“It depends on what you might need,” he said.
“A little company Sasha, nothing else. I’m tired and want to sleep,” I said stifling a yawn.
He was suddenly next to me, his phone next to his ear.
“It was a tedious day of business,” he said snapping the phone closed. “But I rather like how most of it turned out.”
“I hope you don’t expect me to attend many Court sessions, I feel like a duck out of water,” I said slipping the robe off and getting into bed.
“You don’t act like one, pet. The move of placing Sigmund as your shadow was outstanding,” he said discarding his own robe.
“You didn’t look happy when I announced it,” I said.
He stretched, his muscles rippling in the dim light.
“I wasn’t, truth be told. But, I’ve since reconsidered all the angles. In light of new developments, Malachi has some additional paperwork for you. I’ll be occupied for several days when Court ends, and I want you to see to business as soon as you get back to the city,” he said sliding into bed with me.
“I’m sure Sig can take care of the niceties.”
“Sigmund will undoubtedly have a detailed schedule,” he said bringing me closer to him. “You look dreadful.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” I said.
I circled my arms around his waist, my chin resting in the crevice of his chest. I exhaled slowly, my body immediately relaxing.
“Mayhap we need a holiday after Court adjourns,” he said smoothing my hair back.
“If you were around more often, I wouldn’t need a break,” I said.
“Why don’t you move in with us permanently? We’ve more than enough room for you and Sigmund,” he said.
“It’s a thought. I do enjoy a good night’s rest,” I said, my eyes unable to stay open.
He chuckled softly and rested his head on mine. I fell asleep, his scent the perfect sleeping aid.
Chapter Thirty-One: Bad Coffee
Sasha wasn’t in the apartment when I woke up. I took my time getting ready for the day. I was still trying to figure out how my seductive aura worked. I was in no way attracted to Sig. He reminded me of a big brother. The mental link we now shared had erased any kind of sexual thoughts I might have entertained before.
When I came out of the bedroom, a plate of beignets, and a steaming cup of chicory coffee were on a tray in the living room. I sat in my favorite chair grabbing a beignet and helping myself to coffee. I liked the pampering. Nothing could get me in a better mood than food. I sipped the coffee carefully, savoring the chicory and steamed milk combination.
I pouted when the coffee proved bitter. I trudged to the kitchen for some more sugar and poured a generous amount into the cup. I continued to sip it in silence and munched on some more beignets daydreaming about a certain elf. He hadn’t tried anything last night. He came over, we talked, and I slept. Maybe I could walk the tightrope with the elf. Friends, lovers, political allies; it was worth a try. I wouldn’t know if I didn’t give it a chance.
I sighed and reached out for the phone to give him a call. Maybe he could use someone to yell at this morning. We didn’t broach the subject, but I knew he was upset with Katie. When she disputed the boundary line they shared in Tennessee, his energy doubled in anger. If Katie wanted to unite Houses with him, she was going about it the wrong way.
A bolt of searing hot pain shot through my stomach as I reached out for the phone. The pang was like a blade in my midsection. The phone fell from my hand when I clutched my belly. I fell off the chair, hitting my head for good measure on the corner of the end table on my way down. Even if I could, which was impossible considering the pain, there was no use screaming. Everything in this posh freak resort was soundproof. I had enough mental clarity left; I needed the phone. The pain made it impossible for a mental shout out. I needed to call Sasha. Just one key. He was on speed dial.
I gasped and reached with one hand, my fingers barely making contact with the slick, slim phone. I wheedled it closer and flicked it open with trembling fingers. My numb digit pressed the key long enough for the call to go through. I could hear it ring in the deathly silence of the room. The only interruption was my labored breathing.
Ring. The pain was increasing, radiating down my legs and arms in sharp pricks. Ring. Black spots began dancing in my vision. They obscured the carpet I was crying on. Ring. The sound grew fainter, my hearing fuzzy. I was numb, cold clammy sweat covering my body, when I heard the faint trace of someone picking up.
