#connall

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It was the day before the wedding and Fenrys was terrified. Not because he didn't want this or he was having second thoughts, but because he was terrified Eva would say she didn't want this anymore, didn’t want him. But above all of that, he was terrified of the words about to come out of the trembling messenger boy’s mouth.

Rowan’s personal messenger, who had managed to secure his place when Rowan had found him trying to survive on the streets. His name, Fenrys remembered, was Kallias. He was just a year younger than Connall and abandoned by his family when he was spotted kissing one of the boys from the village. The family had up and moved not long after, the villagers saying they were too disgraced. Fenrys thought it was all fucking absurd. Your child was your child, regardless of who they chose to love and he would make sure his future children knew that too. The thought of those children, his and Eva’s, brought Fenrys back to Kallias.

 “What is it, Kal?” The boy shifted on his feet and Fenrys heard the way he took several deep breaths before he spoke.

 “The King wishes to see you out in the courtyard, My Lord.” He rolled his eyes at the title, trying to act as if those words weren’t scaring the fuck out of him.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that? It’s just Fenrys, kid.” Kallias nodded, but he still heard the muttered ‘yes, my lord’ before he turned to leave. Fenrys couldn’t help the way he tried to straighten his tunic and his hair before making his way to see Rowan. It’s not as if looking a bit cleaner would save him from the other male’s protectiveness. He understood though, because he would be the exact same way if his daughter was about to be married off. It would mean she was no longer his to protect, no longer his to care for. Although he would still do those things, every day, until his dying breath.

The halls of the castle were full of people bustling about, adding the last few touches of decorations here and there. Aelin could be heard before you even saw her, making sure everything was perfect. His Queen would like to think everything was done by her, but it was his Eva who led all of the wedding preparations. Fenrys was enraptured whilst watching Eva tell her mother exactly what she wanted, where it would all go and when it would happen. Aelin had tried to get her way only once, but Rowan had just given her a look, along with a light smile and she had kept silent and continued to make sure Eva wouldn’t have to worry about anything. He breathed deeply as he pushed through a large oak door and stepped out into the courtyard. Out of all of the places he’d seen, the places he’d lived, nowhere had ever felt like home as much as Terrasen did. Not even all of those years spent in Doranelle serving Maeve. Rowan wasn’t hard to find, all he had to do was follow the loud cursing and shouts of “You can get off of me now, Buzzard!”

When he reached them, he bit his lip trying not to laugh; lest he want to go a couple rounds with his Queen for making fun of her. Rowan had Aelin pinned to the ground, straddling her hips and a hand on each of her wrists, her blade knocked a few feet away. When Aelin noticed him, she twisted her head to look at him upside down, eyes narrowed. “What in the hell are you doing out here?” Rowan stood slowly, pulling his wife up beside him, placing a quick kiss to her temple.

“I sent for him,” he said, before Fenrys could even open his mouth. Aelin folded her arms across her chest and raised a brow.

“What could you possibly need him for? His wedding is tomorrow, he still has things to do.” He didn’t really have things to do, just to help set up tables outside for the festivities after the ceremony, but he thought his Queen might be trying to save his ass from Rowan’s ‘territorial fae bullshit’. Fenrys was grateful for the effort, though he doubted even she could save him.

“There’s something I want to show him. We’ll be back in time for when Lorcan and Elide get here, I promise.” Aelin stared at her husband for a few moments longer, having one of those silent conversations before she nodded, kissing Fenrys on the cheek before walking back to the castle, muttering about seeing if Connall wanted to read their newest book. Rowan looked to him when she was out of sight, an unreadable expression on his face before he said, “come and walk with me.” Not a question, nor a request, so he followed obediently as the silver haired man made his way to the tree line. They didn’t speak as they walked, the only sounds were of rabbits and birds that he wouldn’t know were there without his fae hearing, and the crunch of shrubbery underfoot. Studying the warrior a few paces in front of him, he noticed the male hadn’t actually brought any of his weapons with him. It made him feel better, knowing he wasn’t likely to get stabbed, but that didn’t mean Rowan couldn’t hurt him. There was no need for weapons considering how much power he had.

