Page 17 of Elf Shot

Having her close was enough to soothe his frayed edges. It was like he could think straight for the first time in weeks. Well, up until she had made the flippant comment about introducing her to eligible cousins. He would blind any one of them who attempted to flirt with her.

Gods, listen to you. You can't let the beast get involved, or she'll never want you. The voice in his head made all his passion cool.

The beast. That's what he called the fucking thing that lived in his blood. It was the magic he had inherited from Vili. He had gotten the name Steelsinger because when he let it loose in a fight, he slaughtered everything in his path.

It was the side of him that had seen Layla fighting amongst the horde creatures and decided she was his. It had known, and it didn't matter that he had met her earlier and found her beautiful and interesting. The mating roar hadn't kicked in until she was smeared in horde creature and fighting for all she was worth. Her feral side had sung to his, and he had known he was fucked for all others. It was only ever going to be her.

Arne went into the little bathroom, washed his face, and ran his hands through his hair. He looked like a wreck, but that couldn't be helped.

Tor's deep rumble of laughter echoed down the plane. He came across as gruff and serious and stoic until he was comfortable with someone. He had always liked Layla. It was hard not to when she was so warm and funny.

You are ridiculous. She is barely tolerating your existence right now.

Arne could work with that, even if the way she said 'friend' made him want to cry. He was sure he had a charming side somewhere.

When he joined them, Layla had her boots off and feet tucked under her. They had been drinking vodka, and she was laughing so hard, she was red.

"Oh my God, Arne. Did you really eat the wrong mushrooms in the forest and trip balls for like three days?" she asked.

Arne's eye twitched. He was going to fucking murder Torsten.

"I was twelve, and it was a valuable lesson," he said, glaring at the innocent looking shifter.

"It was hilarious is what it was," Tor said.

"I bet." Layla's brown eyes were filled with glee. "Tor is a champion and has agreed to be my wingman for the summit. You're the actual best because Arne is going to be too busy being all princely and shit to have any fun at all."

Arne's head started to ache again. He rubbed at his temple. "I am thinking about redecorating my house with a lovely wolf pelt."

"Aw, don't pout. We want Layla to have a good time on her stay, don't we?" Tor said, his smile as innocent as the driven snow. Arne wanted to throat punch him.

Tor knew that Layla was his mate. Arne was forced to admit it when his scent changed, and Tor confronted him about it. There was no hiding shit from a wolf. Nosey fucking creatures that they were.

"I've never been this far north, so I want to see Alta and play tourist if I can," Layla said, staring out the window at the land rapidly rising to meet them.

"If it's what you want, I'm sure we can make time for it to happen," Arne said, sitting down beside her and buckling his seat belt. He ignored Tor's smirk.

"How's the head?" Layla asked.

"A lot better. Thank you for your tablets and the massage. They helped a lot," he said. He fought the urge to take her hand that was resting on the armrest.

You'll have to tell her she is your mate eventually, Urd's voice said in his mind. If she was another elf, she would already know. It would have made so many things easier.

Arne stared at the curl of a tattooed rose petal on her wrist, the colors peeking out from her sweater. He wanted to press his lips to it. Yes, Layla being an elf would have been easier, but where was the fun in easy?

The plane shook with turbulence, and Layla's hand grabbed onto his forearm.

"Oh fuck, we are going to die," she groaned.

"No, we aren't. The winds up here can get wild, but the captain wouldn't be trying to land if it was dangerous," Arne tried to soothe her. The plane rocked again, and Layla swore. He touched her face, turning it towards him. "Look at me, Layla. Just breathe. You're safe."

Layla's eyes fixed on his, and he took a deep a breath. She copied him, flinching as the plane bobbed, but didn't look away. "You're always going to be safe with me," he said softly.

Layla's lips twitched. "Yeah? What about if I piss you off?"

"Are you planning on doing that?"

"Not right this second, but I'm sure it'll happen at some point."

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