AARYN
The elders began to babble and murmur between themselves, shocked, and angry.
Aaryn wasn't shocked, though. He'd suspected Gar's feelings as soon as he saw the two enter together, the female clinging to Gar's arm like it was a lifeline and—the really strange part—Gar watching over her like she was fragile when she looked anything but.
Gar was many things—many good things—but tender wasn't one of them. To Aaryn's eyes, he'd never looked more like Reth than the mont he led that female to the chair and settled her in, then scanned the room around them as if soone might be coming for her.
To be fair, soone probably would. She was a human invader and had been leading them on a chase for weeks. But still… Gar just wasn't attentive. And he didn't treat people like they were weak, even if they were. And this woman wasn't.
Oh, she was pale and tense, but Aaryn recognized a dominant when he saw one. There was a set to their shoulders even when they were afraid.
This human was strong the way Elia was strong: In her mind. In her convictions. She might be easily beat by an Anima in a physical fight, but she would not be easily cowed.
A perfect match for Gar, as he thought about it. Gar needed soone who would push back and not let him away with his shit.
Perhaps she'd already pushed back. Perhaps that was why he hovered over her like he was afraid she might blow away? It was so unlike the male, Aaryn had been fascinated.
Gar cared. He led. He even comforted. But he did all of it with an air of being the one who didn't need anything. He gave without asking—in fact, he usually resisted any attempts to help in return.
So to see him dance attendance on a female…
Aaryn had wondered about a mate, but told himself it couldn't be possible. That his brother by fla was likely just infatuated. Had probably wanted to take the female since he'd t her—or perhaps already had.
It had crossed Aaryn's mind the night before that Gar had resisted the disford going after them because he'd wanted to get the female himself. But that didn't explain his resistance to the entire idea. As if he wanted the humans to stay free in Anima.
It had been an uneasy night for he and Elreth. They were both already exhausted by all the discussions and plans. Knowing that Gar was out there sowhere, possibly setting a snare for them to walk into—who knew?—neither of them was quick to rest.
When they'd been woken at dawn with a ssage that Gar was returning with the human female, it had been a relief to Aaryn. But he'd noticed Elreth's tension increase. She'd slled angry… and uneasy.
Now, here was her abrasive, cocky brother standing over her snarling that this small female was his mate, and Aaryn could see Elreth's stress bubbling to the surface.
There was no matebond that Aaryn could scent, at least not from this distance. Was it possible the male was wrong? It seed unlikely. Gar wasn't the type. That ant she hadn't accepted the bond yet.
He stood back, expecting Elreth to rip her brother a new asshole for not telling her what he was up to—what he thought he knew.
But he didn't expected her to deny it.
"You are fucking insane," she hissed. Then, glaring she looked back and forth between Tarkyn and her brother, gaping. "I can't believe you went along with his, Tarkyn!"
"I didn't go along. I believe Gar can be trusted to identify—"
"So you rushed off last night—without a word to , or anyone else—to intercept this female, after lecturing on how dangerous that would be?"
"I knew what would happen if we interfered with them—and I was right!"
"And yet you did it anyway—how is that any different to what we might have done? Hell, we might not have had to kill them!"
"I couldn't risk that she would be caught between you, when you didn't know what she was to —"
"How long have you believed this? How do you know she hasn't just used this impossible machine to make you think there's a bond? How do we know she isn't a spy!"
"She's right here and she can speak for herself," the woman said through her teeth, quietly, but firmly. "If you have a question about my motives, or what I know, ask ."
Elreth whirled on her, and Aaryn stepped up to her shoulder, catching her elbow, close to his body so no one else would see. Just a reminder. She was tired and tense. Attacking a weak human wasn't going to solve any of these problems.
She didn't acknowledge Aaryn's caution, but she took a breath and crossed the floor to stand over the female before she spoke. She leaned down, sucking in the woman's scent, who looked at her warily, but didn't push Elreth away, which was a good sign that she understood enough of Anima ways to understood that it ant sothing different to Elreth than it did to her.
"I don't sll any bond," Elreth said harshly, glaring at the woman, who didn't drop her gaze.
"She hasn't accepted it yet," Gar said, his voice pained.
Elreth shook her head and whirled on her brother. "You have thrown our entire plan into jeopardy for a bond you can't even be sure exists! You've brought an enemy among us—against my orders—and abandoned your tribe, all for this female?!"
"I've abandoned no one. And she's not just any female," Gar growled. "She's my mate."
"So you've said, yet I see no evidence."
"Perhaps you know how that can be, Elreth," Gar growled. "Perhaps you of all people can understand soone who doesn't recognize the bond imdiately? Soone who needs ti to beco accustod to the idea?"
"That wasn't the sa thing at all!" Elreth snarled, getting up in Gar's face. "He was my best friend. You've brought an enemy among us—a mortal enemy!"
"I am not an enemy," Rika insisted, and Elreth turned on her then.
"Oh really?" she asked, brows pressed high. "Please tell in your charity and wisdom, as you've entered our world, killed our animals, and held a threat over our heads, how you are not an enemy?"
Rika looked down at a strange, tal square in her hands, then handed it slowly to Elreth. "I stole that so they couldn't follow us.. And so they couldn't shoot Gar."
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