“I don’t know,” Marcus said thoughtfully. His blue eyes darkened, and his words sounded fair and not at all like the man who’d once considered himself better than everyone else. His affai had softened his edges. “I kind of liked her. She snapped at Darius quick enough.”
“She did.” Darius grinned.
“And looking at her is no hardship,” Marcus added.
Darius snorted. “Trust you to go straight to a woman’s looks.”
“I’m married, not dead, and my heart belongs to Tessa. What, like you didn’t notice her appeal? Please.” Marcus snorted. “She’s preternaturally beautiful. I still can’t believe Aerolus, of all people, snagged her.”
“Yeah, I didn’t even realize Mr. Oblivious knew women existed.” He snickered, and Marcus joined in. “Oh, wait. That’s not right. Didn’t he see Tessa naked once?”
“You’re such an asshole.” Marcus sneered at his brother. “Who told you about that?”
Darius shrugged. “I know everything, little brother.” Despite being born identical quadruplets, Darius never let his brothers forget he’d been born first.
“Not that again.”
I didn’t bother to hide my amusement. The familiar squabbling eased the tension. “If I didn’t know you two were brothers, I’d think you were married.”
“Ha, ha,” Marcus muttered.
“But getting back to Alandra, I’m not sure how I feel about her.” I thought about the mischievous beauty who’d enthralled Aerolus. “She’s a creature of Shadow, and though she’s done much for your brother, I still don’t understand why she left her world in the first place.”
Darius shrugged. “Didn’t she say she didn’t like her aunt messing with Tanselm?”
“Yes, but why?” That still bothered me. I knew I was missing something, but what? “She’s an Aellei — a race known for their devious nature. I don’t know if you noticed, but she’s pure magic.”
“Pure?” Marcus frowned. “I thought you said she was of Shadow?”
“She is. But Shadow isn’t bad, and Light and Dark aren’t necessarily the flip sides of good and evil. I’m beginning to wonder if being aligned with Shadow might not be necessary in some way.” Though suspicious of her motives, I couldn’t justify reproaching Alandra for saving my nephews. Just like I couldn’t condemn all the Djinn since they’d apparently done much to help Cadmus.
To hear Aerolus and Tessa tell it, in the last battle with Sin Garu, Jonas Chase—a Djinn and Marcus’ old boss—had saved Tessa, Marcus, and Cadmus and Aerolus as well. Which was to say nothing of what Ellie, Cadmus’ coworker and secret Djinn, had supposedly already done to help him.
I needed more information on that, but of course, Cadmus was nowhere to be found.
“The Aellei differ from us,” I said slowly, sounding it out. “We Light Bringers are people who wield magic, in tune with our land and the elements. But at our core, we are fae.”
“And Alandra?” Darius prodded, standing with his arms crossed.
“She’s not fae.” I shot him a grim smile. “Oh, thousands of years ago her ancestors might have been, but in the interim, the Shadow dwellers, or Shadren, changed.”
“I thought the Shadren and Aellei were two different races.” Marcus looked puzzled.
“Actually, the Aellei are Shadren, but not all Shadren are Aellei,” I explained. “The Aellei refuse to acknowledge closer ties to other Shadow denizens because of their curious penchant for being surrounded by beauty.”
Marcus cringed. “Which most of the Shadren are not, beautiful that is. Especially that red gooey Nocumat.”
Darius shook his head. “I can’t believe I missed out on you all nearly being turned to red jelly by that thing.”
“I don’t like thinking about it.”
I interrupted, not wanting to make Marcus more uncomfortable than he seemed. “I’m sure Alandra can explain it better. But now, what you need to know is that in the beginning, Tanselm was home to many of the Dark Lords, the Djinn, and the Shadren. When the Dark Tribes split, they grew apart in more than just distance. We noticed how different they’d all become, not only from each other, but from the Light Bringers as well.
“Alandra’s roots may have started out fae, but over the years, her people became more and more fused with both the Light and the Dark, creating a new race of beings, a people of magic.”
“I don’t get it.” Darius frowned. “Aerolus’ affai isn’t fae? She looked fae enough to me.”
“Let me put it this way. I wield magic, as do your brothers. Each of you has touched a spell or two in your time, but the elemental magic you control is a part of you. In that sense, you’re like Alandra. Being a Storm Lord is not just a calling but an existence apart from other Light Bringers.
