“Because of how the Shadowlands changed?”
Nyktos shook his head. “That’s what I thought it was until I learned about the embers. I felt you—or at least the ember that belonged to me.” He tilted his head as he dragged his fangs over his lower lip. “I had Lathan and Ector watching over you after your seventeenth birthday, and as you grew older, butI…I checked in on you before that. I was curious about you.” His eyes met mine. “I’d seen you go through the woods. Saw you sit by the lake. I never lingered too long, so I didn’t ever see you do more than put your feet in the water, but I knew you went there.”
“I had no idea,” I murmured, surprised. “I really need to be more observant.”
Nyktos shot me a wry grin.
“Why didn’t you talk to me?” I asked.
“Why?” He laughed roughly, running a hand over his head. “Because even though I may be the youngest Primal—younger than even most gods—you were a child, and I was a fully grown man by mortal standards. You have to know that you would’ve likely been disturbed by a random male approaching you in the woods.”
I thought about that. “Actually, yeah, that would’ve been really creepy.”
“Exactly.”
“But watching me walk through the woods is somehownotcreepy?” I crossed my arms.
His attention shifted back to the pool. “I think it was borderline creepy.”
A quiet laugh left me. “I’m messing with you. If I were you, I would’ve been curious, too. Except I probably would’ve been creepy and spoken to you.”
Nyktos smiled at that.
“But that doesn’t really answer why it being my lake mattered when you had this.” I nodded at the pool. “Coming here has to be far easier than entering the mortal realm, even if you can do the shadowstepping thing.”
“I don’t know. The lake is different, and I…” He frowned, scratching his jaw. “I just felt drawn to it. Drawn to you.”
“Because of the ember?”
“Maybe.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’d been meaning to show you this because I know you like water, but if I’d shown you this earlier, then I would have had to…”
He’d have had to explain why he’d created such a thing. His visits to my lake. Seeing me. And he hadn’t been ready. I glanced back at the pool. Plus, I had a feeling that this placewas a sanctuary for him, even if others used it. Just as my lake had been for me. Sharing this was something else he hadn’t been ready to do.
Until now.
I inhaled deeply, awed and…moved.
Nyktos faced me. “Showing you this pool wasn’t the only reason I brought you here. Remember when I said there were ways we could draw the eather out of you again?”
Every part of me zeroed in on that as I filed what he’d shared away to think about later. “Yes.”
“I figured we could try that this morning. And this is a place very few other than I will venture. So, there should be no risk of anyone else seeing exactly what you’re capable of or inadvertently getting caught in the crossfire.”
Excitement buzzed through me, as did a small bit of trepidation. “Are you sure I can’t hurt you?”
He nodded. “It takes a bit more than a blast of eather to hurt a Primal.”
“But I did.”
“It was just a sting.”
“It turned your skin cold again.”
“It was an icy sting,” he amended. “You’re not going to hurt me, Sera. We don’t even know if you will have such an outburst again.” His eyes glimmered. “But if you behave yourself, then maybe you can go for a swim.”
“If I behave myself?” My brows shot up as I ignored the happy thrill I felt at the prospect. “Like some sort of child you’ve creepily watched walking through the woods?”
“Yes.” His lips twitched. “Did that make you feel like you could call on the essence?”