'Then don't choose.'
The words floated around in Elora's mind as she readied herself for bed that night. Surely, there was only one way to interpret the statement, but thinking too far into it would only cause her to conjure up scenarios that would keep her awake all night. Although, it was definitely something she needed to consider. She never expected the suggestion to come from Leif.
She hoped she would wake up with a revelation about how exactly she could make the love triangle that she was currently in the middle of work without choosing, but no such luck. She woke up in a cold sweat, from a particularly vivid dream where she definitely didn't choose.
Elora made her way downstairs to the kitchen for coffee, hoping that she wouldn't bump into either of the men in her life along the way. But she found Lex in the kitchen, typing away at something on his laptop. He looked deep in thought, so it must be work.
"Morning." Elora's voice was heavy with sleep as she spoke.
Lex tore his attention from the computer screen, being painfully obvious as he gave Elora a once-over. "Morning, gorgeous. Sleep well?"
"Uh, yeah. Great," she wasn't going to bother opening the can of worms that was her X-rated dream, something that she'd never experienced before meeting Leif and Lex. "What are you working on?" Elora took a seat next to Lex, steaming mug of coffee in hand.
"Just work stuff." Clearly, Lex knew that elaborating would only confuse Elora. She wasn't quite sure what it was that he actually did for a living. She knew he worked with computers, but that was about it.
He worked remotely most of the time, meaning he was around the house nearly everyday. But on the rare occasion that he went into the office, Elora always noticed. He would come downstairs dressed in a crisp button-down dress shirt, pants neatly pressed and starched. It was a welcome change from the casual clothes he would normally be seen in.
But, the real sight for sore eyes was after work, when his sleeves were rolled up and his tie was loosened. That left Elora speechless and filled with desire each time.
"So, what exactly do you do for work?" She peered over at his laptop screen, which was covered in numbers that she determined to be code.
"Basically, boring computer stuff. Lots of coding and things like that."
"That doesn't sound boring." Elora responded, watching as he continued with the work that seemed like a foreign language to her.
"No?" His attention was on her again. "You know, we're always looking for administrative help. Talking with clients, answering e-mails, etcetera. I could put in a good word with the boss," he winked. Elora remembered him mentioning that he was in some sort of management role, meaning she'd likely be a shoe-in for whatever position was open, even with her lack of experience.
Although Elora wished for a career where she could be surrounded by books, she knew she needed to do something apart from moping around the house, reading trashy rom-coms or books she found lying around.
"Yeah? I guess it would be nice if I made myself useful around here, huh?" She quirked an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging the corners of her full lips.
"About time," Lex teased back, his large hand finding her knee and giving a gentle squeeze. It was a simple, friendly gesture but Elora shivered at his touch.
"You've never talked to me about your job before." She said, trying to distract herself.
"You've never asked. Besides, we've had a lot going on haven't you pretty girl, hmm?" he placed both hands back on the keyboard, pinning his eyes to the screen. He couldn't look at her right now, not when something so simple as a hand on her knee had him considering taking her right here on the table.
"We?"
"Yes, we, us. Me, you, dickhead." Elora chuckled.
"Where do you think Ivar ran off too?" She blurted out.
Nobody had been able to find the man after Leif's flames burned The Lily to the ground. A Lot of innocent lives had been lost, and Leif beat himself up for that everyday, the guilt eating at him.
Elora didn't blame him. Lex didn't blame him. Not even Sunny or Arrow found blame with Leif for anything his flames had done to that horrible place and well, quite frankly, Leif was glad to see the place his brother was killed in burnt, broken pieces.
Though Lex didn't blame him, there was a small fraction of him filled with worry. Leif had been strange in the last few months following, all three of them understood, afterall, they all went through it together but...
Lex wasn't okay with the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"About that..." Lex typed away, his fingers working fast at the keys, before he turned the laptop to face her.
FROM A.P
SUBJECT: ....
Long time since I spoke to you my friend, or friends, whomever see's this but I can only assume that would be you, Alexander is it?
