To Wed The Goblin King (The Realm Trilogy Book 2)

by Lisa Manifold

  “You didn’t ask?” This towards me.

  “I didn’t realize I needed to ask to go to dinner with family,” I shot back. I could feel my teeth grit with the effort to not yell at him.

  “No, indeed,” Mara said, stepping into the room and neatly sidestepping my father. “Iris, shall we go? I have reservations for us at the Palm.”

  “Mother, don’t you want to come in?” I hadn’t realized my mom stood behind me.

  Mara gave Mom a look of such love, a look I didn’t think she was capable of. Mara kept surprising me. She wasn’t entirely made of stone.

  “No, darling, I want to spend some time with Iris.” She reached behind me.

  I turned in time to see her stroke Mom’s cheek.

  “Which you have not asked our permission for,” Dad interjected.

  “I don’t believe it’s needed. I have Iris’s permission.” Mara didn’t look at Dad as she spoke.

  “No, she doesn’t. Now if you’ll excuse me, Mara did say we had reservations,” I pushed past my father and grabbed Mara’s free hand. “I’ll be back later.” I kept going and walked out onto the pathway.

  Mara joined me and tucked her arm into mine. “Neatly done, Iris. I see more of me in you every time we meet.”

  “Don’t think this is me getting all cozy. One dinner is not insta-grandma,” I said as we reached her car. “Hey, how do you deal with the car?”

  “What do you mean?” Surprise showed on her face.

  “Taranath said something about our methods of travel not being great for you.”

  “I can see we won’t waste any time, will we?” She ducked down into the driver’s seat.

  I got in and closed the door behind me. Mara did well, I guess. A newer BMW. I didn’t keep up on cars, but I did know that BMWs fell into the doing-all-right category.

  “Why should we? That doesn’t seem to be your style.”

  She laughed a little. “No, it never has been. Have you spoken to Brennan?”

  I nodded, although she didn’t look at me. “We have a mirror we use to talk to each other.”

  Now she did turn for a moment. “He gave you a mirror? One that he carries on his person?”

  I laughed. “Yeah, the fae version of email. I call it fae mail. Brennan is not amused,” I deepened my voice to mimic his.

  “What are your intentions towards him, Iris?”

  Wow, her tone went all serious all of a sudden.

  “What do you mean? I want to be with him,” I said. I felt weird spilling everything to her. Maybe I could just hedge and get away with it.

  “Yes, I understand that. What do you see for the future with him?”

  So much for the hedge. “Forever,” I said simply, figuring that would cover it.

  She pulled into the parking lot at the restaurant and rolled up to the front door. A valet ran over to the door and opened it. Mara slid out, and my door opened as well. A nice looking guy held a hand out to me and, a little bemused, I took it.

  Mara strode into the place like she owned it. A quick word with the woman at the front and we were led to a table, a high booth with a half-moon table. She slid in towards the middle, and I followed her lead. Mara radiated confidence in a way I’d never seen before on anyone else.

  A waiter stood at the end of the table before I even set down my purse. Mara ordered champagne, and then as he left, turned to me.

  “Forever? Do you even understand what that means? What I mean is, are you capable of thinking beyond human?”

  “I know how old Brennan is. You and his parents are older. So yeah, forever is a long time.”

  At that moment, the waiter whisked back to our table and opened the bottle, pouring for us. The fact that I wasn’t actually twenty-one didn’t seem to be a problem for her.

  “What will the ladies have?”

  Mara ordered steak for us both—good thing I’m not vegetarian—and then continued, sipping at her champagne.

  “How much has Brennan told you about what life will be like?”

  While sharing with her felt a little off, I figured I’d get more of a straight answer from her than anyone else. “He doesn’t tell me much, actually. It’s annoying.”

  “Damn that boy.” Made me glad she wasn’t disgusted with me. “He’s given you no idea, has he?”

