Page 157 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

I give him my best ‘are you joking’ look as I deliberately look him up and down. “You’re not going like that, are you?”

Surprise crosses his face as he glances down at what he’s wearing. “What’s wrong with this?” He sounds genuinely confused, and I shake my head in response, unable to hide my smile. His white shirt is hanging open, his bronzed, chiselled chest is on full display, and the form-fitting trousers that he favours don’t exactly hide much of his muscled physique. Most of the male courtiers and elves around the castle wear tailored jackets with various emblems that I’ve yet to learn about, but I’ve only seen Eldrin wear a jacket like that a handful of times, usually as he’s leaving for the border.

“We’re going to meet the queen, and you’re dressed like that?” My tone is amused as I gesture towards his clothes, trying to pull my eyes away from his exposed chest.

“I’ll do my shirt up before I see her,” he replies with a roll of his eyes, and this time, I can’t hold back my smile as I laugh. His eyes widen for a second at the sound before he’s scowling at me again. “Not all of us are obsessed with clothes.” His voice is sullen.

“Well, the queen will be.” I may not know the queen well, but it’s obvious that she likes to collect pretty things, her subjects included. Eldrin is already in her bad books, so it wouldn’t do well for him to turn up like this.

“Fine,” he growls out, realising I’m right. After all, he knows first-hand what his queen can be like. “We’ll stop by my room on the way to meet her. Can we go now?”

I don’t bother to reply, only nodding as I walk to his side and out the door as he opens it for me, gesturing for me to go ahead. Closing the door, he joins me, and we stroll down the corridor in silence, although we reach his rooms much sooner than I’d expected. In fact, we are only five doors down from my room. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as Naril is just as close, but for some reason, this fact takes me aback. Opening his door, he motions for me to sit on one of the comfortable looking seats situated in front of a large window.

“I won’t be long. Sit. Don’t go poking around,” he orders, but it lacks the bark he usually has behind his words. Nodding, I do as instructed, taking a seat and admiring the beautiful view. On either side of the window are two huge bookcases, the thick spines of the tomes embellished with swirling gold letters. For some reason, I’m surprised by this. Eldrin didn’t seem like the kind to curl up in a comfortable chair and read a book, more like a warrior.

I guess I don’t know him as well as I thought I did,I ponder as I glance around the room. It’s neat, much neater than I’d expected, and again, I wonder where I got these perceptions of him from. Soft noises sound behind me, and I have to fight the urge to look over my shoulder and watch what he’s doing. Instead, I focus on the view, trying not to fret about what the queen wants to see me about.

A set of booted footsteps walk towards me before his shadow falls over me. “You didn’t snoop.”

Pulling my gaze from the window, I push out of the chair and look at him with an arched eyebrow. “No, you told me not to.”

The corner of his mouth pulls up into a smile. “I didn’t expect you to listen, you usually don’t,” he teases, and something about seeing his more light-hearted side does something to me. I’m used to him being rude, but this feels different.

“I guess I like to surprise you every now and again,” I reply, fighting my own smile.

He stills, and something in his expression changes. I curse myself for spoiling the moment. “Clarissa, you are a constant surprise.” I can’t identify how he’s feeling when he says this, but his voice is loaded with meaning.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He’s not joking around anymore.

His eyes run over my face, taking in my confused expression, before he slowly nods as if I’ve just confirmed something for him. “Never mind, let’s go.”

Holding out his arm for me, I only now take in what he’s wearing—a dark green jacket in the same style of the courtiers, a pair of soft-looking dark leggings, and a pair of black leather boots. His mane of golden hair has been brushed and looks semi-tamed. He’s wearing two brown belts that seem to crisscross over his hips, his daggers sheathed there. He looks lethal, his pointed ears poking through his hair and his slantedgolden eyes practically glowing. His scar only adds to the image, and I get the sudden urge to lean forward and run my finger down it.

Bad idea, Clarissa, he would probably slice your hand off before you could even touch him,my thoughts warn. His expression changes, and I know he’s losing patience and is about to bark at me for wasting time again. Shaking my head of those rogue thoughts, I link my arm with his and let him lead me from the room.

As we walk, my thoughts wander again, going back to the strange moment I just had in his rooms. I have a bond with his best friend, not to mention this connection with Tor and Grayson, so I shouldn’t be having thoughts like that about Eldrin too. I’m probably just exhausted and worried about the queen, and it’s making me think I like Eldrin because he offered me assistance. That must be what it is. Right?

Making our way through the palace, I begin to notice how many elves are watching us. I’m almost used to the second looks when they realise I’m the half-elf they’ve heard about, but on Eldrin’s arm, everyone seems to stop and look, their expressions one of shock. Those looks soon disappear when he glances their way, and neutral expressions soon replace their surprise as they bow their heads in respect. There’s an atmosphere of fear as we walk past them, and I can’t decide if that’s because of who I am, or whoheis.

While he’s wearing what the other lords in the palace are wearing, he still sticks out like a sore thumb, and no one could confuse him for what he is—a warrior. The almost permanent snarl probably doesn’t help with the image.

“You’re shaking.” His voice is quiet, even someone with fae hearing would have to get close to be able to hear him.

I hadn’t realised it until he pointed it out, but he’s right. A fine tremble shakes my limbs, and I have to take a deep breathto try and calm myself. “I’m nervous about what the queen wants with me,” I reply once I’ve managed to get rid of the tremors. Glancing to the side, I look up at him. “Any ideas?”

“Nothing good.” As he shakes his head, my stomach drops. At least he’s honest and didn’t try to sugar-coat things for me. My fear must be obvious on my face, because he pulls me to a stop and turns to face me, his hands coming up to rest on my shoulders. “Hey, I’ll be there. I won’t let her hurt you.” My eyes flick around to check that no one is close enough to overhear.

Where is Eldrin and what have you done with him?my fear addled brain retorts. Why is he being so nice to me? We’ve been building a strange sort of relationship based on shared pain and experiences, and I suppose that’s developed into a fragile friendship, but what he’s saying is dangerous. If anyone was to hear him, he could get into a lot of trouble.

“Could you really do anything to stop her?” I know asking him this is cruel, making him choose, but he needs to realise what could happen here. “If she tried to hurt me, or ordered me killed, would you really go against your queen to save me?”

I can see how much the approval of his queen means to him, and his silence answers my question. Disappointment floods my veins, but I push it deep down, knowing it’s not fair to expect that from him. He’s spent so much time working for the queen’s regard, even though it’s clear she hates him, I’m not about to make that more difficult for him. However, there is a part of me, a small broken part of me, that wakes up whenever Eldrin is around, and she believes him. She believes that if it came down to it and the queen attacked her, Eldrin would protect her. The rest of me is undecided.

Sighing, I pull away from his grip. “Let’s get this over with.” I straighten my shoulders as I turn away, then walk across the open space of the entrance hall.

“Clarissa!” Eldrin calls, his voice echoing around us and causing the few elves who happen to be walking through to pause and look over. Ignoring them and not stopping to reply to Eldrin, I simply head towards the archway built under the grand staircase.

Standing in front of the double doors leading to the atrium are two guards, their spears crossed to block the entrance. I stop just in front of them as Eldrin catches up to me, his presence comforting as I try to calm my racing heart. “We’re here to see the queen.”

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