No,notbecause of that.
Lexi hadn’t aided Orin because of her anger at Cole; she did it because she couldn’t turn away those suffering people and immortals and because she was taking a stance in this war. One that put her in direct opposition of Cole.
But there was nowayCole could still be on the Lord’s side after the homicidal maniac slaughtered his father. She should talk to him about it and maybe tell him about Orin, but now wasn’t exactly the time.
* * *
Cole heldLexi in his arms as he stared out the window. Outside, the birds were singing the last of their songs for the day.
He’d spent the past hour regaling her with stories of his father. With her head against his chest and her hand absently stroking his stomach, she listened and laughed with him. She also cried some more.
He hated her tears as he wiped them away, but those tears were because she understood his loss and cared for him. It was that caring that touched him most.
He’d come back for her because she was his mate and he cared for her, but as she cried and laughed, he realized how much she cared for him too. That knowledge warmed his heart at a time when he never would have believed such a thing possible.
When he finished speaking, they fell into a companionable silence as the setting sun’s rays bounced off the walls and lit the room with a rainbow of colors. If they were in one of the realms, pixies might be dancing through those rays, but the pixies didn’t often come to the human realm.
“I’m sorry about your father,” she said after a while.
“Thank you. He was a good man.”
“He raised an amazing son.”
Cole smoothed back her hair and kissed the top of her head. Little had gone right since the war between the immortals started and the Lord unleashed his dragons on Earth, but she was one thing that had gonesoright.
And he wasn’t letting her go again.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get word to you sooner,” he said.
She lifted her head and frowned at him. Some of the swelling had come out of her nose, but the bruising was worse. “Don’t apologize; I understand why you didn’t.”
“But I bet you were cursing me,” he said with a small, teasing smile.
“Never,” she teased back.
He laughed and kissed her forehead. “I wish I could say that I’m going to stay, but I can’t. I have to get back to the Gloaming and state my intentions to endure the trials.”
Her beautiful eyes darkened. “How bad are the trials?”
“Not much is known about them, but few have survived, and all who did were named king of the dark fae afterward.”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
She tried to suppress it, but he felt her shudder.
“Iwillsurvive the trials,” he said.
“What are they?”
“I don’t know. There could be two of them or hundreds. What each of them entails is a mystery; my father never revealed what he endured. They’re probably designed to test my dark fae powers.”
“But you’re only half dark fae.”
“And stronger than the rest of them.”
“Yes, but even if you survive the trials, will the dark fae accept you as king?”
