Page 13 of Elf Shot

Arne’s lips pressed tight together as he nodded. With that, he sat in the chair opposite her, and Tor settled across the aisle.

The plane engines began to purr, and the door was shut. Layla always got nervous when she flew, but she did her best to hide it as she clipped on her seat belt. She was about to put her headphones in when Arne's boot tapped against hers.

"You still want to know why I didn't say anything about Vili?" he asked.

Layla lowered her headphones. "Yeah, of course I do."

They fell into a staring competition as the plane took off so smoothly Layla barely noticed it.

"I didn't say anything because I really don't know anything about him," Arne said. He unclipped his seat belt and rolled his shoulders. "He was gone before I was born, and my mother had no idea who he really was until they were mated, and he finally revealed his true self. The things I do know about him are what everyone knows—that he's Odin's brother, that he ruled in a fortress in Svartalfheim for a time, and that he became Morrigan's general."

"He never, I dunno, tried to reach out to you?" Layla asked.

She got along so well with David that she couldn't imagine how she would've turned out without him raising her. Layla and Imogen would have probably killed each other as soon as they hit puberty for a start.

"No. I'm not even sure he knows I exist. My mother certainly did her best to hide my parentage from the elves too."

Layla frowned. "Why? If she was duped by Vili, she's a victim."

"My mother would never tolerate being a victim." Arne leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "She didn't ever want me to be a target or used as a pawn for anyone wanting revenge on Vili. It was bad enough that I was already a prince. Vili had fooled everyone into thinking he was just another dark elf, and a lot of elves took that poorly. He was a brutal ruler when he did rule. Then one day, Morrigan turned up, and he went with her. He became her general and her monster. At least, that's what my mother was told."

Layla chewed at her bottom lip. "Is she scared Vili will come for you guys now?"

Arne shook his head. "There's no reason for us to be scared. If Vili has known about me, he's never showed the slightest bit of interest. No, whatever his plans are, it doesn't involve making up for lost time with his son."

Arne didn't sound bitter about it, but Layla still heard the faint sting in his words. No one liked the idea that their parent didn't give a shit about them. It didn't matter that Vili was a monster.

"Do you think any of his old enemies will try and hurt you?" she asked, her stomach clenching uneasily at the thought.

"I believe they would have tried by now because my mother couldn't hide my parentage from the elves for long." Arne shifted and cleared his throat. "Apparently, I look like him."

"Oh." Layla hated the sadness in his golden eyes, so she added, "I suppose something good had to come out of it."

Arne smiled a little and then flinched as if in pain. "Shit."

"What? Are you okay?" Layla asked.

"It's nothing. Just a migraine I haven't been able to kick for a few days," he said, rubbing at his brow. "I'm going to lie down. We can continue our talk later if you have questions, okay?"

"Sure. I get migraines all the time, so I understand," Layla replied.

Arne got up and looked at Tor. "Get her whatever she wants."

"Sure thing, bróðir," he replied, and Arne walked to the back of the plane.

Layla watched him go with a frown. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine. He's had a rough few weeks. Trips around Yggdrasil to see the Norns can fuck with a male." Tor raised a brow at her. "So can pretty hunters with sharp tongues."

Layla rolled her eyes. "It's not like I crashed his date."

"Still, ever since the Norns, he's been worried. More than I've ever seen in fact." Tor scratched at his blonde stubble. "Look, it's not my place to interfere, but try not to bust his balls too hard. What he won't admit is that he liked pretending he was just a normal elf warrior. The princes and their mates, you Ironwoods, it's the first time he's really had anything that resembled friends."

"Why? He's a prince. I thought he would have loads of them," Layla said, sipping her coffee. "You're a good friend to him."

"He's not good at letting people close, and I am sworn to protect Odin's bloodline, even his nephew. I'm his friend, yes, but I'm also his guard." Tor hesitated and looked where Arne had disappeared to make sure they were still alone. "He won't say it, especially not to you, but he's always been scared that his blood carries Vili's darkness."

"That's crazy. I'll admit he's got a jerk streak, but I've seen darkness in the shit that I've hunted over the years, and he's not dark," Layla argued.

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