My eyes immediately began to droop and I fought to keep them open. “Wait, I have more questions and you didn’t tell me where I am.”

“You are in Seelie. Your injuries were grave and this was the only place that could heal you.”

Seelie! I thought before sleep claimed me.

When I woke again, I felt well rested and surprisingly serene considering everything Aine had told me. True to her word, the sylph reappeared as soon as I opened my eyes. She brought me a pale yellow dress similar to her green one and I marveled at the fine fabric as I slipped it over my head. Barefoot, I followed her through an archway behind the vines to a courtyard overlooking a glassy lake. We sat at a small glass table set with food and drink that made my stomach growl and I reached for a pastry, wondering how long it had been since I last ate.

My hand stopped halfway to the plate when I remembered where I was. Rule number one in Faerie: don’t eat or drink.

“You are not mortal, little sister. The food is safe for you.”

That was all I needed to hear. My appetite had always been good but I’d never tasted food like this: pastries that melted on my tongue, fruit so sweet I licked the juice from my fingers and cold frothy milk flavored with mint. It was like pure bliss and I sampled it all – twice – before I finally leaned back in my chair sated.

After my meal, Aine took me for a stroll around the lake. Everything here was incredibly lush and vibrant, from the thick green grass to the sky so blue it almost hurt my eyes to look at it. The air was the sweetest I had ever smelled and brightly colored birds sang to us from the trees. A few times I spotted tiny faces peering out from the underbrush and heard what sounded like giggles. When I asked Aine about them, she smiled and said the sprites were curious about their new cousin but they were too shy to come forward. I shook my head in wonder. The more I saw of this place the more unreal it seemed and the harder it was for me to believe that part of me belonged to this world. I still was not entirely sure that I wasn’t dreaming.

We reached the far side of the lake and I looked back expecting to see a building, but all I saw was the small courtyard nestled among the trees. I didn’t need Aine to explain that it was Faerie magic at work.

We made our way back to the courtyard and walked through the hanging vines into a sunny room with comfortable couches and a low table set with a pitcher of juice and two glasses. Aine poured me a glass of juice and I took a sip, savoring sweetness the likes of which could never be found in the human world. I leaned back on the soft cushions with a contented sigh. There was something about this place, a sense of tranquility that seemed to soak into every pore and lifted every worry and fear from my mind. For the first time since my world had shattered ten years ago, I felt no fear and no loneliness, just a deep sense of belonging.

I wasn’t sure how long we sat there talking. Aine told me how a pair of selkies had rescued me from the ocean and called for her when they recognized me as one of their cousins. I told her I vaguely remembered hearing voices while I was unconscious and she said the faeries had tended me because nothing but their magic could have saved me. I had been stabbed with the same knife I used to kill Eli. To a Mohiri, vampire blood is just blood but to a Fae, demon blood can be lethal. Aine said the faeries believed it was my own demon side that allowed me to finally absorb Eli’s blood harmlessly into my body.

I asked many questions and she answered them all. She told me about undines and how rare it was to find a female descendent of an undine/human mating. Because undines are female, only their female descendents inherit any of their powers. I was relieved to learn I would not get the sudden urge to take up residence in the nearest pond.

“Was it my undine power that let me control my Mori all these years without training?”

“Yes. Demons fear earth magic not only because of its strength but because of its purity. For that reason demonkind have hated us since time began. But you may be the first of your kind, half-Fae half-demon, and your power is not like any other. It seems almost impossible for you to exist but here you are. You are still so young, only time will tell us what that means for you. You are something of a curiosity, even to us.”

“Why would you or any Faerie help me? Aren’t you afraid of my demon blood?”

Aine smiled and her red curls bobbed when she shook her head. “Your Fae blood is stronger than your demon blood or you never would have been able to hold back the demon in you. You are more one of us than them.”

I didn’t like talking about my demon half so I asked her to tell me more about undines and she was happy to comply. She told me that all elementals have certain abilities in common and some unique to their element. Elementals live forever unless they choose to give up their immortality, they have the gift of healing and can draw on the magic in the earth itself. They are the only beings in existence that demons truly fear. Undines can also manipulate water and create or control storms. Being only half undine, there was no way to know exactly what elemental abilities I had inherited until they manifested – if they did at all. She did say that if my healing power was any indication, there could be others and she would help guide me when the time came.

In addition to their elemental powers and angelic singing voice, undines – pure undines, not half-breeds like me – possess an unearthly beauty that has a dramatic effect on humans. Females feel threatened and an instant dislike for undines whereas males can be driven almost insane with desire. Such intense emotions affect males in one of two ways: they either become completely enamored and protective or they are driven to darker impulses that result in violence.