My Mate Can't be a Bird! (I swear I'm not into that kind of stuff)

16: Mates are friends, not punching bags

Summary: After domestically abusing—um I mean training Aelin with his ice powers, Rowan's dropped her off at the kitchen, where she meets Malakai. 

Celaena

When your mate attempts to freeze you to death, you may be shocked. However, Celaena was not. She had been quite the rude and atrocious person to Rowan, and of course, the bastard was awful to her as well. A match made in heaven. If she ever got her fire powers, she'd love to burn him to death. 

And punch his face.

Break his nose. 

Send him crying back like a little bitch to his Aunt. 

Ruminating on these thoughts over and over brought Celaena savage pleasure. And it took a while, an embarrassingly long while, really, but finally, she also stopped shivering. 

She had experienced an entire winter on top of Mistward's already cold climate, and now she was at a normal, human temperature once more. Her head still pounded from her injuries, a cut on her temple and bruises all over, but there wasn't much to do about those. The bruises on her face might scar, but hopefully if she took enough care, they might not. 

Celaena stretched her still-aching muscles and slowly rose up from her warm chair. Emerys turned from his cooking as fast as a trained assassin.

"Absolutely not," he said, concern in his eyes.

It was irritating. "I've had worse."

"Just because you've stopped looking like a corpse doesn't mean you're ready to get back to work," he fussed, "you'll catch a nasty cold at this rate! Sit back down, Elentiya, and I'll have Luca come in and bring the potatoes over here."

What was up with these people, and why did they act this way? She already told them she'd stay out of their way, but now they were here, fussing and controlling her every action. 

Loud footsteps and chattering brought to attention Luca's entrance. 

"He actually lent me a knife!" Luca was saying, "A knife, can you believe that—Rutting hell!" Luca swore and stopped at the doorway to stare at Celaena's bruised face. 

"It looks worse than it feels," Celaena told him. That was a blatant lie, because enery inch of her hurt like hell, but Luca's face was just too irritating. 

"I've got some salve in my..." Luca trailed off.

"It's none of your business."

Sensing the tension, Emrys stepped in and motioned with his ladle towards the boy, who eagerly pushed a smaller table laden with potatoes towards her.

"Elentiya—" he pointed it ladle at her, "No washing duties for you for the entire week. I've changed things up, and you shall only peel vegetables and the like."

"And if you're wondering how you can help out in the meantime," Luca piped up, having found some courage again, "you can help by not catching pneumonia."

She sent him a dirty look.

Luca laughed nervously. "I mean, if you were sick, we'd have to be out of a scullery maid for ever! It's better to skip a few days, right?" 

She stared into Luca's soul until he felt uncomfortable and looked away. 

The, feeling rather like a little child, Celaena went to work on peeling the potatoes.

Just as she found a little rythm in the motonoy of it all, a low whistle caught her attention and she looked up to see a guard, an older one, nod at her. "Nasty case of hypothermia, and the bruises eh? Who threw you off a cliff?"

Celaena shrugged. 

"Malakai!" Emrya exclaimed, kissing the male's cheek, "Leave her be."

Emrys looked apologetically at Celaena, "These fae males are a little to overprotective sometimes. Meet my mate, Malakai. He won't be bothering you, isn't that right?" He gave his mate a stern look; a warning to behave. 

Malakai gave her a nod. She nodded back. 

"Rowan doesn't pull his punches, does he?" He cocked his head. "You want the marks to stay or something? That why you don't use a healing salve?" 

What the hell did that mean? Did he think she was some kind of...s*xual freak? Celaena did not know what to reply to that sort of strange statement. Which was why she was now staring at Malakai's eyes, as he stared into hers. 

Two tigers, locked in a staring match.

Finally, Malakai sighed, and said, "Don't be causing trouble for my mate, he's already got enough to deal with." 

What was up with all the overprotective fae males? 

"I won't."

"Good." He gave her one last suspicious look and left. 

Rowan

He sighed internally as he dove slowly and alighted on the kitchen window. Rowan had wished to remain in bed and sleep early. But the bond had felt her suffering and he had no choice but to growl, take flight, and perch near her.

He couldn't hit her, so he had made her suffer through his magic. But soon enough, it seemed his magic wouldn't cooperate either. What then?

As if in response to his thoughts, Aelin moved to sit gingerly, minding her bruises, and he clenched his beak as another wave of protectiveness rolled over him. Throughout the day, Aelin had been dodging his ice and freezing in his snow. Now, his bond made him restless until he did something. He wouldn't give in now.

Emyrys now cleared his throat as the demi-fae finished up dinner. He began his nightly stories, this one of some terrible Wendlyn monster as usual. Aelin moved some stay hairs from her eyes, and winced as she accidentally brushed against a cut. And Rowan could not help but growl as several young males cast protective looks at her. 

He knew that many of them wished to court her, but stayed away due to her threatening aura.

It was clear to any male that Aelin did not wish for company. Rowan could even scent another male on her. However, the bond could not be reasoned with. It paid no heed to what he or Aelin wanted, it merely wished for them both to be together.

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A/N: My mental health is not doing so well ;-; Sorry for the short chapter.