Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover)

by Cathy McAllister

  Quax often comes to visit me but he would never be comfortable in a house. He’s a wild animal, even if he is a lovely chap.”

  “And his parents? Do they also come by …?”

  “No. Not right up here. They sometimes wander around this area, but they don’t come right up here.”

  Cherry felt a wave of relief come over her and she relaxed a little.

  “Would you like breakfast?” asked Merlon.

  “Hmm.”

  “I’ve run a bath for you. In the meantime I’ll prepare breakfast,” said Merlon. “Come on, Quax. Let’s leave the lady alone.”

  When Merlon and the strange animal had gone Cherry got out of bed. She felt exhausted, she had slept so restlessly. She had woken up numerous times during the night and had felt around for Merlon only to remember that he was sleeping on the couch. She was even about to wake him up and ask him to come to bed with her.

  With shaky steps she wobbled into the ensuite bathroom. The huge bath was indeed filled with an aromatic bubble bath. It was slightly steamy and Cherry was almost glad that the mirrors were all covered in condensation. She was sure that she must look awful.

  Sighing, she climbed into the warm water and lay back, relaxed. The high bathtub was full up to the rim and only her head showed above the water. It was heavenly and she closed her eyes pleasurably. Immediately, all tension left her and her body became pleasantly heavy. Even her headache disappeared. She thought of her co-tenants and what they would probably be thinking now. They would definitely be worried about her suddenly disappearing without a word.

  There was at least one good thing about this abduction. Justin would never find her here. That was for sure. However, she could not stay here. Perhaps if Merlon were to love her. But he had said nothing about love. Anyway, the problem still remained that she would become older whilst he remained young. He was, of course, not immortal, but in fifty years he would probably not look very different from now whilst she would then already be an old woman. Not a particularly great thought. How long could she be happy with a man like him?

  In one fell swoop her mood was really low again. The relaxation was gone. That proved once again that it was not good to think too much. Could she not just take what was offered to her and enjoy it as long as it lasted. She sighed.

  “Breakfast is ready!” sounded Merlon’s voice through the door.

  “Coming!” she answered.

  She really did not want to get out of the bath at all. She was not ready to face Merlon’s charm. He would definitely try to wrap her round his little finger and if she was not careful she would give in to him again. When she thought that she could no longer delay without risking Merlon coming and fetching her out of the bath, she climbed out of the tub. She reached for the towel and dried herself. Her eyes fell on a pair of trousers and a shirt that Merlon had put on a stool next to the basin. First she picked up the green shirt and pulled it over her head. It was made of a silk-like material and went down over her bottom. The cream-coloured trousers were tight-fitting and made of suede. But she did not have any clean knickers to put on. What should she do now? She could not bring herself to put her knickers back on after having a bath. She would wash them out and hang them up to dry, but right now she did not have a spare pair. The only thing she could do was just put on the trousers. Sighing, she finished getting dressed. She was not used to having nothing on underneath. The soft leather felt far too intimate against her naked flesh and she felt a little shameful. Her sex began to tingle. She should go to Merlon like this? Impossible! Perhaps she should put her knickers on again after all.

  “Where are you, then? Is everything OK?”

  Cherry jumped.

  “Yes! I’m … I’m just coming.”

  ‘Damn it! What am I going to do now?’

  She looked frantically into the mirror. It was still steamed up in places but when she stood on tiptoe she could see her face. Her shining eyes and reddened cheeks clearly gave away the state she was in. Her heart began to race and her stomach fluttered nervously. She closed her eyes.

  “Pull yourself together, girl,” she murmured quietly. “It’s showtime! Put on your poker face, close your eyes and in you go!”

  ***

  Merlon stared open-mouthed at Cherry as she walked across the lounge to him. The tightly fitting trousers emphasised her beautifully formed legs and the green shirt emphasised her big, shining eyes. Her damp hair curled bewitchingly around her slightly red face. She had never looked more beautiful. He suppressed the urge to go up to her, take her up in his arms and carry her back to bed. Instead of that he forced himself to close his mouth and look away. Inside he counted to ten and tried to get his arousal under control. His erection was fortunately hidden from her under the kitchen work surface. He slowly looked up and smiled at her.

  “Take a seat. I’ll bring everything to the table.”

  “I can help you,” she offered, her voice shaky.

  Merlon suppressed a grin as the scent of her arousal entered his nose. He looked at her. She was behaving very nervously. Good! It was a good sign if he made her jittery. It showed that he meant something to her and her scent told him that she desired him as much as he desired her. He just had to get rid of her fears and doubts.

  “No need. You’re my guest, Cherry.”

  “More like your prisoner,” she murmured without looking at him.

  He sighed.

  “Would you have come with me if I’d asked you to?” he asked in a hurt voice.

  “No! I’ve already told you that it won’t work with us.”

  “You see? You gave me no other choice. Your own stubbornness is stopping us having any chance.”

  “Chance? Of what, Merlon? There is no future for us,” Cherry explained emphatically.

  “Cherry. Please let’s have breakfast in peace together. Give me a week to change your mind. If after that week you still want to go back to your world then I’ll take you back. OK?”