“Ach pet, lovely of you to call so early ….” Sasha was in a jovial mood. His singsong cadence filtered through my mind. I was barely able to get out the word.
“Hel...” I whispered as I fought for consciousness. I couldn’t tell if he stopped talking or if he hung up, but I tried again “Hel…p…m…ee.”
*
I was naked, a state of affairs that didn’t trouble me much when I opened my eyes. I was alive and naked so all was good in the world. Of that, I was sure. I slid my hand along the covers feeling the cool satiny sheets against my skin. I didn’t feel bad. There was no blistering pain anywhere. I did feel languorous. I didn’t want to get up and do anything. Not find out where I was, why I was there, or why I was naked.
“The selections for your sleeping attires are gruesome.”
I blinked and looked towards the speaker. Sig was in a white suit with a neon green tie and sunglasses reading a copy of Vanity Fair. He didn’t bother looking my way as I pulled the sheet farther up.
“I sleep naked,” I said all of a sudden greatly interested in how I came to be naked in a room with him feeling so wonderful.
He turned a page.
“How did you drink poison and not notice?” he asked. He lifted the magazine up, comparing the image with me, and folded the upper corner down.
“I thought Sasha left me coffee,” I said, realizing why the coffee hadn’t tasted right.
“Never eat anything if not properly supervised. Two deaths in twenty-four hours, and you’ve learned nothing,” he fumed and tossed the magazine down onto the floor.
“Won’t happen again Sig. Uhm … why are you here?” I asked as I pulled myself up on the bed. “Not that I’m not happy to see your freaky face. I feel great.”
He patted his suit down until he found a cigarette. I shook my head, and he sighed placing it back in its pack. I didn’t care if he smoked, but not in my bedroom. I’d set rules a few days ago when my clothes started smelling as if I slept in a casino.
“A shadow’s bond lets one know when the other is in trouble. Imagine my surprise when I shifted to help you, only to find you in agonizing spasms on the floor with the dark elf pinning you down. I banished him on sight, warded the apartment against his entry, and healed you. You’re not going to miss tonight’s meeting. It’d be a sign of weakness,” he said.
“I called Sasha. He didn’t do this,” I said.
“Trust no one, Beth,” Sig said.
I closed my eyes wearily. It was the only advice everyone seemed to agree on. Trust no one. I had to trust someone. I had to trust lots of someones.
“I wasn’t brought up like you.”
“Obviously. If you had, I wouldn’t have to explain elementary principals like impressions and shadows. I wouldn’t spend nearly as much time teaching the basic laws we’ve lived with for over a century. Are you deliberately trying to make my job harder?”
I got up, not caring I was naked.
“Sig, trust me as I trust you.” We stared at each other for several seconds before he nodded his head.
“Why did you mark your body with those drawings?”
I looked down at the ivy tattoo that ran from my left ankle up my ribs. He was staring at it mesmerized.
“How do you guys manage a conversation with all the subject changing? Listen, let me get dressed, and then take me to Sasha’s apartment. I need to talk to him.”
Chapter Thirty-Two: Honesty Hurts
An hour l
ater, I was standing outside of Sasha’s rooms with Sig hanging back. He wasn’t happy, but thought children learn best from their mistakes. Hence, he escorted me to Sasha’s rooms in silence. I knocked on the door swiftly after assuring myself he was inside. The door opened immediately. To my outrage, Katie answered it in the buff. My vision became one red bloody haze.
“Beth darling, we weren’t expecting you. Do you need something?” Katie simpered, sweeping her hand down the frame of the door suggestively.
“Get the fuck out my way.” I hissed, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her out of the doorway.
I slammed her up against the wall, banging her head hard enough to crack the beige plaster. She screamed and clawed at my hands, which were glowing red against her throat. I lifted her up and hurled her down the hall farther than I thought I was capable of doing.
