The Urban Fantasy Anthology (Peter S. Beagle) (Kitty Norville 1.50)
Page 63
“Could we even have had kids?”
“Yes, but our children would be half-breeds.”
“Jesus, would you listen to yourself.”
He winces. “I’m sorry. I’m not saying I agree. But that’s what my people would call him. The Court—for the most part—is against mixed-marriages, and especially the children that result.”
“Why would they even have to know?” I say. “And we wouldn’t have had to tell anyone—not even our little girl. No one would have to know except for us.”
“Because our child…she would be different. She would be able to do things that we would have to teach her to control.”
I’d noticed that we both had our own ideas about the gender of this child we’ll never have. Apparently Edric did, too. But his attempt to soothe me by coming over to my side just pisses me off. Everything about this pisses me off. I know I should be trying to see some way past this, some way we can work things out. We’ve been together for so long. We were happy for so long. But there’s this h
uge lie rearing up between us now. And that twin of his, taking his place who knows how many times when I thought it was him?
I can’t stop the fury, burning up all the love and good memories. Knowing what I now know, I’m not sure I even want to.
“And I suppose this fairy queen’s your little bit on the side?” I ask.
“God, no. She’s my sister.”
“Your sister. And I guess that was your brother you pulled out of the tree earlier?”
He shakes his head. “That was a kind of changeling—made to take my place in the world while I conducted my business here.”
“And did that business include him banging me when you were too busy to do it yourself?”
“No, no.”
“So what kind of business?”
“Court business. I’m a prince of the Court. No matter how much I’m not interested in it, I have responsibilities I can’t shirk. So we made an agreement—my parents and I. I could live in the world of men so long as I came back once a lunar cycle to fulfill my obligations to the Court.” He pauses for a moment, then adds, “And so long as no one discovered the truth.”
“Do you know how stupid that sounds?”
“Why? Because it doesn’t fit in with your concept of living life as a free spirit, the establishment be damned?”
I don’t have an answer for that.
“I have to go now,” he says.
“Of course you do.”
“I didn’t want it to work out this way.”
“Of course you didn’t—but here we are, all the same.”
“I…” He stops. When he goes on, I know this isn’t what he started to say. “The changeling…he gets to have my life now. I’m not going to tell you what to do or not to do, but I don’t recommend you see him. He’s not human and he can be dangerous.”
“Except, apparently, you’re not human either.”
“No, but—”
“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t want anything more to do with either you or your doppelganger.”
“Changeling.”
“Whatever.”