What a shame we never got a chance to get to know one another huh? I mean, I guess it was a bit hard–ha, hard, not a single one of us had a chance to sit down for a whiskey or ten–ah, bad joke, I'm sorry to hear about Little Lor, Mr Asshole informed me of the situation back home and I'm glad you guys abducted her back to your place.
ANYWAY, I need to make this fast, I don't like it when Sunny gets annoyed with me, she gets mean, you know?!
A few of Kiera's crew have disappeared, including Erik Jameson, the fae male that assisted us in the great showdown at the lab–sorry. Kiera had to relocate the team. It seems Ivar's been very busy in the last three months.
Two of our crew members discovered a secret underground lab just three hour's outside of Fairgraves about two months ago now. We've been keeping an eye on anyone going in and out but they know they're being watched. Ivar Sidbrooke was spotted leaving the premises around 3pm yesterday afternoon with Bunny Yenfell –I'm so sorry E, we think she's working with them of her own free will.
We've attached photographs, coordinates, numbers...information on the whereabouts of two other buildings associated with Sidbrooke etc anything you might need Alexander. Leif. Elora. I am so sorry it has come to this, but we may need your help...this involves you guys as much as it does us, I didn't want to ask for your help, what with Cale gone and Rosalie...awol. But Sunflower said I had to ask. What she wants, she gets, you get me brother?
I Miss you Elora. Stop it with the alcohol, I can't lose you too.
A.P
"What the fuck?" Elora grabbed Lex's hand in hers across the table, panic in her expression.
"You've been in contact this entire time?!"
"Leif mostly, yes. He wanted to try and bring Rosalie home but nobody has any information on her whereabouts. And then we needed to keep a conversation going back and forth as often as possible for moments just like this, we don't know where Ivar went after–"
"This email is four days old Lex. Four days. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry. Wipe that frown off your face. I can think of better things to do with that mouth of yours than frowning." Elora's cheeks burned red with the images that followed.
"That's it baby, though you might have to part those pretty lips some more." Lex winked, Elora clamped her mouth shut.
"Excuse me." Elora shoved away from the table, deciding she needed to take a shower before dealing with Lex and his sex brain.
The sound of Lex's deep chuckling followed her all the way to the shower.
***
Later on that day, Elora sat beside Lex with the book 'beneath the stars' in her freshly painted fingertips. She tapped a baby blue fingernail against the cover.
"I can't believe it." She spoke to nobody in particular.
"Believe what, beautiful?"
"This, this fucking book its breaking my heart Lex. Why do you have such painful books in your possession? It should be a crime to kill off the main characters."
Lex leaned around to get a glimpse at the book, a signature smirk playing on his lips as he said. "That's one of my favourite pretty girl. When did you get your hands on my bookshelves?" not that he minded at all.
A stray tear slid down her face.
"It's so sad..." she sobbed.
"I know, baby girl. It made me cry too." His attention returned to the screen in front of him.
"It did?" she looked at him with a soft smile.
"I..." she closed the last page, placing the book on the counter.
"I don't think I'll ever recover from that." She referred to the book, her emotions all over the place.
"A sucker for tragic romance, are we baby?" there was a playfulness in his tone.
"That fucking sucks. I mean, I know they were both sick but why couldn't the author just give them a happily ever after, they deserved that much after all they went through." Elora sighed, wiping the tears away.
Lex watched her closely, taking in just how hard this book had affected her. He closed the laptop screen. "Happily ever after is overrated if you ask me. I think Gwen and Eddie had a good run together, they were sick but it never once stopped them from loving each other and in the end, they were happy. We all die in the end Elora. That's the beauty of life, live it doing what you want. It's a good book, right?" he took her hand in his, his eyes never leaving hers and he grabbed the front of the chair and yanked her right to him, the feet screeching across the floor.
She stumbled forward, taken aback by the sudden movement.
"Are we still talking about the book?" she asked quietly.
"Would you like to come and work for me?" he asked, ignoring her question.
"I know there's no chance in hell you or Leif will let me go back to the library. I think Mauve already gave my job away anyway, I suppose that's what happens when you vanish for months. I need cash, so sure, why not?"
"You don't have to actually go in, you know. You can just work in my home office with me, if you like. My personal assistant and all...will you wear the blazer and pencil skirt for me?" his tongue darted out across his bottom lips, he was imagining her in a black skirt suit, bent over his desk at the firm.
