Their Fireheart

Chapter Seventeen

With gentle eyes and a soft tone, she urged me, "I understand the fear of rejection, Aelin, I really do. But I think you should give them a chance. At least tell them what the Bone Carver said. Even if they don't want to pursue your connection, it will be better to know for sure."

I nodded absentmindedly, she did have a point. Half the reason I was hidden away was because I had no idea what there reactions would be. Hell - fae males were known to be territorial so there was a good chance they would try to kill each other if they found out there were four of them. But my relationship, or non-existent relationship issues were not a priority right now.

"I'll think about it. I need to get through this High Lords meeting first, but I promise you I will figure out how to tell them," I swore.

She nodded and pat my hand comfortingly, conjuring some sweets and I went back to reading in preparation for the High Lords meeting. At least there was something productive I could be doing. I was beyond thankful for her in that moment.

I just needed a brief respite. A short amount of time to focus on a singular problem without the rest of my life going to shit along with it. Those moments were few and far between.

Rowan

I was pacing around the living area of the House of Wind, alongside the males from the Inner Circle as we anxiously awaited Mor's return from the library. We had all noticed the change in Aelin following her meeting with the Bone Carver. She had withdrawn further into herself, and strangely, the little adventure with Cassian had been a bright spot. Sure, I was furious that she had put herself in unnecessary danger without letting anyone else know, but she had seemed more like her usual mischievous self.

Afterwards, though, she completely shut herself off from everyone else except for Mor. It pained me to say it, but over the past several days I had actually found solace with the other males. It was painfully clear that she was studiously avoiding all of them - and they had no idea why.

Even when Rhysand and Cassian had admitted to kissing her - a fact that made Rowan want to throttle them - they couldn't determine if that was why she was shutting them out so completely. Rowan had even reluctantly shared the time he had bitten her during training. That had been much more invasive than a simple kiss and she had responded fiercely and boldly. It didn't make any sense that two short kisses would make Aelin run and hide, it seemly wasn't in her nature.

Eventually, we all grew desperate enough to beg Mor to figure out what was wrong with her, and now we were all anxiously awaiting what she could tell us. As the time dragged on, I felt myself grow more and more agitated. I snarled at the other males, "I swear to the gods, if she shut herself down because you two bastards kissed her, I'll rip your rutting throats out."

Cassian growled back, "For all we know, she could have figured out that you think you're her mate and decided to hide away instead of facing that miserable reality. Shut your mouth before I shut it for you."

A soft clearing of a throat stole our attention from our brewing fight, and we all jerked our heads towards the doorway, where Mor was standing. Censure was clear in her gaze, but I couldn't summon an ounce of shame. My entire being was focused on what information she had gleaned from Aelin.

The other males were similarly focused, and Rhysand jolted forward, uttering out, "Well? What did you learn?"

Mor seemed hesitant, and I was instantly on edge. Just how bad was this? Thankfully, Mor finally spoke, "She is fine. She is not in any kind of danger. She just... she needs a breather. The Bone Carver told her something and she needs time to come to terms with it." She raised her hand, as if anticipating the barrage of questions that we were begging to let loose. What could the Carver have told her the had this big of an impact? Why did it take so long to affect her in this way? Mor continued, "I cannot tell you anything else except...give her time." She turned censure filled eyes towards me and said, "She has had enough rejection and pain in her short life, and she isn't sure if she can handle any more. I beg of you all to be cognizant of that. She will talk to you all after the High Lords meeting."