by D. R. Rosier
I said, “I appreciate the thought, but you don’t owe me anything.”
She tilted her head, and nervously licked her lips unconsciously. Her eyes were full of determination, and desire.
“That isn’t exactly true. I owe you a life debt for saving my life, and I could never repay your gift to my people last night, but that’s not why I’m here or why I’m going, though the latter did have some influence but not in the way you’re thinking. It’s complicated.”
I glanced over at Saria and Regina, and I knew instantly they wouldn’t be any help in talking Karana out of this. In fact, they looked faintly amused, and excited.
“Complicated?”
She reached out and took my hand and pulled us to a stop and faced me, hers was soft and warm in mine.
Fuck, my cock stirred, and my whole body felt electrified by the simple touch of her hand in mine, and the heated look of desire, exasperation, regret, and fear I saw in her eyes.
She said, “I care about you James, we both know that’s why we’ve been avoiding each other. I’ve been trying not to fall for you, because I can’t imagine a life without Amathyr in it. What was the point in hurting us both more? Your generous gift last night reminded me of why I started flirting with you and playing with you in the first place, besides teasing Saria that is.
“I’m here because I’m afraid for you, and you having a mage at your side as powerful as Sera is, if not more, will give her pause before she pushes you too hard. Just one more asset and reason for her to treat you carefully. I’m here to protect you.
“I’m here, because if I don’t explore what is between us, and figure it out, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I make no promises, and fully expect to walk away and go home when we get back from the Malburn, but I know it would hurt more in the long run if I didn’t explore where this might go between us. It’s selfish, but I hope you agree.
“I’m here, because I do owe you my life, my freedom, and I care about you and owe us both more than I’ve given because I was too afraid to try. Lastly, I’m here to make sure those sixteen elves get home. So yes, complicated, I’m here for many reasons, all of them good enough on their own.”
Her passionate sultry speech made me want to claim her lips with mine, fortunately I was smarter than that, and had control of myself, barely. It finally sunk in that she’d also rejected me in a way, saying there was almost no chance she’d stay in the end, even if we did fall in love. Well that was appealing, not. Still, I couldn’t help the traitorous hope that rose in my chest as I stared into her sparkling eyes. There was no denying our intense chemistry that made her so alluring to me, or the strong ties of friendship we already had.
I didn’t fear things wouldn’t work out, or that I’d find something repugnant about her. What I feared was how easily I thought it would be to fall deeply in love with her. Fuck, I was halfway there already between the attraction and friendship, not to mention the deep respect for her abilities and generous nature.
“I have a few conditions.”
Her eyes widened, “Conditions?”
“First, you need to smile more, I miss that alluring and flirty joyful smile.”
She smiled brightly despite herself, even as she glared at me from her eyes, eventually those eyes settled on amusement, and a little bit of sultry heat mixed with a startling vulnerability. It truly warmed me to see it. This was probably a very bad idea, and setting myself up for even worse heartache, but call me a fool I was going to do it. I already knew Saria and Regina were on board with it, and I was almost positive that was as much about trying to seduce her into our family as it was the protection a mage’s presence of Karana’s caliber would bring us.
“You said conditions?” she asked in sultry amusement. This would be hard, she dripped seduction, even when she wasn’t trying, and it was devastatingly effective when I felt a connection between us. She wasn’t flirting, but the connection was definitely back.
“Right, conditions…” I trailed off. Of course, I knew exactly what I wanted, I didn’t want her to avoid me, and I wanted her to act naturally, which meant flirting with me. But I couldn’t say that, could I? The first one was playful, and purely designed to get her to smile in that moment, but the rest of them would be ridiculous to demand.
Her amusement became a smirk at my sudden awkwardness.
She stepped a half step closer, so close that I imagined I could feel the heat rolling off of her body.
“I can manage that,” she said with a teasing grin that reached her eyes.
She wasn’t at all immune to me either, and she bit her lip and looked up at me through her eyelashes before she turned to my mates.
Regina said, “Glad you decided to join us.”
Saria looked amused, and happy, “Let’s go, daylight is burning.”
We started walking again, and I reluctantly released karana’s hand.
Hope and fear from her presence warred within me, mingled with a desire I couldn’t possibly deny. I wanted her, and while heartbreak wasn’t appealing, I decided to give it my best effort to woo her into the family. I’d fight for her and not sulk in fear of failure, no regrets. Given Regina’s smile as she started to chat with Karana, and Saria’s pointedly amused and smug look in my direction, I was sure I would have two allies in that endeavor.
So much for my relaxing vacation alone with my mates, things just got a whole lot more exciting.
The first day’s ride we were intensely aware of each other at first, but that kind of awkwardness had an expiration date on it, and it wasn’t long before we were more relaxed in each other’s presence. I found myself talking to her as often as I did to Saria and Regina. That wasn’t to say there was no tension between us, but it was a sexual tension that rode underneath our friendship, the good kind that had us sharing smiles instead of ignoring each other. She wasn’t overly flirty that first day either, but she was definitely started opening up to me again.
