A feeling of warmth drifted through me that he’d initiated a conversation again. On top of that, he’d asked his question casually, so I easily could have answered him cheekily and not been serious if I’d chosen to.
We both knew why that was, the unspoken reason hovering between us, because while sharing one’s magic was considered trivial by some, it was a sacred rite to many others.
I’d always felt I landed somewhere in the middle. While I didn’t share what I could do with most, I’d also confided that I possessed magic from three kingdoms to Ree and a few others.But nobody knew about my hidden magic, apart from my aunt and uncle.
And right now, I knew Kole’s question was the same. He left it open for me to answer, but his meaning was clear.You don’t have to share if you don’t want to.
“I have sight sensory magic too.” The words flowed out of me, and in that moment, I knew what it meant. I trusted Kole completely. For whatever reason, I did, and I wasn’t going to analyze it. “I possess magic from Mistvale, Faewood, and Ironcrest.”
His strong jaw worked more. “Magic from three kingdoms? That’s impressive.”
My heartbeat ticked up. “And you? What kingdoms do you hold magic from?”
His silence filled the enclosure, and I could feel it, his need to protect his secrets, to keep himself safely guarded. But then he shifted from where he sat, the pebbles skittering lightly beneath him.
“I have an air element, as you probably noticed in Whiteolf when I slowed your fall.” His words were low. Hesitant. As if thissharingthingwas new to him. “It’s the only Silten Kingdom that I have magic from, but I have other talents, although not of this continent.”
“Oh?” I cocked my head and took another big bite of the sweet and buttery bread. Beyond that one word, I didn’t push. Something told me that Kole didn’t reveal to many what he’d just shared, so as he’d done for me, Iwasn’t going to force or push him if he didn’t want to offer more.
He bit into his plum, eating almost half of it. He stretched out more, his long, muscular legs filling the space around him, and I didn’t think he was going to elaborate, but then he stated, “I’m part Solis fae. I have affinities that most on this continent don’t possess.”
My eyebrows shot up. While having a mixed origin wasn’t unheard of, it wasn’t common either. Most fae in our realm kept to their continents. Some moved, of course, as Gwenery’s Nolus grandmother had all of those centuries ago. But in general, it was a frowned-upon practice. Pride kept our realm’s fae among their own kind, each fae race believing they were superior to all others and not seeing the point of moving to a “lesser” area.
“Does that have anything to do with you growing up in various areas of the realm?” I asked.
“It does.” He paused, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to divulge more, but then he said, “My mother’s Silten fae, but my father’s Solis. I spent a good portion of my childhood on the Solis continent among my father’s family.”
“Is that where you were born?”
“It is.”
A smile bloomed across my face, my spirits soaring to ridiculous levels. It was silly, but I felt honored. Privileged to have learned this information. “That’s why your eyes are so blue. They’re Solis eyes.”
His focus dropped to my mouth, to where I was still grinning, but he immediately averted his gaze. “That’s right.”
I cocked my head, happy energy still strumming through me. “But your hair’s dark.”
He shrugged. “A trait I inherited from my Silten mother.”
I arched an eyebrow, my tone turning teasing. “But no wings?” All Solis had wings. It was a trait that set them apart from other fae.
He smirked. “No. No wings.” He took the last bite of his plum and discarded the pit in the fire.
I finished my bread, cheese, and the rest of my fruit. Once he and I had cleaned the dishes and stowed them away, I began to roll out the bedding and couldn’t help but study Kole more as I did so.
Hair as black as night covered his head, yet eyes as blue as sapphire gems graced his face. His skin tone was a shade darker than mine, but I figured that could be due to the sun versus an inherent trait.
Overall, his coloring wasn’t unusual on the Silten continent, but it would have been on the Solis continent, considering they all had pale skin, white or silvery hair, and crystalline blue eyes.
Yet Kole’s eye color was so vivid. So breathtaking. No Silten fae had eyes like that. That trait of his was pure Solis.
I pulled my lone pillow from my sack, placed it on the bedding, and finished with the arrangement I’d made. It still struck me that Kole hadn’t divulged what his exact magic wasyet, but I knew since he was part Solis, it could literally be anything. Unlike Silten fae, the land didn’t breed the Solis magic. It was usually inherited, and sometimes, completely new magic appeared in Solis families that had never occurred before.
But until Kole chose to share what his affinities were, I wasn’t going to push.
Shrugging my thoughts off, I smiled pleasantly. “There, that should do it.” I looked up to see Kole watching me.
He stood frozen, his energy rising beneath his Shield. “We’ll be sleeping side by side?”
