in danger.”

I tilt my head sideways and smile. “I’m a guardian, Dad. I’ll always be in danger.”

“Yes, but it’s different with the Unseelie Court. You don’t know what they’ll—”

“I have a concealment charm on me. A proper one. There’s no way Zell can find me unless we accidentally bump into each other, and that’s not going to happen.”

Dad nods. “Okay. Will you be home the night after tomorrow?” I nod. “Good. I’ll see you then.” He kisses my forehead. He’s about to walk away when his gaze falls on my neck. “Your mother’s tokehari,” he says in surprise. “I thought it was—” he looks at Ryn, then back at me “—lost,” he finishes.

“Uh, I found it, sir,” Ryn says, “and returned it along with my sincerest apologies for . . . ‘losing’ it.”

Dad smiles. “That’s good.” He kisses my forehead once more and whispers, “I love you, baby girl.”

I feel like I’m looking at my life through different eyes. Every time I think back to a major event, I wonder where my father was at the time and what he was doing. Has he been watching from the sidelines, keeping an eye on me? Or has he distanced himself completely ever since his supposed death, not even knowing what I looked like until that night at the Harts? So many questions. I should probably write them down in case I forget something.

Ryn and I make the journey back to Creepy Hollow in silence. I tell myself he’s giving me space to come to terms with the monumental fact that Dad is still alive, but I know there’s also an undercurrent of weirdness between us. Neither one of us has mentioned The Kiss again. I’m hoping that if I ignore it, Ryn and I can go back to some kind of comfortable friendship. I’ll get over my feelings for him soon, right? Yes, I will. After all, it didn’t seem to take too long for my Nate-feelings to fade away.

When I woke up at the palace this morning, I found a note slipped under my door. My heart squeezed painfully when I saw my name written in Dad’s handwriting on the front.

I’m sure I don’t have to say this, but you CANNOT tell anyone about me.

He didn’t need to remind me, but I treasure his note nonetheless. It’s evidence that he really does exist. I keep it in my pocket now that I’m back home where the Seelie Court and everything that happened there feels like a vivid dream. The note and his handwriting assure me that it was real. The silver-framed mirror above my desk and the black candle blazing continuously beside my bathing room pool also help.

After finding Bran at the Guild and interrogating him about the investigation into the Guild’s attacks—he tells me absolutely nothing useful—I send an amber message to Tora and invite her over for dessert. I wish with all my heart I could tell her about Dad, but instead she’ll have to tell me about the guy she’s been keeping secret.

“Look, I didn’t
intentionally
keep anything from you,” she says when I greet her at my door with crossed arms and a glare. “I just hadn’t exactly got around to telling you about him yet.”