  “This week won’t change anything, Merlon. But I’ll take you at your word. In one week you’ll take me back to where you abducted me from.”

  “OK,” he said quietly.

  He had gained one week. He had to succeed because one thing was clear – if she should not have given in after one week then he would break a promise for the first time in his life, because he could not give her up. It would kill him.

  “Sit down,” he said gently. “Please!”

  They ate in silence. Merlon watched Cherry furtively. He wished again for the time when there had been an unspoken agreement between them. Those few days had been the best days of his life and he did not want to give up hope of it being like that again between them. It was not only the sex that they enjoyed. It was so much more. He wanted her laughter, her trust, her warmth and most of all he wanted her love. He had felt it when their souls bonded. He could not be mistaken. He must not be mistaken!

  “I’d like to show you something,” he said, and held her gaze as she looked up from her plate. “After breakfast. I’d like to take you to one of my favourite places.”

  “OK.”

  “Would you like some more coffee?”

  She nodded and Merlon got up to make them both more coffee. He always brought coffee from the human world because he had got used to it and could not get coffee in Amarantus.

  “I’ve got so used to this stuff that I can’t cope without it,” he said, grinning, as he came back to the table with the coffee.

  “I can’t go without it either,” answered Cherry and gave him a bashful smile that warmed his heart.

  “If I had to choose between being without coffee or without you, then I’d rather go without coffee,” Merlon declared honestly.

  Cherry looked at him without saying anything. He found it difficult to read her feelings. Since she had left him she had built a wall around herself that he could not penetrate. Before she had been open to him. Elves could read the feelings and thoughts of their mate unless the spouse blocked the invisib
le bond and Cherry had done precisely that. She must have done it purely instinctively because she had not even been aware of this bond. Only once they had properly entered the bond would she be able to feel and use the bond. How she had managed to block him was a mystery to him. It must be to do with the fact that she was so hurt and frightened. If he only knew how to reach her.

  ***

  Just a few minutes after leaving the lodge Cherry had forgotten all her principles. The nature around her was simply too enchanting. She felt like a little girl discovering the world for the first time. To a certain extent she was. Even if a lot of things in Amarantus looked exactly the same as in her world, it was still completely different. They went down a winding path. In some places trees grew at the edge of the path and blocked the view, but when there was a gap in the row of trees there was a breath-taking view of far reaching forests at the foot of the mountain and meadows and fields in the distance. A long way away she could just make out a range of mountains. Merlon explained that the royal palace lay in front of this range of mountains.

  “Oh, what beautiful flowers,” cried Cherry enthusiastically, and she was about to go over to the tall orchid-like flowers growing at the edge of the path when Merlon held her back by the arm.

  “Don’t touch them! They’re poisonous.”

  “How poisonous?” asked Cherry nervously.

  “Lethal! They kill an elf within very few minutes. With humans it happens within seconds. There’s no cure.”

  “Are there any more such … surprises?” asked Cherry uncomfortably. She had just been so joyful about the fairy tale nature of this place, and now it turned out that the idyll could be fatal.

  “There are a few things that are dangerous. I’ll show you everything and once you know what you need to avoid then nothing will happen to you. In this area the sun’s tongues are the only danger. There’s no other plant that looks anything like it so it’s easy to recognise.”

  “And what about animals?”

  “You’ve got nothing to be afraid of here, either. There are only peaceful animals living here in the mountains.”

  “What about Quax’s parents?”

  “Not dangerous. They’re only aggressive if they feel threatened, and you’d need to grab hold of them first, and even then they’d try to run away. No! You really don’t need to be concerned here. It’s much less dangerous here than in your world.”

  “Are there murderers and other criminals in your world?”

  “Occasionally. Elves are certainly no angels. But our crime rate is very low. Also, we’ve no longer had wars since the peace treaty with the Kanninerrs. We’re working on it staying that way. My sister’s going to marry the eldest prince of Kanninera.”

  “Because she has to or because she loves him?” asked Cherry.

  “It’s a way of bonding our kingdoms and so securing peace. I’m certain that she’ll be happy.”

  “But she doesn’t love him, does she?”

  “Love can grow.”

  “I think it’s barbaric to force someone to marry. It doesn’t surprise me now that you dragged me here. What advantages are you expecting to gain from doing that?”

  She had stood still and put her hands on her hips. She glared at him. Merlon looked at her, somewhat confused and helpless.

  “You don’t understand,” he began to explain. “That about…”

  “Oh, no! You’re wrong!” she interrupted him angrily. “NowI understand everything perfectly!”

  Merlon walked up to her and took her by the arm.

  “No! You don’t understand!” he contradicted her. “You are so set upon never trusting a man again that you’re ignoring everything there is between us.”

  “Trust? Ha! How am I supposed to trust you? You brought me here against my will. In my world that’s called abduction!”

  “You gave me no other option!”

  Cherry laughed ironically.

  “And if you now attack me and rape me, then I presume I’ve again given you no other option!” she said bitterly.

