by April Kelley
Opposites attract in a major way when Upperworld Humans and Otherworld Faeries meet for the very first time.
The door between the Upperworld and Otherworld only opens twice a year. Samhain marks one of those days and even though Talli’s Oberon forbids him from leaving the Otherworld, Talli walks right through the door. Talli has never seen a real human before. Once he gets a glimpse and experiences a bit of what the Upperworld has to offer, he fully intends to go back to his friends and the library he loves so much. That is, until the first human he sees just so happens to be his soulmate.
LESS THAN A DAY
JANUARY 2018
COPYRIGHT (c) 2015 by April Kelley
Cover Art by Bronwyn Heeley
Cover content is for illustrative only and any person depicted on the cover is a model
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
Published by Hard Rose Publishing
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Less Than a Day
Chasing Time Series
by
April Kelley
Chapter One
Talli stood in front of Oberon Dasan’s desk, waiting for an acknowledgement. He laced his fingers together, trying not to fidget. Books sat on the corner of Dasan’s desk. His hands itched to grab them. Talli just waited for the right opportunity to snatch them and take them back to the library where they belonged, as was his job. It wouldn’t do to interrupt his leader when he was talking to his second in command, even if Dasan was one of his best friends.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and sighed.
“If you want the books, you best take them, Talli,” Dasan said without looking in his direction.
“I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
Dasan looked at him then, his dark eyebrows raising. “Since when has that ever stopped you?”
“Since Shepla told me I should treat you as my Oberon more than I do,” Talli muttered. He reached up and ran a hand over one of his long pointy ears. It helped calm his nerves sometimes.
Dasan narrowed his eyes, and Talli wondered if that meant he would get a lecture or if he just got Miss Shepla in trouble. “I may be your Oberon, but I’m your friend first.”
Awan held up a finger. “You won’t be saying that next time Talli and Kele do something stupid.” Awan turned his black, laughing eyes on to him.
Talli stuck out his tongue at his friend and then thought better of it. Would the others consider sticking his tongue out at Awan inappropriate? Probably.
Awan crooked his finger at Talli, beckoning him forward. Talli immediately sat on Awan’s lap, which was what his friend really wanted. Awan might be the most fearsome fighter in Dasan’s entire kingdom and Dasan’s second in command, but he was also the best at cuddling. It was something they both enjoyed. “Troublesome pooka faery.”
“Filthy sluagh.” Even as Talli said it, he curled up in Awan’s lap like a giant cat. Both were terms of endearment. Somehow, the horrible names only brought them closer together.
“Stop listening to Shepla, Talli,” Awan whispered to him.
Talli nodded. “Alright then.”
“Do you still want the books?” Dasan asked.
Talli pressed his cheek against Awan’s chest. The cool leather of his jacket felt soft against Talli’s skin. “I’ll take them later.”
“You didn’t want the books at all, did you?”
Talli grinned. “I take my job seriously, but a good cuddle is preferable.”
“I see that.” Dasan chuckled. Just then there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Shepla entered the room a second later. She bowed to Dasan, not moving.
“You may rise,” Dasan said and sighed. Talli knew Dasan didn’t like the formalities that came with his high station, but they were necessary for him to maintain the respect of his faeries.
Shepla straightened, looking at him and Awan out of the corner of her eye. She gave him a nasty look but then Awan growled low in his throat. Her eyes widened, and she jumped away from then a little. Talli inwardly smiled. Outwardly Talli didn’t move from his relaxed position on his friend's lap.
“What can I do for you, Shepla?” Dasan asked with no small amount of irritation in his voice. It was true that Shepla was jealous of Talli and Kele’s close relationship with the Oberon and his second. She thought they received special treatment, and she was right. Although she thought they received material gifts, which wasn’t true at all. Talli considered himself special to have all three of his best friends in his life. The way he cuddled with Awan and the way Dasan looked at him with affection in his eyes was special treatment.
“The library is in a shambles, sir. Faeries are complaining.” Talli sucked in a breath and sat up on Awan’s lap. He looked at Dasan, gauging his reaction to Shepla’s lies. Dasan met his gaze, and a corner of his mouth turned up into a smile. Talli sighed in relief and relaxed against Awan once again.
Dasan’s eyebrows drew together. “They’re complaining about my personal library?” He slapped a hand on the desk, which rang through the room like thunder, and stood up. “Who are these faeries entering my library? Are they thieves?”
Talli put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.
Shepla’s face turned red and her long brownie ears straightened. She pointed to Talli. “I only meant that Talli is not doing his job, Oberon. Instead, he is lounging around.”
Dasan sat back down. “Do you not go home and spend time with your family? Are you constantly working?”
“I spend time with them, Oberon. Of course.”
“Why then, should Talli be any different? He needs to bond with his family just as you do.”
“Talli has no family.”
“Awan, Kele, and I consider him such. You will afford him and Kele the same courtesy you do Awan and I. If you do not, you will find yourself relieved of your service.”
