by Viola Grace
Hannah looked at him. “We are not that kind of a couple. He is just getting back into the XIA, and I am recovering from bathing in the sacred pool.”
“Oh, that explains it. I have heard about your kind.”
She raised her hands up. “How is it that every non-human extranatural knows about war companions, and yet, it isn’t in any frigging mage text that I can find.”
“Oh, the mages used to kill them.” Abert took her down the hall to the bathroom.
“What?”
“The mages feared that they would introduce magic into the dark fey. The male war companions were in high demand with the dark fey women as third and fourth fathers to their children, so mages put a bounty on their heads.”
Hannah blinked. “Oh. Well, that is...” She thought about all the words she wanted to use. “Fucking insane.”
Abert laughed.
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I am going to have to ask someone at the guild if they are planning on resuming that practice.”
Abert paused, “Is that wise?”
“The XIA now has an agreement with the mage guild. I am fairly sure that I should be all right under the new agreement.”
She exhaled. “Regardless, I am still going to let me be me, even if I can hide in a dark room now.”
They walked through the house, and all of the features and plumbing were in pristine condition but covered by dust. The marble test showed that the floors were level, which was almost unheard of in a home this old.
When they returned to the front of the house, Neekil was standing there and grinning. “I will take it.”
She blinked and laughed. “You want a kobold-occupied house?”
He walked up to her and tilted her head up to kiss her. “I think that we want a kobold-occupied house. The mine is dry and spacious; we can have family over in a setting that they find more comfortable.”
“Your family?”
He grinned. “Yes.”
“So, you want an open outlet to the modern world installed in the back of the property?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“And this will act as a halfway house of sorts?”
He nodded. “Yes. If others are interested, you can sell them new homes.”
She laughed. “That isn’t my primary concern.”
“You are concerned about being put into a caretaker role?”
“Yeah. That.”
“Someone can be hired to educate them and ease them into the surface. I am sure that the XIA has folks around for this kind of thing.”
She nearly smacked her head. “Right. Social workers.”
He grinned. “So, has the immediate panic eased?”
She snorted. “I have to run it past the mayor’s office. The price is ridiculously low, considering the amount of space.”
He hugged her. “I am buying a house.”
She laughed and spotted Abert doing a strange happy dance in the corner.
“Right. Now, I definitely need to smash something.”
He grinned. “There were three houses with solid gremlin sign. Let’s go there next.”
She wrinkled her nose and sighed. “Right. Abert, we will be back to chat in a day or so.”
Abert bowed, his ears flapping and his pointed nose looking less droopy than before. “I look forward to your return, Miss. Your mate as well.”
She was going to deny that Neekil was her mate, but who was she kidding? It was time to go smash some gremlins.
Chapter Twelve
Dripping with slime but happily exhausted, she got out of her car and apologized to it on the way to her front door. Neekil was right. She shouldn’t have just used her hands for the biters.
Neekil moved around her and got the door open. “Straight to the shower.”
She nodded and was going to try and run up the steps, but he grabbed her, and then, they were standing in the shower. He turned the shower on, and the goo started to make its way down the drain.
He took the handheld sprayer and rinsed her hair and face. She blinked up at him and grimaced. “They are a lot more mucousy than I remember.”
He sighed and worked at getting her head clear. “You aren’t supposed to stare them down while you crush them.”
She shrugged. “They bite me, they die. No one runs off with my blood without permission.”
He laughed. “Right, now strip.”
She got herself out of her clothing with wet, sodden plops, and then, he massaged shampoo into her hair and slowly worked on getting her clean of gremlin slime from head to toe.
When the last bits of body wash were off, she stepped out of the shower and pulled her clothing to the side with her foot. “Your turn. Strip and get on your knees so I can reach you.”
He peeled everything off, and she kicked it into the pile with her other stuff. His phone was rescued and set aside for proper cleaning.
When he knelt, she washed his hair, and then, she used the scrubby puff on him the same way he had done to her with slight topographical differences.
She cleaned him up, getting the results of the three infestations off him and then said, “Up and out.”
She sluiced off their clothing and laid it flat so the worst of the stuff could drain. Neekil smiled. “I will take care of the laundry.”
She nodded. “I will get a bucket.”
She headed down the stairs and then trotted up again. He was laughing.
Hannah frowned. “What did I do this time?”
“You seem more at ease with your body now.” He scooped the clothing into the bucket and stood up. “I don’t see you as the type to go running around your own home naked otherwise.”
She chuckled and headed for the bedroom while he took the clothing downstairs. “You would be surprised.”
He paused halfway down. “I wish to continue this conversation.”
She laughed and went to her bedroom to brush out her hair before folding back the bedding, as with him in her bed, she didn’t need more than a sheet to protect her from breezes. She slid between the sheets and plugged her phone in, turning it on silent. When Neekil came to bed, she smiled as he climbed in next to her and pulled her against him.