  “He has spent a lot of time trying to persuade me to come home. Back here,” I admitted. I waved my hand. I hadn’t told my parents this, not wanting to give them ammunition. “Before we decided to make this a permanent thing.”

  Mara’s hand shot out and grabbed mine. “Is that from Brennan?” She nodded at the serpent ring on my ring finger.

  I couldn’t stop the smile when I looked down at the ring and remembered him giving it to me. “Yes. I told him that he hadn’t really asked me to marry him, so he did. Then I told him he needed a ring, and he gave this to me.”

  She pulled my hand close. “This is…”

  I nodded. “His father gave it to him when he became the Goblin King.” I kept my voice low. I didn’t need anyone overhearing it. “He said it was a reminder to look twice at things, because at first glance, things were usually not what they seemed, or something like that.”

  She held my hand a moment longer. When she let go, she gave me one of the piercing looks I’d already figured out were her thing. “Do you understand what he is saying with this? With agreeing to marry you?”

  “That he loves me and wants to be with me?” What else was there?

  “He’s not making a good case for himself at all. Not that I disagree with him, mind you, on the reasons for you being here rather than there. It would seem he’s a bit conflicted.” She pointed a finger at me. “But if he wants to be with you…” Mara tapped her lip. “You are a lucky woman, Iris. In spite of anything else I might think as your grandmother. Brennan is a good man, and he has pledged himself to you, muddled though he is while doing it. But—didn’t I hear that he was engaged? Or promised?”

  “He was. Drake teased him about taking forever to get engaged, and she turned out to be the problem.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s in total cahoots with his brother—Cian—and they are trying to screw everything up for him.”

  “Who was she?”

  “Ailla. Her father is the Dragon King.”

  “Ah.” Mara nodded. “Dragons are ever jealous of what is theirs and covetous of what is not. If ever there is problem in the Fae Realm, the Dragon Realm is usually part of it. The fae who care for the remaining dragons have taken on their traits.”

  “Drake was in love with her.”

  Mara pursed her lips. “You know this how?”

  I shrugged. “All you had to do is see the guy’s face. He loved her, even though she’s a complete bitch. I give him credit, though. Once he saw what she’d been up to, he dropped her. Well, he tried to. I don’t think it’s that easy.”

  “He’s human born, is he not?”

  “Yeah, but isn’t he really fae now? I mean, it’s been what? Six hundred years?”

  “True. You realize the same thing will happen to you? That you will outlive all those you love? Are you prepared for that? Do you have any comprehension of what that will be? If so, toss it out, my girl, because I look at the same future you do, and it’s not as easy as I once thought.”

  Mara sounded bleak. It took me by surprise, her being this open. From what I could see, this wasn’t really her style. I decided to risk it and ask her more.

  “Would it be different if you had Chauncey?”

  She nodded immediately. “It would. I fell in love with him almost the moment I saw him. I accidently fell through a portal. We were all playing a game—well, it doesn’t matter now. But there were places where the portal was…thin between our worlds. The fae used to be more involved in human affairs. As the humans have become more technologically evolved, it’s harder to hide. We don’t use technology, as you have seen. So even then, the Fae King had been restricting access. But
I fell through, and I fell into the backyard of Chauncey’s family home.”

  She leaned into her hand, her eyes far away from where she sat with me. “I had enough sense to pretend to have been hurt, and unsure of where I was. I knew, though, the moment he came to help me.” A smile lingered on her lips. “After that, it was merely a matter of convincing him and then his family.” The smile vanished. “I know you think I’m a battle axe, but you never met your great-grandmother. She could have won a war single-handedly. She wanted to make sure I was good enough for her beloved son.”

  “How’d you do it?”

  If I didn’t know better, I’d say Mara looked shifty.

  “What?” I demanded. “I don’t know you well, but you have the look that people get when they don’t want to tell the truth.”