“Yes, Oberon.” Shepla’s face turned as red as a ripe raspberry, which was something to see considering all Brownies had a darker skin tone than other types of faeries.
“Now, leave us. You are intruding on our bonding time.” This last part was a lie and the sparkle in Dasan’s eyes said as much.
She bowed and left the room.
He reached across the desk and tugged on one of Talli’s ears. “Stop listening to nosy Brownie housekeepers.” His words being so close to the advice Awan gave him spoke of how close Dasan was to his second in command. It was as if they shared a brain.
“Thank you for defending me. Although, she does have a point about the library. I must shelf books today. They are scattered everywhere.” Even as Talli spoke the words, he didn’t move from Awan’s lap. Instead, he cuddled in further.
From somewhere in the room Kele chuckled. “You’re better not be calling me nosy, Dasan.” No doubt Kele was the nosiest brownie in the kingdom.
“That one, I should make him call me Oberon. Or better yet, King,” Dasan whispered and winked at him. To Kele, he said, “I very much am. Don’t think I don’t know which one of you is the mastermind behind all the trouble you two cause.”
Kele came into view. Their gazes met, and Kele’s eyes flashed with mischief. He turned to Dasan, leaning on the desk until his round bottom was in Talli and Awan’s faces. “And what will you do about it.”
“That
all depends on what you get up too. Sweeping the dungeon was an adequate punishment for your last offense, don’t you think?”
Talli shuttered just remembering it. The worst that the Otherworld had to offer was down in that dungeon. The demented sluaghs and faeries alike moaned constantly and grabbed at him through the bars as he passed with the broom. Sweeping the floor was an endless task too. No amount of cleaning could lift the dirt embedded into the grime on the stone floor.
“Do you think the sluaghs and faeries, imprisoned down there, started off bad or did they get that way after being locked up?” Talli asked. He had wanted to know the answer to that question for as long as he could remember.
“A bit of both, I’m afraid,” Dasan answered.
Talli nodded. “You should give some of them a second chance.”
“I’ve thought about it.” Dasan sighed. “Will you get out of my face?” He asked Kele, pushing him in the forehead.
Kele didn’t budge. “You know I wouldn’t be nearly as mischievous if you gave me something else to clean. Perhaps your bedchambers. I’ve always wanted to see them.”
Dasan rolled his eyes. “My bed chamber is for my anam cara only. It does not need your attention.”
“How likely is it that you’ll meet your soulmate?”
“It doesn’t matter how likely, Kele. You’re still not snooping around in my things.”
Kele chuckled. There was a candle inside Kele that, once lit, wouldn’t shut off no matter the amount of wind blowing past it. Only one thing would get him to stop teasing Dasan, and that was to redirect the flame.
Talli sat up, turning to grin at Awan for a moment before he redirected his focus on Kele’s backside. He leaned forward and smacked Kele.
Kele squealed in surprise. “Ouch.” He rubbed at the spot where Talli’s hand connected and turned his narrow-eyed gaze on him.
Talli chuckled and allowed Awan it lift him off his lap.
“You did it now.” Awan grinned.
Kele lifted off the desk and let out a small growl. Talli laughed even as he ran. “Just wait until I get ahold of you, Talli. I’m going to give you twenty lashes.”
“I may want to watch that,” Awan said from somewhere behind them.
That just made Talli laugh even more and he couldn’t run away anymore. Kele caught up with him, jumping on his back. Talli grunted at the weight and instinctively hooked Kele’s legs, keeping him from falling.
“Awan has a few perversions,” Kele said as he pressed their cheeks together. Talli could feel Kele’s long ear fold against his own.
Talli turned and headed back to Dasan and Awan.
“You’re the one that talked of paddling,” Awan explained.
“I’ve changed my mind. Talli’s too much like a brother.” Kele pointed his finger at Awan and then at Dasan, waggling it at them in admonishment. “And so are both of you.”
Awan winked at him and grinned. “Talli and I have dabbled.”
Talli blushed. “Why, Awan? Why’d you have to tell him that?”
Kele sucked in a breath. “And why wasn’t I invited? Were you invited, Dasan?”
Dasan chuckled. “I was left out as well.”
“You both will be reprimanded after I learn a few of the finer details. Right, Dasan,” Kele threatened, looking to Dasan for support.
Dasan chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t want to know what Awan and Talli get up to?”
Talli’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “It was just the once, and we both drank just a bit too much ale that night. And it’s not what you’re thinking. It was just some touching.” He looked at Awan. “Why?”
“It’s not a shameful secret, Talli. What’s a little playing between friends?”
Talli nearly ran from the room in embarrassment, but then he remembered Kele on his back. It was also impossible to forget when the brownie was cackling in his ear.
Dasan was the one that saved him. “That’s enough out of you two. Leave Talli alone now.” Dasan smiled at him and gestured to the books on his desk. “Get your books.”
Talli took the few steps to get to the books and then bent down so Kele could grab them. He turned to leave the room, but Dasan stopped him. When he looked at Dasan, he said, “Don’t let Kele talk you into anything.” Dasan looked at Kele. “Don’t think I didn’t notice your restless nature of late.”
