“Did you notice anything strange when we were with her?” I ask suddenly. “Like some kind of... connection.”
It's the question I've been avoiding asking myself since I first saw Niletta Collins. That inexplicable pull, that feeling of attraction that goes beyond rational.
“Is the stoic elf falling for the human?”
“A bonded Quad,” I whisper, and the word gives me chills.
Sabina inhales sharply.
“No,” she murmurs. “Bonded Quads are practically legends. One hasn't formed in centuries.”
“Exactly,” I respond. “And yet, don't you think it's too much of a coincidence that Kaelisar brought together precisely an air elemental, a fire elemental, an earth elemental, and a water elemental? The four fundamental elements?”
Althea curses in her native language, a guttural sound that makes the lights flicker.
“That son of a bitch,” she growls. “He's trying to create a Quad to control it. With that power, he could...”
“He could reclaim his throne and much more,” I complete for her. “A truly united Quad could challenge even the current Fae king.”
“But he can't force a bond like that,” Sabina protests. “It has to emerge naturally. It's something... well, you know, it's something intimate.”
I feel a slight blush spreading across my cheeks as I hear her words. Bonded Quads aren't simple power alliances; they're deep unions, both emotional and... physical. Sabina's right. A Quad can't be forced. And there's something that unsettles me: I don't know if what I felt with Nell was Kaelisar's manipulation or something real.
And worst of all, part of me wants it to be real.
I touch the pouch of earth on my belt, but tonight, not even that calms me.
“You've got to be kidding me, elf,” Althea scoffs, making small sparks fly from her fingers. “Are you saying he expects the four of us to... fall in love or something? To end up in bed?”
“It's not like we've never done it,” Sabina sighs, giving me a wink I choose to ignore.
No one says anything more. The idea is too invasive. And the worst part is that, no matter how much I try to denyit, there's something about Nell that attracts me in a way I can't explain. She's so different from the elf women I grew up with, so direct, so full of life, so... human and yet so evidently Fae.
“We should rest,” I propose. “Tomorrow we'll think more clearly.”
But that night, sleep is slow to come. In my mind, the image of Nell repeats over and over, not always clothed. I think about her blonde hair, short and rebellious, her quick movements, like a sparrow's, and those eyes that drive me crazy without being able to help it. Elves are supposed to be able to control our feelings... and yet...
**
The next morning, I head to the coffee shop where, according to Kaelisar, Nell usually has breakfast. I prefer not to inform Althea and Sabina about this. I need to assess the situation myself before deciding our next steps.
When I enter, I see her. She's sitting by the window, bent over the book I gave her last night. The way she sticks her tongue out slightly while concentrating pulls a silly smile from me. Making sure my hair completely covers my ears, I push through the door.
The coffee smell is too intense for an elf's sense of smell. I move between tables, trying to make my movements somewhat clumsier than normal to pass as human, though no one seems to pay attention.
“Good morning, can I sit with you?” I ask, pointing to the chair next to her.
Nell looks up, surprised. Sometimes I forget that elves don't make noise when we walk.
“Shit, you just scared the hell out of me!” she exclaims, slamming the book shut. “Are you following me?”
“Good morning,” I repeat calmly, ignoring her comment. “I see you're studying.”
“Trying to study,” she grumbles. “Sit down if you want, but explain what the hell you're doing here and, more importantly, how you knew you'd find me in this place. I like how you hid the ears, by the way. Now you look like a Russian model or something.”
I slide into the seat with a movement that's too agile. I can't get used to replicating humans' clumsy movements. The chair doesn't even creak when I sit.
“How the hell do you do that?” she asks, raising her eyebrows. “It's like you don't have bones.”
