The artwork above is not mine.

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    Nascha focused on her magic, trying to ignore the pain in her left leg. Sparring with Aeron in the morning heat left her whole body sore, but her leg ached the most. She hadn't had a moment to sit down and rest it since Vaughan retrieved her for magic training either.

    She took some comfort in the fact that the heat seemed to be affecting him just as badly. His dark hair was tied up in a loose bun and he'd removed his shirt hours ago. His bronze skin was damp with sweat. Nascha could only imagine how jealous Aeron would be when she told him about this.

    She dissipated her magic and wiped sweat from her forehead. "Can I sit down for at least five minutes?" Nascha panted. "My leg is killing me."

    Vaughan tossed her a waterskin and jerked his head towards a log. Nascha sat down gratefully and took a few slow sips of water. She rolled up her pant leg and began to massage the scarred area. "There are salves and ointments that can help with the aching," Vaughan pointed out. "Maybe you should find a healer and invest in some."

    "I'd have to convince Fenrys to take me, and I'm not willing to admit how much my leg actually bothers me."

    "You're too proud to admit it, or you don't want him to feel bad?"

    "Both."

    Vaughan sat on the grass beside her. "I'm glad you're getting along now."

    "It's making our lives a little easier," Nascha agreed. "But he's still annoying."

    "He's Fenrys," Vaughan chuckled. "He's incapable of being anything but annoying."

    "Was Connall annoying?"

    Vaughan's shoulders tensed. "In some ways, but not like Fenrys is." Nascha gave him a prompting look. At last, he sighed and continued. "Fenrys is annoyingly outgoing. Connall was annoyingly introverted. He didn't like to go out very often. He wasn't keen on putting himself into uncomfortable situations. His idea of a good time was reading with a bottle of alcohol close by, or sparring outside after dark. You couldn't get him to open up about anything, and he was always trying to push everyone away."

    Nascha studied Vaughan, curiosity getting the better of her. There was a hint of sorrow in his dark eyes. Sorrow that she knew he was trying to hide. "Did he have tattoos like the rest of you?" She asked, pointing to the tattoo on Vaughan's forearm. She'd noticed that Rowan, Lorcan, and Fenrys all had the same tattoo in that spot.

    Vaughan shook his head. "This tattoo is Gavriel's name. Rowan did mine shortly after I came to live in Terrasen. He did Lorcan's, Fenrys', and his own after the war ended."

    "What does your other tattoo say?" Nascha asked.

    Vaughan glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the strange black marks that traveled down his spine. They were the same marks that made up Gavriel's name. The same marks that Nascha had been unable to read in Arcelia.

    "You can't read the Old Language?" Vaughan asked, not answering her question. Nascha shook her head. "That's strange. Most Fae took great care to teach their children the prayers, songs, and languages of the past."

    "Perhaps my brothers knew, but I was never taught." Nascha took one last drink and handed the waterskin back to him. She continued massaging her leg, grimacing as she did so.

    "It's the names of my parents and little sister," Vaughan said after a few minutes of silence. "And...Connall."

    Nascha resituated her pant leg and propped her elbows up on her knees. She let her chin rest in her palms. "I thought you said you two weren't close."

    "We couldn't be." Vaughan's voice had fallen to a soft whisper. "We had a mutual...attraction to each other, but we never acted on it. Maeve would have found out and used us against each other. Against the others. Connall did everything in his power to keep his distance from me. I respected and cared for him enough that I stayed away."

    "You never even tried to make things work?"

    Vaughan glanced at her. "I know Fenrys told you about Seraphina. If we had tried to make things work, the same would have happened to one of us."

    Nascha averted her gaze. "It happened to Connall anyway. Wouldn't it have been better if he died with the memory of at least some time spent with you?"

    "He died knowing how I felt, and he returned my feelings. That was enough for me. It would have been cruel and selfish to ask for anything more, when he'd already given and suffered so much." Vaughan stood and offered Nascha a hand. She let him pull her to her feet. "That is all I have to share. If you breathe a word of this to Fenrys, I will rip your tongue out and shove it down your throat."

    Nascha ignored the threat and asked, "Why don't you want Fenrys to know?"

    "Because Connall should have been the one to tell him. No one else has the right to. Not even me."

    She gave a small nod. "All right. I won't tell him, but I think you should. It doesn't have to be now. It doesn't have to be soon. Just...someday. Connall was his brother. Fenrys deserves to know." Vaughan gave no response. Nascha dredged up her magic and began once more.

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    Fenrys reformed his fists and circled Aelin. There was a mischievous glint in her blue and gold eyes. "What's that look for?" Fenrys asked.

    "Rowan told me a few of your weak points."

    "I have no weak points." He stuck his nose in the air with a laugh.

    "What about here?"

    Aelin threw a low punch. Fenrys spun sideways, letting her fist fly past him. He blocked her next blow with his forearm. Fenrys grabbed her wrist and twisted, pinning her back against his and drawing her arm over his shoulder. He hooked his leg around her own, sufficiently immobilizing her.

