"Like what you see?" He cupped her cheek and she shuddered at the touch. Who was he? "I can promise you the feeling's mutual." He kept showing her affection and a sort of…adoration she didn't understand. They'd just met.
Footsteps approached from behind her and a female gasped. "My Liege."
Phoebe turned her head and spotted a woman with pale skin and shoulder length pink hair. She curtsied, wearing a shimmery, sheer gray garment and a necklace made of onyx. The woman was barefoot.
"You may rise, Madison," the male creature said. "This is Phoebe. She needs to learn and prepare for the rites tonight. Be sure she understands while I catch up on what has transpired when I was on Midgard."
The woman, Madison, nodded and the man took a few steps away, as though to depart. Then he turned back and pulled Phoebe into his arms. Before she had time to react, he brought his lips against hers. She inhaled sharply at the unexpected act and he slipped his tongue in to taste her. His eyes closed tight and he groaned, retreating a step. "So decadent. Surely all of you will be as sweet." He captured her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips for a delicate kiss. "Soon." This time when he walked away he didn't return, disappearing around the corner of the—
"Oh, my God, it is a cave."
"Yes," Madison said, stepping up beside her. "The caves of Svartalfheim to be exact."
Phoebe barely heard her, gawking around a cavern decked out in plush furs and pillows. Clusters of pale crystals glowed on pedestals made of rock. "Where?"
"Perhaps we should sit down." Madison placed an arm around her and steered her to a bench in a nook cut into the wall and gestured for her to sit. "I should start with my story since it's less…well. It's less. Can you believe it's been a year since I was dragged under my bed and brought to these caves?"
Phoebe's jaw dropped open. "Under the bed?"
The other woman nodded, laughing. "Yup. I had a monster under the bed, and I invited it into my bed, then he tricked me into agreeing to return home with him."
Eyes narrowing, she said, "Like being asked if you wanted to leave 'right now,' and then your closet becomes a damned cave and you're being carried off like a sack of half-priced potatoes in a famine?"
Madison grimaced. "They're really bad about that. They don't like being told no, so they get sneaky. Always pay attention to the wording of their yes or no questions before replying and it's fine. Happiness is a big factor for their mates. They might be tricky, but they aren't cruel."
"Wait, wait, wait." She held up a hand. "Mates?" Everything Madison said sounded stranger by the second, but that word jumped out in her mind, practically in neon, flashing lights.
"Yup. Congratulations, Phoebe of Midgard. You're going to mate with the king of the Dökkálfar." She smiled warmly. "He's been searching for a mate for centuries, by the way. He'd almost given up hope of starting a family."
So many words in that statement were not working for her. Mate? King? Crazy foreign word that she didn't even understand! "King of where? I'm sorry. This is too much to cope with."
Madison snickered, then noticed her expression and said, "Sorry. You're just mirroring all of my own initial reactions, and it's making me remember how much I resented coming here until…" She bit her lip and looked away.
Intrigued, Phoebe prodded, "Well, don't leave me hanging. Until what?"
"Okay, so long story short, the Dökkálfar—dark elves—live in caves because the sky on Svartalfheim is so dark that, over the centuries, it changed the genetic pigments in their skin tones so they basically look like shadows in the absence of light. The only light that doesn't hurt them comes from these crystals that are mined in the caves here." She gestured around and leaned closer, conspiratorially. "Because dark elves can't go out in the light, they couldn't go after the last of their women. Female dark elves stopped being born after a time, and the males had to resort to taking human women to mate and breed with to continue their line, but it only works when the woman is the right match. A mate to continue their line."
Madison sat up straight again and added, "Some, like the king, are ancient and full-blooded dark elf. Others, like my mate, are half-human. Human women are who taught them English. Oh, and when you mate with elves you're linked to their life force and stay in the state you were in at the time. That is how I ended up with permanently pink hair…which is awesome, by the way." She fluffed the bright magenta hair that had fallen over her shoulder.