I marched into the apartment slamming the door behind me to the wails of an irate, naked Katie and a chortling Sig. Sasha was on the couch grinning from ear to ear.
“You think this is funny?” I asked through clenched teeth. My chest heaved painfully. He didn’t have a stitch of clothing on.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in concern as he examined my features.
I breathed in slowly, willing my anger to subside.
“Aren’t you supposed to tell me if you have a rendezvous scheduled?” I fisted my hands and took another slow breath.
“I’ve nothing scheduled, pet,” he said tilting his head quizzically.
I closed my eyes in humiliation. He was going to enjoy the next few moments of my embarrassment.
“Listen up, ‘cause I’m only saying it once. Every time I sense you with someone else, I get upset. I don’t know why; I don’t understand it, but there it is.”
“You can sense me?” he asked, his eyes creasing in confusion.
“Yes …” I hissed through my teeth. “When we first joined, our minds melded. I can’t get you out of my freaking head now, no matter how much I try. And the leak … it grows when you fuck.”
He snorted and patted the spot next to him. “Possessiveness is a witch trait,” he said. I walked over and sat opposite from him, keeping my eyes downcast.
“Really,” I said bitterly.
“I didn’t know it was disturbing you. Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” he asked curiously.
“Didn’t think it mattered how I felt. You’re Lord Alek, and you can do whatever what you want. You’ve told me so a million times. It’s a damn nuisance Sasha since you can’t go more than seventy-two hours without a piece of ass,” I said slamming my head back.
“I can,” he said arrogantly. “I just never had need of abstaining.” He patted my thigh, reaching for my hand and bringing it to his lips.
“Conceited prick.”
“Beth, why are you here?”
“I wanted to talk to you. I was thinking about what you said last night, about moving in with you. Now I’m reconsidering,” I mumbled.
“Both Malachi and I would enjoy your company. If you’re in doubt as to the validity of the move, wait until you get back to the city. You’ll be in a better position to choose a path once you know all your options,” he said.
He had his shields down as we spoke. He was trying to be as honest as he could. I rubbed my eyes. I had to remember he wasn’t human. I wasn’t human. We thought differently, processed things differently.
“Sasha, do you trust me?” I asked.
“Trust for a man in my position is dangerous,” he said, the corners of his mouth inching up.
“Let’s try this again. Can you answer a couple of questions as if I were a kid,” I said.
“Beth, what I do and why are not easy to explain.” He scratched his head in thought. “Tell me what you want to know,” he said.
I placed one hand on his lean, taut chest and blurted out the question. “Why’d you sleep with Lilith?”
He stilled on the couch. “Bloody hell. At least you cleared up some nagging questions,” he said not moving an inch in either direction. “Lilith exacted a strange compensation for me sleeping with you. I used my body as a means of barter. She always was weak for carnal pleasures. I didn’t think to tell you of the agreement, Beth. It wasn’t important to me, and I honestly didn’t think you’d care.”
“What about Katie? Why’d you leave the gazebo when you were with her?” I asked wondering what had been going on that he didn’t want me to know.
This time he settled back onto the couch and reached for a bottle. Honesty being painful for elves, they tended to self—medicate as much as possible.
“In the maze?” he asked mockingly. “She was trying to convince yours truly with her womanly wiles to unite Houses. It was a narrow escape. If I hadn’t heard you and Caleb coming up the path, I probably would’ve forgotten why it wasn’t a good idea. Before you ask, we weren’t doing anything tonight either. She went for a run and came back to my rooms to change to her human form. Somewhat of a surprise when you knocked on the door I daresay.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
“Listen Sasha, start telling me more about what’s going on in your life,” I took his hand in mine, squeezing it softly. “I’m not stupid. If it’s a political thing, okay. If it’s sex, okay, but fucking tell me before hand. Especially if it’s that wolf, I don’t like dogs,” I said into our hands.
“Ah, pet,” he chortled, spitting liquor into the air before composing himself. He swiped his mouth with a washcloth gently and looked me in the eyes. “You’re honest to a fault at times. We must work on that,” he said coolly, pouring a generous amount of green liquid down his throat.