After what felt like hours in the silence, was merely a thirty minute walk to the hills within the grounds, but far behind the castle where Rowan halted them. “Where are we?” His King, his brother in arms, his friend looked at him with such softness in those stark green eyes; Fenrys couldn’t even find the will to look away.

“We’ll get to that, but first I have to say a few things.” He dipped his head for Rowan to go on. “When Aelin first told me she was carrying twins, I cried for hours. It was from overwhelming joy and excitement, but also from an underlying fear. Fae twins are rare, as you know, but childbirth for fae females is also a difficulty. I was so, so terrified something would go wrong, that I’d lose them, including Aelin and that it would be like Lyria all over again.” Fenrys pushed the thoughts from his mind, trying not to remember how cold and angry Rowan had once been. He knew that it would have been a lot worse this time, had the worst actually occurred. “But everything was fine. I watched as they grew, as they kicked their tiny little feet against my touch for the first time. And then suddenly, as if I had merely blinked, I was holding Evalin in my arms.” Images of the warm summer evening the twins were welcomed into the world bombarded him, and he could clearly see Rowan with a babe in each arm in his mind’s eye. It was a sight you simply couldn’t forget. “She may be grown up Fenrys, but she’s my little girl, as she always will be. But tomorrow, tomorrow she becomes yours to love, to cherish and protect and I’ll respect that of course I will, but she’ll never stop being my sweet little princess who used to whack me with wooden swords and put flowers in my hair.” There was a dampness to his cheeks and he realised with a start, as he brought his hand to his face, that he’d started crying somewhere along the way.

“Of course she’s yours Rowan. That will never change, but just so you know, I’ll spend every day of my life trying to be worthy of her, to be worthy of being loved by her.” It was true, he didn’t deserve someone such as Eva, but he’d do everything in his power to prove himself to her. Rowan brought him into a back-clapping hug and he could do nothing but return it.

“I know boyo, I know, I’m just feeling a bit emotional is all and Aelin probably would have told me I was being ridiculous. Also,” he pulled away and smiled wickedly, “even if you do fuck this up somehow, I think I would be lower down on your list of concerns.” Rowan started walking again, pushing between the low-hanging branches of two old willow trees.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I think Con would beat me to you. He may be younger than Lin and Mia, but he’s fiercely protective when it comes to his sisters.” The miniature version of Rowan Whitehorn was a hellion naturally, but it was worse when something had happened to the twins. Fenrys had seen a little bit of that protection show the day the mating bond had settled.

“Speaking of, have you noticed Con has been spending a lot of time with Kallias lately? I’ve found them together a few times in the library, though Connall usually catches me from the corner of his eye and darts away. Poor Kal is always left confused and I think a little hurt.” There was a low chuckle from Rowan, his head shaking.

“I’ve seen them. I’ve known about my son’s preference for males for years, but I think he’s scared to tell us. I think they might even get a little shock of their own in a couple of years, honestly.” Interesting. “Aelin is desperate to call him out on it, but I’ve told her this is something he needs to sort out within himself first. He’ll tell us when he’s ready, though I hope it’s soon, because all I want is for him to be who he wants.” He was about to retort when Rowan halted them abruptly, nodding his head to the right of them. When he turned in that direction, his breath caught a little in his throat. There, in amongst the trees, was a small little yellow cottage. It was dark inside and Fenrys could smell the stale scent of pine and snow, indicating Rowan had been he but not recently.

“Rowan?”