Phoebe was still struggling with one phrase: Mate and breed. What the hell did this king dude think she was, a broodmare? She tried to respond but only vowel sounds came out, so she snapped her mouth shut.
"It's really not terrible here, Phoebe," Madison promised. "Everyone is pretty nice and there hasn't been a war with another realm in a few centuries. Regardless, the women are taught archery and how to throw and fight with knives. It's fun."
Phoebe blinked. "What if I want to go home or contact a family member?" Did she really want to live in a cave forever?
The other woman smiled sadly. "If it makes you feel any better, the human women and the elves created a computer using magic and crystals. You can access the Internet even though you aren't on Midgard anymore. Movies, books, music. We have a much more enjoyable life here without taxes or bills or car payments."
Phoebe choked and sputtered, leaping to her stockinged feet. She was walking around in a bustier, petticoat, and stockings while Madison looked like she was wearing some sci-fi lingerie of her own, talking about this grand life in an elf cult or something. Was this a weird fetish dream? "I-I don't want to use magical Wi-Fi. I don't want to mate or breed or learn archery. I want to go home."
"Do you?"
Phoebe whirled around. The elf king leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a brow arched, and he was…completely aroused. Her eyes widened as she realized where he planned on sticking that appendage, and the part of her that had been raised as an independent woman with her own goals and career wanted to give him a piece of her mind. The primitive part of her that lusted and desired, however, perked the hell up on high alert. Her primitive half was a traitor.
A second dark elf stood at his side, and he wore the same gauzy gray material as Madison, fashioned into a sleeveless robe or tunic. It revealed as much as it covered, and he was equally as beautiful as his king. He shared the long dark hair and gunmetal skin tone, but he didn't have antlers and his eyes weren't full black. He had bright blue eyes like a human. What had Madison said? Some were still full elf and some were half-human. This one must be the latter. Which meant…
"Yes, Phoebe," the king said glancing at the elf at his side. "Trygve is half-human, as will be our young, when you are ready to have them."
She eyed them both suspiciously. "When I'm ready? You mean I have a choice in something?" That didn't seem to be the case thus far.
He nodded. "You have a choice in everything, though I sense you will choose that which will bring you happiness." Somehow, she doubted they shared the same opinion of what that was. "Trygve and Madison have been mates for one Midgardian year. With our enhanced senses, we can tell when our mates are most likely to conceive and wait to spill within them until that time passes should that be preferred."
Phoebe turned to Madison for confirmation. The woman smiled and said, "I asked for a year to let me get to know him before worrying about children and to see if it would work between us. Tonight, after we stand witness to the ritual, we're going to start trying to conceive." She smirked. "We've had a hell of a time practicing."
They kept speaking of rituals and sacred rites like she had an idea what that meant. All she knew was the more they discussed mating and breeding while the king stood there looking sexy as hell and erect, her body lost focus with remembering how she'd been tricked into being there. How she was ambushed and carried into a different world. Madison said she came through a year ago though. "Why were you brought here the same day of the year as me?" Phoebe asked her.
Madison opened her mouth and slammed it shut
again, quickly glancing at the dark elves for their approval to answer. The king nodded once, and she said, "Because Halloween night is only time of the year that fully Midgardian humans can pass through the gateways into Svartalfheim. It's why they are so tricky with their questions to lure us here."
"But…there was something weird going on in my closet for weeks, months even."
The king snorted. "I could enter Midgard at any time. I could have crawled into bed with you if you'd realized I was there and asked, but we prefer having our mates in our own beds, at all times, without worrying about lights burning our skin or having to hide during daylight hours." He pushed away from the wall and stalked toward her. "Enough of this conversation. We shall perform the sacred rites, bonding us as mates, and then, my queen, you will no longer be at the mercy of males who do not appreciate you. Whom you dress up for in this delectable attire while they leave you wanting and needing alone." He pulled her against his chest, tilting her chin up so she faced him. "My queen will never be left wanting. When she needs, she shall receive. Where she goes, she will be cherished. I can promise you all this and more. If you will have me."