In short, we were both making an effort, if stilted at times that first day on the road. We had been ignoring each other after all, that kind of thing didn’t just go away with a few words and good intentions.
Perhaps the best part was that her overture had been a green light to explore our relationship, That meant I could be the man and pursue, without feeling any of the guilt I’d mentioned earlier about trying to win her heart and take her away from her home.
I also made sure not to neglect my mates, we were exchanging quite a few glances as well, far more intimate ones. I loved them so much it hurt, and although I was used to the idea they didn’t mind if I found another mate they approved of, it did surprise me that they were actively working for it even more than I was.
I knew they were, because Regina kept asking Karana personal questions, while Saria was asking me similar questions that I knew she already knew about me. As if they were helping us get to know each other, and to get past the last two weeks of awkwardness and help us return to a comfortable friendship. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said they planned it all out. It was scarier than that though, my mates planned it all out silently, and worked in perfect harmony. After all, they didn’t know Karana was coming until that morning, so they couldn’t have talked about it without us hearing.
It was late afternoon when Saria held up a hand and halted us on the road. I didn’t even bother to try and find the scout she was communicating with, I knew I’d never see them. Elven hearing was scarily good, I couldn’t even hear my mate from four feet away, but I knew she was talking to them.
Saria said, “There’s a group of rough looking refugees headed our way. Wagons, women, and children. Four families, nine children. I think we’re fine but stay alert as we pass them.”
She moved forward again, and we followed.
Curious, I asked, “So, mages don’t use the elven armor?”
Karana shook her head, “No. Our mage robes are enchanted with various protections. They’re also fairly tough, and don’t cut easily. Spider
silk. Why?”
“Just curious, we’ll be in danger, and you’re the only one without armor that can heal a wound.”
Her eyes widened, and she chuckled.
“Why aren’t I surprised? So that’s how you healed yourself from the fireball, because your armor did it?”
I nodded, “I just had to let my guard down, otherwise my magic would still stop it. This mission is going to be dangerous, would you wear one if I made it for you?”
She pondered that, “It could interfere with my magic at a critical time, but I suppose that’s better than dying.”
I snorted, “I’ll make you one tonight then, they can be kept small, like jewelry. I’ll also remove all the protections on them including what I added, save the healing, so it won’t interfere with your robe’s protections. You enchant all your robes?”
She was wearing the red robes again, she looked incredibly gorgeous and sensuous in that color, more so than usual which was saying a lot.
She smirked, and then gave me a flirty smile with a head tilt and wink.
“Just one robe. Spider silk is an ugly grayish white color that doesn’t take dyes well, the colors are just a simple illusion spell I cast every morning. I’m constantly improving the protections on it as well. One set of robes is enough to keep up with, and with my magic I can keep it clean and in pristine condition, even during a battle.”
I said, “Red suits you, it brings out your eyes.”
It was only after I’d said it that I realized I’d never complimented her appearance before, at least not out loud, I was positive she’d caught the admiration in my eyes on many occasions.
She smiled, “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
She nodded forward, and I tore my gaze away from her face, to see the wagons appear from around the bend of the road. There were two wagons, each one had two men on the raised bench out front to lead the horses. I couldn’t see anything in the wagons themselves yet, but I assumed their four wives and nine children were back there among their possessions.
As we got closer, I made out the leering grins of the men as they eyeballed Saria who was in the lead position. I was worried there’d be trouble, but not too worried. Saria could have probably handled them on her own, and there were twenty scouts right off the road in the woods, not to mention a mage. I wasn’t nearly as helpless as last time I was on the road travelling either, come to that, and no longer had any qualms at all about putting down a rapist or murderer. We were wary though as we got closer. Anyone could kill, if we got cocky or let our guard down at the wrong moment…
Chapter Five
“Good afternoon, what do we have here?”
Saria said evenly, “Good afternoon. We aren’t going to have a problem, are we?”
When she finished talking, the forest stirred on both sides of the road. The elves deliberately revealed their position I assume, Saria was trying to intimidate and bluff through, I hoped it worked.
The men swallowed their leering grins, but they looked angry as they stopped the wagons.
“You threatening us, bitch?”
I’d have face palmed at that, if I could’ve afforded to look away from them in that moment.
Saria ignored it and gestured, “The road is safe and clear all the way back to Eastguard, what brings you east?”
One of the men smirked, Saria’s lack of response to the insult seemed to embolden him.
“The new queen don’t know a woman’s place. New laws say we can’t discipline our wives, we heard that isn’t true in Eastguard. What the fuck is an elf doing all the way out here anyway.”
“Doesn’t,” I winced as it just slipped out, fortunately they all ignored me. Apparently, tense confrontations turned me into the grammar police.
Saria said, “Men like you and that attitude used to be common in Eastguard, I’m afraid the laws there are the same now, and enforced. Why don’t you move along, and we will too, before anything unfortunate happens.”