The male in question dug into one of the pockets on his breeches, and pulled a small, silver key that glinted in the few rays of sunlight that shone through the canopy. “I started building this when Aelin told me she was with child, and then started another one after she had announced it would be twins. I knew that when they were all grown up, my children would want to leave and live independently, to be their own person. I also knew it would be hard for us to let them out of our sight, so I wanted to give them somewhere that they were far enough away from us, but somewhere I knew they would be safe, protected.” He pressed the key into the palm of Fenrys’ hand and folded his fingers over it. The metal was cool in his palm, barely weighing anything at all. “You and Evalin don’t have to live here of course, but I wanted her to know there was a place for her to start this new adventure with you.”

“I don’t know what to say.” There were things Fenrys knew he should say, but the words got stuck in his throat.

“There’s no need to say anything.” Rowan’s eyes were lined with silver as he ran his eyes over the place he’d created for his child. It wasn’t hard to imagine being here with Eva, it wasn’t hard at all.

“You said you started another when you knew it was going to be twins, did you start another when Aelin told you about Connall?” His friend wiped at his eyes quickly before nodding in confirmation.

“Yes. Mia’s is to the west of here, barely any distance from here at all and closer to the lake. I built Con’s to the east side of the castle, actually. There’s a small cavern close to it that has a hot spring inside, which I thought would be good for practicing.”

The two of them stayed out there for a little while longer, occasionally letting a content silence between them, or talking about all sorts of topics and reminiscing on the past. Soon enough, they were on the move again, reaching the castle just in time for Elide and Lorcan’s arrival, Aelin waiting for them with a glare. It was possible that they were a little behind when they said they’d be back. Fenrys tried to greet his friend’s as they arrived, little ones in tow, but Rowan stopped him with a hand to his shoulder, telling him to go and rest because he had a big day tomorrow. He let out a breath and agreed, walking back to his room without stopping to say hello to anyone.

When he was washed and settled into bed, Fenrys let the darkness take him into the land of dreams with a smile on his face.

Tomorrow, he was getting married.

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Let me know what you thought! I’m sorry for being so behind on things:( If you’re not in the tags but you’ve asked to be, just give me a shout and I’ll fix it asap, I don’t think my lists are updating properly<3

Lorcan was sprawled, half-off the mattress, on his stomach, his head buried in a mountain of pillows. Elide let her eyes wander down his back, tracing the traditional tattoos marking coppery-brown skin of his back and arms. She swept her eyes back up his spine to the thick hair braided back in two Dutch braids, the silver chain he wore glinting in the morning light. 

She looked her fill until her eyes dipped down to where the duvet was covering his frankly fantastic ass. Elide quickly snapped her eyes away and felt her face heat as she climbed off the bed and grabbed a hoodie to throw over her tank top and sweatpants.

Something buzzed in her bag and she rooted through the pockets before retrieving her phone, seeing all the calls she’d missed from her boss, including one from Benson.

Her lip curled and she walked on silent feet to the balcony that overlooked the yard and the ocean. The glass door clicked shut behind her and she clicked on the immigration agent’s voicemail, his slick voice coming through the speaker.

“This is Agent Benson, calling to inform you that your unscheduled drop-in can happen at any time. If either of you come to your senses, call back to set up a deal.”

Elide viciously hung up the phone and slammed it on the balcony railing, pacing back and forth angrily, her brows drawn tight together. She was still muttering obscenities in an ancient language when Lorcan lumbered outside, pulling his hair from the braids. The sight of his bare chest, the smattering of dark hair on his pecs and the trail leading from the grooves of his stomach down below the low-slung waistband of his shorts was enough to make her pause in her anger. Lorcan rose a brow at the fury on her face, not a stitch of cosmetics gracing it for once, “What happened?”

“Benson called,” she muttered, continuing with her pacing. Elide moved to the railing to pick up her phone to show him the voicemail, only to find that in the heat of the moment, she’d smashed the screen. “Fuck it all to hell.”

Elide looked ready to explode and out the corner of his eye, he saw his sisters, tea mugs in hand as they squeezed themselves into one of the wooden chairs circling the fire pit, giving them direct access to the balcony. Lorcan reached out to Elide and smiled, “Come here.”

