"This was before he and your mother were properly together," Winter said, her voice soft but laden with a depth of meaning that made me pause. "Admittedly, I mean. Your mother and he—well, they had more than their share of disagreements about it. They even fought about it at times, you know? But there was something so undeniable about the way they were around each other. It wasn't just love, not yet—not then. But it was clear to all of us who truly held your father's heart. There was this tension, this pull between them. It was as if the whole kingdom could feel it, even though they tried to deny it, even though they wouldn't admit it to anyone."
"It wasn't some simple passing attraction or a brief infatuation. It was much deeper than that. There was something about them, a connection that couldn't be ignored, not by anyone who knew them. It marked both of them in ways they didn't even understand at the time. And yet, despite all that, your mother would never have spoken of it aloud, not openly. She wouldn't have admitted to it, not to you, not to anyone. But we saw it. It was in the way your father looked at her, the way his eyes would soften when she spoke, or how he'd get lost in her presence even when he tried his best to hide it. It was there, in every little gesture, every shared moment."
"Thank you for telling me this, Winter," I said softly, almost breathlessly. The words seemed to slip from my mouth before I even had time to fully understand the weight of what I was saying. My voice betrayed the unexpected depth of emotions that stirred within me. "It means more to me than I can put into words. To hear it from you, someone who actually knew them—who was there, who saw them before everything changed. Before the world they lived in became the one I know now, the one I've only heard about through stories, through whispers. Hearing this, hearing it from someone who was there with them… it's different. It feels real in a way that none of the stories I've been told ever could."
"No problem, honey," Winter replied, her tone casual, almost as if this kind of conversation were something she'd been having for years. "I was honestly surprised they had you. After all, when they ran away from the Witch's Forest, the queen—well, she made it clear. All the kingdoms were warned. She told everyone that if they welcomed your parents in, it would be seen as an act of war against the witches' territory. There were no two ways about it. And you know what that means: war. None of us wanted that. Not after everything we'd already been through, not after all the damage, all the loss."
She paused, her words trailing off as if she had more to say, but couldn't quite bring herself to finish the thought. The room seemed to hold its breath in the silence she left behind.
But before she could continue, Kai burst into the room, his voice cutting through the tension like a sword.
"Mom?" His voice held an edge of surprise, but it was laced with annoyance, too. "What are you doing here so soon? And in Avain's room? Tell me you at least knocked first," he added, a trace of genuine concern hidden under his irritation.
He was standing there, shirtless, barefoot, with only a pair of black jeans hanging low on his hips. His body glistened with sweat, as if he'd just finished a grueling training session. By the gods, it was infuriating how perfect he looked in that state. My pulse quickened, and my mind screamed at me to focus, to stop being distracted by his damn perfect physique. But of course, I couldn't help it.
"Please tell me you asked before entering," he groaned.
"What are you doing here, you narcissistic bastard?" I shot back, my tone sharp as I crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn't about to let him get under my skin, even though everything about him made me want to scream and... other things. "And like this? What the hell, Kai?"
"Calm down, sweetheart," Kai replied, his voice dripping with that infuriatingly wicked smile I hated so much. The smirk was a constant reminder of how he knew exactly what effect he had on me. "I was training. Can't you tell?" He shrugged with a smug look on his face. "Just look at my body, and you'll see the proof."
"Why do you even train?" I demanded, my confusion evident in my tone. It didn't make sense. Why did he feel the need to push himself even further when he was already more than capable of handling any situation?
"I want to get stronger," he said, as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Stronger?" I repeated, my mind struggling to make sense of his words. "Why? Didn't you say you were the most powerful fae in existence? That you had power that surpassed everyone else?" I could feel the frustration mounting inside me.
Kai's smirk only grew wider, if that was even possible. He flicked a black lock of hair from his forehead, a simple movement that somehow made my stomach flip with irritation. Son of a bitch, why was he doing that?
"Yeah, sweetheart, I am the most powerful fae of my race. But here's the thing," he said, his tone suddenly turning more serious, though there was still that edge of cockiness. "We're not going to fight faes. We're going to have to deal with much more than that. So I need to get stronger, and so do you. You've already noticed, haven't you? We all have our roles to play."
"Now, mom, please, answer me," Kai added, his focus shifting back to Winter. His voice softened a little as he spoke to her, though the edge of authority was still there.
"Oh, baby, I came here to meet this beautiful creature here," Winter said smoothly, her eyes flicking to me.
She called me a creature? My mouth parted slightly in disbelief, and I could feel a laugh bubbling up inside me, though I tried my best to keep it contained.
Kai seemed to find the term as amusing as I did, and just like that, we both laughed at the same time. It was the strangest, most infuriating moment of connection I'd ever had with him, and I hated it.
"Creature?" I echoed, struggling to stifle my laugh.
Kai laughed too, but it was different. His laugh was more like an acknowledgment of shared amusement, the kind that came from being in on a joke together, even if it wasn't funny to anyone else. I hated that we were laughing together, but I couldn't help it.
"I wasn't planning on scaring her, sweetheart," Winter said with a sly grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "No, I was here before she even woke up."
"Mom..." Kai's voice trailed off in disbelief, a mix of exasperation and something else I couldn't quite place. "By the gods. I'm sorry, Avain. Did she scare you?"
I couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Just a little bit. But it's okay."
"You didn't seem okay when I opened the door," Kai pointed out, his frown deepening as his concern for me seemed to grow. Or maybe it was just because his mother had once again caught me off guard. "What were you talking about, mom?"
"Calm down, baby," Winter said, her voice soothing now, but there was a hard edge beneath the calm. "I was just remembering when her parents ran away from the Witch's Forest, and the queen made a statement saying that if any kingdom welcomed them, she would start another war and—"
"Mother," Kai cut her off sharply, his voice firm and low. "This isn't something you should tell her. It's cruel."
His words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, and I felt the weight of them settle in my chest. The truth of Winter's words struck harder than I expected. My parents—his parents, Samantha, my past—it was all coming together in ways I hadn't anticipated, and it was unsettling. It was like a truth I hadn't been ready to hear, but one I couldn't ignore.
Winter, however, didn't seem to be fazed by Kai's reprimand. She merely gave him a look, one that was all too familiar, as if she had seen this same scenario play out countless times before.