  Her mouth tightened to the old-lady prune lips I’ve read about, and then her face relaxed. She sighed and met my eyes. “I used a little fae glamour. It wasn’t one of my finest moments, but goodness, I got tired of listening to her carry on. So I had tea with her one day, and I spoke in the manner fae with the art of persuasion are taught, and I convinced her that while I might not be the person she picked for her son, I was in fact the best person for him.”

  “You sound proud of it, not ashamed, Mara. What the hell is fae glamour? And when are you going to teach me how to do it?”

  She laughed. “I’m both, Iris. I am ashamed that I did something that was against my principles, but I’m also pleased that I acted out of a belief that I was right. And I was. Chauncey and I were wonderful together. While we only had the one child, we built a successful business and then sold it, insuring that we could live comfortably for the next five lifetimes. Additionally, we were very happy. And I’m not teaching you a thing. You’ll be powerful enough without my little charm lessons.”

  “I can see you’ve kept them up. Why didn’t you use that charm when you realized you were wrong about Mom and Dad?” I interjected.

  Mara sighed. “You know that saying? History repeats itself? Well, I’m a victim of it like everyone else. I was sure, as I was with Chauncey, that Paul was not right for Claire. I don’t often have that feeling of surety, but I did with Paul and Claire. Even after they were together for so long—well, in this case, I was wrong. I have paid for it, and probably will for the rest of my life. I missed so much time with Claire and with you.” She looked at me, a half-smile on her face.

  “You did.” I saw no need to pretend. “Dad will probably never like you. I think it hurts his feelings.

  Mara rolled her eyes.

  “Seriously, Mara, maybe you should make the effort to apologize and not try to mess with him so much. You realize that he’s the reason Mom’s still here, right?”

  She had the grace to look down, and I could see a hint of color at the top of her cheeks. I got the impression that people didn’t usually get one over on her often, and I pressed on.

  “Brennan and I killed the cancer, but Dad kept her going. He loves her very much, and he’s always been good to her. I’m not just saying that—I lived in a small space with them for years. There’s no hiding on a boat when people are pissed off at each other, and they didn’t get mad very often. He’s been different since Mom got sick. More stressed.”

  Mara held up her hands. “All right, all right. You have made your point. Most thoroughly. I will apologize. But we’re getting way off topic here. This isn’t why you called me to get together.”

  I nodded. I felt kind of nervous actually getting to the point. “I want to know how to make these two worlds work.” I held my breath, afraid to hear the answer.

  “There isn’t a quick or easy answer for this,” She said, and actually planted her elbows on the table and wrung her hands.

  Shit. This didn’t look good for me. “Okay, well start with the…” I couldn’t decide what I wanted to hear more—the good or the bad.

  “Let’s go back to what Brennan has told you. You are betrothed, even if he has not officially notified the realms. Have you been intimate with him?” She peered at me.

  It felt like being skewered. I resisted the urge to squirm in my seat. Just when I’d started to feel comfortable with her, she pulled out her intimidator act. “No, but…”

  “But what?” She pounced like a cat on a mouse.

  “We’ve fooled around,” I mumbled, staring at my glass.

  “But you have not consummated the relationship?”

  I looked up and burst out laughing. “Did you really just say that?” I managed once I’d calmed down.

  Mara glared.

  “Sorry. No, we have…we have not.” I was not saying the word consummated.

  She rolled her eyes. “No wonder he’s not told you yet.”

  “Told me what?”

  “With the fae, once you are intimate with the one you love, the love of your heart, you will never love another.”

  I opened my mouth and saw the sadness that flashed in her eyes. I changed what I had been about to say. Reached over and covered her hand with mine. “So you are left alone from now on?”

  In that moment, I understood how young I was in comparison to Mara and Brennan and even Drake. The depth of pain I saw not only in her eyes but all over her, as though it were a piece of clothing, is something I cannot describe. It took my breath away.

  “Yes,” She whispered. “I will go on without the one person I love until I am no more.”

  What the hell do you say after that? I leaned back against the bench, grateful for the fact that we were hidden from other diners.

