by Lisa Kumar
Avrin cleared his throat. “I think it would be best if everyone left but Talion and I. Once I tend to her, she should rest. If you wish, you can come back in a few hours.”
Damn, the guy knew. And here came a lecture. She just knew it.
Vana left without any protest. Cal and Relian took a little longer because they—well, Cal—wanted to say goodbye to her. As Cal gingerly hugged her with one arm, her friend searched her face as though she’d find the answers as to what was going on written there.
Maggie forced herself to shoo Cal away. “Go, I’ll be fine.”
After the door closed on Relian and Cal, Avrin whirled around and speared both her and Talion with a steely glare. “Now, you two have some explaining to do.”
Talion stood straighter. “You are forgetting who is king here.”
“I know very well who is king. It’s the one with the human bond mate, and I’m not talking about Relian.”
Chapter 12
Maggie groaned. Avrin knew about the bond. Was that why he’d been acting weird—more curt and remote—around her? He no longer hung out with her like he used to.
She chanced a look in Talion’s direction, and could already see the storm clouds swirling. Great, Talion’s shitty mood was taking a further nosedive. All she needed was for Talion and Avrin to get into a pissing contest as both sought to control the situation. Normally, that would be an amusing sight, but she wasn’t up for it at the moment. How could she spin it so she could get out of this conversation? She’d only gotten used to the idea of her and Talion. She wasn’t ready to discuss their bond in detail with someone else—even Avrin.
“How long do you think you two can fool everyone?” Avrin asked.
She couldn’t let that one pass. “Not everyone. We didn’t fool you.”
Avrin’s mouth firmed. “You know what I mean.”
“For as long as possible.” Forever if she had her choice.
Talion shook his head and sent her a glower. “She is the one who wanted to keep it secret—permanently. Against my better judgment, I had to impose a time limit.”
“I’ve been your friend and advisor for too many millennia to believe that. If you went along with her wishes, it was because you saw some benefit to it yourself.”
You tell him, Avrin. But one of his words stuck in her mind, and her smugness evaporated. Millennia? These guys dealt in decades and centuries as if they were nothing but days and months. To her, living to one hundred seemed old.
“Not all in the court will be happy to have a human queen,” Talion said with a sigh. “I’ve needed time to consider…my options.”
“What options? You’re soul-bonded to her.”
“And I intend to stay that way. I want no other, though as you’ll remember, some of the council members believe I should find an elvin lady, bond to her, and produce another heir.”
“What?” Maggie’s question came out as a shout, and she attempted to spring from the bed. Talion restrained her.
They wanted her elf to take another female and have a family? Over her dead human body. Avrin wanted to talk about the bond? She’d give him an earful. No other chick was getting near Talion.
Talion laid a soothing hand on her arm. “Some of the councilors worry about Relian being my only heir.”
“So? He has Cal. They’ll probably be popping out babies left and right the way they go at it.” An image struck her, and even as mad as she was, she cooed. “They’ll have the cutest little red or black-haired kids.”
Talion’s mouth curved into a slight smile. “I think the pain medication has taken effect. We have Maggie back in full force.”
Yeah, even to her, it seemed her mouth was more run-away than usual. All of a sudden, she noticed pain no longer pelted her. Wow, Avrin’s magic drink had powered right through her. Truthfully, her head felt like it was floating away from her shoulders. Kind of like a balloon. That would make her a balloon head, wouldn’t it? What had she been so worked up about a moment ago? Her mind drew a blank.
“Guys, I feel a little loopy.” A giggle worked its way up her throat. “What did you give me, Avrin? Whatever it is, I love it! Can I have some more?”
A sneeze tickled her nose. She pressed one side of her nostril shut, but the sneeze still came roaring out. “Whoa, that almost blew me away. Did you guys hold on tight?”
Talion withdrew a handkerchief from a pocket inside his robe and pressed it into her hands. “The sneeze wasn’t that powerful.”
She pouted at the material. “I wanted it to be a long clown one. You know, the kind that’s knotted together?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He fixed Avrin with a glare. “What did you do to her?”
Avrin watched her with lifted brows. “I gave her the standard formulation. All the herbs in it used to grow on Earth. It’s possible their potencies have adapted and changed according to their different environments. Mayhap, the drink is too strong for a human?”
Maggie waved to them. “Hey, it’s great for this human. What were we talking about? Something about Cal and babies?”
Talion remained silent until Avrin jabbed him in the ribs. “You might as well tell her. She’ll weasel it out of somebody.”
“The problem is, Relian has Cal.”
“How’s that a problem?” As she asked, she slurred the words. Her tongue weighed a ton and didn’t want to move properly.
“She’s human.”
She stared owlishly at him. Did he think she was stupid? “What’s your point?”
“Some people don’t want my potential heirs to carry human blood.” A dark scowl darkened his face. “A few of my council members had the audacity to suggest Relian should no longer be my heir and that I should produce another one.” He gave an ironic smile. “What they don’t know is I have a human bond mate and queen.”
This was hilarious. “They’ll love me for sure! I’m probably the first human queen of the elves in existence.” Laughter bubbled up at this oxymoron.
