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“I’m leaving,” he said, preparing to turn before I grabbed his wrist and pulled him close to me.
I bared my teeth playfully. “Don’t you dare leave me on my own.”
“Sweetheart.” Ayen narrowed his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching. “I cannot tolerate negativity.”
“You two are almost joined at the hips.”
Ayen and I turned to face Elanil, who approached us with a wide grin.
“Her fault!” Ayen pointed at me quickly, and I looked at him with wide eyes. “She won’t leave me alone!”
I scoffed, my jaw slack as I glared at him. Elanil laughed loudly, her voice a gentle hum amidst the rumbling laughter and roaring chatter of the crowd.
“Are you sure it’s not you who is sticking to her?” she teased, her eyes twinkling as she watched the two of us.
Ayen’s mouth opened in retaliation. “I-It’s not me!”
“Sure it isn’t,” she said, shrugging as she gave me a wink.
I shook my head, finding myself laughing for the first time in days.
Elanil, Faelyn’s mate, possessed many qualities that reminded me of my sister. She was so playful and easy-going that her presence alone could lighten the atmosphere. She never took sides no matter who was at fault, defending both parties equally by pointing out their good qualities and their flaws. Definitely their flaws. She didn’t hold back on that aspect.
Elanil was an earth child. Her hair and eyes were as dark and rich as the bare earth, and her embrace was warm and homely—it made one forget their worries and troubles whenever she was around.
It’d been two days since their bonding ritual, and I saw how Elanil affected not only my brother but also me. One, she made him calmer and more grounded whenever we engaged in an argument—something that became a reoccurring experience between us. Two, where she made him softer and more gentle, she gave me a boost of courage.
And she seemed to have a knack for flustering Ayen and me.
I didn’t want to tell her Ayen was right. It wasmewho stuck to him,mewho wouldn’t leave him alone because I didn’t know what to do if he wasn’t around.
I needed Ayen around. He was the only thing familiar now when everything else around me was changing.
Elanil’s arm curved around my shoulders and drew me closer to her. It reminded me of the way Ayen often grabbed his friends and ruffled their hair aggressively. Why was she imitating a male behaviour?
“So?” she whispered, her lips stretched wide.
“What?” I asked with a laugh, scrunching my face at her silly expression.
Elanil reached with her other arm and threw it over Ayen’s broad shoulders, bringing him down to her height. He made a noise of complaint at the odd angle he had to bend his back.
“You two going to run off together later on?” She wiggled her brows as she giggled. “I’ll cover for you both.”
“Elanil!” I screeched with wide eyes, feeling a rush of blood to my face. I looked at Ayen and saw his eyes had widened too, his cheeks stained red. He looked absolutely mortified. Elanil’s laugh rang around us, causing a few to glance in our direction before returning to their previous conversations.
“You are a shameless female,” Ayen mumbled as he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders hunching and his pointy ears curling slightly under his brown hair.
She continued to guffaw until she choked on her next breath, and Ayen and I broke into fits of hysterical laughter. My sides ached, and my lips began to twitch as tears filled my eyes. Seeing her choking and struggling to breathe and turning red-faced had Ayen and me bending with our palms on our knees to support ourselves.
“H-help,” she wheezed, her hands clutching at her throat.
“I-I can’t breathe!” Ayen gasped, covering his green eyes with a palm while his other arm held his stomach. His lips were stretched so wide, his teeth gleaming in the dark as he huffed.
“Heavens, Elanil.” I coughed with a grin, reaching for a cup of water near me. “Here.”
After gulping down the entire liquid, she placed the cup down before looking into the crowd, her eyes glinting.
“They’re here,” she said, breathless.
