“Don’t you?”
A smirk. “I do.” There was a laugh in his voice, which softened the moment into something more intimate.
“And what does she whisper?” I asked.
“She whispers all manner of things, either about my court and lands or smaller messages for me to decipher myself, to learn from.”
“You, after so many lifetimes, still learn from the Mother and about yourself?” I was genuinely surprised.
“Evidently.”
My brows knit, questioning.
“There are few things that surprise me in life. King Thaddeus is of no surprise. We believed a human monarch would answer our call sooner or later. But you…you are puzzling to me, Nyleeria.” My name on his lips caressed me, sending shivers down my spine, just as it had the first time. How my body responded to him was strange, like it purred in his presence, responding to his power.
I gave him a disarming smile. “Centuries old, and a simple human woman is puzzling to you?”
He quirked his head slightly. “Are you?”
“Am I what?” I asked.
“Just a simple human woman?”
The directness of his question, his gaze, almost made me falter, but I gathered myself instantly. “Well, I keep company with a king, high lords, and the fae, so I suppose not,” I said, willing a soft laugh to accompany my words.
Lightness came back into his eyes, and the intensity lifted from his gaze as a genuine smile spread across his features.
“Tell me, Nyleeria, what does the Mother say when you commune with her?” he asked.
I considered the question. It wasn’t something I’d taken note of before. Did she say anything to me? Was it that kind of exchange?
“I’m not sure she speaks to me the same as you, or maybe she does, and I’m not as versed in her language. I feel her more than anything. The pull of her, the connectedness, the exchange between us when we’re bound. Being with her is calm, soothing, even.” I felt like I was rambling, but the high lord hung on to my every word.
“What do you mean when you sayexchange?”
“Energetically, I’m not sure how else to describe it.”
“I was right; she favors you indeed. Few fae connect with her on that level, let alone asimple human woman.” He winked.
“I spent a lot of time in the woods as a child—still do. Perhaps it’s less of her favoring me and more a familiarity with each other.”
“Perhaps,” he said, considering, not dismissing the statement as quickly as I thought he would.
“While you are a guest here, Nyleeria, would you join me to commune with her?” he asked.
“Really? Why?” I blurted out in surprise. It felt like an intimate thing to do together.
Caius’ eyes sparked, and they held a smile as he said, “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”
“No.” The word came out before I’d thought about it. But it was true. Whatever made me feel familiar to him, made him feel safe to me in some way. Perhaps I was a fool, but in my soul, I was comfortable with him. Maybe it was the part of me that didn’t belong to the humans, the secret kinship between us, the spark that overrode my survival instincts while being close to those who could end my existence with a thought.
“There are few on Lumnara that can make such a declaration and mean it,” he said with raised brows.
We let those words hang between us as we moved across the dance floor, still in our own world.
“To answer your question,” Caius said, giving me a wry smile, “I think, with my power and the Mother’s fondness for you, I could help you hear her whispers. I’d like to see if such a thing is possible.”
I was fully aware that the high lord’s attention on me should evoke fear, but the kinship I felt with him, combined with my curiosity, couldn’t be contained.
