by Lisa Kumar
Though this new bond was undoubtedly trying, the benefits were most enjoyable. And he would partake of each and every one to the fullest extent possible. And if she were amendable, his library had a nice, big sofa he suddenly wanted to put to a different use.
Oh, he wouldn’t mention his plans to her now. It would only serve to anger her, but once alone in his private sanctuary, she’d melt for him. Last night and this morning proved that.
With renewed energy, he unfolded from his seat and held out a hand. “Ready, dear one?”
She stared at his hand like it was a poisonous snake and grimaced. His loving bride was back in fine form. She was such a delight to his bored, jaded soul.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Unless you want us to pass out from pain and energy loss, no.”
She grumbled something under her breath and lurched from her chair, ignoring his hand. “Let’s go.”
He bowed slightly. “I follow my queen’s command.”
A growl rumbled from her throat, and she stalked ahead. “Don’t remind me, jackass.”
“It’ll be my pleasure to remind you multiple times a day and in every way I can.”
She screeched and marched to the door. Her back was stiff and her hands fisted. Lust hit him. She was beautiful when mad. So much human emotion poured from her. It was like a heady aphrodisiac.
As he followed her out, a form lurking in the hallway drew his attention. He nearly cursed. Avrin leaned against the wall with one shoulder, his feet crossed at the ankles. He gave off an air of ennui that didn’t fool Talion. His friend was tightly coiled and wanted answers.
Avrin’s gaze slid over Maggie before honing in on him. “If I may have a moment with you alone, Your Majesty.”
“Later.” Talion didn’t attempt to keep the curtness out of his voice.
“I think it’d be beneficial if we talked now.”
Damn persistent man. Never knew when to give up. Normally, this was a trait Talion admired, but not when it was turned against him.
Maggie frowned at them both. “What’s going on?”
Talion glowered at Avrin. “Just idle gossip and conjecture, I’m sure. Maggie, why don’t you give us a moment?”
“And where am I supposed to go, Einstein?”
“Back into the meeting room or farther down the hallway.”
A smirk curved her lips. “I think I’ll stay right here.”
She was the most aggravating wench he’d ever bedded. How fortuitous he was also bonded to her. “I’m sure you will, but Avrin and I will move farther down the hall then. You”—he pointed at her—“stay here.”
A pout played over her lips, and she crossed her arms over her chest. But she stayed silent. He and Avrin moved down the hall, out of earshot of Maggie.
“What do you want?”
Avrin’s eyes narrowed. “I think you know.”
Oh, he did, not that he would admit it. “No, I do not. Now, excuse me, for I have other matters to attend to.”
“Like Lady Maggie?”
Something akin to jealousy rose in him, and he spoke softly. “Why do you care?”
“You know why.”
“This is still about your sister? She’s long dead.” Talion knew he sounded heartless, but he’d done his duty by her—many times over.
A glimmer of pain shone in Avrin’s eyes before he masked it. “We were friends long before you courted her.”
“You never approved of our bonding.”
“You couldn’t offer her what she most desired—a complete bond. She loved you.”
Talion’s shoulders stiffened. He refused to take on the brunt of guilt that lay implicit in his friend’s words. “I cared for her. She knew this and accepted my limitations. Our binding ceremony proved we weren’t capable of a full bond. She could have called off our joining then.”
“She would have sooner cut off her arm, but that’s not what I meant. You always knew a complete bond wasn’t possible between you and Serrina, didn’t you? And indeed, between you and any elvin woman.”
This time, Avrin’s words dug deep, and the dam holding all the old hurt and guilt broke. But he refused to be inundated by the past right now. How much did Avrin know or suspect?
“Now is not the time for this.”
As he brushed by him, Avrin caught his arm. “What’s going on between you and Lady Maggie?”
He stared down at his friend’s hand. “Again, I ask why do you care?”
“We’ve been friends for too long. You’re acting strange and seem…unsettled. I could sense it throughout the whole meeting. You may trick most people with your kingly façade, but the handful who know you well aren’t taken in by it. Give me another answer.”
Talion calmly removed his hand. “I owe no answer to you.”
“Mayhap and mayhap not. We’ll see.”
“Are you two done arguing?”
Maggie’s voice broke through their glaring contest, and they turned. She stood a few feet away, watching them.
Talion forced a smile to his face. What had she heard? “Who said we were arguing?”
Maggie arched her brows. “Both of you looked pretty intense. I thought you were going to come to blows.”
She’d either heard nothing or was a good actress. Probably the first, so no need to make her more suspicious. “Nonsense.”
Avrin nodded. “We wouldn’t fight in front of such a pretty lady.”
She turned and slapped Avrin on the arm. “Flattery is the lowest form of ingratiation, but it’ll get you anywhere with me.”
Talion tamped down on his annoyance. They were much too familiar with each other. “If you two are finished flirting, we should all be seeing to our respective duties.”
“What a brilliant idea.” Avrin flashed a sickeningly seductive smile at Maggie. “Can I escort you to wherever you’re needed?”