“So, as to what you were saying earlier? What do you mean, I would be surprised?”
“Oh, once upon a time, I would feel frisky, and I had no dark elf to grind on.”
He smiled. “A dark time.”
“Oh, very. So, when I got this new house, I made sure to have an orgasm in every single room.”
He blinked. “That is... surprising.”
“Yeah, the front closet was particularly challenging, but you know me when I commit to an idea.”
He chuckled. “I am learning more each day, it seems. How long did it take you?”
She smiled. “A day and a half. I was a little wobbly, but I didn’t miss work, and I felt like I had accomplished something.”
“Will you show me where and how?”
She snorted. “I am pretty sure you have found the how already.”
He looked at her innocently. “I have only gone through your things when necessary.”
She stared at him.
“Fine, yes, I found it. That is an extensive drawer for a woman of your restraint.”
She smiled. “Really? You have been on the receiving end of my restraint.”
He smiled. “It was so many hours ago... I have forgotten.”
“Really? Hours? That is all it takes?” She pressed on his shoulders and pinned him to the bed.
He smiled. “Early days of being lovers, I am eager to know more about you.”
She flexed her hands on his shoulders, and then, she pulled them away. “I am not really sure that I am in the best condition to be holding you down.”
He grinned and got up, flipping her back, then headed to the closet and got something that made her eyes widen and her cheeks heat. “Why do you have those?”
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He grinned. “Heavy restraints are part of the uniform.”
She looked his naked self up and down. “What uniform? You aren’t wearing anything.”
He held up his other hand and the shiny foil packets. “Oh. Right. Well, I suppose we can try something.”
She knelt on the bed and held her wrists out. He put on the cuffs and kissed her before he jerked her arms above her head and zip tied the cuffs to the metal headboard.
Hannah looked up at him. “Dare I ask where the zip tie was?”
He chuckled and pressed his lips to her neck while his hands roamed over her. He didn’t talk a lot, but he was definitely paying attention to every sound she made. So, she gave him what he wanted and got what she wanted in turn.
She sat against him and looked around. “Well, the cuffs held.”
Neekil chucked and removed the forearm cuffs. Her bed was flat on the floor, the headboard was in shreds, and the footboard had disintegrated.
She looked around and sighed. “I need a new bed.”
He shrugged. “Will you move in with me?”
She gave him a long look from under her lashes. “Is this why the bed is dead?”
He grinned. “That was mostly you.”
Her wrists came loose, and she sighed. “I know. Let me text Leonora an update, and then, we will see.”
She gave the mayor’s assistant the update and a list of the four homes that just needed a power scrubbing and the one farmhouse that Neekil had his eye on.
She set her phone down and flopped back onto the sheets. There wasn’t nearly the amount of sweat that she thought she had earned. Dark elves didn’t sweat much. It must go along with the thicker skin and the ability to carve rock.
Neekil pulled her up against him, and they both laughed when the thumbs-up streamed across the text.
She typed the question, whether that was regarding Neekil Ar-Thuat purchasing the home.
The answer came swiftly. Yes.
Hannah exhaled. “Right. Well, as your realtor, I will recommend you get a lawyer to do the land transfer and check the title.”
His hands slowly moved over her. “So, do you think Abert will be happy about it?”
“He will be delighted.”
“What about Benny and her crew?”
Hannah turned in his embrace and looked at him. “Why would they care?”
“They are going to be our nearest neighbours.”
Hannah exhaled again. “Oh, boy.”
“Yeah, it is fine. They are excellent at dealing with blended families.” He was smiling again.
She sighed. “You are really happy.”
“I am. I haven’t had a reason to have my own home before. Now, with you, there is a reason for all that privacy.” He narrowed his eyes at her.
“We have privacy here?”
“You have six layers of wards on us to dampen sound and keep in your power releases. You wouldn’t need that there. The land would absorb anything that spills out, and I can make us a bed on a block of stone. No worries about shattering bed frames.”
Hannah raised her brows. “Stone?”
He grinned. “It suits what you are becoming.”
She grimaced. “Goody.”
“If you don’t like it, we will drop a mattress on top of it. I promise you will enjoy it. It takes the extra heat that sex generates.”
She paused. “It does?” Overheating during sex really slowed her down.
The rest of their time awake was an infomercial about the wonders of polished soapstone. She agreed to try it, and they nodded off. She had more houses to inspect in the morning, and that was only in four hours; she didn’t have anything booked, so perhaps she could sleep in.
Hannah arrived at the mayor’s mansion and was escorted in and had a seat and tea while she waited for Leonora in a sitting room. The light was streaming in, and Hannah’s skin was hot, so she pulled her glamour on.
She only had to wait for ten minutes before Leonora arrived, looking oddly flustered for a woman who was normally cold and under control.
Leo smiled. “Apologies, Hannah, Matthias decided he wanted a snack.”
Hannah’s gaze went to Leo’s neck, but it was unmarked. Her senses told her there was a bit of blood in the air.
