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“It’ll take me some time to get used to calling you that. I’ll need to practice or something.”
He grinned. “Go ahead.”
I rolled my eyes at him, though I knew he couldn’t see the sarcastic gesture. “So,Odin, tell me about your parents. You tried to, before. Do you think they miss you?”
His grin faded. “I’m sure they do. I’m not positive how long it’s been since I was sane—since I saw them. When things are settled, I’ll find them.”
I nodded. “What were they like, when you were a kid?”
I wouldn’t admit it, but this was an important question to me. Because the way your parents treated you, the way you grew up, affected so many of your sensitivities, anxieties, and loads of other things.
“Kind, and loving. They took me out of the city as often as they could afford to. They knew how powerful I was when my magic began tugging on theirs before I turned ten. After the earth chose me, and I lost my sight, they saw how I struggled. They helped as much as they could, and both of them had strong magic of their own, but power at my level was unheard of.”
He continued, “They didn’t know how to train me to use my magic to feel the land around me, to see where I was going and what might be dangerous nearby. No one knew that was even possible until I’d figured it out myself. They couldn’t attend school with me, and my sister was too many years older to do so either. Which… made life difficult. But I survived, and they did all they could to make things easier for me. I never doubted that they loved me, no matter what turns my life took.”
“Damn.” I finally pulled his hand off my breast, and he didn’t fight me on it at all. Just before I let go of his fingers, I decided that I wasn’t ready to—and laced mine between his.
His shoulders relaxed a bit at that contact, and a bit more when I stepped closer to him, so our bare arms brushed.
“They would be excited to meet you,” he told me quietly. “Even if we were only friend-mates, and you still hated me, they would be thrilled. And they would love you, simply because our souls have connected.”
My throat welled at that, and I said nothing.
“You already met my sister, Sevva. She’s a piece of work, but in a good way for the most part—she and her mate, Oli, were already adults and fully mated before I was born. We weren’t close when I was young, but because Sevv is in charge of the people’s representatives, I was forced to spend a lot of time with both of them after the throne was given to me.”
“Oli? He doesn’t have a nickname?”
“Oli is a woman.” He glanced over at me. “Are there not some humans married this way, too?”
“There are. I just didn’t know it was a thing here,” I explained.
“Ah. Well, fated mates are quite rare, so most people choose their own mate. But even among the fated, there are some females paired together, and some males too. Love comes in many forms, and the mate culture of nicknames versus given names doesn’t change based on the genders of the pair.”
Huh.
I actually liked that a lot.
“So you want me to meet your parents, and your sisters?” I asked him.
“Yes. Although if I remember correctly, Sevva blamed me for being unable to control the magic possessing me in King’s Valley. Which means she will certainly be furious with me after what happened to the city.” His lips turned down. “Chaining me there was a foolish idea from the beginning.”
“Why?”
“King’s Valley was the most temperamental part of our world, because it was constantly being carved with magic by earth fae without the power to seal the cracks they created. Our element doesn’t like to be altered; it prefers to be built upon, rather than engraved within. Only those who can seal cracks should cut through it the way my people do.”
“And you’re the only one who can seal cracks?”
“Unfortunately.” He grimaced. “Dove will likely be able to, when she’s older. We can only pray that the massive wave of her magic doesn’t begin to cut her off from any of her senses.”
My eyes widened. “How long did it take you to lose your vision?”
“About a month. It always takes about a month. The first week or two, your magic is settling, in here.” He lifted the hand that wasn’t connected to mine, and tapped the center of his chest. “If it’s strong enough to create dissonance between you and your body, it won’t start doing so until after it’s settled. I lost my vision gradually, over about three weeks. It was the most terrifying time of my life, and my family’s, too. Although that might have changed, given how the last years have gone.”
Damn.
“Do you think Dove will be okay?” I asked him.
“Yes. Storm won’t stay away more than a few days; he needs to bond with his mate, and he knows Dove will be fine through those days, as her magic settles. She won’t be alone. And the magic won’t kill her. But if it takes her hearing, or her vision… there’s nothing we can do.” His voice was quiet. “Hopefully her senses will go the same way Storm’s did, and only her sense of smell will be lost.”
