Page 71 of Elf Shot

Arne laughed and helped her up. He pulled her pants up and pressed a kiss to her soft belly. "We just need to get through today, and we can go back to what we are meant to be doing. Fucking. Lots and lots of fucking."

Layla blushed and quickly started to rebraid her now snarled hair. She needed to focus and fast. "How about you show me how to put some of this armor on?"

Arne helped strap on the leather and steel chest piece, vambraces, and spaulders. With each piece, he made sure she still had a full range of motion.

"I thought it would be a lot heavier to wear than this," Layla commented.

"It's the way it's made. Extra strong, extra light. Your custom armor will be a lot better than this and a lot lighter," Arne commented. He reached under the bed and pulled out a long wooden case and offered it to her. "This, however, was ready for you on time."

Layla's heart raced as she opened the metal clasps. Inside was a recurve bow, made of golden wood, and carved with silver runes. She could feel the magic pulsing off it.

"This…this is for me?" she hesitated to even touch such a beautiful thing.

Arne smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to dress up as Galadriel. You can touch it. It won't bite."

Layla swallowed down her unexpected tears as she lifted it out of the box. She pulled the string back and hummed at the feel of it.

"The length, the tension… It's like it was made perfectly for me," Layla marveled.

"It was, beloved," Arne admitted. The tips of his ears went pink. "After the fight with Morrigan, I asked the bowyer to make it for you. I didn't know when I would get a chance to give it to you, but I knew that I would one day."

Layla lowered the bow. This bloody elf. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "You are the best mate a girl could ever ask for, and I love you so much I can't even express it right now. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful and perfect gift."

Arne kissed the tip of her nose. "You are welcome, my Layla. Now, let's go and stop a war."

29

The air was cold, and clouds had gathered over Finnmark. Layla walked through the war camp with Arne, their hands clasped together. She had never seen so many elves in one place. Rows upon rows of warriors assembled and patiently waited. There was a tent set up for the queens and Brök. The Svartalfheim rulers and a small party of their people would fight, and if Vili brought in more reinforcements, Eydís and Alruna would open portals and bring through more of their warriors.

Vili's army was gathered through the pine and birch trees in the distance. It was hard to tell where they were, but the Midgard elves and wolves knew the land and forests better than the enemy ever could. Vili's army was a mixed group of elves, dwarves, berserker bear shifters, and wolves led by Varg.

"If we can stop all the traitors to Svartalfheim here, it will solve a lot of headaches later," Brök grunted beside them. He spat. "Bastards the lot of them. Vili seems to have gotten the loyalty of every discontent fucker he could find."

Familiar chill magic had Layla turning in time to see Bayn and Kian appear through a patch of fresh ice. She let Arne's hand go and hurried over to them. They were in full armor, their hair braided back. Gold and black paint was smeared on Kian's antlers, his famous golden armor provoking a thrill of terror in her. Last time she had seen it was in footage of him terrorizing London. From the looks on the elves’ faces, they remembered it.

"Wow, you guys look badass," Layla said, hugging them both. "Thank you for coming."

"Can't let you have all the fun now, can we? Kill and Bron send their apologies. They wanted to remain in Ireland in case Vili kicks our asses and they need to rally the humans," Bayn explained. He paused and looked her over. "Well, well. Someone's mated already. So much for holding out on the elf."

Layla laughed. "Have you seen him? How good do you think my self-control is?"

"Congratulations," Kian said with a wide smile. "And to you too, Arne."

"Thank you," he replied, coming up behind Layla with Tor.

"You don't want to cover up a bit more?" Bayn asked, lifting a brow at Tor who was only in a pair of leather pants. His chest and arms were covered in war paint, a thick band of black over his face. All of the other wolves still in human form were dressed the same way.

"Ulfheðnar don't fight with armor." Tor had a touch of crazy already in his eyes that Layla had never seen before. "We don't need it."

"Easy, Tor. It will start soon," Arne murmured. Tor nodded and walked away. "Ignore him. He's already been into the war mead that the Ulfheðnar take ceremonially before a fight."

Layla's face lit up. "There's war mead!"

"Not for you, beloved," Arne said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Layla wanted to argue that she could use a drink when a deep horn sounded from Vili's camp.

"Do you think he's finally here?" Layla asked.

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