Page 9 of Fate Calls the Elf Queen

She turned around, saw a tall, muscular figure, and jumped with a scream, plunging the dagger through the air before she could register who it was. Thane snatched her wrist before the blade impaled him. “Woah. It’s me. Relax.”

Her heart beat wildly in her chest and her hands trembled from the rush. “Do you think it’s funny sneaking up on me like that?”

“I wasn’t trying to. I just walked in.” Completely unphased by how close she’d come to driving a dagger into his chest, Thane put a finger to her lips. “And keep your voice down or the guard will be in here.”

Layala slapped his hand away from her mouth and shoved him in the chest. “Ugh! I could have stabbed you!” She pushed him again; her body still had the surge of energy from her fight reaction. “You could be dead right now. Give me some warning next time.”

He almost looked offended when he said, “It would take more than that to kill me.”

“I’m not in the mood for your… antics.” She stalked past him and snatched the dagger sheath off her bed, shoved her dagger inside, and placed them both under her pillow. “You know I’m on edge as it is. What ifhecomes here?”

Here they were arguing about him again. The asshole called to her, haunted her dreams for too long, then popped up for one brief moment, hadn’t been around for months, and he still drove a wedge between them.

Thane’s eyes darkened at the mention ofhim.“I’m not going to let him take you from me. I don’t care what he says about who you used to be.”

“You don’t?” Layala gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists. This fight was long overdue. They’d both avoided it while avoiding each other. “Because it feels like you do. You haven’t touched me in weeks. You won’t even sleep in the same bed as me, which is how I could so easily sneak out. You look at me like I’m someone else entirely.”

“Because you are.”

Layala’s jaw dropped. “It’s still me! I’m still Layala. Even if you used to know me as someone else too, I’m still the elf you met in Briar Hollow.”

“And you’re still mine.”

“Don’t pull the possessive male horseshit if you’re not going to step up and do something about it.”

The look in his green eyes was practically feral. He grabbed her by the back of the thighs, lifted her, and pinned her against the wall. If all it took for him to stop being estranged was a little goading, then so be it. She squeezed her thighs against his hips and twirled a piece of his long hair around her finger. Too much time had passed since he even kissed her let alone took her to his bed.

“You don’t understand,” he practically growled.

“Then make me understand.”

Whistling and small footfalls made Layala groan and Thane pull back. Tif came through her miniature door with an envelope in her hand, oblivious. Her polka dot sock-covered toes protruded from her boots and Layala contemplated insisting she get a new pair. How could that even be comfortable?

“There you two are. I’ve been looking everywhere…” her brows raised, taking in Layala and Thane’s position against the wall. “Oh, my, did I interrupt something?” Her brows bounced up and down with a small mischievous smile.

“Yes,” Thane snapped and backed up, running a hand through his hair.

At least she’d gotten him flustered. Maybe tonight he’d seek her out rather than avoid the bedroom altogether.

Tif lifted a shoulder. “Anyway, I came all the way from the kitchens with this. You know how long it takes me and my little legs to get around this castle? And the stairs, oye, I could lose my extra fluff, and I can’t have that. I’ll need extra dessert tonight.” She patted her round belly, stopped beside Layala, and raised the envelope. “I was wandering around thinking about what I’d like for a snack, but sticking to the shadows to avoid the jumbos, you know, like I do, and I smelled delicious cinnamon rolls. But Mage Vesstan snuck up on me just as I was about to take one off the plate and tapped my shoulder and told me to give this to you. He said that if I got it sticky or lost it, he’d turn me into a toad so thought I better wait on the rolls. Anyway, can he really do that?”

Layala took the envelope and shrugged. She wasn’t sure what Vesstan was capable of, though from his feeble appearance, not much. He’d stayed at the castle for the last few weeks. Thane didn’t want him at the cottage alone with the number of pale ones running rampant.

“He most certainly can,” Thane said with a sly smile. “I should have had him turn you into one at his cottage when you ignored my rules.”

Her big brown eyes widened and then she stamped her foot. “I listened plenty good. You were just a grumpy ol’ turd.”

“You do realize I’m the High Elf King.”

“I’m not a dumb dumb.”

Thane looked at Layala and raised his eyebrows. “Will you get yourlady’s maidunder control before I toss her out a window?” He glared down at her. “From the top floor.”

Tif gasped and slapped her stubby little hand against her chest. “How could you use my worst fear against me? I knew there was something rotten about you.”

“Oh, did you?” Thane asked mockingly. He lifted his foot a few inches off the ground. “I could just crush you under my boot but then I’d get it dirty.”

She twirled around, turned her back to him, and folded her arms with a big pouty lip. “I’m not speaking to you anymore, and I certainly willnotbe yodeling at the ball as entertainment.”

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