Death Wind

by Tara Grayce

  Averett pushed his plate aside. “I would like to go over security for the wedding tomorrow one last time.”

  “Yes.” Weylind nodded, then glanced at Farrendel. “We should allow Farrendel to rest.”

  Averett, Julien, and Edmund gathered the dishes while Weylind used his magic to somehow ungrow the table so that it returned to a small end table.

  Jalissa glanced at Essie, met her gaze, and nodded. Then she swept from the tent.

  Essie hoped she’d done the right thing in counseling Jalissa to speak with Melantha. Healing took time, and reconciliation might not be possible. But, Essie would hate for Farrendel’s siblings to boycott this wedding, only to regret it later, if healing and reconciliation with Melantha did happen.

  After all, Jalissa had once told her that what elves regretted, they regretted for centuries. That would be a long time to regret not attending a sister’s wedding.

  Farrendel nudged Essie and held up what was left of the chunk of bread she had given him. “I am not going to finish this.”

  She hadn’t even given him that big of a piece. And he’d had three chunks of roast beef. It was far too little. He should be eating more.

  But, she wasn’t going to argue. At least he had obliged her by eating as much as he had.

  “All right.” Essie quickly dropped the leftover bread on a plate before Edmund whisked it away.

  As the others left, leaving her and Farrendel alone, Essie eased Farrendel’s head from her lap and knelt next to the cot. She brushed a strand of hair from his face. “Do you wish me to leave as well so you can rest?”

  He gave a tiny shake of his head, his silver-blue eyes flicking to her. “Please stay.”

  “All right.” Essie leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I missed you so much.”

  “And I missed you.” Farrendel’s hand moved to brush the back of his fingers against her cheek. Before she pulled back, Farrendel’s hand cupped the back of her head as he kissed her.

  As much as she wanted the kiss to linger, she pulled back after a moment and patted his shoulder. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

  “This is better.” He gave her that tiny, mischievous smile she loved so much.

  Her feet and legs were starting to tingle from being crouched next to the cot, so she straightened. After the lack of sleep she’d had for the past few days—weeks, really—she wouldn’t mind a nap as well. Her bedroll was still pushed to one corner of the tent, but they had a few hours before anyone else came back to check if they needed anything, and she wasn’t ready to be done cuddling yet.

  As Farrendel was still hugging his swords tight enough that Essie didn’t dare attempt to pry those away from him, she circled the cot. “Scooch.”

  “This cot is still not intended for two people.” Farrendel’s voice held a trace of a laugh.

  “But you’re lying on your side this time. There’s a whole six inches of space. Plenty of room.” She eased onto the cot behind him. Actually, six inches wasn’t that much room. Her hip was balanced on the bar again.

  Farrendel’s back was stiff. Actually, all of him was rigid.

  That’s when she realized what she’d done. She was at his back, and, after what he’d just endured, he might not feel safe with someone at his back where he was vulnerable.

  “Is this all right?” Essie carefully rested a palm against Farrendel’s back.

  He sucked in a breath, as if her touch hurt, and flinched away from her.

  She quickly withdrew her hand, though it was hard not to touch him when she was balanced precariously on the edge of a far-too-small cot. “I’m sorry. I can get off and nap on my own bedroll.”

  “No. Stay. If you wish.” With a shuddering breath, Farrendel’s muscles relaxed. “It took me a moment to remember it was you.”

  That was not comforting. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what his first thought had been. Probably something about torture and trolls.

  She shifted, trying to find a more comfortable way to lie on the bar of the cot without tipping herself off or bumping into Farrendel.

  Huffing out a sound that almost sounded like a laugh, Farrendel wiggled forward, giving her more space.

  That was better. She carefully tucked herself against Farrendel. When he didn’t flinch, she wrapped an arm around him. Through his shirt, she could feel his jutting ribs. She rested her forehead against his back. Even his spine was sharp. “See. I told you. Plenty of room.”

  “Yes.” Farrendel clasped her hand, and her fingers brushed the hilts of his swords that he must be still gripping with his other hand.

  Tomorrow, they would witness Melantha’s wedding and start the journey for Tarenhiel. Perhaps everything wouldn’t return to just the way it had been, but, with time, they would get there.

  It had taken two weeks. A battle across an icy kingdom. But she had Farrendel back. Right then, that was all that mattered.

  Don’t Miss the Next Adventure!

  Troll Queen

  Essie has her elf back...but his mind is still stuck in that dungeon.

  The war is over. A peace treaty has been signed. Will Farrendel be able to build a new life with Essie now that he no longer has a war to fight?

  Not everyone in Kostaria is happy with peace or with their new elven queen. Will a marriage alliance be strong enough to avert a coup against the new troll king?

  Coming soon!

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  Thanks so much for reading Death Wind! I hope Essie’s and Farrendel’s story touched your heart and brought a smile, even if this was a darker installment in the series than the first two. If you loved the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews help your fellow readers find books that they will love.

  Thank you to everyone who made this release possible! To my writer friends, especially Molly, Morgan, Sarah, Savannah, Sierra, and the entire Spinster Aunt gang for being so encouraging and helpful. To my dad for pitching in to help find the last-minute typos and giving suggestions that make the book better. To my sisters-in-law Alyssa and Abby for adoring Essie and Farrendel. To my friends Bri, Paula, and Jill for always being excited about my books no matter what I write. To my proofreaders Tom, Mindy, Heather, and Deborah, thanks so much for helping to eradicate the typos as much as humanly possible.

  If you want to learn about all my upcoming releases, get great book recommendations, and see a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the writing process, sign up for my newsletter and check out my website at www.taragrayce.com.

  If you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll receive a free novella, Elf Prince (Elven Alliance Book 1.5).

  This novella shows the beginning of Fierce Heart from Farrendel’s point of view.

  Farrendel Laesornysh, prince of the elves, never expected he would marry, much less that he would marry a human princess.

  When a marriage alliance is the appeasement the humans of Escarland demand, this marriage is a price Farrendel is willing to pay, even if it is probably a trick by the humans for some devious purpose. It is either marriage or war, and Farrendel has already killed enough for a lifetime.

  The human princess is probably a spy. Or an assassin sent to kill him on his wedding night. Yet if he can make this marriage work, as his grandmother seems to think, it might be the first breath of hope Farrendel has had in over a decade.

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  Tara Grayce, Death Wind