The two men went red and jumped off the wagon, the men in the second wagon had a look of sick expectation on their faces. They made it two steps before their heads snapped back one at a time, and they fell to the ground passed out from what was obviously a telekinetic punch. The two men in the second wagon froze in shock.
The four of us moved forward, and I clenched my teeth as I saw the two women in the back of the first wagon had black and blues, and other signs of abuse, including the way they cowered under my gaze.
What the fuck was wrong with this world. It was amazing in a lot of ways, like my mates, but this kind of thing? It wasn’t all men though, most did think women should be submissive to men, which was surprising enough, but most of those at least were protective of, and cherished their women. The ones that saw it as an opportunity to harm instead of protect, those were the truly evil ones. The others were just… taught that by society.
I knew a lot of women on my world would be angry about the other as well, but it was hard to argue against something so entrenched, and I wasn’t sure it was even bad. Regina was joyful, content, and very happy with it. I’d never demand her submission, but she was joyful in giving it regardless.
Saria said, “Did you need help? We can’t, by law, stop these men if you don’t ask for help or bring accusations.”
One of them said, “And if you do stop them, what will me and my children do then?”
One of the other men said, “Shut the fuck up Drina.”
Saria said softly, which told me she was close to violence.
“Continue on to Eastguard. Go to the inn, a man named Tam is the owner and one of the leaders of the city, he can tell you where to find work. Tell him Saria sent you.”
The man said, “And who the hell are you exactly, elf,” he spat the last word.
Saria said in a low voice, “Saria, princess of Lelmalond, councilor of Eastguard, and liege lady of Queen Sera. Who the fuck are you?”
The man cursed, pulled a knife, and threw it at Saria in one smooth practiced movement.
The knife froze in front of her face, and then rocketed back into his throat. The man gurgled as blood sprayed and he fell to the side.
Regina said, “I believe it’s treason to attack a noble,” as the last man still conscious moved to draw his sword.
He froze in the act of jumping down, and then sat back on his ass.
“We don’t want no trouble.”
Any. Damnit, at least I didn’t say it out loud.
Saria said, “The offer to move on was given,” she turned back to Drina, “Well? Wait here until your abusive husbands get up, or…”
Drina looked torn, and terrified, but she nodded, “They all beat us, and share us with each other against our will.”
Saria turned to look at me pointedly, and I knocked out the last man standing with my magic. She raised two fingers, and a pair of elves seemed to melt out of the trees.
Saria said, “Tie up the remaining three men, dump the dead one in the forest for the animals, and drive these wagons back to Eastguard. After reporting in to Jeran, return home.”
He replied, “With all due respect, we can catch back up before you get to Dulcier.”
Saria seemed to think about it for a moment, and then nodded her permission.
She looked back at Drina, “My mate can heal you all, anyone object to that?”
They looked unsure, and a little scared, but no one objected. It didn’t take long, there were only thirteen of them. Ten minutes later we were headed down the road again.
I was also heartened by the idea Sera made it illegal to abuse woman and would punish those who did it anyway. Sure, abuse would always be around, but with laws that were actually enforced, the amount of abuse would go down overall, by a lot. Given time.
Of course, that didn’t mean Sera was perfect, or didn’t have evil in her past, or wouldn’t do some in the future. No one was pure good or pure evil, not even me or my mates. Still, I hoped it would be better than it had been under Hanson. I wa
sn’t that naïve, but even better just by a few degrees was better. Especially if she let me live my life in peace.
I could hope.
We stopped a few hours later, and made camp. One of the first things I did was cut off a small piece of my elven armor, and disabled the self-destruct feature for smaller pieces as it regrew. Then I had to remove the ward protections I’d added against paralysis and other magical spells that directly affected the mind and body. There were a few other ones I disabled too, so they wouldn’t conflict with Karana’s robes.
Lastly, I reset the bonding part, after handing it to her so it would bond to her.
Karana smiled, “Thank you, so everyone on the trip has these?”
Everyone? I blushed as I realized no, they didn’t.
Karana’s smile widened, and she looked pleased, “So, just your mates… and me?” she asked archly.
I tried to play it off.
“It’ll just be us four in the castle with Sera, and I imagine we won’t always be together, so this will heal you if anything happens.”
She smirked, seeing right through that, and I decided to go on the offensive instead.
I stepped closer, and said sincerely, “I care about you Karana, no matter what happens between us I will always be at least your friend and ally, and feel honored and blessed to be so. You’re an incredible woman.”
Her eyes widened, then softened, and then grew warm. Very warm.
“I feel the same about you. Thank you for the gift,” she said in a soft sultry voice that sent a spark down my spine and made my heart beat faster. Karana’s voice could make reading the yellow pages sexy.
“You’re welcome.”
We stared into each other’s eyes a moment too long for casual friends, and then went back to setting up camp.
Chapter Six
Saria said, “I feel like we should be planning for battle, but we don’t know the rules yet.”
The sun was still hanging just above the horizon as we ate around the campfire.
