Fires of War (War and Deceit #4) - Erin O'Kane Page 0,24

to toe. I hear Vaeril groan next to me, his hand tightening on my arm.

When I straighten and raise my head to look at Vaeril, he’s smiling wryly at me, his chest heaving as if he’s just run a long distance, and I realise he must have felt what I did through the bond. I go to apologise, my cheeks warm, but a shocked, sharp inhale catches my attention. Lifting my gaze to Tor, I can’t stop chuckling at his expression. He looks torn between confusion and happiness, the two emotions warring on his face, but eventually he grins, rubbing his hands in slow circles on my back once again. Thankfully, it doesn’t have the same effect, but I can feel something building within me, and it wants Tor.

“What just happened?” the tribesman asks, looking between Vaeril and me, taking in my current state and realising he’s probably going to get more answers from the elf. He can’t seem to take his eyes off me for long though, his gaze constantly being drawn back to me. “Your pupils are huge.”

Vaeril hums low in his throat, and I pull my gaze away from Tor long enough to watch him. The elf’s hand is still on my arm, his fingers drawing patterns against my skin like he can’t bear not to be touching me, and I’d bet he can feel this need that’s roused within me. “I think the ceremony has awoken more of her fae side, and the mead has…lowered her inhibitions a little,” Vaeril explains, confirming my theory, his eyes roving over my face. Pain flickers across his expression, but it’s gone so quickly that I think I must have imagined it. “She’s behaving like a female elf about to claim her mate.”

Oh. Is that why he was asking all the questions about Eldrin? But he’s not my fated mate, I couldn’t claim him even if I wanted to. Something twinges within me at that, but I push it away. He’s probably upset because he knows you’re going to bond with Tor, I tell myself, and I know on some level this is true. Elves are very territorial, so for Vaeril, it’s a big issue that I have more than one fated mate. Tor is the last of them to be bonded to me.

“Oh.” Tor’s voice echoes my sentiment, and as I lift my head to look at him, I see a large grin spreading across his face and pride shining in his eyes. “You’re ready to accept me as your mate?”

I want to tell him I’ve been ready for a long time, that circumstances kept getting in the way, that I was worried about our cultural differences. Since we arrived with the tribes, Tor had taken a step back and not been as intimate with me. Seeing as we have to have sex to seal the bond, I was beginning to wonder when it would happen. There had been plenty of intense, longing looks and lingering touches, but he would always pull away from my kisses and rarely instigated anymore.

“Of course I am,” I assure him, gripping the front of his shirt tightly.

His eyes flick over me, but a frown forms on his face, and he looks over at Vaeril. “But if she’s drunk, I don’t want to take advantage—”

Frustration flares through me, and I shake him gently to bring his attention back to me, baring my teeth in annoyance. “I’m not drunk.” His eyebrows shoot up, and I know he’s linking my unusual behaviour to the alcohol. It’s true there is some alcohol in my system and it’s making me more…confident, but I am fully in control of all my actions. My discussion with Eldrin sobered me up pretty quickly, leaving only a slight buzz in my system. The fire left in my veins now is pure lust, and it’s making it difficult to focus on anything else, especially having Vaeril so close to me as well. Visions of being pinned between the two of them, naked and panting as they worship my body, flash through my mind, making me grip onto Tor a little harder. My nails must dig into his skin because he grunts, but he does nothing to stop me. In fact, I can feel something hard pressing against my hip, which only sends another flare of desire through me.

Tor pulls his gaze from mine and looks over at Vaeril. “Are you okay with this?” I can tell he doesn’t really want to be having