    "No weak points," Fenrys repeated. He released her arm and unwound their legs. Aelin punched him in between the shoulder blades. Fenrys grimaced and faced her.

    They began to trade rapid blows with their fists and legs. Aelin let her punches and kicks fall harder than usual. Fenrys matched her energy, ignoring the warning looks Rowan threw at him. The male was sparring with Lorcan on the other side of the ring.

    Aedion was close to them, helping Lysandra and Elide learn a few new moves. Elide fought well, despite her bad ankle. She preferred to train without the magical brace Lorcan usually provided for her, so she could adjust to the movements and make allowances for herself as needed.

    Aelin threw one last punch and backed away, picking up a leather canteen. "You're not even winded," she panted. "How?"

    Fenrys drew his curly hair up into a bun. "I stick to a regular training routine. You seem to have slacked off on yours lately."

    Aelin rolled her eyes. "I've been busy with more important things."

    "Maybe we should stick you in the Bane's camp for a few days," Aedion snickered. "You might improve as quickly as Nascha has."

    "I've been meaning to ask about that," Rowan replied. "Vaughan said she has more control over her magic now, even when she hits rough patches."

    Fenrys ignored how Lorcan's eyes shifted to him. They still hadn't spoken to each other very much since Nascha's burnout almost two weeks ago. "She does," he agreed.

    "Her fighting technique has improved a lot too," Aedion added.

    "I'd like to see for myself," Rowan said.

    Aelin nodded. "Bring her here tomorrow, Fenrys. She can demonstrate her skills for us again."

    "All right." Fenrys drew the wraps off his palms and stuffed them in his pocket. He tugged his shirt on, ignoring the sweat that still glistened on his golden brown skin, then swung himself over the fence.

    Footsteps soon followed him. Fenrys smothered a groan, scenting Lorcan. "Elide said we should probably try to get back on better terms with one another," Lorcan grumbled. Clearly, he was pleased with the suggestion as Fenrys was. Fenrys kept walking and neither of them said a word. Finally, Lorcan asked, "Would you really have tried to gouge my eyes out?"

    "Yes," Fenrys answered, with no hesitation.

    "Why?"

    Fenrys halted and faced him. "Because I don't trust you with her."

    "I trust you with Elide."

    "Have I ever given you a reason not to?"

    "No."

    "That's the difference. You've given me plenty of reasons not to trust you with Nascha."

    Lorcan narrowed his eyes. "All right. Perhaps a better question to ask would be, who do you trust with her?"

    "Aelin, Lysandra, and Elide. Rowan, to an extent. Vaughan and Aeron."

    "Aeron?"

    "A warrior Nascha befriended in the Bane's camp."

    Recognition crossed Lorcan's features. "The male Aedion said you fucked."

    Fenrys crossed his arms, barely suppressing a snarl. "Yes, that one."

    Lorcan eyed him briefly. "I'm starting to think you fucked Nascha too. Why else would you be acting this way around her?"

    "What way?"

    "Possessive. Distracted. Dare I say affectionate? Maybe Aelin should reconsider who is in charge of supervising our one chance at ending a war."

    "She's a living being, Lorcan, not a pawn."

    "She's also the only leverage we have over the Tarins," Lorcan spat. "I know how you are. I know how easily you can get attached to people after you start trusting them. You need to remember what we brought her here for and what we're trying to accomplish. You can't let your own feelings get in the way of that."

    "Well, we can't all care about just one person in addition to ourselves," Fenrys growled. "You should trust me to think for myself." He spun on his heel and stormed away.

    "You should be careful, Fenrys," Lorcan hollered. "One way or another, that female is going to break your heart. It's obvious you've already made the mistake of giving it to her."

    An owl hooted overhead. Fenrys didn't acknowledge her. Nascha shifted into herself and fell in step beside him. Vaughan soon joined them. "What's wrong?" He asked.

    "Lorcan. Let Aelin know that he had better not be here tomorrow, or we won't come. She'll understand what I'm talking about."

    Vaughan knit his brows, but nodded. He shifted into his osprey and flew off. "What was that about?" Nascha asked.

    "Everyone wants to see how much progress you've made."

    "So they're putting me on display again," she grunted in disgust.

    "Unfortunately."

    "Wonderful. And, what happened with Lorcan?"

    "Nothing important."

    Nascha rolled her eyes with a false frown. "Is it some of that territorial Fae bullshit Elide told me about?"

    "Territorial Fae bullshit?" Fenrys glanced at her, arching a brow. A small smile crossed his lips. "I guess so." He held out a hand. Nascha grinned and took it. "Let's go home. I've had enough for one day."

    "I couldn't agree more."

    Fenrys reached for his magic. He took one last look back at his friends. Lorcan was watching them through narrowed eyes. Nascha caught sight of him a heartbeat later. She raised her middle finger and stuck her tongue out at the Demi-Fae. Fenrys couldn't hide his snort of amusement. He tucked an arm around Nascha's waist and teleported.