much worse, but he doesn’t call me out on it.
“You poor soul,” he teases, leaning back in his chair as he watches me. I like Naril, but I sometimes feel his gaze on me when I’m not looking, and I’ve caught him watching me a couple of times with a fascinated look on his face. I know he finds my human mannerisms amusing. I also have no doubt about whose side he’s on. Vaeril is his brother, and he would defend him to the death. However, for the moment, we have a tenuous friendship.
There’s a brief knock on the door, but whoever it is doesn’t bother to wait for an answer. The door swings open with a bang and Eldrin, followed by a tired-looking Vaeril, enters the room, shutting the abused door behind them. The bond in my chest glows as I see him, and I instantly feel better the closer he gets. I’ve not seen him since last night, and I wonder if he’s going to say anything about the fact that he just left the ball without saying anything. I’m still a little sore over what happened, yet part of me yearns for his proximity. Sadly, he stops at the other side of the table, his eyes running over me with an amused expression before he turns to Eldrin with a raised eyebrow.
“What have you done to my mate?” he asks casually, and I almost believe the façade he’s trying to maintain, but I can feel his anger and frustration through the link between us. If I hadn’t been so close and looking right at him, I don’t think I would have sensed it, assuming they were my own feelings. It’s strange, like a second-hand feeling. Eldrin shifts and pulls my attention away from my bond as I watch him frown at Vaeril. He obviously doesn’t believe Vaeril either, but I don’t miss when his whole body stiffens at the word ‘mate.’
“I’m trying to unlock her fae strength,” Eldrin answers simply, but there’s a defensive note in his tone that makes the atmosphere in the room change. Shifting forward in my chair, I watch the two of them with a frown. What’s going on here?
Vaeril smiles at him, but it’s not a nice smile. His teeth are bared as he tilts his head to the side, tracking Eldrin’s every move. “By working her until she drops?”
“She’s fine,” he bites out, gesturing towards me without turning away from my growling…mate. Even in my head, I stumble over the word, not quite comfortable with the implications. Something changes as Eldrin leans back against one of the chairs, crossing his arms. “Besides, she’s not your mate yet.”
That was apparently the wrong thing for him to say, if Vaeril’s snarl is anything to go by. Taking a menacing step towards Eldrin, Vaeril gets close enough that they are almost pressed together, his body practically vibrating with anger. “Yet,” he growls.
Eldrin shifts, and the atmosphere gets even more tense as he bares his teeth in response. If someone doesn’t step in, there’s going to be a fight. Glancing over at Naril, I see that he’s still relaxing back in his chair with a lazy, amused smile.
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” I hiss as I lean over the table towards him. He briefly pulls his eyes from the two puffed up males to glance at me, laughing as he eagerly returns to watching them snarl at each other.
“Why would I do that?” he drawls, raising his glass to his lips. “I’ve not seen Eldrin act like this before, and it’s fun to see the bond rubbing at Vae.” He chuckles. “Besides, if I step between them, one of them would rip my arm off.”
Dumbstruck at his flippant response, I simply stare at him. He makes no move to step in, so I know he’s telling the truth and not just winding me up. Shaking my head, I push away from the table. “Do I have to do everything around here?” Muttering under my breath, I walk over to the two elves.
When I reach their sides, I glance up at them, and the anger rolling off them makes me pause, my heart pounding as a flash of fear surges through me. Taking a deep breath, I focus on their faces. You’re not back in Arhaven, this is Eldrin and Vaeril, I remind myself. These are different circumstances, you’re safe.
Eldrin is only a little taller than Vaeril, but he’s much bigger, the muscles on his