I felt the urge to step away. Whoever this male was, he was powerful, given the energy in his aura, and wealthy too. Finely woven clothing, which reeked of hundreds of rulibs, adorned his frame. The woolen material was mostly black but also had silver and blue embellishments.
Somehow, I managed to hold my ground, but it was hard. The only other male I’d ever felt that kind of strength from was my mate.
But as soon as I finished taking in his appearance, another flash of magic zinged through the air, and four more Solis males appeared right behind the first one.
I started from their abrupt arrival.
All of them had two swords in a crisscross pattern peeking out from beneath their wings, and my brow furrowed as I took in their clothing. They wore what guards did.
One of them had hair shorn close to his head, was tall and lean, and had a grumpy expression on his face. Another had a thick white beard, a strong stance, and large hands. The third had round cheeks and smiled readily, and the last had a long braid down his back that settled between his shoulder blades. And all of them had large leathery black wings folded at their backs.
Despite five huge new males appearing from thin air, Jax just laughed.
“Norivun.” My mate grinned and stepped toward the first male, bringing his fist to his chest and bowing.
Ah, so this is Norivun.
“Adarian, nice to see you again.” Norivun returned the traditional greeting, then inclined his head to the four males behind him. “My guards decided to join me. You remember Nish, Sandus, Haxil, and Ryder?”
“How could I forget?” Jax nodded behind him. “And you remember my friends and guards?”
All of the males brought fists to their chests simultaneously and bowed.
Norivun’s guard with the braid cocked his head. “Where’s Quinn?”
“Who knows.” Trivan shrugged, and a lock of blond hair fell across his forehead as he straightened.
With our pleasantries finished, I realized all of them knew each other.
“And who’s this?” Norivun asked, turning his attention on me.
“My mate, Elowen.” A smile filled Jax’s words.
I brought my fist to my chest and bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Norivun replied. His icy blue eyes assessed me, and his face reminded me of chiseled stone.
My mate slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his side. “I’m glad you could join us, Nori. I hope we didn’t interfere with the meetings you had to attend this morning?”
A small smile curved Norivun’s lips, cutting through some of the harsh planes and angles of his face. “Trust me, I welcomed the excuse to leave.”
Alec laughed, and the pattering in my heart slowed, yet my lorafin magic wanted to rattle inside me. It seemed my magic also recognized the lethal power in this male despite his non-threatening demeanor.
“I do apologize, however, for not getting here sooner.” A strand of Norivun’s silvery hair, which sat around shoulder length, caught on the wind and brushed against his chin. He pushed it back with a thick finger and curled it behind his tipped ear. Crystalline blue eyes that were nearly as bright as my mate’s regarded Jax. “How has Archon Severell been treating you?”
Trivan scoffed. “Well, in my opinion, he’s a real?—”
“He’s been fine,” Jax interrupted. “Archon Severell is prideful, as Trivan was about to hint at, but he answered our questions. In fact, we’re waiting for him right now. He was trying to contact your family to see if we could venture to the facility where the staff work and the mine’s stones are stored.”
Norivun nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m here. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone—come and see you while also letting him know that I approve your admittance.”
As soon asthe fae working at Hartivul Mine realized their sovereign was in their midst, they became a flurry of bows and slackened jaws. More than one fairy kept their distance, their expression telling me they both feared and revered this royal male, while others rushed forward to get a look at him and his guards.
I didn’t know how to interpret that since I didn’t know much about this continent’s royal family. But since Jax didn’t seem concerned about Norivun and instead acted genuinely happy to see him, I decided that I didn’t need to share their fear.
Archon Severell’s haughty arrogance also vanished entirely. He became a tongue-tied mess around Norivun, only managing to bow profusely after every sentence he stuttered.
It was both painful and amusing to watch.
