Page 47 of Elf Shot

"Good luck," Bayn said and looked him over. "Maybe have a shower before you go."

Arne got up and headed for the bathroom. He wasn't going to stand by and let Layla think she wasn't good enough to be his mate. The absurdity of it rankled him. He was going to set her straight once and for all.

20

After Kian left, Layla put some popcorn in the microwave and finished cleaning the kitchen. Her appetite had been almost non-existent for days, but she was going to watch her comfort movies, and she couldn't do that without popcorn. She felt a bit better from talking with Kian, but she still didn't know what to do with all of her feelings for Arne.

Layla was tipping the popcorn into a bowl when the clawing and burning inside of her suddenly vanished. She rubbed at her chest, wondering what had caused it.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Layla jumped as a heavy hand pounded on the door downstairs. She went down to look through the peephole, expecting to find a client looking for Freya or a lost delivery person. She didn't expect Arne.

Shit. Now she knew why the pain in her chest was feeling better. Layla rested her head against the door, trying to breathe through her sudden dizziness. She looked through the peephole again. Arne had placed his palm on the door.

"Please, Layla, open up," he begged, and her pulse went into overdrive.

Layla didn't want to see him while in baggy sweats and a messy yoga bun, but she still opened the door. Arne was wearing another unfairly sexy knit sweater, in black this time, and the scent of fir trees and man washed over her.

The bond between them stopped its infernal squeezing, and a look of relief swept over Arne's face. He looked tired and sad, and Layla knew the last few days had been hurting him as much as her. He studied her from head to toe, a small smile curving his lips. Layla's resistance broke, and she stepped aside.

"Come in. I’ve just made popcorn," she said.

Arne stepped inside, and she tried not to lean in to smell him. Really, it had to be a pheromones thing that made her want to stick her face in his inky hair and breathe.

"Is Kian still here?" he asked, walking up the stairs in front of her.

"No, he left not long ago. I thought sisters were pushy, but fae brothers really win awards for their overprotective meddling," she replied, checking out his ass. She was only human. "I hope Killian wasn't too much of a dick."

"I let him get a few hits in, and it seemed to calm him down," Arne replied. "I thought you might have gone home to Ireland."

"Nope. I'm avoiding my family for the foreseeable future." Layla grabbed her bowl of popcorn and curled up on the couch. She pointed to the place beside her, and Arne dutifully sat. She offered him the bowl.

"Me too. Why are you avoiding yours?" he asked, taking some popcorn.

"I might have told Kenna that the family could go fuck itself," Layla admitted, making him choke.

"You didn't. Your mother is terrifying. Why did you do that?"

"She told me I couldn't go to Svartalfheim after you. That I didn't owe you or the elves shit. She actually commanded me to come home." Layla shrugged. "So I told her to get fucked. Now, I don't want to deal with the argument because I won't apologize."

"I would've tried to stop you going too. You really didn't owe anything to me, Layla," he said, his knee brushing against hers.

"I know. Let me ask you this though." Layla looked him dead in his golden eyes. "If Vili had taken me instead, would you have left me in the mountain?"

"No fucking chance," Arne said with a growl.

"Then quit bitching that I did the same for you."

Arne took some more popcorn but didn't eat it. "Are you going to talk about the mating thing, or am I?"

Layla's stomach filled with butterflies. "You could have told me from the start."

"I didn't want to scare you off. You had to be coerced to even talk to me after you learned Vili was my father, and by the time we were friendly again, I was kidnapped," Arne admitted. He turned slightly so he was facing her. "I wanted you to know that you had a choice, that you still do."

"Do I?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Because I've felt like I've been torn apart for days."

"Me too," he admitted, his eyes sad again. "And yes, you still have a choice. I'm not going to force you into it, Layla. If you really don't want to give this a chance, I'll make it so you never have to see me again."

Layla's throat felt like it was filled with broken glass. "I won't force you either. You know that, right? I…I don't know if I'll be good for you, Arne."

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