by Trisha Lynn
Chapter Thirty-Two
.... Loki ....
He was beyond pleased with Adeila's progress thus far. He'd watched her with the advisers, Guardian's and his own agents. Her charisma, charm and strong mind melded well with the others. She just fit. Everyone genuinely liked and accepted her. He knew she would make a just and influential leader one day. Especially with the tattoo already growing with the bond of the Unicorn. Not even twenty-four hours in Faerie and she already bonded with an animal of the strongest, ancient magic. The evidence in her skin was something he knew she would be confused about, and he felt bad that there was little time to explain to her more of it. He hoped that by explaining his own tattoos upon entering Faerie she'd understand the magnitude of it. The sheer beauty in Faerie magic inking your skin. He knew some Fae hundreds of years old that never had the Faerie magic ink their skin any farther then their bloodlines symbols.
His fingers trembled against the door knob of his room. He shook his head, as if to shake off some of the buzz. He should have never agreed to the fourth pint of jade ale. He'd never been a drinker, but when the King insisted on toasting to him for his accomplishments with the R.F.R.U, getting his daughter to Faerie safely and being a trusted and true adviser, who was he to deny his King?
Loki let out a shaky breath and began unbuttoning his shirt. He looked and was relieved to find a glass of ice water with lemon on his nightstand. Should probably try to push out the alcohol faster, he thought. He squeezed the lemon into his water and took a long pull.
Clearly this ale had been a good batch. Fae had a very strong tolerance to alcohol, it rarely affected them, but there were a few breweries within the kingdoms that used special ingredients to make the alcohol potent enough that the Fae's metabolism had a harder time fighting off the effects.
He stripped down to his boxers. An uncomfortable sweat surfaced across his body, he wiped it as it pooled above his upper lip, and it slipped down his back. He was too warm with any clothing touching him, he felt like he was overheating in his own skin, so he slipped beneath his sheets nude.
Once he lay down, the room spun. Well, damn. That ale packed a huge punch. He downed the rest of his water, and debated on going to get more when his lids closed, and his mind wandered. Without trying, an image fluttered across his closed lids.
Adeila in school. Tight denim clinging to her slim legs, a black shirt hugging her chest and slender waist. Her long hair loose and flowing. A flirty smile across her lips, even if it hadn't been directed towards him, it punched his stomach into a strange knot. That was the first time he'd allowed himself to feel any real attraction towards her.
Prior to that he'd kept any thoughts of her purely platonic, business. Although touching her had alighted complete confusion in him. He recalled what it felt to shake her hand that first day in the human Chemistry class. What a silly idea on his part, but how was he to know that shaking her hand would elicit such an intense response. How that was evoked, was beyond him. He'd thought, at that time, that it was a fluke, but he knew better now.
Every time he touched her a similar reaction occurred. It confused and sent ambivalence through him. He'd never felt anything like it before. Ever. With anyone. It was something he promised to ask someone that was much wiser then himself about, one of these days.
He knew his touch affected her as well. The girl wore her emotions on her sleeve. Something he knew he had to work on with her. For now he enjoyed that it affected her so, even if it down right pissed him off most of the time, because he could never allow her to think of him as anything more than a protector. She was already destined, and he was damned to remember that. Anything he felt for her must remain entirely platonic.
The second image was more vivid and almost stopped his heart. It was tonight. When she'd entered the dining hall, timidly, looking like something from a fantasy. Maybe his own?
The light blue dress hugged every enunciated curve, exposing her slender, graceful shoulders and neck. The slit at the skirt leaving much to a man’s imagination, with its peaking hints of slender calves and a small hint of thigh when she moved quickly or sat. Her hair, that was the streaked mixture of caramel, honey and wheat, was left loose, just the way he was finding he liked it best. The tattoos at her wrist stark against her skin.
He'd let the intake of breath catch in his throat as he watched her enter. Sorryn had given him a knowing grin before sauntering off to greet her.
The girl had absolutely no clue how stunningly, breathtakingly, beautiful she was; which made her even more extraordinary. He was used to most women knowing exactly what they had – physically - and using it their advantage. Adeila could never be like that; she was far too timid, self-conscious, too humble and modest for that.
His mind still reeled with the image of the golden Princess, when he heard a noise. He tried to open an eye lid as he lay on his bed, but the bedroom still blurred and spun. His foggy conscience tried to send warning bells through him but instead he held onto the image created within his mind for just a bit longer. He was not one to fantasize, as he could obtain pleasure with many women within this very castle, the village and pretty much anywhere else he went. He'd never had issues getting any girl he desired. He just didn't have the time or interests very often to even try to look. But this was different. He could not afford to think of Adeila in this manner. Not only had she been promised many years ago to his middle brother, but he also had pledged allegiance to her father and feeling an attraction to her would do nothing but cause him distraction and heartache. He could never have her. She was destined for another.
When he thought of Lukkas, who he'd not seen in over a year, he almost growled with frustration. The image of Adeila, smiling along with his teammates as they wove the tales of their escapades, fluttered back to the forefront of his mind. Her beautiful azure blue eyes sparkling like rare gems, her generous mouth bowed up in a lovely smile.
He heard a noise again, and attempted to open his eyes. This time the spinning blurred his vision and his fantasy image took an erotic twist, as she walked across his room, slipping slowly out of the blue gown. Then his foggy mind processed her straddling his body above the silky sheet. He allowed the vivid hallucination to continue; gliding his hands up her slender thighs, to her prominent hip bones and up her rib cage to rest just under her breasts. His mind quickly registered that she seemed much more muscled then he knew her to be. Fae must have really changed her body more then he'd noticed. Her skin just didn't feel as smooth and silky as he'd imagined it would either. Warning bells went off in his head, but again he chose to ignore them, riding out the strength of the lust he was feeling.
