Max wasn’t sure how long the kiss had lasted, but both took a deep breath after their lips finally parted.

The lightstone Tanila had been carrying had dropped to the floor, and they stood there, still in an embrace.

Max could feel her breath against his face, and he smiled, not letting her pull back as she had initially started to.

“I’m guessing you like me too,” Max whispered and smiled as he heard Tanila groan as she shook her head slightly.

“And here I thought you were one of the smarter men in town,” she teased as she smiled back. “Now what?”

Max shrugged and kissed her briefly once more before pulling back, seeing her still leaning forward as if wanting him to continue. “Now, we get out of this dungeon and get cleaned up. After that, we can figure it out. I’m happy to know we are both on the same page.”

Grinning, Tanila nodded as Max took a step back and picked up the stone she had dropped. During that moment, though, he found her right hand with his and didn’t let go.

“You four seem to be in good spirits,” Alexander said as he set their food and drinks on the table. “Do you have anything to report?”Everyone glanced at each other. Fowl had the biggest and stupidest grin yet said nothing.

“Nope, nothing to report but a good day in a dungeon,” Max replied.

“I'm glad to hear it. Also, I appreciate you all and how you trusted me after that… incident. It means a lot to me that you didn’t go spreading rumors or leaving after it.”

Max nodded and smiled. “You’re our inn. We aren’t planning on leaving and looking elsewhere. Besides, I don’t think anyone could have prevented what happened. I’m glad you stopped being uptight and finally let us pay you again.”

“Not me,” groaned Fowl as he winked at Alexander. “I mean, who doesn’t like free room and board?”

“The innkeeper,” Batrire replied as she gently elbowed Fowl.

Laughing, Alexander shrugged and gave Fowl a squeeze on the shoulder. “I’m content you are all safe and willing to eat in the common room again. Rumors were swirling I was hosting royalty or something because I wouldn’t let anyone in here.”

Max laughed and nodded. “I could see that.”

“So… what’s the plan?” Fowl asked after Alexander had walked away.

“About what?” Max replied as he reached for some fruit.

An elbow from Batrire caused Fowl to stop smiling, and the dwarf sighed. “About tomorrow. Are we going back?”

“I think we should,” Tanila answered. “At least until we can make it to the boss without any issues. After that, we can plan on doing one of the other dungeons.”

“But we aren’t going to kill the boss?” Fowl asked after grabbing two pieces of meat and some bread. “Why pass up on loot?”

“I’d rather check with Tom before we clear it in case he wants us to try something different. From what I read, the boss fight can sometimes be a pain in the rear.”

Stuffing his mouth, Fowl nodded and said nothing, content to focus on the food and drink before him.

Batrire smiled as she watched Tanila and Max sitting closer to each other than usual.

Tanila shook her head a few times and mouthed the word, stop.

Smirking, Batrire nodded and held up her right hand, gesturing toward Tanila, who said nothing. She ate slowly using a fork in her left hand.

Max sat in the oversized chair in the room they were now renting from Alexander, holding Tanila gently as she lounged against him.

“I never thought I would date a taller woman,” Max teased as he ran his hand up and down her back.

“You mean an elf?” she replied, her eyes closed and a smile permanently stuck to her face as she lay against him.

“That too, though I must say I did luck out. I must have picked up a skill that charms the most attractive elf in all the kingdoms.”

Groaning, Tanila tilted her head back and rolled her eyes after making sure he was looking at her.

She watched him smile, and a pain inside her told her it was time.

“What’s wrong?” Max asked. “I can see it written all over your face.”

She nodded. “We need to talk.”

His head went back a little bit and then cocked to the side as he watched her free herself from his embrace so that she could sit upright on the chair.

“That doesn’t sound good. Did I do something wrong already?”

She laughed softly and shook her head, smiling at his question. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“No… it’s not that. It’s time I told you something only Batrire and Fowl know- something about me.”

Max leaned forward and reached for her hand, smiling when she put hers on his. “No matter what you say, it won’t change how I feel.”

Tanila began to chuckle and then started to shake; she was laughing so hard. Max watched and, after a moment, realized that a few tears were falling. She reached over and wiped them away with her thumb.

“What am I missing?”

Sniffing and then sighing, Tanila shook her head, and everything about her changed in a moment. Max could see her posture becoming rigid, and her face took on an expression he could only remember seeing a few times. She turned at him and stared into his brown eyes.

“Max…”

He reacted to his real name, and Max knew something big must be coming if she used it.

“Your real name is Max Hoste. You are a young man given a black skill who has somehow defied the odds in not giving in to the power that tries to corrupt you. You have protected me and my only two friends and risked your life multiple times for mine. For that, I cannot hide anything from you anymore because you have hidden nothing from me.”

Lifting up her sleeve, Max watched Tanila wave her hand over her wrist, and a small bracelet appeared. On it was an intricate pattern of runes and writing, all weaving around what looked to be leaves and branches. The metal was white and looked like nothing he had ever seen before.

