I nodded.
One of the cool things about being an elf is a biological predisposition to communicate with humans and Fae. Our minds adjust effortlessly to basic phrases and sentence structure. Knowing all the lingo would have been nice, but I wasn’t about to complain.
Speaking of slang, “Do you think Mel and Dev are shooting the curl?”
Jhaeros closed the book of crosswords and set it in the sand by his chair. “I have no idea what that means.”
“Me neither,” I said. “But I’m pretty sure it’s something really cool.”
I couldn’t see Jhaeros’s eyes behind his shades, but he didn’t seem particularly interested or impressed. I wanted him and Mel to be friends. Having his undivided attention was fantastic and all, but he should express an interest in others—at least a few more—the ones who mattered most to me.
“Well, we can ask them; they’re headed over now,” Jhaeros said. He lifted his head and waited. “Catch any waves?” he asked in his I’m being polite but don’t especially care voice.
“Loads,” Devdan answered. “Didn’t you see us out there?”
“Er, um.” Jhaeros coughed gently.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
“Well, it was sick, wasn’t it, Mel?”
“Bitchin’,” she answered.
“Heavy,” Devdan added enthusiastically.
“I have no idea what either of you is attempting to communicate right now,” Jhaeros announced.
I started to chuckle before I was drowned out by Mel’s high-pitched screech.
“Oh my sky, Aerith! This is not a topless beach! We’re in Hawaii, not Europe.”
“There are topless beaches on Earth?” I asked curiously, peering over my shoulder to get a look at Mel. Her red hair was slicked back, a surfboard clutched in one arm. She looked like a pro in her one-piece sleeveless bodysuit. Too bad she was glowering.
“Yeah, and this isn’t one of them,” Mel informed me crossly.
“Keep your shirt on. It’s not like anyone can see anything when I’m lying on my stomach.”
“My shirt is on. You’re the one who needs to keep it on.”
“Then try hanging ten. I don’t want tan lines.”
Devdan snorted with amusement.
“It won’t be funny when we’re all kicked off the beach for Aerith’s indecent exposure,” Mel groused. “Humans have their own set of laws, you know.”
“Fine, if it concerns you so much.” I reached behind my back, retied the strings around my back and neck, and then flipped around.
Mel still frowned. She looked from me to Jhaeros.
“I’m surprised you’re not the one trying to talk sense into my sister, being that you’re Mr. Propriety and all.”
“Jhaeros likes it when I’m half naked,” I interjected for the pure pleasure of seeing Mel flush. For someone who was sexually active, she sure was modest on the subject. Fine with me. I didn’t especially want to hear about her sexual forays with Devdan.
Jhaeros cleared his throat gently and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Well, it’s true, isn’t it?” I prodded.
Jhaeros got up from his seat. “I could use a cool beverage right about now. How about you, Devdan?”
“Yeah, a cool drink sounds great.” Devdan nodded with a look of gratitude. He set his surfboard down, and they hurried off toward the hotel’s outdoor bar as fast as the sandy beach allowed.
“Don’t forget my virgin piña colada,” I called after them even though I knew Jhaeros never would.
Mel placed her board beside me and sat on it, folding her legs beneath her.
“Did you see me out there?” she asked, a smile brightening up her face.
Guess we were moving on from the whole bare-naked breasts scandal.
“You were awesome!” Unlike Jhaeros, I’d actually spent a fair amount of time watching Mel and Devdan ride the waves. “I could never keep my balance the way you do.”
“Sure, you could,” Mel said, squeezing water from her hair. “After you’ve given birth, we should come back. Jhaeros can stay home and babysit.”
“Mel.” I folded my arms.
“What? You could probably do with some time apart. If you don’t take a break, you’re going to end up pregnant all over again. I didn’t realize Jhaeros was operating a baby-making factory.”
I snorted. “Hardly.”