Talion sighed. “You’re incapable of seeing the seriousness of the situation right now.”
“Come on, I’m seeing the funny in it. That’s what’s important.” Her mouth felt like cotton, and she stuck out her tongue. “Water. I need water.”
Avrin poured some into a cup and handed it to her. Bad idea. It sloshed all over her and the bed. Tears sprung up in her eyes. “I spilled water all over my gown and the bed.” She burst into tears. “I…I’m still thirsty.”
Talion put his hands around hers and raised the cup to her lips again. “Take another sip. Slowly.”
Once she had her fill, she turned her head away. “The bed and the gown….”
Talion placed a finger to her lips. “Will dry. The gown is ripped, so it being wet is of no importance.”
She sniffed. “Okay.”
“Come, let’s get you undressed.”
Uh-ha. She’s heard that from him before. “I don’t think I’m up for some sex, thank you.”
Talion closed his eyes as if searching for patience while Avrin laughed in the background. “I want Avrin to check you out for any injuries your gown may be concealing.”
“Aaah, why didn’t you say so?”
“I just did.”
“So, which one of you lucky guys will undress me?”
“Maggie,” Talion said in warning, a flush of red tinting his high cheekbones.
She giggled. He was so funny. “You know you’re the only guy I want to strip me naked.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The dry tone in his voice sent her into another fit of laughter. Talion pulled her forward into a fully sitting position and tried to undo the laces of her gown. But just like the cat he always called her, she rubbed her face against his hands and arms. He smelled so good. She felt like a loony kitten high on catnip.
“Maggie.” He set her back with a stern look, but his voice was strained with desire. “Behave.”
Pouting, she complied. He gave
an approving nod. After tugging the dress off her, he covered her up with a blanket.
Avrin lifted up portions of the cloth as he inspected her for deep cuts. After coating the cuts he found with salve, he turned to Talion. “Just the cut on her cheek needs stitching.”
Her bond mate released a deep breath. “Thank the Mystics.”
Avrin strode to his medical bag. “Since she’s still feeling disconnected, now might be a good time for me to sew her up.”
“Sew me up? You make it sound like I’ve been gutted, you silly elf.”
He didn’t acknowledge her observation. “Let’s get you fixed up.”
The needle slid through the flesh of her cheek. She winced. Guess her pain wasn’t so numb after all.
“I’ll be done soon.”
Luckily, Avrin finished soon after he said that. Sleepiness was taking over, and she couldn’t keep her eyelids open.
“I will come back in a few hours. It is best to let her sleep now.” Apparently, Avrin was speaking to Talion, and not her. She’d like to protest it wasn’t polite to exclude her from the conversation, but tiredness prevented her from forming the words.
“In the meantime, I’d start thinking about how to tell Relian he now has a young, human stepmother. I’m sure he’ll accept her, but even he might not love the idea of such a bond between you two.”
Avrin’s words penetrated the fog surrounding her brain, and the truth teased at her humor with a deft hand. Relian was her stepson—one that happened to be an elvin prince and a million times older than her. What wasn’t there to love? They’d be best buds. She shook with silent mirth.
“And how do you feel about the bond?” Talion’s icy voice asked.
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”
“Then I have my answer.”
Some part of Maggie registered Avrin’s response might not be a good thing. As she tried to figure out why, though, the reason slipped away into the tired laughter consuming her body.
A hand rested briefly on her forehead. “Rest now.”
The skin underneath that touch flamed. Her laughter died. She opened her eyes and gazed at Talion. “You’ll stay with me.” She didn’t know whether she asked or commanded this of him. Only one thing mattered—that he said yes.
For a moment, he looked like he was going to protest, then his gaze softened. “Yes.”
She smiled as her eyes shut. “Good, I want you to stay with me always.”
***
With one last glance at Maggie’s sleeping form, Talion closed the door to her chamber. Guilt tugged at him, and he hoped he’d return before Maggie woke. As much as he desired to stay by her side, the matter of her attack loomed like a storm on the horizon.
He needed to find Relian, Kenhel, and Avrin. Besides a few select others, those were the only people whom he fully trusted. Whoever was responsible for the crime had to be stopped before he could stir up more trouble. Orchestrating Maggie’s acceptance among his people would be hard enough without worrying about dissenters rallying behind the perpetrator.
He called up magic of the palace to locate Relian and the rest of crew he needed. In this way, he could “feel” the palace and everyone in it, if he chose. Eria’s magic imbued itself into the land—and everything in it. As king, he had the knowledge and authority to access the portion of it that lay within the palace and the surrounding area. To a lesser degree, every elf had the ability to tap into this magic.
His senses honed in on the others’ location. They, along with Cal and Sardon, awaited him in his office. Relian must’ve told them to gather there.
As he strode toward his destination, Maggie’s last words played through his mind, and he couldn’t halt the small smile curving his lips. She wanted him to stay by her always. It didn’t matter she’d been high from one or more of the herbs in the medication. Before Avrin left, he’d assured Talion that while Maggie’s mouth ran even more freely than usual, nothing she said could be constituted as a lie.
