He’d spent centuries keeping this power locked away and controlled. He’d already possessed more ciphers than any of the other dark fae, except maybe his father, but she hadn’t seen much of his father’s markings.
And she realized now she’d only seen the tip of the iceberg when it came to Cole’s. Had it always been like this, or had the trials created this? Maybe he hadn’t spent centuries learning to control himself; maybe, he’d only spent the short time they’d had between the trials and now.
Chapter Twenty-Five
When she tipped her head back, she discovered his eyes—which were an impossibly brighter blue against the black ciphers beneath his eyes—latched onto her.
“How…? I… I… This is amazing. Have these always been on you, or did the trials do this?”
“I’ve been this way since I stopped aging at twenty-eight. I’ve always had the ciphers you’ve seen, but when I reached maturity, more revealed themselves. It’s how I knew I’d settled into my maturity. I have always kept them all hidden. No one else has ever seen all of them, not even my father. You’re the only one who knows.”
Lexi’s hand went to her throat as she realized the depth of what he’d revealed here today. He trusted her with this secret and with something that could make the other dark fae and the Lord want to kill him even more.
They all respected power, but they didn’t want that power turned on them. And they craved all the power for themselves; they wouldn’t like the possibility that Cole could take many of them down.
She’d always known he was powerful, but seeing this, she realized she didn’t have a clue as to how deep it ran. For the first time, she questioned if he knew.
“I’ll never tell anyone,” she vowed.
And she never would. She would take this secret to her grave.
“Has anyone ever possessed this many ciphers before?” she asked.
As Cole shrugged, she realized the ciphers were fading from view as swiftly as they appeared.
“I’ll never know,” he said. “If they did, they never revealed them, so it’s not in our history.”
“No fae has this many now, though,” she said.
“No, they don’t. I don’t have to see their ciphers to know that; I simply know it’s true.”
And she had no doubt he was right. He would know if there was someone as powerful as him in the Gloaming.
No wonder he’d been so certain he would survive the trials.
“Do you think this is why you came back different after the trials? Why the shadows came out of you like they did with Orin?” she asked.
He stared over her head; his brow furrowed as he pondered this. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I might never know.”
Lexi was aware that never knowing was a possibility, but she didn’t like it. The way those shadows came out of him in her kitchen, the way they attacked Orin and inflicted pain on him…
It wasn’t normal, and she didn’t like it. But this was Cole, and if anyone was strong enough to keep those shadows suppressed, it was him, especially after what he just revealed to her.
“But you can stop worrying about me so much,” Cole said. “I’m stronger than I look.”
“You look pretty strong to me,” she muttered. “And as long as you keep putting yourself in danger, I’m going to worry about you.”
“Then I will try to stop doing so.”
“That’s impossible with the Lord around.”
He didn’t argue, and as he moved toward her, the ciphers he’d revealed vanished until only the ones she’d always seen remained. With the markings gone, she could focus on his injuries again.
They looked better, but they still weren’t as healed as she would like.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I need to go back and see if Sahira has returned and can make more healing potions,” Lexi said. “Your wounds do look better, but I’ll be happier when they’re gone.”
“You’re not going alone.”
She shot him an irritated look as he settled onto the bed beside her. “Yes, because you should be traipsing around again. It worked so well for you yesterday.”
He smiled as he clasped her hand and lifted it to kiss her knuckles. “It’s only a trip through a portal, my love, and I’d prefer if you didn’t go alone.”
“I’d prefer if you weren’t walking around, and I’ve already gone back once by myself.”
“Only because I was too injured to stop you. Anyway, I doubt they’re back,” Cole continued. “If they were, Brokk would have come here to check on things by now.”
“Maybe they’re talking with Orin first. I should check, and you could use more potion.”
Brokk and Sahira should have been back by now; Sahira had made it sound like the trip wouldn’t take long and shouldn’t be difficult.
But Cole was right; if they were back, Brokk would have come here. She chewed on her lip as her gaze went to his doorway and the portal in the room beyond. She couldn’t see the portal from here, but it was there, and Sahira and Brokk would come if they could.
Concern for her friend and aunt gnawed at her gut.
Cole understood her need to protect him; he would have felt the same way about her, which was why he was going through the portal with her if she insisted on leaving. He knew she’d never slept with his brother, but after Orin hurt her, he wouldn’t leave them alone together again.
And there was a good chance Orin was there, as he was living in the tunnels beneath her manor. There was also what Orin said about her and the markings.
Without thinking, he brushed the hair back from her temple. It was the same one he’d seen the marking on before, but there was nothing there now.
When she glanced at him, he buried his concern and smiled at her.
“If you leave, I’m going with you. You’re not going to be anywhere near Orin on your own,” he told her.
The two little lines that appeared between her eyes when she was angry became as deep as the Grand Canyon.
“I thought we were past this!” she snapped. “I did not have sex with your brother.”
He went to cup her cheek, but she leaned away as she glared daggers into him.
“I know that,” he assured her. “And I don’t dislike the idea of the two of you being alone because I think that. The last time we saw him, he hurt you, and I won’t let that happen again.”
She relaxed a little but twisted her hands together as she studied him. “I’m not a child. I can take care of myself around Orin, and he won’t do that again. He was being an… an idiot.”
Was he? Cole pondered as he studied her delicate features. Does Sahira know something about the markings?
He planned to have a talk with her aunt once he got the chance, which was another reason for him to return with her. Getting time alone with Sahira was probably going to prove difficult, but he would figure it out.
“We should probably clean and rebandage my wounds before we go,” he said.
Her mouth pursed, but she rose from the bed and gathered what remained of the medical supplies and fresh water. He admired the elegant grace of her svelte body as she worked.