Talion gnashed his teeth together. If Avrin was trying to test him, he did a superb job of it. “No need, old friend. I’ll see to it.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will. But why don’t we ask the lady?”
A flicker of panic flashed over Maggie’s face. “Hmmm, wow. Don’t I feel popular? Thanks, Avrin, but I actually have an appointment with Talion.”
“That’s strange. I have access to his appointment book, and I recall no such appointment.”
“H…he worked me in.”
He swept an appraising glance over them. “I can see that. Well, good day.” A small smirk grew upon his lips. “I hope to see you both at dinner.”
As soon as Avrin walked away, Maggie whirled on him. “What the hell was that about?”
***
“Come on, tell me.” Maggie’s voice came out a whine as they strode toward his library, but she didn’t care. Something had gone down between Talion and Avrin. She’d cajole Talion until she found what it was. Never stand between her and gossip.
“We were talking about the beauty…of the day and compared it to sampling a ripe and willing female.”
She growled under her breath. He was being disgustingly close-mouthed and playing his little word games. And infecting every sentence with his insinuations.
“I don’t want to hear about ripe and willing women.”
He sent her a sidelong glance. “Jealous, my dear?”
Hell, yes. “Hardly.”
“How about if we were talking about you?”
She lurched to a stop and rounded on him in the hallway. “You told him we did that?”
“What if I did?”
“You had no right. It’s privileged information.”
“He’s one of my most trusted advisors.”
“He’s one of my closest friends here. I don’t want him knowing about the crap going on between us. He’ll look at me differently. I want everything to remain normal.”
He took a step toward her. “Are you harboring feelings for him, my dear?”
A shiver worked its way up her back. Though his voice was calm, the way he loome
d over her was anything but comforting. But she refused to be intimated. Of course not was how she should answer, but some devilish part of her pushed her to give an answer sure to be explosive.
She shrugged. “What if I am?”
The gray of his irises resembled a storm, while his pupils were blue lightning. Were those rumbles coming from his chest? Another step had him pressed against her. A growl vibrated through his body and into hers. She gulped. Oh, heck, yeah. He was thundering.
Long fingers slid under her chin and lifted her face up toward his. “You’ll find I don’t like to share. In any way. If you want him as a friend, you’d better consider your answer very carefully.”
Was that a threat? Yeah, probably was. The question was, did she feel like meeting it head on?
But he took the choice from her when he leaned down and crashed his mouth to hers. She wanted to yell at him, but her body—that damn, traitorous thing—rejoiced in the contact. Her lips parted, and his tongue slipped into the recesses of her mouth.
Alarm and arousal coursed like liquid fire in her veins. Every nerve ending became attuned to him, and her arms slipped around his neck. Her eyes fluttered closed. Their tongues met and dueled for dominance. She should break the kiss, but she couldn’t find the will to retreat. Then he changed the rules on her and gentled the demanding kiss.
He nibbled on her lips, wringing a moan from her. He was an intriguing mix of steel and gentleness, of ruthlessness and kindness. Which side did she desire more? She couldn’t choose. They were inexorably entwined in the man he was. One couldn’t exist without the other.
Her eyes shot open, and her mind hit the panic button. God, when had she gotten so philosophical? These elves in fairyland were a corrupting influence. What nonsense would she be thinking next?
Her arms snapped back to her sides. He withdrew a few inches but didn’t release her. His eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire. But anger no longer fueled it. She did—or rather his desire for her did.
A jumble of emotions settled in the pit of her stomach. Satisfaction she could wring this kind of response from him warred with the longing to be free from all personal entanglements. She hated such messes, and he was the biggest one she could’ve stepped into. He was kind of like gum on the bottom of her shoe. Now was the time to scrape him off before he ensnared her even more deeply in his sticky web.
She wound a strand of hair around her finger, determined to ignore their last make out session, and forced a nonchalant air to her movements. “He’s just a friend. A very handsome one.”
“Whatever you say, my dear.” This time when he spoke he wasn’t rumbly. In fact, he sounded disgustingly confident. She scowled. What a disheartening turn of events. It was like he could read her flipping mind. Being bonded to an elf majorly sucked.
He chuckled. Damn him.
They were going to be linked at the hip unless they slept together. She released a deep breath and pushed away from him. He let her go. They stood in silence, staring at each other. She didn’t want to go to his library but had no choice, just as she had no choice in the bond that now tied them together.
There wasn’t a way out of a bond, not if she desired to stay sane and whole. But then a thought sprang to her and sparked hope. Even though they couldn’t break the bond, no one said bonded couples had to live together. Maybe home was still an option. She could pick up where she left off, and everything would go back to normal. Of course, Cal wouldn’t be there, at least not for long. Her place was beside Relian, so any visit would be short.
But she’d have to have sex with Talion first. And this time she’d remember everything. Every touch, every caress. Her heart lurched as a cool chill played over her spine.
She hoped the experience didn’t haunt her. Would she ever be truly free of him? Talion wasn’t the sort of guy she’d forget easily. His presence would linger like a poltergeist. And he wasn’t even dead. Stupid elf.
