by Lisa Kumar
“So you really think”—she waved her hands around—“all this crap has something to do with your sister.”
He masked his face in inscrutability. “You need to have a long talk with Talion.”
“Ha, he’s been avoiding me. Fat chance of that.”
“Besides concerns for your safety, he has other matters to occupy his time.”
Avrin’s gentle reminder made her sigh. “Yeah, I know. Being king is a full-time job. I get it.”
“Yes, and he could use a mate that would help to relieve some of those burdens. Or, at least, be there with a sympathetic ear.”
She threw her hands up in frustration. “How can I do that if he never lets me in?”
Avrin’s gaze seemed to see right through her. “Do you want to be let in? And if you do, have you indicated such to him? He may be king, but he’s not a mind reader.”
She wasn’t so sure about that. “He can sense my feelings.”
“Sense, yes. Not read them. Plus, he can only sense your feelings when you’re in close proximity to each other and you’re experiencing strong emotions,” he said in a patient tone that drove her crazy.
“That’s almost as bad. Also equally bad is that he can track me anywhere in the palace with our inbuilt homing device, thanks to the bond.”
Avrin shook his head. “On the contrary, both features should keep you better in-tune with each other emotionally. And I think you’ll find that the tracing feature, as well as the one for sensing emotion, works best over short distances and when you’re in the frame of mind to pay it heed. Anyway, as king, Talion has the power to track anyone in the palace if he so desires it, so that situation is not unique to you.”
“Wow, really?” Those were useful tidbits. She’d have to see if she could use them to her advantage. “So if I don’t pay those features any attention, I will block them?”
A sniff of disapproval met her inquiry. “For the most part, they’re capable of being ignored, just like everything else if that was your will. Though it wouldn’t be an intelligent one. The bond’s qualities are best utilized.”
She crossed her arms. “Yeah, right. How will stalker-like features bring us closer?”
“Because compared to what they offer you, they don’t infringe on your privacy overmuch. The special knowledge they bring could be indispensable to you both.”
“If you say so.”
He regarded her with an exasperated look. “Save me from headstrong fools.”
Avrin was talking nonsense, and he called her the fool? “I’m not—” She broke off, all breath stilling. Talion felt close—very close. Damn it all, she was going to have to pay better attention to tracking him.
She closed her eyes and mentally counted down, three, two, one. And there he is….
“Are you bothering my queen?” Talion’s sardonic voice drawled.
Her super-powered Talion intuition hadn’t failed her, though she wouldn’t have minded if it had been a false alarm. Though she’d been annoyed by him avoiding her, all witty retorts fled. She sent a pleading glance to Avrin. What she expected him to do, she didn’t know.
Avrin, however, took himself firmly out of the running by shaking his head and stepping away. “Just keeping her company until you could grace her with your presence.”
Maggie glared at the traitor. Great. He’d left her alone to handle Talion, never mind that said king was her husband and hers to handle.
She faced Talion slowly. This was going to be a lovely conversation. While he’d calmed down quite a bit, enough ire emanated from him that she knew he was still upset about the market incidence. She squared her shoulders. Too bad, he’d just have to get over it.
“How thoughtful of you to keep her amused,” Talion said, but instead of looking at Avrin, he stared at her.
She forced herself not to fidget, and raised her chin. “Yes, unlike some people, he makes sure to see me every day.” Okay, not technically true. Avrin had been visiting her for the last three days without fail, but before that, he’d missed a day or two…or three, especially when he was being weird about the bond thing.
“Some people are swayed by simple pleasures. I’ve had more important matters to attend to than dance attendance.”
Ouch. His words felt like a slap. She reminded herself that he was only being a bastard because he was still angry with her.
Avrin crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Now, children, let’s behave and not say anything we’ll regret.”
Talion quirked a brow. “Who says I’ll regret it?”
Avrin pinned Talion with a knowing look. “I know you, and your anger tends to get the best of you.”
“Sometimes, you’re right,” Talion said begrudgingly. “And sometimes, you’re not.”
Avrin’s burgeoning smile melted away into a frown. “You two deserve each other. I’m done talking to the hopeless.”
Maggie raised her hand up in the air. “Hey, I protest that.”
Talion’s face remained impassive for a moment then slowly his expression morphed into a pleased one. He laughed—a deep and rich sound that snaked up her spine. “Protest all you want. It’s true.”
Maggie stared at him. Had he gone insane? First, insulting her, then the laughter, and finally, the about-face to agree with Avrin? Maybe she’d finally caused Talion to lose it. Her parents had always claimed she had that effect on people. She frowned as the memories bombarded her. Yeah, right, as if she had anything on her parents. They were the true masters, and any skill she’d developed had been learned at their far superior hands.
Or was Talion trying to trip up her guard? If that was his intention, he was coming close to succeeding with his frenetic mood swings.
“Okay.” She drew the word out and eyed him suspiciously. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but if you two are ganging up on me, I’m leaving.”
“You have to admit Avrin has a point. We are well-suited to each other.”
They fought like cats and dogs. “I don’t know if I’d call it that.”