  “Cherry. Please let’s talk sensibly. I’m not going to touch you. Let’s just walk on peacefully and I’ll show you my world, as planned. If you give me time you’ll realise that …”

  “I’ll tell you what I realise! You’re a damned macho arse-hole! You think that just because you want me I should throw myself around your neck in gratitude. But I’m going to tell you something now. I don’t care about the fact that you’re a prince or that you’re the most attractive man that I’ve ever met. These things are not important to me. The only thing that interests me in a man is his heart. How he treats me. How he feels. Everything else is worthless. At most it’s an added bonus if the rest is right. But I most definitely have something against men who think that they can force their will upon a woman. I’ve had enough of thatin my life. Do you understand?”

  Merlon stared at her dumbfounded. For a moment Cherry thought she had seen pain in his eyes, but then his eyes became as expressionless as the rest of his face.

  “I understand,” he murmured, and he let go of her.

  He turned away and slowly went back along the path that they had come. Cherry followed him at a distance. Tears rose into her eyes and blurred her vision. Why could he not love her? Why did he have to be an elf who had a life expectancy ten times longer than hers?

  A sudden sting in her neck made her cry out in shock, then everything went black.

  ***

  Merlon turned round when he heard her cry. To his horror she was lying on the ground, motionless.

  “Cherry!” he roared and rushed to her, throwing himself to the ground beside her.

  He found the dart that was stuck in her neck straight away, and an icy cold claw grasped at his heart. Someone had killed her. Rage and sorrow clutched at him and made him roar loudly. Then he pulled her to him and sobbed unrestrained.

  “No! No!”

  A quiet groaning made him stop. Could it be? Was she still alive? Feverishly he searched for her pulse and found it. It was weak, but there was one. There was only one way. With his priceless load in his arms he teleported himself directly into the rooms of the healer, Awate.

  Awate screamed in shock when Merlon materialised before her eyes.

  “Help me save her,” he begged. “I would not have disobeyed the palace rules if it were not a matter of life or death. I’ll take all the responsibility, only please help me save her.”

  Awate nodded.

  “Lie her on the bed there.”

  Merlon carefully lay Cherry down and the healer examined his pale companion.

  “She’s close to death. There’s nothing I can do.”

  “No! I can’t believe that. It’ll be OK. She’s my mate. I can save her!”

  “If she’s your mate, then you can save her, my prince. But you will probably not survive it.”

  “I don’t care. It’s my fault that she’s injured. I brought her here. I’ve gone against all the rules and abducted her against her will.”

  Awate looked at him in horror.

  “My prince. You know what that means!”

  Merlon nodded.

  “Yes, I know. And that’s why it’s of no consequence for me to give my life for her, as mine is over anyway. When she wakes up, make sure that someone takes her back to her world.”

  “I will do as you ask,” she said with a nod. “I will tell no one about your crime. It would break the queen’s heart. Your death will hit her badly enough.”

  “Tell my mother that I am really sorry. And that I love her. And please tell my mate, too, that I love her, when she wakes up. But now let’s begin.”

  “Help me undress her.”

  Together they removed Cherry’s clothing, then Merlon undressed and lay next to her. Awate put one hand on Merlon’s heart and the other on Cherry’s. Merlon felt the energy flow out of his body. Awate guided his life’s energy into Cherry’s body. He would give her all the strength he had. If he were to survive this he would have to
be punished for his crimes. He would never see Cherry again. Tears ran over his face. He turned his head to the side and looked at her. She was so beautiful. His queen.

  Chapter 11

  Cherry could hear voices. They sounded strangely tinny and she could not understand a word that was spoken. One voice belonged to a woman and the other to a man. Cherry tried very hard to concentrate. Where was she? Who was it talking? Why was she so cold and why was it so dark? She could not feel any of her limbs, let alone move them. Panic spread through her and she tried to scream but even her voice would not obey her. Was she dead? Was she a ghost? She would have expected that she would, in such a situation, be able to see around her. But there was nothing but this awful darkness all around. What had happened to her? How had she got here? Who … who was she? She could not remember anything.

  She could feel the darkness pulling and tearing at her. Then she could suddenly feel warmth flowing into her. A deep emotion grasped her tangibly. It was such a strong emotion that she was initially shocked by it. A sweet and yet desperate emotion. Love. So much love. She felt someone penetrating her spirit. These strong emotions that she was feeling belonged to him. She did not know who he was. She only knew that he loved her. But why was he in such despair? His sorrow grasped her and she felt tears run down her face. The feeling in her body gradually returned. She could feel her limbs again, even if she could still move nothing. A scrap of memory made its way through the fog in her brain. A man with strange ears and long black hair. He was smiling at her, and then came another memory. They had argued. About what, she did not know. But he looked hurt. Who was he? Who was she?

  ‘Cherry.’

  She could hear his voice in her head. Was that her name? Cherry?

  ‘Cherry. Get well, Cherry.’

  ‘Who are you?’she asked him.

  ‘Merlon.’

  ‘Merlon?’

  Another memory returned. He was an elf. She remembered that she had looked after him when he was injured. She also remembered that they had made love and that she had left him.