The fire in Devin's hearth had died down to faint embers, casting the room in muted reds and deep shadows. Elias leaned against the mantle, his arms crossed, eyes fixed on the flickering glow as though trying to find answers in the flames.
Devin stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back. The night air was cold against the glass, but his chest burned with everything he hadn't said—until now.
He also had to let Elias know everything that was going on.
"I need to tell you something," he said quietly.
"About Elora." he added
Elias turned slightly, brow raised but silent.
"Humm.... We kinda humm... by mistake, formed a Link" Devin said.
Pufff!!
Liquid sprayed out of Elias mouth.
Dapping his mouth with his sleeves to dry the moisture, he stared at Devin to find a hint of playfulness in his eyes, but he found none.
Elias stared at him, motionless. "You're serious."
"Damn, how did that happen?" Elias questioned
"I didn't want to believe it either," Devin admitted. "At first, I thought it was just… curiosity. A pull. Something mild. But the more I tried to ignore it, the stronger it became. Elias I can feel her emotions, anger and sadness mainly, I almost died of chest pain from it."
"Devin..... Like seriously am speechless and that has never happened to me. You know what this means, you have a whole wife my friend"
Devin gave Elias a weird look
"Don't say it that way"
"What ever way you want to present it sir, it doesn't change the fact, and who the hell gets bonded accidentally" Elias guffawed
Eying Devin suspiciously.
"You know bonded couple can't stay away from each other three days max, you have been parading fine about"
"It partial "
"Figures"
"I don't know if I should be happy or sad for you, Am happy for you for the sense that Elora's a cool person and she looks like a lover, she is kinda hot and those eyes are...." Elias trips off and whistles
"Beautiful and majestic" Devin pronounces as if daring Elias to say something opposite to that.
Elias smirks
"Also happy because you won't be stuck with Madame Bee"
Devin nodded in agreement
The god of silence bypassed
The silence equally brought them back to reality
"Mira… making such decisions she didn't flinch. She risked everything to do it. Not out of recklessness, but purpose."
Elias exhaled sharply and moved away from the fire. "You're saying she knew what would happen?"
"She had to," Devin said. "Mira might be secretive, cryptic—but she's not careless. If she wasn't certain it would work, she wouldn't have gambled with her blood. Or Elora's safety."
Devin's room fell into silence again. Outside, the wind shifted, as if the forest itself was listening.
Elias broke the quiet. "You trust her? Mira?"
Devin hesitated. Not because he doubted his answer—but because he wasn't sure Elias would accept it.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Even though every instinct in me warns not to. Even though she looks at me like I wear my father's sins on my face. I trust her."
Elias scoffed. "She barely hides her disdain for us"
"I know, she kinda dislikes me" Devin replied, jaw tightening. "I've seen it. The way her eyes harden whenever I speak, the way her tone sharpens."
"Ofcourse she would, you snagged her granddaughter without consent" Elias shrugged still in awe of Mira's young appearance.
"It was unintentionally, not that she would even let me speak with Elora even for a second"
"Love sick fool" Elias chuckled under his breath
Devin paused, the memory surfacing again. "She told me once—'It's surprising to meet a polite Knight.To be fair our families are so damn proud, I absolutely didn't know what to think of them refusing to aid the humans"
"Yeah now that you mention it...." Elias shook his head as if dismissing the words.
"Devin, you're letting your feelings cloud your judgment."
"Maybe I am," Devin said. "But Mira… she may not like me. But she would never endanger Elora. And she would never let the humans of this town suffer if she wasn't absolutely certain the path forward demanded that risk."
"You sound like you're defending her."
"I'm trying to understand her," Devin replied. "Because whether we like it or not, She knows more than she lets on."
Elias crossed his arms. "And if she turns against you? Against us?"
Devin looked him dead in the eye. "Then I'll deal with that when it comes."
If he found out Mira wasn't what he believed her to be, even Elora would not be able to stop his wrath.
Elias gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. But I'm watching her."
Devin gave a faint smirk. "Good. She's watching you too."
The fire crackled behind them.
"Yo, did we forget about Silva's delusional ass, we were supposed to accompany her to Nile town" Elias joked to ease the tension in the atmosphere
Devin lets out a frustrated grunt
"Come on, don't let big brother come beat your ass" Elias patted mockingly
"Yeah right"
"Says the life mate of some one " Elias grins widely