  “So you see, Iris, it’s important that you know exactly what you are getting into. Brennan should be horsewhipped for not telling you all of this. Stupid younglings,” She removed her hand from mine with a pat and fussed with her napkin in her lap.

  “He hasn’t said anything.”

  “I imagine he is afraid. It’s not the easiest conversation to have. ‘Hey, before we take our clothes off, if you really love me and you live, you’ll never love again.’ Not really the romantic moment anyone would want.”

  “What about him, Mara? Do you think he loves me?”

  She didn’t hesitate with her nod. “Oh, yes. The symbols aside,” she gestured at my hand, “If he did not, he would have pressed the issue already.”

  “You can sleep with other people without causing problems?”

  Now it was Mara’s turn to laugh. “Of course! Most fae do not marry until they are several hundred years old. Certainly you don’t expect them to live lives of celibacy until then? What a long, dreary time that would be!”

  She hooted with laughter.

  I glared. “Are you saying you followed this tradition also, Mara? Grandmother?”

  “I’m a product of my environment,” she shot back. “And it’s none of your business. But it’s believed this this is so that fae can find the one they love—if we were like the humans, what a mess we’d make of things!”

  That didn’t feel like a compliment. “I don’t know. I don’t see this as a good thing. So he’s not wanting to sleep with me because he loves me? Or because he’s not sure I’m the one? What? This is confusing.”

  Mara took my hand, and I clutched at it. When I asked to learn how to bridge the two worlds, this wasn’t what I expected. Or wanted.

  “He has not been intimate, I would suspect, because he doesn’t want to tie you to him.” She let out a breath through her nose. “Some notion of chivalry, or good intentions, or some other rot. I’ve seen him with you, remember. His eyes burn through you.”

  I blushed. They did burn through me, and they set me on fire. Often.

  “While you are not full fae, there is enough of the fae within you that you would be bound by our customs and laws. He no doubt wants to be sure that you are sure.”

  “What if he’s looking for a way out?” I could hear the whine in my voice, but I couldn’t help it.

  Mara looked at me for a moment, her mouth slightly opened. She seemed stunned. I didn’t know wha
t to say. I hated exposing my worries like that.

  She roared with laughter. I could see the other diners turn to stare at us.

  “Mara, some discretion would be great,” I hissed.

  She kept laughing, and I could feel the heat creep up my neck and into my face. The people around us smiled and looked on curiously as Mara kept laughing. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she quieted herself, taking a drink of water, her face flushed.

  “How many boyfriends have you had, Iris?” She asked.

  “None,” I ground out.

  Mara nodded. “That would explain how you can ask me such a thing. I just told you that his eyes burn through you. Brennan is dying to see you with no clothing behind a locked door. If he wasn’t trying to make off with my granddaughter just as I’d met her, I could be gracious in my admiration for his discipline. As it is, I’m disinclined to feel gracious towards him at all.”

  “What happens when we finally do…er…get naked?”

  A smile of such love and softness lifted her mouth that it nearly took my breath away. “It will be the most amazing thing that has ever happened to you. And from my experience, it will continue that way each time you are together. As fae, when two hearts that truly love come together, it is something magical to be celebrated.”

  “Is that how it was for you?”

  She nodded, the smile still in place. “So you see, even though I shall miss my darling Chauncey until the day I die, I am forever grateful that I met him and that our hearts were in accord. It is a gift, Iris. Not all fae find it. I did not for many, many years,” the look on her face went distant. “The fact that Brennan is being cautious is not a bad thing, although…” she looked at me. “Are his parents aware that he has asked you for your hand?”

  I thought about it. “I don’t think he’s officially asked. We’ve talked as though it’s assumed.”

  Her eyebrows lowered. “Well, he’s given you a promise gift. It’s a bit different than what he’d do for another fae, but it is appropriate given you are part human. There should be an announcement, as well. From him as well as his parents.”

  “Is that how things are done?”