Talli’s favorite place in all of Otherworld was the library. The smell of musky paper filled Talli’s nose. He let Kele go and just stood in the middle of the room for a few minutes.
“You look like your making love to the room,” Kele commented and put the books on a small table. He wiped a finger across the surface of the wood and shook his head. He pulled a cloth from the back pocket of his trousers and began to clean the dust.
Talli watched him move around the room with a smile. A Brownie’s need to clean was truly a remarkable thing.
Kele had tied himself to Dasan when they were all still young faeries. They hadn’t even met Awan at that point, and Dasan hadn’t taken over the realm. Dasan had lived in a smaller dwelling then as well.
Talli wanted to say the meeting between Kele and Dasan had been spectacular and had involved anger words with his previous employer over some big offense but that wasn’t the truth. Kele’s master had simply thanked him for cleaning once and that had been the end of their working relationship.
While the words might be polite in most instances, a brownie looked at them as an insult. That was especially true when a master thanked them for doing their job. Kele met Dasan on the street, and the two of them had a conversation. It had been a lasting friendship since then.
Who would have thought that an Oberon and a Brownie would bond? For a sluagh and a pooka to enter their happy bond, was even stranger, but all four of them seemed to fit well enough.
Kele stopped wiping up dust. “I have a secret.”
Talli rolled his eyes and picked up the first book in the stack. The only part of working in the library that Talli wasn’t fond of was climbing the ladder to put the books back in their proper spot. Every book had a place, and Talli knew precisely where the one in his hand was supposed to go. He pushed the ladder down just a few feet until he came to the spot he needed. He took a deep breath and began climbing, the book held securely in his hand.
“And what is that?” He asked when he was at the top.
“Tell me the stuff you and Awan got up to first.” Kele had gone back to wiping the shelves, and Talli really didn’t think he was paying attention.
“You know how he likes a good cuddle just about as much as I do. A drunk cuddle led to drunken groping. That’s all.” He wouldn’t have told Kele anything, but he knew his friend well enough to know he wouldn’t let it go anytime soon.
Talli looked at the author’s name on the book he held and then assessed the ones on the shelf. The book fit as he slid it into place.
Talli descended the ladder.
“You fondled each other?” Kele’s eye narrowed and his pointy ears went up.
“Yes.”
“What is Awan’s prick like?”
Talli could feel his face growing hot with embarrassment. “I’m not going into detail.”
“Well, what of finding your anam cara?”
“It was a momentary lapse.” Talli looked at Kele, some of his irritation showing on his face. “Just tell me your secret.”
Kele’s attitude changed abruptly, and he forgot all about how big certain parts of Awan’s body were. He squealed with excitement as he grabbed Talli’s arm. “The door is open to the Upperworld.”
Talli shook his head even before Kele finished speaking. “That is not a secret.”
“I know. That’s not the secret I’m referring too.”
“Dasan’s parting words to me was not to let you talking me into anything.”
“Dasan and Awan would never know.”
“Just tell me what your secret is.”
“Gilly will distract the guard w
hile we go through the door.”
Talli’s eyes widened. “What did you have to give Gilly for him to help you?” When Kele’s cheeks and ears turned a dark shade of pink, Talli rolled his eyes. “He’s been wanting you for a long time, Kele. Why did you give in?”
“It’s not a hardship. Gilly’s very handsome.”
Talli shook his head and sighed. The attraction Gilly had for Kele had gone on long enough. The man wouldn’t leave his friend alone and it had started to become a small problem.
Dasan and Awan both knew about the issue and would take care of the threat after they learned of Gilly’s trickery. “Gilly should not have blackmailed you,” Talli said, picking up the next book in the stack and walking over to the shelf where it lived. The ladder wasn’t required to put that book back.
“It’s worth it for a glimpse at the Upperworld, don’t you think?”
“Tying yourself to someone who isn’t your Anam Cara is not worth it. Not even for the Upperworld.” Anam Cara’s were unique. They were a faerie’s one true soulmate and for Kele to give up on that chance wasn’t worth it in Talli’s opinion.
Kele grabbed his arm and held on. “Please. Don’t let my sacrifice go to waste.”
“You’re sure he can distract the guard?”
Kele’s smile grew wide. “Yes. Just come on before the door closes. I want to get as much time up there as I can.”
Talli looked at Kele, at the excitement and enthusiasm on his face. Talli’s heart jumped in his chest, and some of Kele excitement spilled onto him. He let Kele lead him out of the library, chuckling when he started running. “Slow down, Kele. In the history of time, the Upperworld hasn’t gone anywhere.”
“The door will close soon. We have less than a day left.” Kele pulled him down the hallway.
Talli couldn’t deny the bite of exciting in his chest. He had wanted to see the Upperworld for so long, had read every book the library had on the subject, and he finally had the chance. Dasan would throw him in the dungeon for going but Kele was right, a fortnight in the dungeon was worth it.
