Lexi’s eyes involuntarily darted to the fireplace before returning to him. When her lungs began to burn, she realized she was holding her breath and released it slowly to not draw attention to herself.
She stared at him as her heart raced, and she wondered if he could tell his words had sent her into a mini panic attack. She didn’t want to discuss his brothers, but she couldn’t safely steer the conversation away without drawing attention to herself.
She remained outwardly calm as she replied, “That had to be difficult.”
“It was,” he said. “It is. Before the war, we were all close.”
This revelation surprised her. He cared for Brokk a great deal, but the dark fae were selfish, aloof creatures. Or maybe that was only the image they portrayed to the outer world. Or maybe it was because his family was a mix of half-breeds and therefore not as cold as the dark fae were said to be.
Orin was pure dark fae and a complete asshole, but maybe the others had bigger hearts. The lycan were known for loyalty to their families; perhaps that was the side of Cole she now saw.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she murmured.
When his head tipped to the side, the sun shining over him emphasized the elegance of his square jaw, chiseled cheekbones, and Persian blue eyes.
“I’m sorry for your loss, too,” he said.
Lexi ducked her head as she blinked away her tears. It had been six months, but sometimes it still felt like it had only been an hour, and she would never get over her grief. This was one of those times.
“Thank you,” she whispered when she trusted herself to speak. And then, because she had to know what her father experienced before he died, she asked. “Was the war horrible?”
When he didn’t reply, she lifted her head to look at him again. His hands gripped the ends of his chair until his knuckles turned white and a muscle twitched in his cheek.
Looking at him, she wished she could take back the question. No matter what he said, she would always know the war had sliced many lacerations and scars onto his soul. And now she knew the last of her father’s life had been awful.
Of course, it was horrible. It was war. Countless immortals and mortals lost their lives.
He’d fought on the winning side, but that didn’t make it any less atrocious. It just meant he didn’t have a price on his head and countless enemies hunting him now that it was over.
Even the dark fae with their purported heartlessness would be affected by all the death they waded through to survive. It was only beings like Malakai who came through the war relatively unscathed.
“Yes,” he said.
When he didn’t elaborate any further, they sat in silence as the seconds turned into minutes.
Then he spoke again. “What happened to your mother?”
“My father didn’t tell you?”
Cole’s hands relaxed on the chair, and when he looked at her again, some of his tension ebbed. “No, he never spoke of her.”
“He didn’t tell me much about her either,” she admitted. “I know she was human and she died while giving birth to me. He told me he loved her, but I don’t think humans are meant to birth immortal creatures.”
“No, they’re not.”
“Her name was Sharon, and he said she was beautiful.”
Instinctively, her fingers went to her face, and she touched her cheek. Her father once told her she looked exactly like her mother. There were times when she looked in the mirror and tried to picture the woman who helped create her, but trying to imagine her face on a dead woman was unnerving.
“Like mother, like daughter,” Cole murmured.
Lexi’s eyes widened as he stared at her. He found her beautiful?
She wasn’t an idiot, and she owned a mirror, so she knew she wasn’t ugly, but to hear him say this sent a warm thrill of excitement through her.
“What about your mother?” she asked.
“She was killed when I was seven.”
Lexi’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
He shrugged, but something in his eyes told her it wasn’t such a casual thing. “It was centuries ago.”
“It still must have been hard. I miss my mother, and I never knew her. I can’t imagine knowing her and losing her at such a young age.”
“At least I have memories of her. She was a good woman, kind and gentle. She loved my father and me very much.”
“What about your father?” she asked.
“What about him?”
“Did he love her?”
“With all his heart. He still does.”
The look on her face must have expressed her shock as he chuckled and draped his arm over the chair back.
“Despite what many think, the dark fae are very capable of love. In fact, since they so rarely give their love to anyone beyond their family, they often love deeper than most immortal creatures. My father never recovered from her death. He fathered other children, but she is the only one he loved and the only one he claimed as his wife.”
Somehow, she managed to keep herself from gawking at him like an idiot. Immortals rarely married, and when they did, it was forever. The bond was severed only by death or extreme circumstances.
“I didn’t know he had married,” she murmured.
“There’s no reason you should. They married hundreds of years ago, and while the dark fae like to think all the realms revolve around them, I realize not everyone feels the same way. I wouldn’t expect you to know our history, though many of my kind would.”
She chuckled as she rested her chin on her hand. He fascinated her; she could talk to him for hours, if not days.
However, when the clock chimed out the next hour, he rose from the chair. “I have to check on Brokk.”
She watched as he strode from the room before picking up her book again. There were so many things she should do today, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t bring herself to leave as she hoped for his return.
Ten minutes later, he entered the room again. Alert for him this time, she caught his footfall in the hall and lifted her head as he glided toward his chair.
His movements mesmerized her; there was something animalistic about him. Something primal and lethal and utterly seductive in a way that might make her a little insane.
“Any change?” she asked as he settled onto the chair once more.
“No.”
“I’m sure he’ll wake soon.”
“I hope so.”
He picked up his book and started reading again. She did the same, though her attention remained mostly on him.
After a few minutes, he set the book down and turned toward her. “What do you like to do for fun, Lexi?”
She lifted her book and waved it at him. “Read.”
“What else?”
“Riding, and before the war, I’d often go for hikes with my dad. Sometimes Sahira would join us. I also like to fish.”
“Did you go to parties?”
“My father had a few here that I attended as a teen, but I never went to the Shadow Realms until your father’s invite arrived. Once the war started, the parties stopped.”
“That they did.”
“What about you, Cole? What do you like to do for fun?”
There was one thing the dark fae loved to do for fun, but she hoped he didn’t answer that.
“I also like to read and listen to music, and I attended many parties over the years.”
“Did you travel to different Shadow Realms?”
“I did.”
She set her book in her lap as she leaned forward. “What are they like? Are they all as fantastical as the Gloaming? Which realm is your favorite?”
“My favorite is the Gloaming; there’s nothing like home. But the witches’ realm is amazing, as is the lycan’s, and there are many others inhabited by numerous, immortal species. Many of them, I would never travel to. And then there is the siren realm and the imps.”
Lexi propped her chin on her hand as he talked about the different realms and all the many immortal creatures she would never meet. The deep timbre of his voice and the pictures he painted enthralled her.
She could listen to him talk for hours, and though he got up to check on Brokk every hour, that was exactly what they did. The sun was setting when she reluctantly pulled herself away from him.
She went upstairs to clean up another guest room in case he decided to sleep away from Brokk tonight. When she finished, she went out to bring in the horses.
She returned to the manor and discovered him sitting at Brokk’s side. She told him about the other room, but she doubted he would sleep in it.
“Thank you,” he said.
She bid him good night and closed the door.