Whether she admitted it or not, she cared for him. Not that he’d ever doubted it, for the bond told him of some of her emotions. However, clear confirmation was nice once in a while.
He pushed open his door, and everyone’s gaze landed on him. Ordinarily, such attention wouldn’t bother him, but today, it made him feel as though his power were slipping from him. The steely curiosity burning in Relian’s eyes warned him that avoiding his son’s questioning would be nearly impossible. Talion squared his shoulders.
“How is she?” Cal asked from where she stood by Relian’s side.
Talion sat behind his desk. The normality of the action comforted him and gave him a sense of his old control. “She’s sleeping.”
Avrin smiled at Cal. “As I told you she would be.”
“You’re always right.”
“It’s a special talent of mine.”
Talion steepled his fingers, ignoring the banter, and looked to Kenhel. “Any new developments?”
Kenhel’s face darkened. “The sentries are confused about what could’ve caused the damage to the statue. Of course, they haven’t considered which…unconventional methods may have been used, if any. I have more than a few suspicions, but was not sure if you’d want me to share them with the sentries.”
Talion nodded approvingly, even as frustration flooded him. His fingers clenched together. No leads? That was unacceptable.
“Don’t tell them anything yet.” Some things were better kept quiet until the knowledge could be used to their advantage—and in case there were traitors in their midst. “It’s part of their job for them to come up with plausible explanations to explore. Make sure they do it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Could it have been some kind of explosive? That is, if you have them here.” Cal asked in a hesitant voice.
Even his daughter-in-law saw the obvious. When would the sentries? “That could well be, even though they’re outlawed in Eria.”
“So, you know what these weapons are?” asked Cal.
He forced a wry smile to his lips. “We maintain our distance from Earth, but we’re still aware of the major happenings there. It would be unwise of us to be ignorant of not only Earth’s problems but also its advances, given our two worlds are separated by a thinning veil.”
“That makes sense,” said Cal. “But do you think it was some type of explosive?”
“That would be my first guess.”
“So, someone breeched the veil and smuggled explosives into Eria?”
He shook his head. “While it’s a possibility, the knowledge of how to make them exists here, so there’s actually no need to go to Earth in order to build a small explosive.”
“Why are they outlawed here?”
“They’re deemed too destructive and seen as something…humans would use.” He knew how this sounded but wouldn’t apologize, not that she’d expect him to. His people had withdrawn from humans for a reason. Cal and Maggie were wonderful, but he highly doubted all of mankind had improved to that level since he’d last been among them.
Cal blinked. “Oh.”
Relian drew her against his side, and she leaned into him as he spoke. “Father, any idea why someone would go to such lengths to set off an explosive in a statue? Could it be Andrian?”
He frowned. Relian knew better than to mention him. Andrian was no longer a part of their lives. Noticing Cal’s questioning look, Talion ignored it. Let Relian explain the sordid details if she promises secrecy.
Talion settled on shaking his head. “It’s not his style. Whoever carried it out was making a bold warning to me.”
Relian’s brows drew together. “Then why target Maggie?”
Talion smiled darkly. “I have a valid theory to your question—one you will soon discover, no doubt.”
The inquiring faces turned his way seared his conscience. Talion released a silent sigh. Maggie would just have to forgive him. Keeping the truth from Relian and Cal was too tiring. Plus, they clearly suspected s
omething. There was nobody present that shouldn’t hear the truth. Though he wasn’t as close to Sardon as he was to Avrin, he trusted the man implicitly with his life.
“Please sit down, everyone. I have some news to share, but for now it must remain between us.”
His gaze met Relian’s. He just hoped his son would accept the bond. While Relian considered Maggie something of a friend, that was far different than having her as a stepmother. Thankfully, his son was an open-minded elf. He’d accepted Cal’s humanity easily enough, so it shouldn’t stretch his son too far to give the same accord to Maggie. Hopefully.
He gritted his teeth. This damn indecision threatened to devour him whole. He waited until everyone had seated themselves, and fiddled with some parchments before speaking. The action barely calmed his nerves. He cleared his throat.
“About two weeks ago, I bonded with…someone.” It gave him a sense of easing into the subject by not mentioning her name right away. One surprise at a time. Though he sometimes delighted in shocking others, he didn’t want anyone passing out from the psychological trauma.
Silence pervaded the room for a few seconds. Besides Avrin, Relian and Sardon were the only ones who didn’t seem surprised. Cal’s mouth hung open, and Kenhel wore a stunned expression on his face.
Kenhel shook his head as though dislodging a haze that gripped him. A slow smile spread over his lips. “Someone? A female?”
Talion rolled his eyes. Count on Kenhel to state the obvious. “Of course.”
“Why do I have the feeling I know who your bond mate is?” Relian asked softly, though his face remained an impassive mask. That was the reaction Talion had feared.
A sand-coated lump formed in his throat. Would his son readily accept her? “Because you’ve always been astute.” And I’ve left too many clues.
“I don’t know about that. You’ve been acting differently toward her lately. I’ve seen the secret glances and the long looks when you two think no one is looking.”
