"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you too. But, you should go back to your parents. They're waiting for you," I reminded.
The baby deer looked back at its parents who had moved closer to us, noticing I wasn't going to harm their fawn. I said goodbye, blessing the fawn and his family with a peaceful existence before watching them disappear into the forest.
I sighed, closing my eyes and allowing my magic to seal off. I glanced at the pond, noticing my once orange hair was a light silver, floating slightly. I watched it begin to shift back – the neon orange shade returned.
I rose, feeling a tad off in my footing. Ethan's arms wrapped around my waist, stabilizing me.
"Sorry. Got sidetracked." I gave him a weak smile.
He shook his head. "You’re the Elemental, love. If you feel the pull from the elements, I can't go against that calling. Plus, it's fascinating to watch. I don't think you noticed, but the flowers that had not yet bloomed before began to bloom when you were in your trance. Butterflies fluttered around you and a few birds were in that oak tree watching," Ethan explained.
He picked me up, carrying me over to the oak tree he'd pointed out and set me comfortably at the base, sitting next to me.
"Oh. I guess that's something new," I replied, resting my head against the oak. I didn't feel like I was about to faint, but more of a satisfying exhaustion. As if I’d done a good deed that had taken a toll on me, but was worth it.
Ethan's hand slipped in mine, resting it on his knee as we stared at the beauty before us.
"You okay?" he questioned, looking worried.
"I'm fine. Just a short break would do me some good. Ah, we got sidetracked in our conversation, didn't we?" I reassured him before I remembered we were mid-conversation before I zoned out.
He smiled, looking relieved before he lifted my hand, kissing the back of it. I blushed, realizing this was the first time getting alone time with Ethan.
"I can sense anyone or anything in a certain radius. It used to be small, like sensing there was someone next to you without seeing them. As I got stronger and trained, I was able to increase it. When I enlisted in the army, I had no choice but to work on it," he began.
"Army? Were you in the army? But...you’re twenty-four." I stared at him in shock.
"I came to the United States when I was sixteen and enlisted right away. Realm Nine, Miolana is in dark times right now, and my kind was hunted to recorded extinction. I'd witnessed a lot of violence and needed some type of outlet. I decided the army would give me that opportunity," he confessed.
"Extinct. So...there's no one of your kind?" I asked; my heart ached for him. I tightened my hold on him, hoping it would give him some comfort.
He smiled, looking down at our joined hands before continuing. "EliaseAnne. Mako's friend you met at the mall? I believe she's the same as I, but half. I haven't confronted her about it because it's a topic I don't want to discuss unless necessary. I also don't want to reveal it if she doesn't confront me either. We've both noticed, but I guess neither of us wants to be the first to approach."
"What are you?" I whispered.
"A dark fairy," he replied.
"Dark fairy. Cece mentioned it, but we didn't go into details," I admitted.
"Dark fairies are a very rare fairy species. There's about one in every ten thousand births. We had our own section back home and lived in harmony with the other fairies which we liked to call light fairies. However, our kind started disappearing and soon we discovered we were being hunted for experimental purposes. Our king did nothing to prevent what was going on and most of us either went into hiding or fled the realm. My family was hunted, and we were separated. I haven't seen them since."
I was silent, biting my lip to stop the anger boiling within me.
Ethan noticed the wind around us increase in speed. "Scarlet. Calm down," he soothed.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "You had to flee your home and your king did nothing about what was happening? Wait, isn't Elias the future heir?" I asked, remembering our introductions.
Ethan nodded, pulling me into a side embrace before rubbing my arm to keep me calm.
"Elias can't stop what's been going on for years, Scarlet. Trust me, he's not on good terms with his family. I don't know the details, but Elias hasn't been to our realm since he was young. I know from what Marcus has told us, he's been with them since they got called to Heila and when he arrived, he wasn't in good shape," Ethan acknowledged.
"Oh," I replied, taking another calming breath.
"Don't judge so quickly, Scarlet." Serenity’s soothing voice reminded me.
"I feel there is more to this story than meets the eye," Aurora mentioned.
I agree. Sorry. I relaxed, resting my head on Ethan's shoulder.
"Either way. I joined the army and stayed there, until Kendrick recruited me. He'd been visiting our camp one winter when a group of rogue shifters attacked us. They're basically a group of shifters who pledged allegiance to King Aspen and wanted to bring destruction and war across the realms. We were low on numbers and I didn't want to risk Kendrick getting hurt, so I handled the situation solo."
"You took on an entire fleet of rogues? How many were they?"
"I don't know. I lost count after fifty." Ethan shrugged.
I stared at him like he was crazy. "Fifty? Like five-zero by yourself?" I emphasized.
He turned his head to give me a playful smile; his eyes grew dark for a split second. "Firecracker. Dark fairies can take on hundreds of shifters with ease. That's why we're so dangerous," Ethan confessed.
"Oh...well...damn."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll teach you more about dark fairies when we get more alone time."
"After that incident, Kendrick recruited you," I confirmed.
"Yup. I was introduced to PINC and was put on a few teams. We didn't work well, so I kept being switched," he admitted.
"You didn't like them?" I asked.
"I had issues. My spirit isn't as calm and clumsy as me," he admitted.
His admission made me wonder what Ethan's spirit was like. I'd been given the chance to meet Agni when Jaxson was asleep.
"What happened?" I asked, curious how he'd ended up on Team Seven.
"We were in a situation during one of our missions where our team got trapped in a warehouse full of shifters. I'd told the team it was a trap, but they assumed I was just being a dick. Jaxson and the others had infiltrated the place mid-fight and the moment I saw all four of them it kinda just clicked. We were able to manage the situation, but not without some casualties, which was my team."