"Stop flirting with me Lex." She went to back away from him, when he grabbed her by the waist and placed her into his lap, his hands resting on the skin of her hips beneath her t-shirt.
"I can't." He buried his face in her shoulder, inhaling the honeysuckle shower gel lingering on her skin from her shower earlier.
"Lex, seriously. Don't play with me, not after–" he moved his head quickly, cutting her off with the most gentle kiss.
"Still want me to stop?" she shook her head, muttering a no against his lips. She didn't ever want him to stop giving her his attention, especially this type of attention and she felt so guilty for it.
"Leif is so pissed at me." Lex whispered, leaning his forehead against hers, his hands massaging her waist.
'So don't choose'
Leif's words echoed. She gave into her want, reaching a hand behind him and running her fingers through his hair. "I like you." She confessed what he already knew.
"I know. We're in a bit of a mess here aren't we?" he brushed her cheek with the back of his finger, his other hand moving further and further up her leg. She was wearing a pair of black drawstring shorts.
"You're not wearing any underwear, how considerate of you." She watched his eyes light up at the realisation, but when he leaned in for a kiss, a loud bang startled the both of them. The front door opened with a thud against the wall.
Lex moved Elora out of the way, before reaching under the island and pulling out one of the dagger's he had taped to the underside.
"Since when do you hide weapons under the island?!"
"Since always–"
"Incoming!" Leif yelled with desperation, he staggered into the kitchen, his hair and clothing drenched in blood, several cuts on his face, holding his right arm.
Lex threw his dagger at whatever it was behind Leif, the thing let out a vicious snarl–but it didn't die, and Lex clicked on right away.
This was a hellhound, I wouldn't die unless it was set on fire and its head sliced from it's corpse, only then would it return to it's own realm.
"What did I tell you Leif!" Lex snarled, the hound was huge, its mouth wide open, drool dripping from the mouth full of razor sharp fangs.
"Use your fucking fire!" he yelled, desperately trying to keep the beast away from Elora, who was frozen in place, all colour drained from her face. She had never seen such a thing before and it scared her, frightened her to the point where the shock enabled her fight or flight response.
Leif growled. "I can't, he fucking bit me." FUCK.
"Baby girl, we gotta set this fucker on fire, do you hear me? We need fire." Lex tried to remain calm, feeling her fear as if it were his own.
Leif fell to the ground with a groan, the hellhound's venom already kicking in, hindering his ability to do anything at all by remaining still. This was what they did, their venom poisonous, it didn't matter that Leif was fae.
Elora forced herself to move, she yanked out every draw in the cabinets, tripping over her own feet as she tumbled from the bottom cabinets. She exhaled, relief flooding through her, she had found the bottle of whiskey in the back of the cabinet, she popped the cap, took off her shirt and dosed it in lighter fluid from the same cabinet beneath the sink. She stuffed her wet t-shirt into the top of the bottle with shaking hands.
"H-here!" Elora tossed it to Lex, who caught it with the tips of his fingers, he took a lighter from his pocket, lit the cloth and threw the entire thing at the hound as it was about to pounce for Leif, who was lying unconscious on the kitchen floor.
The hellhound went up in flames, it let out a haunting cry and dropped to its death. Lex teleported to the garden, coming back not even a second later with an axe, he used all his strength to hack at its neck, once, twice, three times, carrying on until the beast's head was away from its body.
"It's dead." Lex wiped the blood from his face with the sleeve of his t-shirt.
"I'm very sorry for what I'm about to do, but time is of the essence, we could solve our personal issue if we just let him die because this time it would be for good or–"
"Lex!" Elora threw her arms in the air, her anger loud and clear.
Lex grabbed Leif, and within an instant, both men were nowhere to be seen.
***
Elora had paced the house for what felt like hours upon end by the time Lex returned home. She ran straight into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. He held her tight. "I've got you baby."
"Is he okay?" She was desperate for confirmation. Lex gave it to her. "He will be fine." he tensed. Elora knew Lex was raging inside, but she wouldn't comment on it until she knew the truth behind whatever the hell had just happened.
