Page 151 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“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 fromthe 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 arms bulging as his hands clench into fists. I can tell he’s working hard to hold back the anger that resides in him, not wanting to hurt his friend. Vaeril, on the other hand, looks completely feral, and I barely recognise him. He’s taken on a defensive stance, his knees bent slightly, as if he’s going to pounce at any moment. They’ve stopped talking, and now they’re just snarling at each other.

“Clarissa—” Naril starts, sitting forward in his chair as he realises what I’m about to do. But it’s too late for him to do anything now, he should have stepped in while he had the chance.

“Vaeril,” I call, reaching my hand out to touch him, although I’m not exactly sure what I’m planning to do or how to placate this bizarre altercation. Vaeril begins to turn as he senses me at his side, his eyes narrowing on me and my outreached hand. However, a loud, deep snarl makes me pause.

“No,” Eldrin growls, and in a movement too fast for me to see, he grabs my arm and pulls me towards him, cradling my body for a second before putting me down again. Blinking in confusion, I realise with a frown that I’m now standingbehindEldrin and he’s blocking me in.

“Give her back,” someone demands. The rage in his voice has almost completely taken over, as his words blend into his constant snarling. Peeking past Eldrin’s body, I realise withshock that it’s Vaeril. He’s in a crouch now, and Naril is by his side, talking urgently to him in a voice too low for me to hear.

Eldrin shifts in front of me. “No.” His voice is barely controlled as he looks down at his friend. “Not until you calm yourself.” His declaration confuses me and seems as a bit ironic, given his current state. I still have no idea what’s happening here, and all I want to do is curl up in the sun and let my tired muscles rest rather than deal with angry elves.

“She is my mate,”Vaeril counters, taking a step to the side, as if he’s going to try circling the larger elf to reach me. Eldrin, however, was expecting this, the deep rumbling in his chest loud as he mirrors the movement, keeping me caged in behind him. The wall at my back stops me from retreating or moving away, and Eldrin is now so close that I can almost feel his deep growl reverberating through my body.

Naril’s expression is what tells me this is more serious than I thought. “Eldrin, brother, you need to calm down.” He doesn’t look away from Vaeril, who’s stalking along the space in front of Eldrin as if searching for a way past him.

Eldrin shifts again, blocking Vaeril from seeing me as he gestures towards the feral elf. “Look at him, Naril. He’s barely in control, he’s not coming anywhere near her.” There’s a note of finality in his voice that seems to pierce through Vaeril’s anger.

He stands up straighter, his pacing forgotten as he sneers at his friend. “When did you become her protector, Eldrin? I thought you hated her.” He’s dangerously still now, and this makes me more nervous than a couple of minutes ago. Vaeril looks like every inch the predator I was taught to hate and fear.

Vaeril’s comment rings a note of truth within me, though, that makes me pause. It’s something I’m confused about as well. Why is Eldrin suddenly so protective? Is it because of what happened earlier in the training courtyard? Or is he being overprotective because he knows Vaeril would be devastated ifhe accidentally hurt me? Whatever the reason, I get the feeling there’s more going on here than I know.

Placing a light hand on his shoulder to try and reason with him, I bite my lip as Eldrin flinches at the contact, but he doesn’t pull away from me. From where I’m standing behind him, I can just see the side of his face. He’s fighting hard to keep it blank, and his anger is practically pouring off him. “Eldrin, step aside. Please,” I request, trying the polite route first. Perhaps I can break through whatever protectiveness I’ve set off between the two of them.

“No.” His response is quick and final.

I guess polite and gentle is out then,I think to myself with a shake of my head. “Eldrin,” I bark, surprising myself at the strength and command behind the single word. “Move,” I order, not expecting it to work, but his body shifts as he turns slightly to look at me. He’s still angled to protect me from the others, but I take a step to move into the gap.

“Vaeril,” I call as my eyes land on him at the same moment he sees me. Eldrin throws out his arm to block me from moving any farther forward, and at the same time, Vaeril surges forward.

The two of them collide like a clash of boulders, the sudden movement causing Eldrin’s arm to knock me backwards. Had I been more prepared, I could have stepped out of the way or absorbed the hit. However, it completely takes me by surprise and knocks me off my feet, and my head slams against the wall behind me. My vision blanks for a second, the pain radiating through my skull as it takes my breath away.

“She’s. Mine!” I can hear Vaeril hissing and the sounds of grunting. My vision clears, and I see the two of them grappling. Vaeril is trying to get around the larger elf to reach me. There’s now a gap between them, so Naril slips past and kneels at my side. I notice he’s very careful not to touch me and positions himself so his back isn’t to the elves.

“Are you okay?” he asks in a low voice, genuine concern flashing in his gaze. Nodding, I close my eyes as the world tilts and pain flares again. Gently, I place my hand on the tender part of my scalp, only to grimace at the damp patch I find there. I know when I pull my hand away, I’m going to see blood. Naril curses when he sees the red coating my fingers.

“Eldrin!” he yells, glaring at his brother’s back. “He can probably smell her blood. Let him past, you’re making him worse by keeping her from him.” His scolding seems to do the trick, and both of them pause as they turn to me, their eyes narrowing on my blood-covered hand.

“She’s bleeding?” Eldrin shouts, his eyes wild for a second. Vaeril uses his distraction to race to my side, glaring at his friend kneeling beside me.

“Move,” Vaeril orders, and to my surprise, he does. Staring down at me for a second, I can see his shoulders moving as he tries to calm his breathing, his hands clenching and unclenching as he works to control himself.

“What in the Mother is going on?” I query quietly, not taking my eyes from the elf before me. Naril is hovering just behind him, and I get the impression he’s ready to step in if necessary. Eldrin is silent now, but I can feel his presence and heavy gaze from the other side of the room.

“It seems like Eldrin set off Vaeril’s protective instincts,” Naril explains with a carefully neutral tone.

Frowning, I mull over what he just told me. His explanation doesn’t make sense to me. “Then why was Eldrin trying to protect me if that’s all Vaeril was trying to do?”

“That’s what I want to know,” he comments, and I quickly pull my eyes away from Vaeril to glance at Naril, who’s got his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed on his brother. “Fae, elves in particular, are very territorial and protectiveof their mates, both fated and otherwise.” Although he’s still explaining everything to me, he doesn’t turn from his twin.

“I thought Vaeril might hurt her. I was protecting her.” Eldrin’s response comes quickly, defensively, and even I don’t accept his excuse. When I turn to watch him, our eyes lock, and I have to pull my gaze away from his face because the intensity in his eyes is too much. His body is practically trembling with tension, and I know he’s forcing himself to stay put.

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