Phoebe moaned as he kissed her again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck in acceptance. The king grunted approvingly and kissed her harder. What he'd said—it was everything she'd wanted in a partner. She always chose the wrong men, and every time she got burned. Could she give up everything to be desired and wanted by a dark elf? Madison seemed to enjoy it here. When they were alone, without the men listening to what the woman had said, there hadn't been any sign of discontent.
The king pulled back, and she opened her eyes, taking in the dark depths of his. "Will you accept me, Phoebe? Allow me to show you what you've been seeking and unable to find." He ran his hands over her shoulders, stopping when he cupped her breasts. She shuddered at his touch, and he slipped his thumbs beneath the top of the bustier to caress her nipples as they hardened into points.
Warmth and need flooded her body and she answered, "Yes."
Chapter 4
The elf king led her into a dark chamber lit by a single cluster of crystals. Trygve stood next to Madison near the entrance, and they were holding hands. Phoebe didn't miss the smiles the two shared with each other when they thought they were unobserved. Could she have that same happiness if she stayed here with their king? One of the greatest achievements in life was happiness, and it was often the one thing most taken for granted. She owed it to herself to see this through because, in her own life, she wasn't happy. She put on a front for people, but she had nothing that gave her joy. She wanted joy, and she wanted love. Would one perhaps lead to the other over time?
"Come, my queen. On to the flat stones here." The king held his hand out to her and she took it, allowing him to assist her up to a raised platform. Furs and rugs covered the area. She glanced around, but there wasn't anything else in the cavern. "Do not be afraid," he said in a soothing voice. Then, without looking away from her, he said something in a foreign tongue she didn't recognize.
Phoebe was about to question what that meant, but Trygve stepped forward and pulled a small sack out of a pocket on the side of his robes. He opened the silky bag and produced a necklace. It was onyx like Madison's, or a mineral that resembled onyx, and was covered in glittering blue sapphires.
"It's beautiful," she muttered as the king accepted the necklace.
He smiled warmly and made a spinning gesture for her to turn around. "Only the best for my queen." He draped the necklace over her shoulders and she raised her hair for him to clasp it in the back. After he fastened the jewelry, he placed a gentle kiss to the curve of her neck and shoulder. When she turned around, the heat in his gaze caused her breath to hitch. Such raw desire was heady on its own, and coming from someone who looked like him?
I do want him. She swallowed and stepped closer. She accepted this fate which had befallen her, and her throat went dry at the thought of him moving on top of her. Within her.
The king spoke the language of the dark elves again, and she heard her name. This time, Trygve translated for her as he resumed his place beside Madison. "Do you, Phoebe of Midgard, devote yourself to Eerikki, King of Svartalfheim?"
She looked from one male to the next, realizing there was no backing out of this if she did it. She would be bound to an elf king forever. Yet, instead of thinking of reasons to run, she smiled. His name is Eerikki, and he can be all mine. "I do."
Eerikki's voice grew thick as he continued speaking while he stepped behind her to pull at the ties on the bustier. She started to tell him it zipped on the side, but something about being unlaced and undone by a powerful male made her insides turn to mush and desire skyrocketed through her.
Trygve relayed, "It is done. With the gift of my name and my body, we are bound. Your life and mine, until one should perish." He and Madison made no move to leave the room.
Eerikki, as though sensing her discomfort, whispered in her ear, "They must witness my first thrust and then they will leave, spreading the word that the king has finally found and claimed his queen."
Phoebe shivered as he yanked one last time on the strings and lifted the bustier over her head. She covered her breasts due to their audience.
Her elf king tsked softly and pushed her arms down. "It's important they see you desire me inside you. That nothing is forced." He palmed her breasts while standing behind her and grunted. "Feel how your body responds for me." Deftly, he ran his hands to her waist and pushed the petticoat to her feet, only to groan loudly at the sight of her in nothing but a thong, stockings, and garter belt. He muttered something in his language with a deep, gravelly voice, and moisture between her legs made her want to fidget. She stood still. "Phoebe, walk away now if you do not want this. If we go any farther, I won't be able to back away."