She wrinkled her nose at his outstretched hands and took a step back, frowning at his smile. “What. No, what are you even doing?”

“My sisters are watching so come here, and give me a hug,” he said through his smile, his cheeks growing more tired by the second. When she still didn’t move, Lorcan sighed and tugged her close, wrapping his arms around her. “Want to stay in Doranelle? Give me a fucking hug, princess.”

Resentfully, she curled her hands on his chest and laid her cheek above his heart, his body heat warming through her face. Elide felt his hands slide down her spine to the small of her back and sighed softly, relaxing into him.

“That’s it,” he murmured, gently rubbing her back. “I’ll order you a new phone and we can go into town to pick it up, ok? But first things, you need to go get dressed.”

“Dressed for what?”

“Brunch, my love.” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

Lorcan sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time in the five minutes he’d been waiting for Elide. “Elide, c’mon, can we just go? I’m sure you look fine.”

The bathroom door slammed open and Elide walked out, yet another pair of heels on her feet. Elide wore a baby pink silk slip skirt that ended mid-calf and a chunky cream sweater, paired with delicate gold necklaces and dainty matching hoops. Her dark hair was down and fell in romantic waves down to the small of her back. Her pointed-toe pumps matched her skirt and her thick lashes had been lengthened and darkened with mascara.

She spun, “Well? Suitable, is it, Mr. Salvaterre?” 

Lorcan sweeped his eyes up and down her figure, nodding absentmindedly. “You look good. Can we go?” 

Elide waltzed up to him, taking deliberate steps until she got to his side and tucked her hand in his elbow. 

Elide surveyed him in his outfit, sweeping her cunning eyes up and down his figure. Lorcan was wearing a ribbed fisherman’s wool sweater and a pair of navy slacks, the collar of his business shirt poking above his sweater. “I didn’t know you wore glasses,” she whispered, taking in the round, tortoiseshell spectacles. He looked quite dashing, the bottom half of his ruthlessly beautiful face graced with fashionable stubble, and his hair braided back into a bun at the crown of his head.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he said, not too kindly. Elide supposed she deserved it. They weren’t friends and he was being blackmailed into a marriage that could very well end his law career before it even started.

Shaking off the feeling of guilt, Elide rested her head against his bicep, shocked again to find that he was pure muscle. Get it together, she berated herself, this is so not the time to be attracted to your associate, Elide.

“Ready?”

Elide looked up at him and nodded, “Yeah. I’m ready.”

Not another word was passed between them as they walked into the brunch. They had gone all out and Elide’s eyes widened at the amount of people, all chatting quietly with plates of food or drinks in hand. Odette walked up to them and hugged Elide, “Welcome.”

Elide tensed as Odette hugged her but then slowly melted into the embrace. She’d forgotten what it was like to be hugged by a mother. Quickly, she blinked back tears, “Thank you for going through all this trouble for us.”

“Oh, don’t worry! This is the first time Lorcan’s brought home a girl,” she said, dismissing Elide’s concerns. “Now, help yourselves to food and drinks.”

With that, she swept away, going to talk to other party guests.

Elide tapped Lorcan’s shoulder, waiting until he leaned down. “I’m going to go get a drink.” He nodded and she was off, smiling and nodding as she slipped through the crowd to the bar.

No one bothered her as she mixed various liquors and syrups in a glass and picked apart a muffin, feeling isolated amidst the happy brunch-goers. Everyone was chatting, laughing with old friends. Elide looked up and searched the room for Lorcan, finding that he had been cornered by his great-aunt, Maeve.

Elide hadn’t exchanged two words with the woman, hadn’t even seen her since their arrival and she was glad of it. Something about her made shivers run down her spine and she could see Lorcan grow more and more uncomfortable as she appeared to be berating him for some reason or another.

Deciding she would graciously save him from the situation, Elide turned back to make him a drink, stumbling for a second when it hit her that she didn’t know what he drank. She didn’t know a thing about him and he knew everything about her.