Mel placed her hands on her knees and leaned in. “You know, maybe I should be the one giving you the S-E-X talk.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged and smirked. “But first you have to say the actual word.”
“Sex,” Mel blurted, as though in answer to a challenge. “Sex talk. After the baby comes along you need to take precautions. No more of this ‘I can’t get pregnant’ hooey. Clearly male elves are more potent than Fae. So, when the time comes, prepare yourself a tincture or try something else. Humans have these things called condoms.” Mel cleared her throat. “They go on over the, uh…”
“Penis?” I supplied.
Mel scowled at me. “I can say it, too, you know.”
“I’m sure you can.” My cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so big. Maybe I should go easy on my sister. Then again, maybe I should annoy her a little longer. It was so much fun, and we still had that fifteen-month gap to make up for.
“Is that what you and Devdan use? Condoms?” I tried to force a somber expression over my face, but it was way too hard, especially when Mel’s jaw fell open.
“Don’t go turning this around, Aerith. This time I’m giving you the sex talk.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “That’s okay, little sis. I know what condoms are.”
“You do?” Mel squinted at me. I could tell she wasn’t convinced.
“Yeah, I’ve seen them in the mini-marts when we buy snacks. We’ve even used them.”
Mel’s eyes expanded. “What? Why?” She glanced at my belly.
“Well,” I started slowly, grinning at the shimmering waves before me. “They had some very interesting varieties, like tropical flavored.”
Mel’s nose scrunched as she cried, “Ew!”
“And glow in the dark,” I continued. “Ribbed. Studded”—I leaned closer to Mel and lowered my voice—“for her pleasure.”
“Gah! You’re hornier than Jhaeros.”
I laughed.
Mel just shook her head then stretched her legs over her board. “So, how much longer is the honeymoon lasting? When do you head back home?”
“What’s a honeymoon?” I asked.
“A vacation for newlyweds—one they take just the two of them after they get married.” Mel lifted her brows to accent the point.
“Oh, we’re not married.”
“You’re not?”
“No way. I wasn’t going to get married without my sister at the ceremony.”
“Wait. Really?” Tears glossed over Mel’s eyes right before she launched herself off her board and threw her arms around my neck. Cool arms, still damp from the sea, squeezed me. I hugged Mel back.
“Love you, sis,” I said.
Mel kissed my cheek and pulled away. “I love you, too, but seriously, how much longer are you and Jhaeros going to tag along?”
Scamp!
Just for that, I was going to ask her if she thought Jhaeros would like furry pink handcuffs for his birthday.
Chapter Four
Hensley
B
lack silk covered my body, but when Liri reached my room his gaze swept past the bed as though he hadn’t seen me. He set a leather satchel on my dresser then strode to the window and stared out absently. I slid off the covers and put on a robe before joining him.
“What news did Teryani send?” I asked gently.
Sunlight reflected over the pond’s surface below. It was like one big smooth mirror shining against the castle’s outer walls.
“It is our youngest cousin, Lyklor. He arrived at Ravensburg castle asking my sister to grant him a
sylum. He confirmed that Albedo and Malon are plotting against us and claimed he’s in danger for not supporting their schemes.”
“Is he sincere?” I asked, pulling the robe around me tighter.
A quiver ran through my stomach, a sense of foreboding clogging my throat like an aftertaste that wouldn’t go away.
Liri scoffed disdainfully. “Shortly after his birth, my father banned my aunt, uncle, and their offspring from visiting the castle. Uncle always coveted the crown.” Liri sneered. “A few years back, we heard a rumor that Lyklor had his tongue pierced, giving himself the ability to lie.”
My jaw slackened.
“Fae can do that?”
Liri’s brows pinched together, and he wrinkled his nose. “It’s not something we generally do. Once the piercing is in place, it can never come out, not without removing the entire tongue. Every word from a faerie with the piercing cannot be believed.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked, running my own tongue over my teeth.
