All Things Wild and Beautiful

14. Nonexistant Claims

For the first time in a week, Fenrys did not accompany Nascha to the Bane's camp. He dropped her off and returned to Orynth to attend to some duties. Nascha couldn't help but feel relieved. It was nice to finally have some time away from him.

She had made some progress in the days that had passed since her first time in the camp. Elgan had sorted her into a group of warriors with similar skill levels. Aeron was among them. She spent a lot of time training with the male and found his company to be far more appealing than Fenrys'. They were quickly developing a small friendship.

To her surprise, Vaughan was in the camp now. He oversaw the combat training of her group. Part of her wondered if he'd been placed in charge of the group to keep an eye on her, but she was refusing to be bothered by it. He was better than Fenrys, Lorcan, Aedion, or Rowan. When she practiced her magic, she was taken outside of the camp and placed under Vaughan's supervision. Nascha obeyed his instructions until the session was over and returned to the camp.

Nascha found herself enjoying the training more than she thought she would but there was one thing that bothered her. The males seemed hesitant to speak to her. She could understand why the Humans would be. Most of them watched her with obvious distrust. However, Nascha had seen several Fae and Demi-Fae eyeing her in a very familiar and flirtatious way. When she went to speak to them, those looks soon faded and they hurried away.

Aeron was among those males, though he was less hesitant now than he had been before. Nascha sat on the fence rail beside him, watching a few of their companions spar. "She should roll between his legs," Nascha remarked. "His stance is wide, giving her the perfect opportunity to."

"Elgan has told her that several times, but she's afraid she'll break her own neck if she tries," Aeron answered.

"Not if she does it right."

"I have yet to see someone do it wrong." Aeron tilted his head, a lazy grin on his face. "Where's Fenrys today?"

"He had some duties to attend to thankfully."

"Unfortunately," Aeron corrected.

"Unfortunately?" Nascha arched an eyebrow.

Aeron nodded. "I like to look at him."

"I'm sick of looking at him."

"Want to trade places?"

"You have no idea," Nascha sighed. "Just so you know, he only has one bed and doesn't believe in wearing clothes at night."

Aeron threw his head back with a laugh. "And you're complaining?"

"I don't have the same appreciation for him as you do."

"I see." Aeron elbowed her and grinned. "If it makes you feel any better, I have an appreciation for you too. If you ever need someone to serve as a middle man..."

"By all means." Nascha glanced around and found a few males watching her and Aeron with obvious jealousy. She waved and they ducked their heads at once. She gave a frustrated hiss.

"What?" Aeron asked.

"Why do they all ignore me when I finally notice them? Are they just pretending to be interested?"

"No, they're actually interested in you."

Nascha faced him. "Then why do they act this way?"

Aeron offered her a sympathetic smile. "Most of them think Fenrys has a claim on you, and everyone knows how foolish it would be to challenge him."