At an office dinner once, she’d seen him with a glass of whiskey in his hand and that seemed to fit him, so she poured him two fingers worth and added some other things to make it more appropriate for brunch. She’d worked as a bartender all through her undergrad and law degree and hadn’t forgotten the skills she’d picked up at the swanky cigar club.

With a decisive nod, she squared her shoulders and made it back to his side, just in time to hear him harshly spit: “Elide and I are engaged.” Everyone around them froze, including Elide, the ice cubes in his drink clinking against the glass.

Maeve’s eyes widened and her face hardened after her initial shock. Elide recovered from her freezing and smoothly stepped up to Lorcan’s side, holding his drink out to him, “I didn’t know we were telling anyone yet.”

Lorcan whipped his head to her, his anger checking as he saw Elide and the drink. He didn’t know what it was, but took it, puzzled as he looked down at its contents. She tapped the bottom with her fingertip, “You’ll like it.” He warily looked between her and the glass as Elide turned to face Maeve. “We were hoping to tell everyone a little later, but yes. We’re engaged.”

Lorcan looked down at her, opening his mouth to say something when someone clinked a glass. They looked up out of their own bubble, confused as they looked around to find that everyone was staring at them, the people closest to them urging them to share the story.

Excusing themselves from the corner with Maeve, Lorcan and Elide walked to the centre of the room. He sipped from his drink and raised his eyebrows before sipping again. She mumbled into her glass, “Told you you’d like it.”

“Yeah, yeah, El,” he said under his breath, sliding his arm around her waist and tucking her into his side. They fit just right. “You’re always right.” Lorcan was looking across the room at his mother, wincing until he saw her pleased expression, barely a difference to anyone who didn’t know her, but her eyes were bright as she pulled Aneha and Sadirah inside.

Elide beamed up at him, like a girl in love as their audience settled down. “Well, it was beautiful. He did wake me up at midnight, which I wasn’t too happy about, mind you,” she spoke clearly, commanding the room’s attention without demanding it, just like she performed in court. Elide paused as a chuckle ran through the crowd and sipped from her drink, clearing her throat before continuing. “We went for a drive to this gorgeous waterfall ten minutes outside of the city and sat in the bed of his truck, wrapped up in this huge blanket, just watching the stars.” Elide swallowed hard and blinked quickly, “Sorry, there’s something in my eye.”

She carefully wiped them and ignored the look he gave her, the question dying on his lips. “So, we saw this shooting star and I asked him what he wished for. Nothing big or fancy, just… that I would say yes to his question. I had no idea what he was talking about and asked him what question.” Elide looked up at him, something sorrowful in her expression, “And then he asked.” She waved her left hand and Lorcan saw that she’d moved the diamond ring she wore on her right hand to her left. “And his wish came true.” 

There was applause and soft cheers before someone started a ‘kiss’ chant. Elide and Lorcan laughed it off, shaking their heads and smiling tightly until Maeve gave her a disapproving look and Elide saw red. She put her glass down on the table before her and took Lorcan’s as well, looping her hands around his neck and pulling him down. They didn’t kiss yet and Lorcan whispered, “What are you doing, princess?”

“Just trust me,” she answered, leaning in, and pressing her lips to his. He responded immediately, his hands on the small of her back as he dipped her. Elide gasped softly into his mouth, her lashes brushing against his cheeks as her eyes fluttered shut. Countless moments later, they came up for air, their chests rising and falling unsteadily as they stared into each other’s eyes.

Lorcan righted her and looked away, his cheeks tinted pink. Elide reluctantly tore her eyes away, flushing as the guests laughed and clapped. She flicked her eyes to where Maeve had been to find that she’d left and sighed in relief, reaching for her and Lorcan’s respective drinks. He nodded absentmindedly as she pressed his glass into his hand and Lorcan lifted it to his lips to drain the rest, “Let’s get out of here.”

Elide agreed and they slipped away. They didn’t get very far before a gentle voice was heard. “A lawyer, huh? You’re really marrying up, Salvaterre.”