“Can I not have a conversation in English with you,” I said, rubbing my temples. He clasped my hands, kissing the inside of my wrist softly.
A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. Sasha got up in naked glory and opened the door to two unhappy brothers.
“That whore is nothing but trouble, Sasha, just like the last DeDe. She’ll have all the heads of Houses under her spell within a few years. Who’s next?” asked Nicholas fuming as he glared in my direction. Trystyn was more subdued as he nodded his head towards me in greeting.
Trystyn brushed Nicholas aside as he faced Sasha. “Katie is making a racket in Gaelen’s place as we speak. Citing Beth became violent over nothing. Expect you’ll be getting a visit here soon.”
“Does nothing but what’s between your legs work, cub?” Nicholas asked vehemently as he closed in on his brother. Sasha whipped his hand across his brother’s face, blood spurting out with the force of it. Nicholas’s face turned a furious mottled red as he wiped blood from his nose and mouth with the back of his sleeve.
“Mind how you speak in front of my mate, brother.” Sasha warned icily. Both brothers became instantly still, their eyes bugging out. Nicholas was the first to be able to splutter out anything intelligible.
“Mate? I understand the necessity of the paperwork, but that’s as far as it goes. She’s nothing but a damn Gumby doll for late night parties. I’m neither gullible nor amused by your current antics.” Nicholas roared, spittle and blood flying out of his mouth as he dove for Sasha.
“Get… out… Nicholas.” Sasha commanded as a wave of heat flashed out. Nicholas fell back with the force, his face turning a purplish hue with rage. His words were lost in the energy wave as he was quickly ejected from the room.
“Good day,” Trystyn said. Apart from bewilderment, there was no animosity coming from him. He left just as quickly as he had entered but a lot more civilly than his brother did.
“Uhm … Sasha … when did I become your mate?” I asked.
“I was getting around to that.”
He clapped his hands, and a ring box appeared on the table before me. He picked it up and handed it to me, his eyes gauging my reaction. I opened up the box and examined the slim circlet of white gold. It was stamped with an ivy motif, similar to the one on my side. The engraving on the inside of the band read Semper.
<
br /> “My first present to you.”
“Are you nuts?”
“Some question my sanity regularly,” he said with a smile. “As Malachi told you, I want the papers on file indefinitely. Now that you tied yourself to the best assassin in the Realm…”
I gasped. “Sig’s an assassin?”
“Rumors, pet. No one has any proof of his actions, and those that do would only incriminate themselves,” he said.
“You should’ve told me.”
“I’m beginning to think I should tell you more. But, I don’t live with regrets. As for the contract, feel free to add stipulations to your heart’s content. You need not sign, but I want others to know we have a firm understanding of sorts.”
“How, exactly Sasha, does the whole contract thing work?” I asked.
“Once you placed the first stipulation on the contract for me, you entered into a negotiation stage. As stipulations and clauses are made, we will be expected to abide by them, regardless of an actual signature, until the conclusion of the contract. If one of us breaks them, it will be considered a default, winner takes all,” he said softly.
“What’s at stake?” I asked.
“Malachi is better equipped to answer that question, pet,” he said.
Damn elf was good, and I had placed myself in a tight spot. By placing such an inconsequential notation on a piece of paper, I had tied myself to a master deceiver. The only way out would be death, I was sure of that.
“Sasha, I don’t think I love you,” I said.
He chuckled softly. “I can’t tell you how refreshing your honesty is.”
“I don’t even like you sometimes,” I mumbled.
He laughed aloud, pulling me closer. “Ah pet, but I like you. Better relationships have started out with less,” he said quietly.
I thought it over for several minutes. Having Sasha around would be lovely. We didn’t just have sex. He was funny, sexy, and the best sleeping aid I had ever had.
A Lady of the Realm (House of DeDe) Page 22