“A dare? Stupidity? A drunken mistake? Perhaps he regrets it now or perhaps not. Maybe it was done in service to his brother.” Liri sneered out the window, no doubt projecting his displeasure well past the hills toward his sister’s neighboring kingdom. “Albedo wants to make a play for both Dahlquist and Ravensburg, but he can’t be in two places at once, so he sent his youngest brother to spy.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “If everyone knows Lyklor to be a liar, isn’t that a bit obvious?”
Liri folded his arms over his chest. “My cousins are ruthless, not cunning.”
I itched to take him in my arms and ease the frown from his face, but Liri had erected an invisible wall as solid as the castle’s stones. Instead I asked, “What will Teryani do?”
“She intends to play along and keep an eye on Lyklor. She said that this way we can keep track of at least one cousin.”
“Ah,” I said with a nod. “There’s a saying in the mortal realm: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Liri faced me then, eyes bright, almost blue rather than his usual steely gray. “What an odd idea. I believe enemies should be killed or locked up at the very least.”
“Cultural differences.” My teasing tone was lost on Liri. Humor certainly wasn’t one of his personality traits.
“How many cousins do you have?” I’d been afraid to ask. Liri’s parents had brought eight children into the world. For all I knew, he had a whole army of cousins salivating to take us down.
“Three.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. “Five Elmrays against three.”
“Six with Aerith.”
I frowned.
A small grin inched up Liri’s face. He moved in closer and pushed my robe over my shoulders. It slid off, spilling to the ground.
“Seven with my queen-to-be.” His words were like whispered caresses. He lifted me in his arms as though I weighed no more than the robe at my feet and carried me to the bed. He set me down gently on the edge.
I looked into his piercing eyes with love in my heart. Sometimes it felt so overflowing that it might spill from my chest and leak through the cracks in the flagstones. I threaded my fingers and squeezed them tight in my lap.
“I am already on your side, you know. I don’t need a wedding or a crown or your child growing in my womb. I am devoted to you, my king. I . . . love you, Liri.” My head lowered as though a stone slab pressed upon me. It felt like a ceiling coming down, weighting me in place.
I’d laid myself bare yet again, hoping to be loved back by this one beautiful being who could be so tender and playful in private. No one knew Liri the way I did. Who could ever appreciate him more?
Warm fingers lifted my chin. Our gazes locked. His eyes were shining more brilliantly than the sun on the pond. Then his lips were on mine. His tongue entered my mouth, stroking as his hands roamed over the dark silk clinging to my body.
I shivered against him, pressing closer. His hardness and his heartbeat throbbed between layers of fine cloth and silk, pulsing with need and possession.
I released a soft moan into his mouth. The kiss deepened. Liri pulled me into him. We pressed together like one body.
“I want you inside me,” I whispered.
“Shh,” Liri commanded gently. He pulled away and looked me over with a bright, hungry gaze. “Close your eyes and lift up your gown.”
I did as I was told, eyes closed, silk gathered around my hips, exposed to him. I heard the soft rustle of clothing being removed and soon felt the hard length of him inside me. He always entered with such ease, joining our bodies as naturally as holding hands.
When Liri remained still, I opened my eyes slowly, just catching the look of wonder and love in his gaze. Once he saw I’d opened my eyes, he blinked and the look was gone, replaced by determination and desire. He pulled his hips back and thrust. Pleasure shot through me. He pushed again. Two deliberate thrusts before becoming a blur of motion that made it impossible to hold on. No human could move at his speed. I wanted more time together, connected this way, but the pleasure of him was out of my control. An orgasm burst through my body, detonating from my core.
I threw my head into the blankets, eyes squeezing closed as sweet release flared through my body.
“So soon, my dearest? I must learn to slow down.” Smug pleasure laced Liri’s words. He pulled out.
“Don’t you want to finish?” I asked, blinking up at him.
“There will be time for that tonight,” he answered as he pulled up his pants.
