Page 53 of In Your Light

“Okay.” Fyn smiled a little easier then. He looked at Tobin. “Your ability to read minds is amazing. I didn’t know powers were a thing for you guys. Does anyone else have them?” Then his eyes got big. “Does everyone?”

“Not everyone. Some of us do,” Ciaran said. “I can hit people with a toxin. It kinda burns.”

“Kinda?” Fray said with disbelief. “It burrrrrrns.”

“Like fire,” Tobin added.

Fyn’s eyes got even bigger. “For real?”

Tobin laughed. “Fray can emit electric pulses, like an electric eel.”

Fray put his hand up, morphing it into a blue tentacle. “Wanna feel?”

Fyn put his hands behind his back. “No, thank you.”

Ciaran laughed. “I don’t recommend it. But don’t worry, we only use it when we absolutely have to.”

Just then, Salem and Aurin came out of their house with four toddlers in tow.

Fyn gasped loudly. “Is that...? No way.”

Ciaran chuckled. “You haven’t seen them in human form, have you?”

He shook his head, not taking his eyes off them.

Nyx was the spitting image of Salem, except he had dark eyes instead of Salem’s unusual yellow, his hair jet-black and skin pale.

Llyr was the biggest of the four. He had black hair like Salem, but dark eyes like Nyx.

Ukko had golden hair like Aurin, freckles, and gold eyes.

And Áine had longer hair that was a golden-bronze colour and beautiful odd-coloured eyes.

They all wore coats and boots, and none of them looked particularly happy about it.

“Hi,” Aurin said, grin wide as they walked over. “We are having a human day.”

“Dadda, I don’t like boots,” Nyx said, bending down to pull at his.

“Leave them,” Salem said gently. “It’s good practice.”

“He’s not wearing boots,” Llyr said, pointing to Fyn’s feet.

“Oh,” Fyn said, grimacing apologetically at Aurin. “Sorry.” But then he crouched down so he was eye-level with the toddlers. “I don’t wear shoes because I have special feet.” He looked up at Aurin and Salem. “Can I show them?”

Salem nodded. “Yes.”

Fyn stood up again, and then he shook his right foot and a hoof appeared, fur running up to his knee.

The four toddlers gasped, their little eyes growing big. Llyr jumped up and down with excitement, and Nyx tugged on Aurin’s pants. “I want these feet! I could run even faster.”

“Then you’d be too fast,” Fyn said.

“Faster than you?” Nyx asked.

“Even faster than me,” Fyn said, which made Nyx beam.

Then Áine reached out and touched the fur on Fyn’s leg, just above his fetlock. She looked up at Fyn. “Soft,” she said.