Tanila smiled at him and lifted her wrist till it was between their faces.

She slid the bracelet off. It expanded slightly as it went over her wrist until she held it in her hand.

Before his eyes, Max saw her hair start to change color. It became the color of fine gold, and then her eyes changed, too. They turned a yellow pigment that matched her hair. Her face almost appeared to be glowing, and when she chuckled, Max realized his mouth was open.

“You’re even more beautiful. Why hide this? Who are–”

The words stopped in his mouth as he realized now what his mind was trying to tell him.

“You’re royalty.”

It wasn’t a question but a statement. Max knew at that moment he was right. Though utterly tiny, her reaction wasn’t what had told him he was right. It was her heart. Once he said what she really was, the pace settled down, and now, no longer hiding who she was, knowing that Max knew the truth, she was at peace.

“Why? How? I mean… why?”

She smiled and reached over, putting her hand against his cheek.

“Does it matter if I am royalty?”

“To me? No! To you parents… wait… are your parents…”

Tanila nodded. “Yes. My parents are the king and queen. I am the third daughter, and some might call me… a black sheep, as you humans would say. Choosing to make my own path with my skills did not–”

“Skills?” Max asked, his eyes widening some.

“Yes… I have more than the elemental mastery. I have another one that only a handful of people know about. It is a red skill…”

Max forced himself to not react. Inside him, a hunger came from his skill, a craving to reach out and end her and possibly make whatever she had his.

“That’s… that’s how you know so much about the skills.”

She sighed and nodded. “I know more than I have let on, and I am sorry. There was so much I wanted to share, but trusting you with that and my heart was… hard. I didn’t think it would be possible to… have feelings for someone like you.”

Max chuckled. “A human.”

She sighed and nodded. “Yes… my parents would be even more upset if they knew, but as you can probably guess, I rarely concern myself with that.”

“Perhaps one day I can meet them and prove myself worthy of you,” Max replied, giving a fake bow as he did.

“Please, you don’t want to meet them. I don’t want to be around them. They try to control everything, and with their skills… well, let’s not go there.”

Max nodded and reached out, grabbing her hands and holding them. “Where you come from doesn’t bother me. I like the Tanila I’ve seen covered in spiders and other monster guts. I won’t lie, your hair like this and those eyes are pretty amazing, but I don’t need that. I just need what’s inside here.” Max tapped his chest and watched as that well protected shell of Tanila cracked.

She sniffed and smiled, blinking her eyes for a moment.

“Let me put this back on,” Tanila said as she freed her hands and slid the bracelet back over her hand. It shrunk, and after she waved her hand over it, the runes glowed before the whole thing disappeared, and her hair changed color.

Max smiled as he saw her hair turn brown and her eyes go green.

“Uh…”

She laughed and shrugged. “I can do that with this. Maybe I’ll keep changing things up to make life exciting.”

Rolling his eyes, Max grabbed her hands and pulled her close, kissing her for a moment.

She sighed and smiled as they pulled back.

“Okay, stop that, I need to finish.”

Laughing, Max nodded and leaned back, giving her space.

Pulling her braid over her shoulder, Tanila took a moment to gather herself and then looked Max in the eyes.

“As I already mentioned, I have a red skill. I won’t use it unless I have to because of its function.”

Max’s eyebrows raised, and yet he said nothing.

“You remember the vampire rabbit and the shade?”

“How could I forget? Nothing like almost dying.”

Tanila nodded. “I have something similar to theirs. Something like what the boy you killed in the arena had.”

Max felt his skin tingle with energy, and the hairs on his arms began to rise.

“Does every royal family member have red skills?” Max asked, a lump beginning to form in his throat.

Tanila nodded.

“Every royal family member is born with one. My siblings all have some, and they can be… terrible.”

Her face scrunched, and Max could see she wasn’t excited about this.

“You don’t have to tell me yours,” he said, reaching over and grabbing her one free hand.

She smiled and slowly shook her head.

“I don’t, but I want to. You need to know what you’re getting involved with. My skill is built around my elemental mastery and anything else I cast. If I activate it…” Tanila paused and took a deep breath, letting it out as she squeezed Max’s hand. “I start to drain the intelligence and wisdom of those around me.”

A cold snap rushed through Max’s body from head to toe.

She has a child of mine…

Tanila saw Max’s reaction and peered intently at him.

“Are you ok?”

Max nodded slowly and then stopped. Shaking his head, he grimaced. “My skill just said your skill is a child of it.”

Tanila unintentionally pulled her hand from Max’s and stared at him. “Does it know the name of my skill?” she asked, her voice having lost its steady tone.

Max waited, unsure if it would respond on its own.

Do you know the name of her skill?

Laughter came from inside his head, and Max winced.

The Flayer Aura is powerful, especially in the hands of one willing to use it.

Swallowing a few times after hearing the voice, Max nodded.

“The Flayer Aura?”

Tanila immediately backed away from Max, covering her mouth with her hands.

“It’s true,” she whispered.