Des'Tai: Book Two

12: Tyron

Yes, Faye was most definitely going to be the death of me. No doubt there, at all.

We'd only been sat at the table ten minutes and already my nerves were shot. I'd had to watch her sashay her way around the bedroom, purposely trying to entice me – hell, the sight of her in nothing but her black lacy underwear was still imprinted in my brain. No amount of cold showers could help me with that one.

And black for Goddess sake! I remember her telling me once what the colour made her think of. Faye was testing me and I was on the verge of losing.

Aja and Rayne were whispering something to each other, poor Rune trapped between them, his eyes at risk of falling out of his head if he rolled them one more time. While Aja was pale, tall and thin, Rayne was her opposite. The female was shorter, maybe the same height as Faye was, and curvier, her skin dark and her hair wild with untamed ebony curls. They both looked younger, maybe no older than nineteen or twenty.

Suddenly Faye stood up, her hands bracing on the table and her attention set on the two women. I reached out to touch her arm when she abruptly moved away, her attention focused at her other side.

That's when everything seemed to happen in slow motion. One minute, Faye was sat beside me, happily feeling me up beneath the table, the next she was wrapped up in the arms of a tall, uniform clad male, her arms locked around his neck while his circled her waist, gripping her to his chest tightly.

At the sound of her light laugh, white hot anger burst through me, swamping over me in a tidal wave of nothing but pure emotion. I'd never felt anything like it.

The words were falling out of my mouth before I knew I was speaking. "Put. Her. Down. And get your hands off my mate."

The whole room dropped into a tense silence.

"Ahh shit," I heard Rune push up from his chair. "Nero, drop her!" He hissed.

I too, was on my feet now, one hand braced on the back of my chair. No other man should be touching her like Nero was now, crushing her so tightly to him they were close enough to kiss. Especially not tonight! I was already a wound up mess.

And I had no idea what his intentions with her were.

And we were unbound.

Which meant she could still decide not to accept me. Faye could still be with other men.

Looking down, I noticed her feet weren't even touching the ground.

Nero eyed me cautiously, his body straightening, on guard, but he didn't release his hold on Faye; instead he stepped back, putting more space between us. "I think you need to calm yourself down a tad. I won't be lettin' anyone hurt this little lady."

I pushed the chair away, my teeth clenched together hard. "What?"

Ambiguously I caught Rune from the corner of my eye reach across the table and slip my dinner knife away. Nero caught the movement too and in a blink of an eye he'd spun Faye behind him, placing himself between us.

She pushed at his back in protest. "Nero, no. Ty would never -"

Artemis had moved in, watching us closely.

"Get your hands off her. Now," My voice didn't sound like it was coming from me anymore, but some deep primal part, buried down deep. This idiot thought he was protecting my mate from me?

"How about we all take a minute and sit down?" Rune appeared at my side, his hands held up in a gesture of surrender. "Nero, this is Tyron – Faye's mate. No one is going to hurt anyone, so why don't we all breathe and sing a happy song?"

Faye needed to step the hell away from the tall, flame-haired elf fast. Watching her being protected and guarded from me by another male was like a blade to the gut. I held my hand out to her, my fingers uncurling in a silent invitation.

She was peering at me from behind Nero's shoulder but as soon as I reached my hand out, she moved and stepped out. I instantly felt my shoulders slacken, the tightness in my stomach subsiding – but the anger I had for the Watcher had the fingers in my free hand tightening in to a fist.

The slight movement didn't go unseen by him and before Faye got more than a few steps away from him he grabbed at her arm and lurched her back. To everyone in the room, Faye appeared to be just another elf, strong enough to withstand something as simple as tug; but Faye wasn't elven, she was human and the small movement flung her back, making her stagger and fall to the floor, a surprised cry escaping her lips.

I'd always been fast and tonight was no exception.

Nero saw me move, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of the blade resting at his hip; but I was too quick and on him before he could do anything about it. Disarming him was easy; he never knew what was happening when I locked his arm behind his back and slammed the side of his face against the white table top, the glasses and cutlery clanging at the impact.

"When I tell you to get your fucking hands off my mate, you do it."

Rune let out an impressed whistle, while Luna murmured a faint, "I see where the high marks in his class came from."

I dropped my hold on Nero and turned in time to see Senna helping Faye up, her silver brows creased in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Faye, baby, are you alright?" My heart was pounding as I took her in, checking for any scuffs or scraps. Nothing, thankfully.

"How about I make us some tea?" Senna offered. "Tea always helps."

"Quite right," Luna agreed. "Senna, won't you be a gem and take Tyron and Faye into the kitchen? We'll sort things out here."

Nero straightened, his hand rubbing at his arm. "I'm so sorry, Faye. I didn't mean to hurt you."

I opened my mouth to reply when Rune shushed me, crackling his knuckles against his open palm. "I got this, just go."

We were barely through the wide open archway leading into the kitchen when I heard Willa say, "Nothing like a bit of dinnertime entertainment, is there?"

Senna made light work on mixing the ingredients into a pot and then poured a cup out for each of us, placing them onto the counter and bowing her head in farewell. I think she knew what was coming, making her getaway before it began.

I was still angry, even if Faye's fall had diminished the biggest part of it. "Why did you do that?" I asked her, leaning back against the counter, my arms folded across my chest.

"Do what? Fall on my ass? Yeah, that wasn't intentional, Tyron." My full name, mixed with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. How would you like it, huh? How about I just go out there and open my arms for Aja," Who clearly had a crush on me and Faye knew it. "And press that fine body of hers up agains-"

"Shut. Up."

"You know, there's still a chance you could sleep with him if you wanted to. We're not bond yet, there's nothing stopping you."

"Same to you!" She snapped back, her gaze blazing at me. "If you haven't already. Go on, go fuck little miss pixie cut out there and see if I care!"

"Don't be brainless, Faye! If you don't know this by now then you never will – I don't want to sleep with anyone other than you!"

"Yeah, well, neither do I!"

"Fine."

"Fine!"

I could feel my heartbeat pounding through my shirt as I crossed the room to her, my hands cupping her face and fingers lacing into her hair a second before my mouth met hers. I tried to show her how I felt through the kiss; my anger, jealously, concern and a dash of pent up lust.

You can re-join us when you're ready, Mr Thorn.

Luna's voice filtered through my mind, bringing our kiss to a premature end.

And do behave this time.