"He's a fucking idiot. I warned him." Lex cursed.
"What's going on...?" She pulled away from him.
"Lex, please. No secrets."
"I didn't want to worry you. Leif's been working jobs again, it started out as simple bounties, but he's using his magic to channel his anger, he's getting careless with it. He's been seeking out work more often, the other night he pissed off an entire coven of vampires, I'm surprised he walked out of their den alive. Tonight, that hound was one of his hunts.He didn't do it for the money though pretty girl..."
"He's punishing himself." She realised. Lex swallowed, nodding his head.
"He put you in danger." his jaw was so tight it looked like his teeth were about to shatter.
"You kept this from me, something else, something important and you kept it from me?"
"Yes."
"Okay." She was dangerously calm. Just as things appeared to be getting better for her, something happened to remind her of just how much pain she was in on the inside, and the fear she felt tonight, watching Leif drop like that, seeing him unconscious, it was like she had to relive his death all over again.
"I'm sorry. You've been better the last few days and I just–"
"It's fine Lex. I understand. We've been through a lot. I get it. Excuse me" she could feel the panic attack coming on and just wanted to get out of that room before it could happen in front of Lex. She didn't want either of them knowing about the attacks that had been creeping up on her every so often.
But Lex followed her, sensing what was coming.
"Don't fucking touch her." He struggled at the ropes binding his hands.
"Get your hands off of her. I promise you this Ivar Sidbrooke, your death will be slow and painful."
"Get on your knees." he demanded.
Bunny fell to her knees beside Elora.
"Pick up that piece of paper, Miss Yenfell."
Too many memories came crashing through the mental walls she was so desperately trying to reinforce as her body began to tremble, her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and all she could feel was dread.
"You can't die, right?" her tone was hushed, and hard to understand. This entire situation was hard to understand. He couldn't, wouldn't die.
"N-no Angel, you need to l-leave."
"Elora," Lex sat beside her on the bottom of the staircase, he wanted to pull her into his arms but he didn't. He hadn't wanted to make it worse, hadn't known what to do here, she was trembling and her breathing was rapid, she looked as though she might throw up.
"What's happening, talk to me?"
Elora shook her head, she couldn't let him see her like this. It only made her worry more knowing he could see, knowing that he would know she wasn't healing in the way he thought she was.
"He's going to be okay. He's alive. I took him to a healer, Bram. He's like us. Leif will be fine baby, I swear. He's not leaving us." He's not leaving us.
"I'm so sick of this bullshit."
"Tell me what to do," he knelt down on the floor in front of her, his hands on her shaky knees.
"I'll be fine. Lex please, I just want him home." Home, because that's what this place was for her now, and for Leif, who would follow Elora to the ends of the earth.
And Lex had been so kind, so welcoming in having them here. She loved that about him. How kind he was, to her, to Leif.
"Okay. I'll go and get him soon, as soon as Bram contacts me to say he's conscious again alright?" Elora found his tone to be soothing, she gave him her best attempt at a smile and pressed her lips to his cheek.
"I don't ever want to lose you either, you know that right?"
"Right. Wipe those tears pretty girl, the only time I want to see your eyes welling up like that is when you're choking my cock."
She playfully slapped his hand away. "Lex!" She couldn't help but laugh.
"See?" he pushed to his feet. "I did that."
"You did."
***
The next few days dragged on painfully slow. Leif was still healing from the hellhound attack.He was okay, but it didn't settle the panic Elora felt.
She was so scared for him.
And yet so mad at him for being so careless with his life.
"Stop looking at me like." Leif growled, he pushed himself up against the headboard.
"You really scared me."
"I've already apologised more times than I can count. I know you're scared, and it's easier said than done but please Angel, give me some credit?" He smiled.
"I don't want you
dead Leif. At the rate you're going, it'll be my face you see before your last breath because I swear to god—" he couldn't help but steal a kiss from those sweet cherry red lips of hers.
"You can't just—" he placed his mouth on hers again, and again until she gave up with her protests and they fell into a pattern of gentle affection.
"What was that?" He smirked against her lips.
"You're an idiot." She pulled away from him.