Hannah must have been frowning.
Leo chuckled. “He doesn’t take blood from anywhere conventionally visible.”
“Oh. Oh!” Hannah’s glamour blushed.
“So, you are wearing magic today?”
“Sunrooms are a little toasty if I don’t. So, what did you need me for?”
Leonora smiled. “I hear that you solved the mystery of the disappearance of Sable Winter.”
“Um, yes. Neekil and I raided databases until the information matched the woman.”
“And now her spectre is at the Grunwald mansion.”
“Yes, but if you ask her to find a more suitable place, I am sure she is open to negotiation.”
Leonora waved that away. “That isn’t an issue. That place is known for regular murders, I am sure a ghost in the garden won’t hurt anything.”
Hannah smiled. “What then?”
“Do you know any party planners? If not, I have one in mind.”
“Um, my sister-in-law is a party planner. What do you need?”
“Well, I thought that since the wiring has been brought up to code this week, we had a reason to celebrate. It is time to have a ball at the Grunwald mansion.”
“A ball?”
“Sure. We have the piece of art that is the new mantlepiece and the new dark elves gracing our midst as well as the spirit of Sable Winter. There are so many reasons to celebrate.” Leonora smiled wryly. “I will contact your sister-in-law’s company and see if she is up to the challenge.”
“Uh, is that it?”
“How are you and Mr. Ar-Thuat getting along?”
“Fine. Why?”
“Well, he has filed an offer for the house with himself as sole purchaser. Is everything all right?”
“Oh, I have houses of my own around the city, and frankly, he is going to outlive me by centuries, so it makes sense for him to be on the deed and not me.”
Leonora smiled and nodded. “Got it. Matthias keeps trying to deed me stuff, but I can’t be bothered to maintain anything, so I just deal with the couture that he dresses me in and get on with my day.”
“Is that it?”
Leonora nodded. “That’s it. I just wanted to ask you the relationship question in person.”
“Why?”
“You and Neekil are potentially the first breeding pair of dark elves that anyone has seen on the surface in nearly a thousand years. Yes, I know you are a war companion and that you have no intention of having his child immediately, but you are now a living treasure of Redbird City. Get used to it.”
“As long as I don’t become a tourist attraction, I am fine with it.”
Leonora paused. “We might invite you to formal events, and your attendance will be more mandatory than not.”
Leonora reached into a pocket and pulled out a heavily embossed card. “Go there and drop your glamour; they will know what to do.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes at the expensive couturier’s card. “Can I bring a friend?”
“Certainly.”
“Can I bring two?”
Leonora sighed. “One dress each.”
“Excellent.”
Hannah sat back down and started texting. If she had to dress up and prance, she was going to take others down with her.
Three hours later, she finished dropping her co-conspirators at home and hauled the garment bags into the house. Thanks to Leonora’s prep, the dresses selected had fit and, with few exceptions, had all fit her new colouration.
She warded the garment bags against tampering by determined fingers and found her boilersuit to drive some goblin squatters out of a house that was slated for demolition. Th
e teens were terrorizing the neighbourhood, and that wasn’t something she wanted to allow to continue. The home was the last one down before a new library could be built.
Whistling to herself, she got in her car and drove. A good real estate agent was willing to adapt.
Chapter Thirteen
Putting on makeup was difficult. She had tried to get a makeover for her skin tone, only to find that it didn’t exist on the makeup spectrum. On the plus side, her pores were amazing, but on the minus side, there was no blush that would work. She settled for dark red lipstick and a sparkly purple eyeliner and shadow.
Her hair was up and pinned in place, the dress was hanging from her shoulders and startlingly bright against her skin. The moonlight silver was a weird mimicry of Neekil’s hair.
She checked her watch and looked out the window. The party was gathering, and the dark elves were acting as the hosts. Well, she had better join her species grouping.
She walked down the hall of the mansion and headed to the main staircase. She walked down the steps, and the conversation of the city’s great and good slowed to a low murmur. She passed the mantlepiece that was being photographed for international distribution and made her way through the open doors into the night air.
Neekil had been speaking to some kind of commander at the XIA, and he stopped speaking when he looked at her. He turned away from his conversational partner and walked over to her. “Hannah, you look...”
She smiled. “You look... yourself.”
He smiled and bent to kiss her. She brushed her lips against his, and then, she leaned back. “Mess up my hair, and you are a dead man.”
He chuckled and offered her his arm. She slid her hand into the crook of his elbow, and they walked over to meet the commissioner of the XIA.
“Commissioner Aldethnot, this is my companion, Hannah Lee.”
“Hannah, this is the commissioner for the regional XIA.”
“Pleased to meet you.” She extended her hand and shook his. She tried not to injure the elf, and all the practice that Neekil had her doing holding eggs when they were home was paying off.
She hadn’t broken an egg in hours, though she was now seeing the appeal in a stone bed. The cleanup would be easier.