Lorcan whirled around, Elide forgotten as he laid eyes on a beautiful woman. She wore a pair of black mom jeans and a green silk tank top that contrasted wonderfully against her warm brown complexion. “Essar?”

The woman, Essar, laughed and Lorcan crossed the hall to sweep her into a hug, lifting her off her combat-booted feet for a few seconds, “What are you doing here?”

Essar laughed as he set her down, her hand fondly resting on his upper arm, “Your sisters made me come.”

“From Varese?”

She shook her head, tucking a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear, “No, I live here now. Moved back a year ago. I teach kindergarten.”

“Oh lords, over at Wayawakiya*?” He turned to Elide, as if just remembering that she hadn’t disappeared back to Hellas’ realm, “That’s the school we went to.”

“Oh.”

Lorcan was oblivious to her unenthusiastic answer and turned back to the woman. She smiled, “We’re being rude, Lor. Introduce me to your bride!” They both turned to her and beckoned her over. “Hi, I’m Essar. It’s lovely to meet you, Elide.”

Elide was coming to the realization that hugging was the normal greeting in the Northern Isles because she had never been hugged this much. Still, it was nice and Elide could see herself getting along well with Essar, despite the situation.

“Essar and Lorcan were quite the item during school,” an icy voice helpfully commented. Without looking, Elide knew it was Maeve and didn’t deign to look over her shoulder, grabbing Lorcan’s hand to deter him.

Essar chuckled, “Yes, well, that’s old old history.” Lorcan nodded in agreement, but the look in his eyes told a different tale. “Anyway, I’m going to get going, I promised Dresenda I’d help her at the bar, I’ll see you two later, I guess.” Essar gave a two fingered salute and walked back down the hall.

Slowly, Lorcan turned to face his great-aunt but Elide dug her nails into his hand, not giving him a chance to say a word before she was pulling him away.

She tugged him to the patio and let go of his hand, going to lean against the railing just as a group of men spilled outside and started yelling at Lorcan. Elide watched, mildly terrified as a silver-haired man tackled Lorcan to the deck and the rest followed.

The door opened again and two women walked out, rolling their eyes at the boys’ antics. They were both tall and drop dead gorgeous. One had long corn-silk yellow hair that fell nearly to her hips and fair skin, her eyes bright blue. The other was a few centimetres taller than the blonde woman and had deep brown skin, her coily curls styled in a fluffy afro that was decorated with golden cuffs. They matched the little septum ring she had piercing her nose. Her voice was even and had the gentle lilt of an Eyllwe accent, “Don’t mind them. They haven’t been all together for a while. You must be Elide.”

“Yes, that’s me,” she replied, still watching, half-concerned, as they pulled Lorcan up and he squared up with one of them, one who looked like him but gentler. More tame. “I’m Elide.”

She laughed a tinkling laugh, “It’s lovely to meet you, Elide. My name is Nehemia and the blonde one is my boyfriend.” Nehemia pointed out one of the men, his short hair styled in meticulous waves and bleached blonde. “His name is Fenrys, and then you have his twin, Connall,” Elide’s gaze slid to the next man, identical to Fenrys save for his hair – worn in a high-top twisted fade style and his natural colour. “Oh, sorry, I should let you say hello to Aelin here.”

Aelin laughed and nodded, pulling Elide into yet another hug, “Hi, I’m Aelin! It’s great to meet you, Elide.” She let Elide go and they all turned to watch the boys interact. Aelin pointed to the silver-haired man, “That’s my boyfriend, Rowan. The one that looks like Lorcan is Vaughan, they’re cousins. Vaughan and Lor grew up together here, but they all met in university.”

Lorcan turned, as if hearing Aelin’s voice and let out a shout, “G-Money?”

Elide and Nehemia chuckled as Aelin held her arms open and swaggered forth, “In the flesh.”

