Page 146 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“There are two reasons. One, if certain people were to find out, it would be dangerous for you,” he explains, and I know exactly who he’s talking about. Why would the identity of my mother make me more of a target for the queen? “Secondly, Ican’t,” he continues, emphasising the last work. Frowning, I’m about to question him again, but he pulls away from me slightly so he can look into my eyes. “I took an oath, a magical bond. Until it’s the right time, Ican’ttell you.” He sounds frustrated now. “I’ve told you more than I thought I could.” Looking into his eyes, I search for the truth and find I believe him, even though it just raises even more questions. Gently pulling me back against his chest, he continues to dance. My mind is spinning as I rest my head against his heart, so much so I can’t focus on any one thing. Tor seems to sense this and sighs deeply. “Look, can we please talk about something else?”

Snorting, I look up at him with a wicked gleam in my eyes. Fine, if he doesn’t want to talk about my past, then there’s something else I’m eager to ask him about. “The queen seems pretty fond of you.” My voice is innocent and sweet, but my smile is wicked as he groans.

“Anything other than that.” Laughing at my expression, he rolls his eyes. “Partially, she’s trying to woo me to get a betterdeal with the clans, but I’m pretty sure she’s acting like this because of you.”

That wipes the smile from my face, and I stop moving in my surprise. Tor curses as he almost trips over me, coming to a stop. Mutters fill the space around us as the other dancing couples try to avoid us.

“Me?” I ask in disbelief as he curses again and practically drags me off the dance floor and over into one of the secluded alcoves. I know we won’t have long here, someone will come and investigate. The queen’s been keeping an eye on us and on the dance floor. We’re constantly being watched, so what’s the worst we could do? However, if we’re out of sight…she won’t like that. Sure, the queen is jealous, but doing all of this just because of me?

“Yes. She’s used to being the most beautiful creature in the room, and you’ve come along and stolen her thunder,” he responds, grinning at me before scanning the space around us.

Laughing, I lean against the stone wall as I watch him, waiting for the punchline. “Be serious!” This is what I like about Tor, he makes me laugh.

“I am, partially,” he finishes, glaring at the elves closest to us and retreating farther into the alcove. “She’s one of the most powerful beings in the room, she’s used to commanding respect, but you change everything.” He shrugs as if it doesn’t bother him, but I can tell he’s more concerned about this than he wants me to know, which is why he’s covering it with humour. “People want to know you, they know you’re different, and she hates that,” he continues, and I nod in agreement—he’s right. “She hates humans, yet here you are.” He gestures towards me with a smile, but I can see the concern in his eyes. He’s had more time to get to know the elven queen than I have, so if he’s worried, then I know I have cause for concern.

Swallowing the lump at the back of my throat, I try to smile, but I’m not convinced I pull it off. “She seems to like you.”

“Ah, but I’m not really human, am I?” Grinning again, his smile only grows as he sees my confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Realising I’m not playing around and don’t understand what he’s saying, an expression of incredulity crosses his handsome features. “Do you not know anything about the mountain tribes?” He seems truly surprised and a little frustrated at my lack of education on his people.

“Apparently not,” I mumble, glancing down at my wrists, playing with the cuffs that sit there. This is just another reminder of my past and another item to add to the list of things I don’t know.

Taking pity on me, he chuckles quietly. “We descended from giants.”

“Giants?” My exclamation is louder than I meant, and Tor winces as several nearby elves glance over. To be honest, I’m surprised we haven’t been interrupted by now—not even Vaeril has come over to investigate, although as I lean from the alcove and look across the ballroom, I can see him practically glaring at Tor. We don’t have much longer. “Stop teasing, there’s no such thing as giants.” Turning back to Tor, I scowl, except my face drops when I see his expression. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Yes, giants existed millennia ago. Somewhere along the line, elves and giants procreated, and we were created.” He gestures to himself as he speaks, his voice taking on a wistful tone as he goes into storyteller mode. “The original tribespeople had the looks of the elves and the strength of the giants, but we didn’t fit in with normal society, so we moved and settled in the mountains. Humans found us beautiful, and some bred with us, so really, we’re a mix of all three races.” I’m completely engrossed in what he’s saying, while also not quite believingwhat he’s telling me. “Over time, thanks to our elvish and human genes, we became smaller.”

