Page 11 of Of War and Realms

I open my mouth to give them one last warning when Casmir’s voice shouts through my whirring thoughts. Nell! They are my parents! My head whips around to the prince; he’s looking at me with the same amused gaze as his mother.

Turning back to the fae, I fully take in their features now. The dark hair and knowing eyes that look so much like Cas’s. I was too enraged to see past the red haze clouding my vision.

I take a deep breath, relaxing the tension in my shoulders, and drop the magic holding the four of them in place.

I close the space between Niair, Teryn, and me, stopping just in front of them. “I’m so sorry if I frightened you. I haven’t seen you here before, so it was just an instinctual reaction.” While I will acknowledge my role in their emotional states, I will not apologize for protecting my bonds.

“You must be Nell,” Teryn moves to reach for me but stops herself, instead clasping her hands in front of her. “Please do not apologize for keeping my sons safe.”

Niair has no reservations about my personal space as he jolts forward to wrap his arms around me. I stiffen, unsure of what the appropriate thing to do in this situation is. I opt for standing still until he’s done touching me and moves back with a wide grin on his face.

“I am so pleased to see your safe return to Anloria. We were so worried.” The sincerity in his voice does nothing to quell my need to argue that it was not a safe return. I raise a brow at him, pursing my lips and biting my cheek to keep from speaking. Before the air grows more tense, the hint of leather breezes past me as an arm drapes over my shoulders. Emrys pulls me back a step, allowing Casmir to kiss his mother and greet Niair. But then he stands directly in front of me and my eyes widen.

“Why are you two hiding me?” I demand, pushing at Cas’s waist so he steps to the side. He turns to look at me with a pained expression, pointedly glancing at the dark shirt I’m wearing like a dress.

“What? Did I do something wrong?”

The prince runs a hand through his messy hair, glancing at his parents before focusing on me again.

Princess. You’re nearly nude. He groans inwardly, begging me with his eyes to not make a scene.

An evil smile tugs at my mouth; I put a hand on my chest and lighten my voice. “Are you serious? You have a problem with me standing in front of your parents in a shirt?” His gaze darkens, and he sucks on his teeth, shaking his head. I’m definitely going to pay for this later.

Worth it.

“Casmir Vaintera.” I put my hands on my hips and glare at him. “Are you embarrassed of me?” Emrys coughs, hiding his laugh, while Cas’s jaw drops.

“What!” he exclaims breathlessly. “No, of course not! I just—you—” He swallows hard, blinking several times before rolling his eyes.

“Has he always been this shy?” I tease, directing the question to Niair and Teryn. Tilting my head, I grab the prince’s hand and wait for him to look at me. “Cas, it’s okay. I’m pretty sure they know we fuck—it is not a big deal.” I lean forward, as if I’m sharing a secret between the two of us, though all of them can hear. “Neither are my legs.” He tries to stop the smile that takes over his face, but is unsuccessful. He chuckles, squeezing my hand tightly before sharing a look with our other bond. The modest ways of the mortal realm will always be amusing to me.

“To answer your question, yes, I am Nell. It is so nice to finally meet the both of you.” Teryn’s eyes glance to where one of my hands holds Emrys’s over my shoulder, while the other still grips Casmir’s. She sees more than she lets on. I wonder if the males have told her of their recent…relationship developments. “We should all have dinner together! I’d love the chance to talk with you more.”

“We would enjoy that.” Teryn’s soft voice squeezes my heart, and I return her smile. A prickling awareness hovers at the base of my neck and I look to see Cas watching me, his eyes filled with raw affection. My face heats, so I look away before I turn completely red.

“Well, I will go change into something more appropriate,” I accentuate the word. “See you in a bit.” Slipping from under Emrys’s arm, he places a light kiss on my fingers before letting me go.

As I’m walking away, I catch the lightest of words, as if they do not want me hearing what they say.

“So, that’s her? Your soul bond?” Niair whispers, clearly not knowing how good my hearing is.

“Yeah.” Casmir confirms, pausing for a moment. “That’s her.”

Chapter Six

Anellah

My lungs fill deeply as I run my hands down the silky material of my top. I chose a loose-fitted linen pant and shirt, wanting something that is not so constricting. I’m not nervous to spend time with Niair and Teryn, necessarily. It just seemed like Casmir was nervous about my presence…though it really may just have been my lack of outfit.

I’m the last to arrive in the dining area, heat fluttering through my skin when I see the chair Cas is sitting in. He smirks at me knowingly, winking and nodding his head at the empty seat to his right.

“Hello,” I offer awkwardly when no one speaks as I walk my way over to my males. Emrys is sitting in the chair next to mine—naturally—placing me between him and Cas. Their mother is to the prince’s left while Niair leans comfortably against the side of his chair to be closer to her.

I lower myself onto the cushion, tensing when it’s jerked to the side as Emrys flushes it against his own. “Hi, love.” The corners of his lips raise and he grabs my hand, pulling it into his lap as if he needs to be touching me right now.

“So, Nell.” A deep voice permeates the large room. I turn to Niair, who watches me curiously. I’m sure he has many questions. I raise my brows, waiting for him to continue. “How does this whole soul bond thing work? The boys wouldn’t tell us much, but I’m curious.”

“Well, it is quite simple. Casmir and Emrys were each born with a piece of each other’s souls, as well as a piece of mine. If we were to complete the bonding, I would absorb a part from both of them. All three of us would leave the bonding ceremony as whole beings for the first time in our lives, and our life forces would be reliant on each other.” The older fae stare at me with wide eyes, confusion clear in their gazes.

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