Page 126 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“There’s got to be something I can do to help.”

“Just keep being you. You’ve already changed many perceptions and you’ve only been here a couple of days,” Vaeril says with a small half smile, shaking his head as if he can’t quite believe it. I’m about to open my mouth to comment that there has to be something more, but I’m beaten to it.

“That guard from the prison seemed pretty infatuated with you,” Eldrin drawls. The room goes silent as the other two elves look at him in surprise.

“Infatuated,” I scoff, as I reach for another slice of apple. “You make it sound like he’s in love with me.”

Naril and Vaeril watch our interaction with an odd expression on their faces, their gazes going from me to Eldrin and back again.

“No, you’re just the shiny new toy everyone wants to play with,” he retorts with venom in his tone as he glares at me, his hands gripping the edge of the table tightly as if he’s trying to restrain himself.

Whoa, what have I done to deserve his anger?

“Eldrin!” his brother snaps, his voice uncharacteristically stern as he narrows his eyes at the elf.

“Are we going?” Eldrin cuts off whatever his brother was about to say, pushing up from the table.

“Going?” I ask, confused. Looking at Vaeril, I see him glaring at Eldrin, and I know there’s something else going on here, but once again, it’s something I’m not privy to. I push away my frustration and anger at Eldrin’s behaviour. He was so different in the prison, and now he’s flipping from silent and observant, to snapping at me for something that’s out of my control.

“Yes, just give Clarissa time to finish her food,” Vaeril says, frowning at his surly friend before turning to me. “I was going to take you to the library, there is someone else I want you to meet,” he explains, his voice softer now, but I can still feel frustration in the link between us.

Oh good, another friend to meet. I groan internally at the thought of meeting someone else. I just hope it goes better than this get-together.

“It’s okay, I’ve finished,” I reply, pushing my plate away. I’ve not eaten much, but I’ve lost my appetite. Besides, as much as I would rather just avoid everyone, I am looking forward to seeing the library.

The library is just as gorgeous as Vaeril said it was, if not more so. It’s like something out of one of my dreams. Walls upon walls of books greet me as we enter, my jaw dropping open as I gaze around the grand room, taking in the huge, arched windows that make the space feel warm and light. I thought it would feelstuffy, but I was wrong, it feels calm here, and something inside me settles, like it’s home.

“Wait here with the twins, I’m going to find the master,” Vaeril calls out to me, but I’m too busy staring up at the huge bookshelves, my fingers running over the spines of the nearest books.

“Yeah, okay,” I reply distractedly, lifting my free hand and waving it over my shoulder. I hear a couple of low chuckles, but I don’t look away from the books. I follow the bookcase around and gape at the massive, spiral staircase that leads up to the second floor. Turning back to the books, I see a shelf full of large tomes and immediately reach out, enjoying the feeling of the embossed writing on the spines.

“Are you particularly interested in the breeding habits of humans and other creatures?” a teasing voice asks, and I think it’s Naril, but as I turn, I see it’s actually Eldrin.

“You’re not mad at me anymore?” I inquire with a raised eyebrow. “What are you talking about anyway?”

He snorts, leaning against the bookshelf, nodding his head towards the hardcover. “That’s what the book you’re fondling is called.”

Pulling my hand away quickly, I turn and scowl at him as he laughs, frustration surging in me again. “Why does what I read matter to you?” I demand, waiting a couple of seconds for his answer, and when he doesn’t, I just snort and walk away to another shelf, picking a book at random. Flipping it open, I look down and pretend to read, hoping he’ll give me some peace until Vaeril returns.

“You can’t read, can you?” His voice comes again, and instead of feeling embarrassed, I’m just mad. Slamming the book shut, I spin around and glare at him.

“And why would you say that?” Placing the book under my arm, I prop my other hand on my hip like I’ve seen the maids at the castle do when they were mad at someone.

“Uh-oh, you’re in trouble,” Naril singsongs, but I ignore him, waiting for Eldrin’s response. He has the good sense to look a little perturbed at my sudden change in attitude. Taking a small step away, he glances over at his brother for backup. “I’m not getting involved in that,” Naril scoffs, holding his hands up as if to ward me off.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, we know about your past,” Eldrin soothes, his eyes flicking to my exposed slave marks, and I want to murder Vaeril all of a sudden.

“Vaeril needs to learn to keep his mouth shut,” I snarl, placing the book down on the nearest surface. “If I want you to know my story, I will tell you. Until then, it’s none of your business.” Pushing past Eldrin, I make my way down the small ramp to the main section of books, looking for my loose-lipped friend.

“She’s got more backbone than I thought. She will do well here,” I hear Naril comment. I don’t know if Eldrin replies or not, and I don’t particularly care right now.

I have no idea where I’m going, and I can see it would be easy to get lost in here. Releasing an annoyed sigh, I reach for our link and close my eyes. Gently tugging on that glowing string between us, I follow the feeling of Vaeril, my eyes closed as I walk. After a few moments, I’m aware I’m being shadowed, but I don’t bother to open my eyes. Somehow, I manage not to walk into anything. I don’t know how, it’s not like I know what’s there, I can only sense Vaeril, after all.

“Is she walking with her eyes shut?”

“It’s like she knows where Vaeril is, like they—”

“No, that’s not possible. She’s human.”

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