“I would. We fit together perfectly.” The gleam in his eyes left no doubt about what he meant. He only had to add a bump of his hips to rival any horn-dog back on Earth.
She bit her lip, torn between consternation and amusement. Please, did everything have to come back to sex? She really didn’t want to air their sex life in front of Avrin. “You would say that.”
Avrin, damn him, smirked. “Love making does have a way of bringing people into accord.”
She groaned. Not that again. They had another thing coming if they thought she’d stick around for this. Plus, she wanted to leave before Talion’s mood went south again. She rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of the situation and headed for the door. “Well, that’s my cue to leave. Bye, boys.”
***
A wave of bemusement hit Talion as he watched her leave. Boys? He hadn’t been referred to as a boy since ...millennia past. And he said so. Loudly.
Maggie turned around and shrugged. “I call it as I see it. Act juvenile and I’ll call you a boy. I don’t care if you’re older than dirt.”
“Maybe that’s why you make me feel young.”
“Yeah, I bring out the teenager in you.”
Teenager? Just how a king should act. He shook his head at the thought. But she did revitalize him, whether she realized it or not. Of course, she tended to use up all that energy and leave him a dried-out husk, not that this knowledge would bother her. Quite the contrary, it would probably amuse her to no end.
“You definitely are a blessing and a curse.” He smiled at the irony. No truer words had ever been uttered.
“I know which one you are to me.”
“A blessing?”
“Haha, you’re funny. You hang over my head like a scourge.”
He took in a deep breath to savor the moment. The two days they’d been apart, he’d missed sparring with her. “Scourge? I’m impressed you know such big words.”
Her eye
s narrowed dangerously. “You know, I think I liked you better when you were still pouting.”
“Kings don’t sulk. We are much too regal for that.”
Maggie’s brows arched and then lowered as she gazed at him. “You’re being so dang manic.”
At her words he shrugged. He didn’t know why he was so jubilant right now. Sometimes, he felt drugged around her. He certainly craved her as if she were one of those addicting substances. It was unsettling to need someone like that. Though he’d come to accept it, he still didn’t know if he liked it.
But he’d learned that logic had nothing to do with his feelings for Maggie. She was a walking contradiction of everything he should hate but instead found himself captivated by. He’d never been overly fond of humans even when elf and mortal had lived side-by-side. As a whole, humans seemed to be loud and brass, all qualities Maggie held in abundance. In her, though, they were strengths, not the weaknesses he’d believed them to be.
A huff of breath exploded from Maggie. “Okay, if you’re not going to say anything, I’m leaving.”
Ah, Maggie at her finest. If they were alone, he’d be tempted to press her up against a wall and show her how she inflamed him. He buckled down on the desire surging through his veins. It wouldn’t do to give Avrin a free performance.
Talion smiled at her. “We’ll talk later.” Though after what he’d planned in a few days’ time, more than likely she’d be hissing mad at him, so they’d have to talk sooner than later. While she made a most adorable cat when she kept her claws sheathed, in the matter soon-to-be at hand, he was sure to feel the bite of those little daggers.
She stomped toward the exit, tossing over her shoulder, “Not if you’re going to insult me, we’re not.”
Well, that was an improvement over her standard “whatever.” And he wasn’t insulting her. No, what he was doing was riling her up. As she marched toward the door, he admired her ramrod straight back. By the stars, even her angry gait was sexy.
He shook his head. By rights, he should loathe her, for she’d been one of the reasons his marriage had disintegrated. But she hadn’t even been born at the time, so he couldn’t assign any blame to her. That lay with him and Relian’s mother. He shouldn’t have married Serrina and settled for mere affection. But he couldn’t bring himself to regret it, because of Relian.
With Maggie, she made him feel, whether he liked it or not. The gamut of emotion she awoke in him was exhilarating, tiring, and nothing like he’d ever experienced before. And though he hated to admit it, the moment she appeared in Eria, he knew. His soul, as well as his body, had recognized her as the woman he dreamed of for so long, and he’d realized his fate rested with her. The knowledge he would love her—more than his sanity, more than his life—had shaken him. Still shook him.
After Maggie had left, Avrin cleared his throat. “That was an entertaining display. But why do you hide from her the fact you want to be with her? Be careful you don’t drive her away.”
“Really?” He lifted a purposefully indolent brow. Avrin should know better than to give him a dressing down.
“Say what you may. It won’t change that you want her.”
“Mayhap it’s only desire.”
Avrin snorted. “You are no callow youth. That stage is long past. The bond that ties you together only flourishes where there is a seed, but you must nurture it so it doesn’t wither and die.”
“Even if you’re right, what gives you the right to lecture me?” Avrin was right about caring for the bond, but Maggie had to know how he felt. He’d been quite obvious, hadn’t he?
A faint smirk curved Avrin’s lips. “Not lecture but council. I’m your advisor, after all.”
“We can change that.” Talion gestured around to the ivory-colored walls of the council room. “I think you’ve been stuck in this room with me for far too many centuries.”