When I went to push the silk gown down my thighs, Liri stilled my hand.
“Not yet,” he said huskily.
I kept still as he backed away then returned with the leather satchel he’d brought with him. Liri spread it open on the covers, revealing long, thick needles, a rag, and a black pot of ink.
I sat up, staring at the needles. “Are you giving me a tattoo?” I envisioned a heart with “L & H” etched in the middle. But that wasn’t Liri’s style.
“A protective rune,” Liri said. “I promised never to compel you again, but that won’t stop others unless I make certain. Now, lie back down.”
I settled over the covers, a bundle of nerves and excitement as Liri brought an end table over and put the ink pot on it. He picked up a needle and loomed above me.
“I can do this fast or slow.”
“Fast,” I said. If he’d been offering a massage I would have answered different.
A smile spread over Liri’s lips. “Make sure you hold completely still.”
I fought the urge to fidget.
“You will feel many little pinpricks and dragging, but it will be over soon.”
That was Liri’s last warning before the first touch of pain shot through my spine followed by light, speedy taps. He was like a machine, only faster and more precise. The pleasure he’d summoned between my legs was replaced by pain. My thigh stung after he finished, leaving behind a black pattern with interconnecting circles and curving lines. The design wasn’t girly or fun, but it did look bold and precise. I cared more about the protection it offered me.
Liri dabbed gently at my tender skin before putting away his tools and tightening the lid on the pot of ink. He looked over his work and nodded then gathered up his supplies and headed for the door.
“I will bring back a tincture to numb the pain and accelerate the healing process. While your skin is settling, we will go over the final arrangements for our wedding and your coronation.”
Those words still sounded so outlandish—like a dream.
I thought of the nightmare back on Earth, of Doug. That hadn’t even been the worst of my life. Running away had felt like the only escape, but it had been the first step down the path of self-destruction. If I’d held out for my final year of high school, maybe things would have turned out differently. Mom had been saving to send me to college. What was one more year of hell when a brighter future awaited? At the time, I felt like I couldn’t make it through one more day. A
year might as well have been a lifetime. But if I’d sucked it up, bided my time I could have gone to college, studied theater, acted in university productions, met a normal human boy who shared my interests. If. If. If.
“Such dark thoughts,” Liri drawled.
I looked up at him in surprise. “Can you read them?” I demanded.
I’d never heard of Fae having mind reading abilities, but they didn’t exactly go around advertising what they were capable of. Had Liri seen the image taking shape in my mind of a young man with close-cropped brown hair, kind eyes, and a sweet smile? I had no idea where it had come from and didn’t want Liri to doubt the sincerity of my love for him. Or had he seen Doug with his cruel, beady eyes and long narrow nose, his fist raised to strike?
Liri pursed his lips and studied my face.
“I can read your emotions in your eyes. You show me everything, even without meaning to.” He stepped forward and kissed my forehead with soft lips. He grinned as his eyes traveled up to my head. “A golden crown will conquer such gloom.”
I suppressed a sigh.
Didn’t Liri know by now that it wasn’t a crown I wanted?
A carriage and saddled horses awaited us in the courtyard the morning we were to attend the Fable Festival.
Liri explained to me that there were no portal entries located on the festival grounds.
“Besides, the king must not be perceived as afraid to ride through his own kingdom,” he’d added.
I wore a blue-and-red velvet gown with my brown hair curled into ringlets. The tattoo itched slightly beneath my skirts but the tincture had worked like magic dulling the burning sensation over my skin. The rune didn’t give me any special powers, but it made me feel slightly more prepared to become a queen among faeries. I couldn’t compel anyone, but I could no longer be compelled either. This evened the playing field, giving me a shared advantage with the otherworldly beings I lived amongst.
Liri looked handsome in his midnight blue doublet and a golden crown encrusted with sapphires. Tall boots reached his knees, and the jeweled handle of his long sword rested at his hip.
False Queen Page 4