He laughed loudly and they hugged briefly before they began a complicated handshake, one with many steps and ending with a chest bump that nearly knocked Aelin on her ass. She just laughed and hugged him again, her feet lifting off the deck. He let her go and walked over to hug Nehemia, kissing her cheek, “Hey, Mia. Still with the pup?”

Nehemia laughed as Fenrys made an offended squawking sound and Elide was introduced to the boys. Aelin clapped her hands, “Alright, Elide, you need to change.”

Elide looked down at her clothes, confused, “Why?”

“We’re taking you out. Come on!”

She looked to Lorcan, eyes stricken, but he just shrugged, “Better get going, princess.”

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

Lorcan watched the boat depart, standing on the patio. He worried his bottom lip, fiddling with his leather watch strap as they drove off. Aelin and Nehemia had roped in his mother and sisters, strong-arming them into joining their outing.

He tried to not worry but Elide didn’t exactly have the best social interaction skills. She approached everything in life as if she were still in court and he wouldn’t be surprised if she clashed with one of the women and this whole mess became just that little bit extra messy.

He was still fiddling with his watch and staring at the empty ocean, the boat long gone, when Rowan walked out. “Lor,” he said, his hand resting on Lorcan’s shoulder. “You good?”

Lorcan smiled, pretending like Rowan could see right through him, and nodded, “Yeah, ‘m fine.”

Rowan sighed and rubbed his eyes, “What are you doing, Lorcan? You’ve hated this woman for years. Tell me what’s happening.”

His throat tightened as he searched for the right words. He didn’t want to lie to his best friend – his brother – but there was no other option. “I don’t know, Ro. Things changed.”

“That’s what you’re going with?” asked Rowan, his brows lowering as Fenrys, Connall and Vaughan slowly walked out, their faces unreadable. “’Things changed’?”

Breathing out slowly, Lorcan nodded. “It’s different now. I’m in love with her.”

Vaughan snorted and shook his head, “Whatever you say, L.”

“What—”

“I get lying to your sisters and aunt, but your mom? Us?” Hurt bled through Fenrys’ voice and Lorcan opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out.

Connall, ever the peacemaker, placated them, “Boys, let’s calm down, ok? Let’s give Lorcan the benefit of the doubt and not fight, agreed?”

They all muttered their agreement, but the look in their eyes told him this was far from over.

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

After two hours, their spat had been long forgotten and the boys were all sitting around a bonfire, smiling and laughing as they recounted tales of the days when they were youngins.

Right now they were laughing at Vaughan as Lorcan recalled one crisp November morning when he’d been called in a panic to drive the boat a couple islands over, where he’d found his cousin in his briefs standing on a cliff’s edge, terrified as he glanced over his shoulder and jumped into the sea, swimming to the boat as one of the elders yelled obscenities at him.

The sounds of people’s voices interrupted them and they looked up to find that the girls had arrived back. Elide and Aelin were walking together, chatting quietly. He wasn’t surprised that they got along at all.

When Elide’s eyes flicked to his, the light in them guttered and she grew sadder, deflating. If anyone noticed, they didn’t show it as the twins ran up to the bonfire and their attention shifted. Elide stayed in place as the girls joined them, Odette smiling and accepting bear hugs from all the boys. Quietly, Elide said, “I’ll be in the house.”

She neatly spun on her heel and walked away, the boys stiffening and shooting him dirty looks as Odette said, “You should go talk to her. There’s a surprise.”

Lorcan grimaced as he stood, “You know how I feel about surprises, iná**.”

“You’ll like this one though!” yelled Aneha, sticking her tongue out at him when he gestured rudely at her and nodded goodbye, his long legs not taking long for him to catch up with Elide.

She looked so much different in a pair of blue jeans and a lavender-coloured wool sweater, her hair in a thick braid that rested on one shoulder. “Elide, what’s wrong?”

Elide didn’t answer him until they had crossed the yard and entered the house. She toed off her slip-on sneakers and refused to look at him. “Elide. Tell me.”