Avrin waved the threat aside. “You’ve said that for thousands of years and never have acted upon it. Why would it be any different now?”
Talion felt a muscle twitch in his jaw. “There is a first time for everything.”
His friend had the audacity to laugh in his face. “I think I’ll take my chances.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
Avrin ignored his glower and strode to a chair. “Me? I think you are the one who is doing so.”
Talion pinned Avrin with his iciest glare. “I assure you I’m playing no game.”
“Then tell Maggie how you feel about her.”
“She’s my bond mate. It should be clear to her how I feel.”
Avrin snorted out a disbelieving laugh as he sat down. “Hmm, I find that strange because I don’t think you’ve admitted to yourself how you feel. So how could she possibly know?”
Talion gnashed his teeth together, angry and afraid his friend would guess exactly what he felt for Maggie—what he’d barely acknowledged to himself but knew was lurking there the whole time. “But I suppose you know?”
“Of course, you love her.”
Talion had braced himself, as he fully expected the words to stab him like a sword through the gut, and to some extent the residual shock did. But mostly relief swam through his veins, not denial, not regret. Just a sense of relief that somebody knew and wouldn’t use it against him. In his position, love was a dangerous emotion with which some wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate him. Even Maggie could use it as a weapon if she guessed. He didn’t like being under anyone’s finger, even if it was that of the woman he loved.
Feeling the weight of Avrin’s expectant gaze, he said wearily, “What do you want? A commendation for being right?”
“Normally, yes, but in this case, I’m just happy you’ve come to the realization you love her, without me bashing you over the head repeatedly.”
Talion’s lips quirked. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“That you’re stubborn? Yes, I am. But so is Maggie. You two are equally matched in that quality. She’d have to be to put up with you.”
“Thanks for your confidence in me,” Talion said drily.
“It’s true, and it was why you were never a good fit for my sister.” A shadow crossed Avrin’s face. “This mismatch in personalities is what led her to do what she did.”
“You still can’t say it, can you? She betrayed me, but I accept my part in it. Like you said, I should’ve never pursued a bond with her. I knew it would be lacking in every way.”
“You knew even at that time about Maggie, did you not?”
Avrin had ignored his first question, which was Talion’s answer, so he shook his head. “Not about Maggie’s identity, but I knew my complete bond mate was human. Much like as in Relian’s dreams, mine had revealed the same.”
“I suspected at that time because of all the leading questions you asked about humans and if it’d ever be possible for one to come here.”
“And now that’s a question that has been more than answered, yet leaves many others in its wake.”
“Like who’s trying to harm Maggie?” asked Avrin, giving him a significant look.
Talion had shared the note only with his taskforce and Avrin. Though they knew Eamon was involved, all believed the witless idiot couldn’t be the sole mastermind behind the plot. That unknown ate away at his gut, but he crushed the feeling down. Right now, Maggie was safe in the palace, all jaunts to the village curtailed. “That among others, yes, though that’s one of my most pressing concerns right now.”
“As well it should be.”
The steely glint in Avrin’s eyes both reassured and worried Talion. He feared his friend sometimes cared a little too much for Maggie. “Even if I didn’t rank it that high, you’d make sure I did.”
Avrin grinned sheepishly. “You know me too well. So what is your next step?”
“With Maggie? Getting her to accept the bond and making sure she doesn’t get herself killed.”
“Hmm.” Avrin nodded and appeared deep in thought. “And once you accompli
sh those goals, how do you plan to win everyone’s acceptance of her?”
By sheer force if necessary. “That I’ll worry about later.”
“In other words you won’t give people any other choice.”
“Of course.”
“Still, I think your biggest challenge is getting Maggie to go along with the situation, though she’s not immune to you.”
Talion’s smiled without humor. “She won’t have any other option.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“I didn’t think you would. Most of the time, I’m undecided if it’s a wise idea.”
Avrin’s brows drew together, and he stood from his seat. “Talion, what are you planning?”
“My fate. I just don’t know if it’ll herald my happiness or my destruction. Knowing Maggie, maybe both.”
“Does this fate have anything to do with the upcoming Harvest Festival?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“I take that as a yes, then. There’s nothing I can say to dissuade you from this course?”
“Dissuade me from what course?” Talion asked with a lightness that belied his mood. “I haven’t apprised you of my plans.”
“Given the extra instructions you have in place for the opening ceremonies at the Harvest Festival, it’s apparent what ‘course’ you’ve chosen.” Avrin thoughtfully used air quotes around the word “course” in a manner so reminiscent of Maggie that Talion felt his lips quirk up the corners.
“Since you’ve used your amazing mental faculties to figure out my endeavor, you can now help me see it to fruition.” He needed all the help he could get, and if he could trust anyone, it would be Avrin.
“So I can take part of the blame when your lovely mate decides to come after your blood?”
“In part. But mostly to ensure the night doesn’t end in disaster. I’ll be the last person with whom she’ll want to speak. I need you to make sure she doesn’t do anything…rash.”
“You want me to play the role of nanny,” Avrin stated in a deadpan voice.
“Do you have a problem with that?”