There had to be a way to minimize any damage that might be done. They needed ground rules—and fast. She’d sleep with him, just this once. It was the only way to actually get away from him. If they couldn’t separate soon, people would start to speculate about the reason for her presence at his side. That couldn’t happen.
Her fingers went to her throat. An imaginary yoke was tightening around her, and she needed to break free before it strangled her.
“Let’s go to your library. We have a few things to discuss.”
***
Talion frowned. Those damnable words again. What was it with females and talking? Just when he was assured events were going as planned, Maggie stalled all progress. If he weren’t careful, the whole situation could spiral out of his carefully crafted control. He bit back a bark of laughter. Who was he fooling? Not himself. When it came to Maggie, his lack of control happily stared him down. It was her allure and his curse.
Might as well get her “discussion” out of the way. Only then could he move forward with his plan.
“Of course, my dear.”
Taking her arm, he pulled her toward him until their sides brushed. She stiffened and attempted to put some distance between them. He didn’t loosen his grip. Whoever said he’d make it easy for her?
He propelled her through the halls at a brisk pace. Every time her hip brushed against his leg, he smothered a moan. Trailing fingers of energy traveled over his skin, the sensations highly arousing. But he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing his weakness. If all came to fruition, she might be privy to the knowledge at some point, given the inherit qualities of their bond. Until then, however, he would keep as much of it secret as possible. Giving her this kind of power over him would be like giving an untutored child a deadly sword.
They halted before an oak door, and he blinked. At his library already? Though he hadn’t timed it, this had to be some kind of record. Only she could shake his equilibrium to such an extent he lost track of all time and place. He hadn’t even noticed the sentries and guards posted at their stations throughout the palace at various intervals. Though they’d probably believe he was taking her to see Cal, he’d make sure to place that thought in their minds, along with a little subtle psychic push to make the suggestion solid as reality. He smiled slightly. Sometimes being king had its definite perks.
He swept his hand over the doorknob, loosening the magic warding his sanctum against all but a few people. A thought infiltrated his mind, and he paused. He probably should give her clearance to enter as she pleased. Quickly adding her energy signature to the wards, he let the door swing open and stood aside so she could enter first. She hesitated before proceeding in.
He’d kept his occasional lovers far away from his private rooms, so Maggie was the first woman he’d been intimate with who ventured into his inner lair. If there weren’t an infernal war brewing right under his nose, he’d have some fun with her. But alas, with her need to “talk” and his duty to his people, no time remained for indulgence. Sometimes being king—how did Maggie say it? Ah, yes—sucked.
His life was sucking. Too bad he didn’t know on what. Did all humans use such peculiar words? And to think humankind had accused his people of word games. He shook his head. Humans were a mystery he’d never comprehend. Until Maggie, he’d never thought or cared about this fact. Humans had been a topic he preferred to avoid. Only in the dark of his dreams had his unwitting fascination for a lone human flared to life.
“Well, are you going to loiter in the doorway all day? Or are you going to come in?” Maggie’s cross voice enquired.
She was all sweetness and light, his queen. “I was merely held entranced by your beauty.”
A snort left her delectable lips. “You’re prettier than I am.”
Not what he wanted to hear. He scowled as he stepped into the room. She’d certainly never give him an inflated sense of self. “I’ve never been compared to a female before. You sounded almost jealous when you said that.”
“Ha. It’s just I have a strict policy of never being involve
d with a man who is better looking than I am. In fact, most of the men here are better looking than me.” She shook her head in seeming exasperation. “Most of you could pass as models. It’s freaky. You all need to shovel in some pizzas and cookies. You need some fat on your asses to round out your population. You know, fair representation and all.”
He raised a brow. Humans were strange creatures. “You want our rears to be larger?”
She slapped a hand against her forehead. “I meant, where are your chunky people? Surely, they exist. Not even elves are so perfect fat refuses to stick to you guys.”
Though her words were strange, the allusion was clear: she criticized their appearance. “You want us to be heavy?”
“Yes…no. That’s not the point.” She threw up her hands. “Why aren’t you fat?”
“Because I’m not? However, some of my people are plump, at least according to our standards. And what is your point? I confess I don’t see it.”
“Your perfect looks.” She flung the accusation around like a rock seeking a glass window. “It’s not normal.”
He shrugged. “We are what we are. But on the contrary, your human beauty far outshines my people’s.”
Her brows shot up. “Are you blind?”
“My eyes are functioning quite well, dear heart.”
“Not well enough apparently. Wait, what did you— Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
The way she rolled her eyes was quite endearing. How wonderful life with her would be! But for now, he needed to stay focused. “Why this sudden preoccupation with my people’s appearance?” It seemed she wanted to find fault over superficialities and anything that would put distance between them.
“There’s no preoccupation. You brought the subject up.”
“I merely mentioned your beauty. You dragged everybody else’s into it.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she stuck her nose up in the air. “I was merely proving a point. Nothing more.”
Of course. When wasn’t she? “And what would that be?”
