‘Obviously,’ she snorted and smiled, even if it wasn’t warm.
Time to change the subject; vulnerability was getting her agitated. ‘Why did you say I was a child of love? Did you meet her mate?’
Something in her expression shifted again. Whether I was shit at reading emotions or she was great at hiding them, for a second I could swear she looked almost compassionate. ‘He was a noble man. A faeling of Fire and Earth. Kind and handsome, you look a lot like him, actually.’
Hearing about him for the first time felt uncanny. ‘Do I?’
‘You have his upturned nose and dark brown hair,' she continued, eyes slightly absent as she reminisced.
I felt my nerves cranking up. ‘What happened to him?’
‘They fought a lot over the war,’ she said without blinking. ‘He loved the Fire Kingdom even though he lived in some small Earth town. The more she attacked on the Gem Fields the more distant he was growing.’
‘So she chose war over love.’ A dark laugh bubbled in my throat. ‘Shocker.’
‘The moment she realised his stuff was gone, she lost her shit and raged so much the sea responded and flooded the castle.’ The half-smile on her face showed me that she either enjoyed the flood or the fact that mother suffered.
Interesting.
‘She cheated on him with my father,’ I said and watched her reaction. The fact didn’t surprise her.
‘Lord of the Isles?’ she asked, crossing her arms. ‘How are they so sure you’re their family anyway? You look nothing like them.’
‘He can sense his children.' My voice got quieter since I knew it sounded ridiculous.
Willow’s nose crinkled. ‘Ew, creepy.’
Turning a little green, she looked ready to barf. I found it funny since Miriam said she tried to seduce him not too long ago. The second I reminded myself of that, I felt like barfing too.
But then who was I to judge a woman for trying to escape a place she was unwillingly bound to?
Imprisonment led to poor decisions, I knew that. A deep sigh vibrated through my chest as I thought about my new family. I finally felt like I belonged, but she wouldn’t understand it. Still, for reasons I didn’t quite understand, I attempted to explain.
‘I actually do have a speck of shadows,’ my voice dipped. ‘I just can’t do shit with them.’
Willow watched me move my hand as I tried to call upon it.
After a couple of seconds, I stopped embarrassing myself. ‘I still don’t know how I have my fire powers, though. Can a person have two fathers?’
‘Um, who knows…’ Willow said ominously, her voice raising high enough for me to notice. ‘You grew your fire before. You’ll probably grow these too in your newly developed thirst for self-improvement.’
‘Bitter much?’ I laughed, wondering what sparked the change in her attitude today. She wasn’t usually this talkative. Or helpful.
‘Purely observant.’ The meticulously manicured fingernails tapped the countertops in a steady rhythm. ‘How fucking long will it take to grow my powers back, by the way?’
I sighed. No point in lying. ‘A long time.’
Her gaze fell. ‘How do you know?’
‘I’ve lived here for just over a month now, and I’ve only started to feel that inkling of shadows recently.’
It could drive me insane. Even during their constricted stage, my fire was always compliant; so was witchcraft. This darkness seemed to have a mind of its own and toyed with me.
‘Fucking great.’ The hand she used to tap the counter gently now slammed it. ‘Keep that brother of yours away from me, by the way. He’s the worst part about staying here.’
Not me?
‘I don’t know if that’s possible. He’s feral,’ I chuckled, shrugging.
