Undone

Chapter Seventeen

Elora's eyes flew open, only to find out it was still dark outside. She looked around, trying to pinpoint whatever it was that pulled her from sleep. Kiera stood at the foot of her bed, with Arrow in tow.

"Rise and shine," she said coolly. It had to have been well before six a.m., and Kiera looked fresh as a daisy and beautiful as ever. "There's work to do."

Elora had been dreading this training ever since their talk last night. Not only did it mean that this fight with Ivar was really happening, but Elora didn't know if she was up to it.

She'd never fought anyone, let alone an evil mastermind with a band of criminals to back him up.

She groaned, swinging her feet off the bed and standing. "Five minutes," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.

She dressed quickly in comfortable clothing. Leggings and a form-fitting tee. She tied her hair up while making her way outside to meet Arrow and Kiera for her first day of training - whatever that meant.

"Alright," Kiera said, flashing a smile in Elora's direction. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

They made their way to an open field, where it was just the three of them.

They spent hours learning how to wield knives and swords, how to quickly load, aim, and shoot a gun. There were moving targets and made-up scenarios, and by the end of it Elora was ready to collapse into her bed and sleep until all of this was in the past.

When they were finally done for the day, Elora slowly made her way back to her temporary home, a makeshift cabin set close to the lodging of the other members of Kiera's army.

Lex was already inside, a bath drawn, steam billowing around him. "How was training?" He asked as he stepped into the hot water.

Elora never thought she would be so relieved to see a bathtub. "Exhausting," she sighed as she stripped out of her workout clothes.

She joined Lex in the bath, and his arms immediately circled around her, pulling her into him and making her feel significantly lighter.

"I'm sorry, baby." His mouth moved to her shoulder, pressing kisses until he met the crook of her neck. "Just relax." He said softly into her skin, before his large hands worked at the knots that now riddled her back, neck, and shoulders.

She felt a wave of relief wash over her as the tension slowly but surely eased up only slightly. He helped her wash up, running a warm washcloth over her skin, leaving soft kisses in its wake.

Eventually, the water ran cold. Lex tucked Elora into bed, still naked, but warm under the thick blankets that made their bed. Elora knew that this was about more than her being drained from the training. She knew that Lex saw how this impending battle was affecting her, on top of the situation with Leif.

Lex settled in next to her, pulling her to him and resting his chin in the crook of her neck. "I love you," he whispered, and he had never been so sure about a statement until then.

***

"Hey!" a familiar voice called out from across the dining 'hall'--which was really a huge white tent filled with folding tables.

"Meghra?!" Elora rose so fast she saw stars.

"What are–how–what–"

"You have no idea how happy I am to see a familiar face. I knew the boss man wasn't human, but fae?! Can you believe it, we were both keeping the same secrets. Who knew my new bestie ran with the elf ears huh?" Elora gaped. Meghra had rendered her well and truly speechless.