Page 121 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

I stare at him. Could I ever kill him if the situation was reversed? My first instinct is to say no, insist that I would find a way to get him back, but a smile devoid of humour spreadsacross his face and I realise how he felt when I ask that same question.

“Okay,” I finally reply, even though my mind is screaming no.

We stare at each other for a couple more moments until Kaelir coughs awkwardly behind us, reminding us we have company.

“Let’s get you out of here.” Turning, he walks through the open door and holds out his hand to me. I place my hand in his, trying to ignore the feeling it produces, blaming the flipping of my stomach on hunger instead of Vaeril’s touch.

Kaelir walks ahead of us, pretending not to listen as he opens the door to the courtyard for us. As we pass him, I look over my shoulder and smile at him, vowing that I will return to see him if I get the chance.

Closing my eyes for a second as we step outside, I enjoy the feeling of the sun on my skin, making me feel stronger already. I knew Vaeril would come find me and release me from the prison as soon as he was healed, but there was a part of me that feared I was too late, that the poison had spread too far.

“You really messed up my grand gesture, you know,” Vaeril comments, and I open my eyes to peer at him. He’s got a small smile turning up the corner of his lips, so I know whatever he’s talking about, he’s not mad at me. He leads me through the backyard of the castle, past the stables and busy workers I walked by on my journey into the dungeons. Reaching the gate, he releases my hand, gesturing for me to go through. Immediately, I miss the casual touch, and I don’t miss the fact he crosses his arms over his chest to avoid touching me again.

“What do you mean?” I keep my tone light, hoping he doesn’t notice the hitch in my voice or feel my disappointment through our link.

“You unlocked your cell!” His smile is bigger now, but I can feel his eyes flickering over my face, as if trying to decidesomething. We walk along the side of the castle until we come to the circular paved area in front of the main palace entrance that overlooks the river. “I was going to storm in and force the guard to unlock you, to rescue you. But you had already rescued yourself and made a friend in the process,” he says wryly, strolling over to the observation point that faces the water.

“Oh!” I laugh, following him, leaning against the fence as I take in the beauty of this kingdom. Thinking over what he just said, a thought comes to me. “Why didn’t you just try to unlock it yourself?”

“Ah. The magic in the cells is tuned only to the guards, not even the queen can open one of those cells without a guard,” he explains, but an uncomfortable feeling rises as he speaks.

As I stare out at the river winding its way towards us, and then disappearing underneath and out to join the ocean behind us, I try to work out the mass of feelings in my chest.

Why does his comment make me feel so uneasy?

A memory comes to me, of Eldrin watching me unlock the cell and ordering me not to let anyone know about that, especially the queen. Of the look on his face when he realised what I could do. Frowning, I reach out and place a hand on Vaeril’s arm, telling him about my encounter with the surly elf.

Once I’m done, I almost wish I hadn’t told him. His smile is long gone and replaced with a frown. “Yes, I heard you met one of the twins.” Turning his back to the river, he leans against the fence and stares up at the castle. “I’m surprised it was Eldrin, though, since he’s the quieter of the two. Elnaril is much more impulsive, and that sounds exactly like something he would do.” His frown eases as he talks about his friends. I’d been worried he was mad I’d met his friend from his expression, but he’s relaxing now. He looks lighter, his eyes brighter, and as he stares up at the castle, he looks different than the elf I knew.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I murmur softly.

“I never thought I’d see this place again.” He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, basking in this moment, and my heart pounds painfully in my chest. To be separated from his home for so long, his friends and people…I may be separated from my friends and people, but I made a choice, and I have to live with that, Vaeril didn’t get that option. “I never thought I’d get to see this place again,” he repeats, opening his eyes that are full of unspoken torment as he turns them on me. “And that’s all thanks to you.”

I open my mouth, to say what, I don’t know, but my stomach chooses that moment to grumble loudly and protest the lack of food. He laughs and the moment is lost as he starts walking towards the castle, gesturing for me to follow.

“Let’s get you some food,” he says, as he practically skips up the steps. I eye them wearily, starting a slow climb to join the amused elf. He’s not smiling, but I can feel his delight through our link, and I shoot him a glare as I reach the top.

“I’ll need to change first.” I gesture at my torn and dirty dress, made no better from sleeping in a jail cell. Kaelir had brought me clothes to change into, but the idea that anyone could walk by and see me made me anxious, so I’d chosen to stay in my travel dress. “I can’t go to a meal looking like this.”

He runs his eyes over me slowly, only stopping when he meets my gaze. “You look beautiful.” His voice has deepened, but not in the way it does when he’s angry. No, this time it’s husky and sensual.

“Oh.” Dumbstruck, I just stare at him, a blush colouring my cheeks as I try to figure out what to say.

How do I reply to that? Tell him I thought the same exact thing when he walked into my cell earlier?

“Well, thank you, but I’ve not washed properly or changed my dress in a week,” I respond, reverting back to practicalities in my nervousness.

Good move, Clarissa, just remind him how dirty you are. I groan internally at my complete lack of ability to flirt. Vaeril just smiles that half smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief, enjoying flustering me. Taking pity on me, he gestures for me to follow as he strides into the castle’s large, arched entrance.

“Hmm. We’ll just grab something from the kitchens and head back to my room to eat then.”

I’m busily looking around the entrance hall, with its stunning white stone archways and mosaics on almost every wall. In the centre is a large, circular fountain with crystal clear liquid, so the sound of running water echoes around us. Walking straight to the fountain, I sit on the edge and look into the water, delighted to see the mosaic tiles lining the bottom. My attention is so caught on how beautiful and different it is from the castle in Arhaven, that I don’t notice Vaeril has stopped walking, his whole body stiff with tension.

“Lord Vaeril,” a regal voice calls out, and I turn to see the queen is walking towards us. Her eyes are practically eating Vaeril up, her desire for him so obvious I could choke on it. I want to roll my eyes, but I’m sure that would result in a one-way trip back to the dungeons. Standing from the fountain, I take the few steps to Vaeril’s side.

She’s just going to completely ignore that I’m here, like an unwanted pest.

As soon as I have the thought, her eyes flick to mine, her disgust obvious, that is, until she darts her attention back to Vaeril again, her serene expression returning.

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