As he speaks, I run my eyes over him with a new appreciation. Tor is taller than most of us in the room, but not by much-—although he is bigger muscle wise, whereas the elves are lithe. I’ve always been so distracted by his tattoos and hair that I’ve never really looked much closer than that. His eyesareslightly upturned like the elves’ features, but his ears are rounded like mine. I remember when I first saw Tor and his people enter the great hall back at Arhaven. They had all seemed so big, and a raw wildness emitted from them, their animal pelt clothing and unusual body art so different from us—it’s not that difficult to imagine they are descendants of giants.

“So, you’re part elf too?” I question in clarification, and he laughs in response.

“Ha! Somewhere deep in my ancestry, yes. Our reflexes are faster and we’re stronger than humans, thanks to the elves,” he explains, and I nod in agreement. “So you see, we’re not really human, which I think is part of the reason why the queen is so accommodating.”

There’s a flash out the corner of my eye, and before I have a chance to react, someone is gripping my shoulder and pulling me from the alcove. Whoever it is, they’re rough, and I graze my arm as I’m pushed up against the stone wall. It doesn’t hurt, not really, but a small cry of surprise leaves me, and it takes a moment for my brain to catch up with the suddenness of it.

“Hey!” I hear Tor’s outraged voice, and I can feel him just behind me, his fury echoing down the bond, but the elf’s grip is too strong for him to remove.

Eldrin bares his teeth at me, like a cat hissing at its opponent, and violence glimmers in his eyes. “What did you say to Vaeril?” he demands. “What did you do?” His voice is almost a growl, andit takes me a couple of moments to catch up. What is he talking about, and where did he come from?

“What are you doing here?” I query, confused as I look up into his enraged face. I thought he didn’t attend these, that he was out of favour with the queen, so why is he here? Gripping my shoulders tightly, he emits a deep growling noise.

Tor’s face suddenly appears between mine and Eldrin’s as he tries to shove his way between us, to force the elf to release me. “Let go of her.” I’ve never seen the tribesman so angry before, the rage is practically rippling off him as he glares at Eldrin. Unfortunately, the elf completely ignores Tor, his eyes still locked on mine.

“Tell me what you said.” Each word is punctuated with a shake of my shoulders. I’m pretty sure people are gathering around us, their voices getting louder as we’re surrounded.

I know there is a reason why we don’t want to attract attention, but right now, I can’t focus. “I didn’t say anything!”

“Brother, let her go,” Naril demands quietly, but there is a threat behind his words that seems to make Eldrin blink. I can’t see Naril, but relief floods my system—if anyone can calm the enraged elf, it’s his twin. I have no idea when he got there, but I’m just glad to see him. Glancing around, I try to look for Vaeril. Where is he? His friend is threatening me, shouldn’t he be here? Except I can’t see him anywhere. My stomach sinks.

“You’re dancing withhimnow. Us elves not good enough for you?” he sneers, still gripping my shoulders, but his face isn’t as angry now as he seems to realise he’s causing a scene. He might be calming down, but it’s my turn to be angry.

“How dare you?” I pull away, my sudden burst of strength catching him by surprise. I can feel eyes on me, and I know when I look back at this, I will marvel over how I managed to break his hold. “Tor is my friend, and even if he wasn’t, I can dance with whomever I want!” I snarl at him, taking a step closer, muchto his surprise, if the widening of his eyes is anything to go by. Except it doesn’t take him long to get over his surprise as he glowers back at me, opening his mouth to snarl at me.

“Eldrin!” Naril shouts, his voice harsher now.

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