Des'Tai: Book Two

163: Tyron

When I walked into the kitchen just after eight, the last thing I expected to see was Eva sat beside Faye at the breakfast bar. Senna was stood at the island, mixing batter in a bowl, her gaze transfixed onto the two women while Blaise stood at the cooker, flipping pancakes as he whistled a low tune.

I paused in the doorway, mid-yawn. Senna spotted me first, relief evidently flooded through her. "Morning, Ty! How about some freshly made pancakes? Faye's favourite this morning."

I rubbed sleepily at the back of my neck. "Strawberry?"

"Mhmm, take a seat. The next batch is nearly done, right Blaise?" She glanced over her shoulder to the newest Watcher. He raised the spatula in reply.

As I walked to the stool at the end of the counter, just beside my Mate, I tried to remain as blasé as possible – like a murderous redhead that was sent to kill her last year wasn't eating fucking pancakes with her.

I nudged at her hand that was resting on the table top. "Morning, love. How was the session with Sybil?"

Faye was sat there like she had a rod stuffed up her top, her back straight and rigid, her face was pale – I could both hear and feel the speed her heart was pounding. Her tattooed hand opened slowly and I sunk my fingers between hers, a wave of nervousness and anxiety flowed over me and I knew it was coming from her.

"It was good," She said stiffly.

Blaise appeared beside me. "Fresh off the stove, Tyron."

I gazed down at the small pile of strawberry pancakes, their fresh, heavenly smell making my mouth water. "Cheers, bud. Helping Senna out I see?"

"I've always had a fondness for cooking, and Senna has been kind enough to offer me a few culinary lessons here or there."

Senna offered him a warm smile. "I've never met a man so eager to learn the ways of a kitchen before. If I didn't have Nero, you'd be fighting me off with that specula, Blaise!"

A glimpse of the cocky elf we'd seen at the Trails appeared, a swooping grin tugging at one corner of his lips. "Oh, I would not be fighting you off, sweet Senna."

I chuckled to myself; my thoughts firmly on how Nero would react if he heard Blaise and Senna harmlessly flirting with each other. He'd either burst into song, or throw the Watcher through the kitchen window – or both.

Just then, I felt someone watching me. I looked up and find Eva's sharp green gaze was locked onto me, watching me closely from beside my quiet Faye. I offered her a small smile. "Hi, you must be Aja's kieran. Eva, right?"

She placed her tea onto the table top. "I am and you must be Tyron, I assume? My marwen has told me much about you."

As I opened my mouth to answer her, the kitchen doors burst open and Aja came swanning in, a noticeable spring in her step. Her gaze caught her kieran, if only for a second, before she noticed I was sat there too. Her whole face lit up light a light bulb. "Oh, Eva, you've met Ty!"

Eva regarded Aja closely, picking up her mug once more as the younger elf bound up beside me, one hand latched into the sleeve of my uniform, while the other arm wrapped around my neck loosely. "Isn't he gorgeous? Ty's my favourite."

Faye's annoyance spiked beside me; but Aja knew as well as I did that she wasn't going to react like she normally would, not with Eva sat there. Aja's smug smile only grew bigger. She thought as long as her big kieran was present, she could do and say what she liked, with no worries of anyone retaliating.

Eva's emerald eyes narrowed. "He's Mated, Aja. Remove your hand from him; it isn't proper."

I looked up, stunned into silence. Faye looked at me, her brows raised.

Aja's fingers tightened against my arm, but the smug stuffing had been knocked out of her. "It's not like they're married yet..."

"That doesn't matter and you know it. Do they have Mating Marks?"

Her gaze flickered down to our joined, tattooed hands. "I don't know. My Ty has tattoos."

'Her Ty?!' Faye fumed through our link. I cringed, and debated whether or not I could make a quick getaway before this got any worse.

Eva grimaced slightly at Aja. "He is not yours. I believe he is Faye's Mate and as such, you should show a little more respect in front of her. I would have broken your arm if you'd done such a thing to me."

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to shake Aja free of me, but she wasn't letting go. Instead, she frowned towards her kieran. "You're supposed to be on my side, not hers!" Aja shifted her burning glare onto Faye. "Everyone takes her side all the time. She doesn't deserve to do his Mate – he's in a completely different league to that ugly, little troll!"

Catching at Aja's arm, I quickly tossed it off my shoulders. "Careful, Aja." I warned her. I didn't give a shit what Eva would say or do; I wasn't afraid of her, especially not in my own home.

The young elf stepped back and stomped her foot against the stone floor. "If I wanted you, I could just take you and there's nothing that thing could do about it." Then she pointed one finger in Faye's direction and laughed. "I see you're trying to make yourself look sexier. Don't bother, because that's impossible!"

"AJA!"

Eva's shout rang through the kitchen, echoing off the walls with a level of authority I'd only witnessed in Seran. She pushed her stool back and darted around the counter to catch Aja's arm in her hand, tugging her younger kieran towards her forcefully. "I'd heard from darwen that you were doing this but I didn't want to believe it! You bring shame on yourself and our family by trying to chase a Mated male. Do you know what a taboo that is?!"

Aja looked up at Eva determinedly. "You can't treat me like a child anymore. I can do as I please."

"Then stop acting like one. I have never witnessed such unadulterated disrespect before in my life and I live in Seran for Goddess sake! Tyron belongs to Faye, not you and that's not about to change."

Aja glared at Eva for a long, drawn out minute, then shoving her kieran out of her way, she stormed from the kitchen as quickly as she'd entered it. Eva stared behind her for a few seconds before turning back to us. "Please accept my deepest apologies for her behaviour and be assured it will never happen again. I will make sure of it."

When she left to follow behind Aja, an eerie silence filled the kitchen. All four of us were still, staring after the arguing pair, whose voices we could still hear as they walked through the hallways.

"What just happened?" Blaise asked.

"I think Aja just got told off..." Senna mused, blinking as she shook her head. "I've never seen anyone shut her up as quickly as that before."

"That was weird," I said and turned to Faye, squeezing at her hand. "I'm guessing she was at Sybil's session with you this morning?"

Faye nodded. "And I accidently invited her to breakfast with me."

I frowned. "Goddess, are you...friends?!"

"No!" She exclaimed. "Don't be ridiculous. By the way...is it taboo?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, it is," Senna pipped up, understanding Faye's question better than I did. "No-one should be going after a Mated elf, male or female. I've always said that you and Ty go way too easy on her. All she did was kiss Nero, before we even knew we were Mates, and I wanted to rip her face off."