I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Okay. Okay. Zhiolas hadn't actually said that Faerqen was Dain's father, only that the Queen had gone into the forest under the god's geas and returned pregnant. That magic had been involved in Dain's conception seemed obvious in retrospect, given how physically different he was from the other fae. Maybe 'god' was a weird translation for a very powerful immortal being rather than something like the Christian God. There could be nuance there.

Even if Dain was a... demigod... he wasn't any different of a person than the one I was getting to know. He still could get hurt and make mistakes and get flicked on the nose. He liked getting his hair played with and loved his stag, and he had regular emotions like anyone else. And, honestly, it wasn't like knowing his parentage would change anything about him. The power differential between us was already ridiculous. Dain was immortal and fae, not to mention physically stronger, faster, and more resilient than I was.

So there's no reason to freak out, I told myself. I relaxed, opened my eyes, and shrugged, and had the pleasure of seeing Dain jerk his head towards me with an expression of relieved, disbelieving shock on his face. "Weird, but okay," I said, and flashed him a smile. "If you think a mystical origin story will prevent me from irritating you, though, you've got a big storm coming."

Something almost like longing crossed his face for a moment, before he managed to reel himself back under control. He curled his lip in a small snarl and turned back to Zhiolas, the tips of his tails flicking like an irritated cat. "Do you have any more unpleasant tales to share?" Dain said. "Since I'm already annoyed with you."

"Is that permission, my prince?" Zhiolas asked, with such a wicked smile I couldn't suppress a snicker.

Dain's ears pinned back flat against his skull and his lip lifted again, the fingers of his wing-arms curling closed. "I reserve the right to shut you up at any time."

"Can I petition for you to relent?" I asked with great glee. "I am beyond eager to hear embarrassing war stories."

He sighed through his nose, though a small smile tugged at his mouth. Dain looked up at Zhiolas and didn't say anything.

"I won't," Zhiolas said. "I swear it again, my prince."