He let the fantasy take on proportions that he never should have, as it twisted further, seeming more and more real, spiraling out of his usually very tight control.
The Adeila atop him was experienced in ways he'd never imagined. In an almost familiar way, but he pushed those thoughts from his mind, letting the sensations take over. Riding a high that he rarely allowed himself, ignoring all rational thought.
He'd never really allowed himself to think of Adeila in quite this way, and certainly never imagined her in his bedroom. He thought he owed himself, this once, to let the emotions and delusion to play out. Tomorrow he would steel himself to all of these thoughts. Steel himself to her. But at this moment he just wanted to let go.
.~.
.... Adeila ....
Adeila had made her way to her room and fell back into the insanely comfortable bed, but sleep only came to her in snippets. Her mind was a jumble of confusion.
Why did she care what Loki did? It was just so weird that he'd seemed so uninterested in Marla to then sleep with her? To then be confused and almost act as if he had no idea she had been in his room... It was just peculiar. She felt like a fool for rushing down to his room after a bad dream to ensure he was safe while he was banging his lover. And again why the hell did the whole thing bother her so damn much?
Again she tried unsuccessfully t
o sleep; when it did finally come to her it was well past dawn. She awoke from a light rapping on her door, and narrowed her eyes as the person let themselves in. Damn it, she clearly hadn't locked the door in her haste to get into her bedroom. Kammile's silvery blonde hair and bright smile came into her view and she sighed.
“Morning Princess, your parents sent me to find you for some breakfast.”
Adeila groaned, the thought of food had her stomach roiling, the memory of early this morning flooding her. Her pained expression must have been visible because Kami was at her side in seconds.
“What is it?”
Adeila peeked at her from her under her lashes. “You mean you didn't hear?”
Kami cocked her head with a completely bemused expression.
“You didn't hear about the Marla thing last night... or this morning. Or whatever. Whenever. Gahh.” Adeila threw up her hands and moved the covers off her.
Kami's eyes widened, she was riveted. “Ah, what? No? You mean after the whole incident in the village?”
Adeila ran a hand through her hair, pushing its tangles back. “Yeah at, I don't know three or something this morning; I woke up from a really terrible dream. Loki was dead on the forest floor somewhere, completely mangled from something... I don't know exactly, something sharp. Like claws.”
Kami gasped and grabbed Adeila's hand. “I'm sure that was terrifying to see, but Loki is like the strongest guy ever. Remember, I told you that last night – Oh my gosh! I bet I put stuff in your head from the whole goblin, mountain troll crap, I was telling you! I'm so sorry.”
Adeila shook her head. “No, no. Don't be sorry. Please. It may have been my imagination running wild but the rest of the dream; the other bits of it were stuff I've dreamt of before. Granted, I've never seen Loki... Like that, in my dreams but -” She broke off with a sigh. “I don't know, it scared the crap out of me. I tried to find his room.”
“Oh gosh, I hate where this is going, if you say Marla was involved.”
Adeila nodded her head, her lips thinning. She still felt groggy, and her stomach was still rolling with discomfort and stress.
“So Marla was coming out of Loki's room. She said some hateful things, then pretty much said she'd... Well, you know, with Loki.”
Kami shook her head and made a disgusted face. “No way! There's no way he'd do that again! I cannot believe it. I bet he told her off and she was pissed.”
Adeila shook her head. “I don't really know, Kam. I mean Sorryn and I went to his room and he was out cold, and... Naked. It looked... Well, I mean, it added up to that, hate to say.”
“Eeeeww. I still... I don't know, Adi, I really think there's more to the story than that. Loki is one of those, stick to his guns kind of guys. I cannot believe he would say something and then go against what he said.”
“I don't know, maybe he just said all that in the village for our benefit. Maybe he never intended to break things off.”
Kami shook her head, but stood up and paced. “I don't think so. I've known Loki for almost three years; he's like, easily the most honorable guy. I just don't think he'd say that and not mean it.”
Adeila shrugged and got up from her bed. Kami turned to her. “Did he deny it?”
Adeila began brushing out her hair. “That's what's weird. He acted like he had no idea Marla had even been in his room.”
Kami stopped pacing and moved close to Adeila. Her voice lowered a fraction. “Do you think she like planted something or.... something in his room? I don't know...” Kami paused and bit her lip. “...like witchcraft stuff?”
Adeila's eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, you think?”
Kami shrugged. “Hateful hag. I wouldn't put it past her.”
Adeila tapped the brush against her palm. “We have to check.”
She turned to Kami. “Do you think you can check, if I keep Loki occupied at breakfast?”
Kami went green. “Well, I... I could.. I guess. It's just if he found out, I'd be so dead.”
“I'd say I think I dropped something in there when I left so quickly last night. I'd totally take the heat. I'm leaving today anyway so it doesn't really matter much.”
“Wait, what?”
Adeila raised her brows at her. “I can handle it, I'm leaving today.”
Kami grasped her arm, and put on a serious five year old pout, which looked quite adorable on her lovely slender face. “So soon? Really?”
Adeila smiled lightly. “I have school tomorrow, I need to get back.”
“I guess... I don't know, I thought that you'd changed your mind, or would stay longer or something.”
“I'll be back, Kam. I really will. I love it here. It's weird and different but it's really my home, isn't it? I really belong here. I just need to go back. I have to say good bye. For real. Finish school. Do something for me, you know.”
Kami nodded. “I'll miss you.”
Adeila smiled. “I'll miss you too.”
The girls hugged briefly before Adeila rushed to get dressed. A plan of infiltration had been made so Kami could see if Marla had left anything in Loki's room.