“We’re getting married on Sunday.”

Lorcan’s breath left his lungs in a rushed exhale and he fought for air. “What are you talking about, it’s their birthday on Sunday, are you really trying to take that away from them?”

Elide snapped her head up, her eyes blazing, “No, of course not. I’m not some fucking prick who walks in and takes whatever she wants-“

“Could’ve fooled me,” he snarled, kicking off his shoes and pushing past her to the kitchen. “I need a drink and you need to explain yourself.” Lorcan sat at the bar but didn’t move to the liquor cabinet as Elide walked in, her brows lowered over ire-filled eyes.

“We were at Dresenda’s,” she said. Dresenda’s was the local pub, owned and operated by Essar’s sister. As she mulled over something, she pulled out a shaker and various liquor bottles, her motions like second nature as she mixed a drink. “And they asked me how it came to be, because for the last two years all they’ve heard is how much you hate me.” Elide’s voice didn’t diminish in pitch or strength, but he flinched all the same, regretting the fact that she knew just how badly he talked about her to his family.

“Elide-“

She didn’t give him a chance to say anything as she shook the mixer vigorously, “And then I said we wanted to wait, but we just didn’t care anymore. It was Sadirah’s idea and they all agreed, even Essar.”

“Ess was there?”

“Yeah, she was helping Dresenda with serving. She said she wanted you to be happy.” An uncomfortable silence fell over them and as if to break it, Elide pushed his glass towards him before she fiddled with her ring. “I got an email from Benson. He’s set up our scheduled interview and sent sample questions. I printed them out.”

He hated how quiet she had become, her words muted. From her back pocket, she pulled out a thick bundle of folded up papers, attempting to smooth them as she unfolded them. “Here.”

Lorcan took the papers and flipped through them, scoffing. “I know all of this already.”

“You do?” Elide took the papers back and her eyes widened as she scanned the list. “All of these?”

Chuckling, Lorcan sipped from his drink and was surprised, yet again, that she’d made something this good. “Try me.”

“Fine. Let’s see,” she perused the list, flipping back and forth before her eyes lit up. “Mm. How do I take my tea?”

“You don’t drink tea. You drink coffee, exclusively, and your usual is a sixteen-ounce cappuccino with one package of sugar – nothing else. Too easy, Lochan.”

Her eyes narrowed, “Fine. Do I have any scars?”

“Yep, one on your right ankle and I’m pretty sure you have a tattoo.” He leaned forward, swirling his drink around.

“Oh, ‘pretty’ sure?”

“Mm-hmm. Your dermatologist called a couple months back, asking about a Q-switch laser. Obviously, I searched it up and found out that it’s for—”

“Tattoo removal.”

“But you asked me to cancel the appointment. So. What is it?”

Elide shook her head, returning back to the questions, “We’re done with that.”

“You have to tell me, they’re going to ask—”

“I’m not telling you, so quit asking me,” she said, in a tone that brooked no arguments. “We’re done here.”

He didn’t know what he’d said to offend her as she hastily dumped the drink materials in the sink and turned on the tap, viciously washing as he slowly stood up and walked up to her side. “Are you going to tell me about that engagement bullshit you made up?”

“No.”

“Fine,” he seethed, angry at her for being so closed off, angry at her for being rude and unfeeling, angry at her for once again ruining everything. “Then at least tell me why you can mix drinks like this.”

Elide didn’t answer at first, but her scrubbing became gentler until she sighed heavily. “My uncle made me make drinks for him and his friends. During university, I got a job at a private bar and worked there until I started as crown counsel.” Her words became strangled and she coughed as she rinsed the shaker, not looking at him as she whispered, “And the story wasn’t bullshit, Salvaterre.”

Without another word, she put the clean dishes in the drying rack and disappeared down the hall, leaving Lorcan to the realization that he didn’t know a damn thing about Elide Lochan.

+*+*+*+*+*+*

*Wayawakiya: School 

**Iná: Mother