The Source (Chronicles of the Elements #1)

Chapter 12

Liam

    He watched Aiden walk toward the Valkyrie wing that she had quickly come to love evidenced by her beautiful face that had been full of light and joy when she came into their room last night. 

Their room. 

Liam did not think he had ever thought or said those two words together like that in his entire life. Every relationship he had ever been in was about a good fuck and maybe enjoying each others company beyond the bedchamber every now and then, but Aiden was different. 

"Be careful, old friend. She might just be stealing your heart."

He mentally scolded himself for not hearing Nuada approach and looked over to see the smug expression that he knew would be there. "She does not have to steal anything that I will freely give her."

"I suspected that was the case. How did she fair with the Valkyries?"

"She returned full of excitement and ready to return to them today."

"Aine informed me that Aiden is skilled beyond her original thoughts. She was impressed, and you know Aine well enough to realize what a fete impressing her can be." They both laughed and headed for the study. Nuada had met again with the others before the sun arose, and Liam knew there would be more information to discuss and plans to amend. 

"Well?" he asked impatiently as Nuada shut the door and wrapped the room in magic.

"The deception in our kingdoms is still a sore subject for us all, but everyone seems to have dealt with it for the time being. Manannan Mac Lir had some new information that Mairead was able to extract from one of the traitors revealing that Olc has been sowing seeds of discord for far longer than we believed. His followers were all manner of nobles, warriors, and lesser Fae who were all promised places of nobility in Siog Riocht when he rules the entirety of the human realm with Aiden by his side. He is convinced that he can make her see how dangerous we all are. Little will she know that he plans on enslaving the humans to his will, but the more concerning issue is his plan to bed her creating a child of her pure power and the forbidden magic."

"Over my dead fucking body! He will not touch her while I live and breath!"

"We are all agreed on that, Liam. Calm down."

Calm down? His blood was boiling.  If any other male tried to touch her strong, beautiful body let alone sticking his cock inside of her...

"Liam! Snap out of it!"

"Apologies, Nuada," he huffed taking a seat to try and pull himself together.

"Unfortunately, that is not all. What I am about to tell you is apparently going to be difficult, but you know me well enough to know that I would not be false."

"What is going on?"

"Danu is planning something with Brigid and Manannan. I do not have specifics, but I know that it involves conquering other realms for power and using Siog Riocht and Aiden to do so. She told you to make sure Aiden was undeniably loyal to the realm did she not?"

"She did."

"You do not seem surprised by this news. I thought given your relationship with her and Brigid that you would refuse to believe that they would do anything nefarious."

"I knew that they wanted to use Aiden as a weapon as soon as Danu assigned me as her trainer. I did not care why at first and followed orders as usual, but when I began to care for Aiden and saw fire Fae starting to hunt her talking of Olc and his delusions, I knew it was something more. Both females talk too much in the throws of passion, and I remembered that Brigid let it slip a few months back that Danu had plans for she and I to gain power and dominion over large territories. My father was killed in a war with another realm. My warriors were killed in a suicide mission that Danu sent us on that I barely escaped. Whatever this war is that she wants to start, I will not fight it for her if it involves Aiden being harmed or used in any way. She means a lot to me, Nuada."