Page 26 of Elf Shot

"I'll check." Layla opened the door to Arne's rooms and was bombarded by his scent. She switched on the lights, but the room was pristine and undisturbed. His famous swords were still crossed in their holsters and sitting on a table. Tears rose hot and horrible in her throat as she picked them up.

"What did you do to me to make me this ridiculous?" she murmured.

The tears were probably better than the cold ball of rage in her chest. She was going to fucking kill Vili for taking him.

The doors to his room opened, and Alruna stepped inside. She saw Layla's tears and her hands on Arne's swords.

"Oh, my dear," she said, her shoulders slumping a little. She didn't look like the calm queen she had been downstairs. She looked like a worried mother.

"When do we go after him?" Layla asked, sniffing hard.

"The council won't send an official contingent of elves after Arne. It's too dangerous, and it might antagonize Vili to attack Eydís and Brök's people in revenge. As the Light Elf queen, I must support this," Alruna replied. Layla opened her mouth to start swearing, but Alruna held up her hand. "As a mother, I would ask you to go and find my son. Tor, you will go with her."

"Auntie, you can't let Layla go. Arne would lose his fucking mind if anything happened to her," Torsten argued.

"Fuck off, Tor. Arne got kidnapped. He gets no say in the matter," Layla snapped. She picked up Arne's swords. "I'm taking these with me."

"Here, you will need these too." Alruna held a small leather pouch. Inside was a carved wooden stave and a block of a silvery white crystal. "The stave will grant you passage to the World Tree Heart. From there, you can take a back path into Svartalfheim. Once you have Arne, smash the crystal, and a portal will instantly appear to bring you back home."

"Thank you," Layla said, taking the pouch. "I won't return without him. I promise."

Alruna smiled. "I know you won't. The Norns don't make mistakes, and they said that the only way we would defeat Vili is with Arne's mate."

"And you think that's me? Because Arne said that the Norns named me personally," Layla replied.

"They said mate, but Arne knew who that was without a doubt. He's stubborn that way," Alruna said, her eyes going damp again. "Don't worry, we will both yell at him when you get him back. He could've warned me before he decided to mark you tonight."

Layla cringed. "Oh, great. So you can see that too?"

"My dear, every elf in Midgard is going to be able to see it. Arne never does things by halves." Alruna embraced her quickly, Layla not knowing how to react before the queen was pulling away. "He's the best of me. Please find him."

"I will."

Alruna nodded at Torsten. "Don't let anything happen to her."

"Easier said than done."

"Don't worry, Tor. I'm calling in the cavalry." Layla pulled out her phone and waved Alruna goodbye as it rang. She shoved the remaining clothes into her suitcase.

"This is Ciara Ironwood. I'm busy, so leave a message."

"Cus, 911. Meet me at Mardøll as soon as possible. Fuck the hunt you're on. We have bigger game," Layla replied and hung up. She called Bayn next and was ready to kill the call when he finally answered.

"Layla, why are you calling me after midnight?" he grumbled.

"I…I…" Layla began and burst into tears at hearing a familiar voice.

"Ah, fuck. Don't cry, baby sis. What's wrong? Who fucking hurt you? Where's Arne?" Bayn demanded, his voice getting louder and angrier.

"They took him, Bayn! Vili took him, and I need to get to Oslo straight away so I can go after him. Please come and get me," she sobbed, unable to hold it in.

Bayn made panicked shushing sounds at her. "Okay, deep breaths. Don't cry. Big brother is coming. I got the hotel’s name. Meet me outside in fifteen, okay? You have Tor with you?"

"Yeah, he's coming too," Layla replied. "I'm sorry, I can't stop crying because Arne marked me 'cos I'm his m-mate, Bayn."

There was dead silence on the other end of the line before Bayn exploded, "He did fucking what?! No. Don't say any more. Ten minutes, Layla."

"I'll be there," she said and hung up. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose before strapping Arne's swords to her back.

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