Elfie stood before the fire, her hands clasped and her head bowed like she was seeking strength. As he studied her, Cole realized she didn’t appear as hungry or tired as he’d expected the light fae to be.
“I thought the light fae were starving after the war,” Cole stated. “You look fine.”
“You evensoundlike your father,” she murmured.
“He did raise us.” Refusing to be sidetracked from his observation, Cole asked. “Why aren’t you starving?”
“Because we’re not.”
“How is that possible? There isn’t much joy in the realms right now, and thatiswhat you feed on.”
Varo was barely getting by on food and what little joy there was in the prison. He could also feed on sex, but he still had to provide for his light fae half.
“We also eat food,” Elfie said.
“Food isn’t enough to keep you sustained.”
“Do you think I’ll give away the light fae secrets?”
Cole remembered her as being meeker, but things had changed. He didn’t like it. “No.”
She turned and pinned Lexi with her gaze. “Are youreallyan arach?”
Cole’s eyes narrowed on the woman before he looked at Kaylia. Now he knew what he couldn’t hear the crone tell her. They had come here for answers, and they couldn’t get them without revealing what Lexi was, but he would have preferred to do ithisway.
“I am,” Lexi stated.
When Elfie continued to stare at her, Lexi lifted a hand and flames erupted from her fingertips. Elfie remained unmoving, but something akin to yearning bloomed in her eyes… no, not yearning,hope.
And then the hope swiftly deflated as her shoulders sagged. Cole stepped closer to Lexi. Elfie wouldn’t go after her, the light fae were selfish twats, but they didn’t provoke attacks. However, he still didn’t like having Lexi in this land and around these cowards.
“Tell us what you know about the arach,” he said.
Elfie didn’t tear her eyes away from Lexi as she sank onto the rocking chair beside the fireplace. She rubbed at her face as Lexi extinguished the flames.
“Not much,” Elfie said. “I worked with some of them. I was friends with a few… or as close a friend as the arach would allow themselves to have. They mostly kept to themselves and made sure their powers remained a mystery.
“I’m not sure if they did that because it was fun for them, they believed it added to their mystique, or they worried someone could try to use them for their powers. Maybe it was a combination of all those things and more. And since you’ve come here asking me about arach powers, I’ll never learn the answer. What do you know of your abilities?”
“I can use my fire.”
“What about the dragons? The arach could always do things with the dragons.”
“I know how to use that, but it doesn’t do us any good while the Lord is on the throne. They obey whoever sits on the throne and rules the land.”
“How do you know that?”
“Why aren’t the light fae starving?” Cole inquired instead.
Elfie glared at him, and he smiled in return.
“If you want answers from us, then you’ll have to give some in return,” he said.
“I’m giving you answers,” Elfie retorted.
“Not many, and no matter what you reveal, you willnotget the answer to your question.”
There was no way he would reveal Alina and her ability to this woman.Noone else would know about that. If it somehow got back to the Lord, he would kill the dragon, and they couldn’t let that happen.
