Page 152 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

Vaeril growls slightly above me, and I immediately turn to look up at him, seeing his face lined with tension. “Keep looking at me,” he instructs, but his voice is losing the sharp edge and starting to sound more like the Vaeril I know.

“That wasn’t normal, and you know it,” Naril continues, practically glaring at his brother now. “That was mating level protection.” His voice is accusatory, and I realise he sounds hurt, like Eldrin had been keeping something from him.

“I would never hurt her,” Vaeril snarls again, his control wavering for a second. Taking a few steady breaths, he rolls his shoulders and straightens his back. “Besides, you were the one who caused her to bleed,” he growls, his eyes never leaving me, but I know he aimed that remark towards his larger friend.

An awkward silence fills the space between us, until Naril whistles at the harshness of the comment. Given that Eldrin was just trying to protect me, that jab was out of order, and I’m prepared to tell Vaeril exactly that. I don’t know whyhe was trying to protect me, but he certainly didn’t hurt me on purpose. I open my mouth to respond, but the atmosphere shifts, and I can see Eldrin moving towards the door out of the corner of my eye.

He’s leaving.

“Eldrin!” I call, shuffling my weight so I can try to stop him. I’m not sure why it feels so important that he stays, but I’m cutoff by a growl as Vaeril kneels in front of me, his face so close to mine we’re almost nose to nose.

“Don’t move,” Naril orders, and I can hear him moving around the room. “Vaeril is showing remarkable restraint here. If you go running after my brother, I don’t know if he’d be able to hold his true nature back.”

I’m not quite sure what he means about Vaeril’s ‘true nature,’ but his comment about me running after his brother stings. The way he says it makes it sound like I’m a hussy, chasing any elf who would show me a bit of attention, and I resent him for it.

The door suddenly slams shut, and I know I’ve lost my chance and Eldrin has left the room. My heart goes out to him. He was only trying to help, and yet again, he’s been left out.

“Are you okay?” Vaeril asks quietly, his voice much softer now, his eyes almost back to their usual dazzling green. His face has smoothed out, other than a tiny frown between his silver brows. He’s gorgeous, and this close, I start to forget why I’m mad at him. His proximity comforts that aching part of me that calls to him.

“It’s just a small cut, nothing to worry about,” I answer with a small smile, nodding my head in answer, only to wince as a burst of pain flashes through my skull again. Of course Vaeril notices, his frown deepening and his pupils widening again. He reaches out for me, pausing as he sees my expression.

“Can I hold you?” he queries, and I know he’s fighting against his instincts to pull me into his arms.

Raising one brow, I lean back slightly, still not quite sure what’s happening here. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Please?” he implores with gritted teeth. Frowning, I nod again, not learning my lesson as the pain makes me wince. Giving into his instincts, he quickly reaches out to me, but with a gentleness I hadn’t expected. He slides one arm under my knees and one across my back, pulling me against his body.

The tugging, yearning feeling in my chest eases, and I realise it’s not my emotions that I’m feeling, but his. Although my own bond is practically humming with pleasure at being this close to him. A low vibration starts up, and I realise he’spurring. I glance over at Naril for an explanation, but he looks like he’s trying hard not to laugh. I’m pulled even closer to Vaeril as his hand comes up and presses my head against his chest.

“I’m going to get blood on your clothes,” I mutter half-heartedly as I go to move away, but his arms just tighten around me, his purr intensifying as I sigh and settle back against him.

“Don’t care,” he replies, nuzzling my neck and rubbing his cheeks against me like a cat might do when they’re scent marking. It’s odd, and I’m not sure what to make of it, but strangely, I find it calming.

“What’s happening?” I ask Naril, trying to turn my head to look at him, but Vaeril’s purring turns into a small growl, so I give up and stay where I am.

“It’s part of our mating instinct. It’s reassuring the more feral side of our nature that you’re okay, that you’re his,” Naril answers, his voice amused, and I can just imagine the smug smile on his face.

A knocking at the door has both elves tensing, and Naril spins to see what caused the offending sound while Vaeril holds me even closer, snarling slightly.

“Clarissa?” Tor’s voice calls through the door, and I let out a breath that I hadn’t realised I was holding as something eases inside me.

“Oh, brilliant,” Naril mutters to himself, and I manage to turn my head to watch as he marches over and opens the door.

Tor strides in, ignoring Naril and walking straight past him. “Is everything okay?” he immediately queries, looking around the room for me and frowning when he sees me curled up in a snarling elf’s arms. “I felt your pain through the bond.”

Vaeril doesn’t loosen his hold on me, but he flinches when Tor mentions the bond. He does, however, surprise me when he stops snarling and dips his head towards Tor. “Tribesman,” he says in greeting, his voice still guttural. Tor places his hands on his hips, arching an eyebrow as a shadow of a smile plays at the corner of his lips.

“I fell, I’m fine, really,” I reassure him, but my excuse is countered by the fact I’m being cradled by an elf, and I really don’t have the energy to explain how this all happened.

Tilting his head to the side, he watches the two of us before chuckling low in his chest. “Well, well…I would’ve gotten here sooner if I knew we were having a cuddle party.” A surprised laugh bubbles up in my chest, and he grins at me in response. Vaeril snarls, but it’s half-hearted now that I’m settled in his arms and not trying to pull away.

Tor’s smile drops as he takes a few steps towards us, stopping a couple of paces away so as not to upset Vaeril. “You’re really okay?” I can tell he wants to reach out, but his eyes flick to Vaeril and he thinks better of it.

“Yes, I am, I promise,” I reply with a smile, hoping to reassure him. My head still hurts, but I’m pretty sure the bleeding has stopped. “Will I see you later?” I inquire hopefully, hating that he’s being kept so busy. The short amount of time we spent together at the ball wasn’t enough, but I get the feeling stolen moments are all we’re going to get for the foreseeable future.

His wince confirms my suspicions as he takes a deep breath. “I hope so. The queen is running me ragged at the moment,” he explains wearily, and I take a proper look at him. He does look exhausted, and being an ambassador can’t be easy. “She wasn’t pleased that I dashed out of her meeting just now.” He rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish expression.

Mother above. The queen’s going to love that when she finds out why he left her meeting,I think to myself, shaking my head as I imagine her reaction.

---