Ahead of them, Trygve and Madison were both breathing a little heavier. Oh my God, this is turning them on. She blinked, startled by the fact that their excitement for what was happening fueled her own instead of limiting it. Perhaps she was into exhibitionism after all and hadn't known it. Biting her lip, Phoebe made a fast decision and turned to face Eerikki. She appreciated being given the option to leave, but now that she'd been tempted, she couldn't walk away. She had to know his touch. His taste.
Eerikki raised his eyebrows, as though he hadn't expected her stay. Her gaze traveled up to his antlers, and she recalled the shadowy stag outside the sorority house earlier in the night. Had that been him as well? Could he take other forms? Both questions for another day. Now, though, she only wanted to please her new mate.
Slowly, Phoebe kneeled in front of him, maintaining eye contact. His lips parted, desire flashing in those black pools of his eyes as he comprehended what she meant to do.
"Is this willing enough for you," she challenged, "Eerikki?" She was delighted with the way his name rolled off her tongue, and used that appendage to lick her lips as she wrapped one of her hands around his erection and placed the other on his thigh.
Phoebe leaned forward and licked the tip of him, marveling at the piercing on the underside of it. How would it feel inside her? She'd always been curious about piercings. With practiced ease, she took him into her mouth, swiveling her tongue around him and drew him in as far as she could. His length was impressive, and longing flared within her as she considered how he'd fill her later. Eerikki cupped her head, twinning his fingers in her hair as his breathing thickened and she worked him with her hand and mouth.
Abruptly he backed away, panting. "We have time to play later. Now, we must complete the rites so Madison and Trygve can leave and I'll have you all to myself." He added in a whisper, "You have put them in quite the state." He gestured for her to turn around. The others were watching them with hooded eyes and Madison had her hand inside of Trygve's robe where it bobbed up and—
Eerikki kneeled behind her, bringing her attention back to the man she wanted inside her as he eased her down to her hands and knees while caressing her between her thighs.
"So wet. Shall we remove this offending barrier?"
Whimpering in agreement, she moaned when he tore her thong at the sides and tossed it aside as inconsequential. He ran his hands over her stockings and garters and growled.
"We'll leave these on." Eerikki muttered something unintelligible and then, "You don't know what you do to me." He positioned himself behind her and she jumped in surprise when the cool, slick hoop of his piercing brushed against her clitoris. She didn't have time to think about it before he began feeding his length into her. When he was fully seated, he snarled for the others to leave them, which they seemed all too eager to do. Would they go off and have sex while thinking of them? Her muscles clenched and Eerikki sucked in a breath, pulled back and thrust into her again. The added texture of his piercing caused her to clutch the furs in tight fists as she arched her backside toward him for more.
She lost comprehension of time and reason when he started to gain momentum. The pressure and exquisite fullness had her panting, making sounds she didn't think herself capable of producing. And when she spiraled off the edge of pleasure, coming harder than she ever had before, her dark elf chuckled and eased out of her. She started to protest that he'd yet to finish, and then he eased her all the way down onto the furs and turned her over to face him. Eerikki slid back inside her, covering her with his body, kissing her sweetly, then he rocked against her in a gentle rhythm that sent waves of rapture crashing through her, preparing for another great swell.
His pace increased, as did her breathing, and soon they were both lost in moans of ecstasy and he spent into her while she screamed in completion a second time. Eerikki pulled out of her and settled her against his side, never taking his gaze off her.
This was the passion she'd been missing in life. This was the desire she'd dreamed of but could never find on her own. The king of the dark elves may have stolen her from her world to be his bride, but if Phoebe could do it again, knowing where it would lead, she'd have invited the monster from her closet into her bed months ago and would have followed him into his world without question the moment he asked.
The Monster in the Closet (Monsters in the Dark Book 2) Page 2
