by 1
Chapter Five
Dawn was coloured green in the forest. Asha tried to stretch, but her arms were pinned by Tuartha’s.
“Good morning, Asha. Time to attend to your duties.” He rolled away from her and with a flicker of magic, they were both dressed.
She looked down at her tidy clothing and scowled. “That’s cheating.”
He laughed. “It speeds things up tremendously. Now, breakfast and then we are expected at the council hall. You will be acting as my secretary.”
She sat up and stumbled to the bathroom to attend to her morning ablutions. Tuartha had even laid in a second toothbrush for her. She scrubbed her face and tidied her hair before returning to the bedroom.
He had made the bed with a flick of magic that she felt like the brush of a feather down her spine. That reminded her of something. “How did you explain the wards around the city and environs?”
He sighed. “That was the act that gained me the title of High Lord. I eventually told my father that I had hired a Warder to place the wards. They were so successful at blocking the excessive light that I had to explain them.”
She grimaced, “Yeah, I guess that would be tricky.”
“My father was so impressed, he told the rest of the population and now, they all credit me with the wards that you put in place. Do you remember that day?” He reached for her and wrapped his arms around her hips.
Of course she remembered it. They had been walking and holding hands, whispering to each other to keep the forest guards from hearing them when a bolt of light had struck Tuartha and temporarily blinded him. She had been concerned beyond belief and when he told her what had happened, she had set the wards to block out the harsh light that caused the leprechauns their problems. Their eyes could simply not adjust fast enough to keep them from being vulnerable. It was why their souls were captured at the base of rainbows. The bright light stunned them.
They also didn’t tan well.
“I remember every day with you. Now, breakfast?” She raised her eyebrows hopefully.
He laughed and they walked down to the dining room.
Carrag smiled in surprise at Asha’s changed appearance, but she had two places set at the table and brought food out immediately. Eggs, bacon, sautéed mushrooms and toast made up the standard breakfast. Water and juice accompanied it, coffee was not popular in Realm and tea was only for the afternoons.
“So, High Lord, why was I doing domestic chores yesterday?”
He continued to eat while he answered and she gathered from his speed that they were not dawdling this morning.
“I needed to make sure that you would honour your bargain, no matter what the command. There may be some difficult moments today and I need you to follow all of my directions.”
“Will Elhara arrive today?”
“She is already here. The warriors brought her in yesterday and settled her in the care centre. She has been receiving care all evening and is looking better.”
Asha smiled, relieved. “Thank you. I am sure that your healers will figure out a method of care for her and, barring that, they will keep her alive at the least.”
He nodded, swallowed his juice and looked at her expectantly.
She shovelled the last of her eggs into her mouth and picked up her toast, making a bacon sandwich. “Lead the way. I will eat on the run.”
He chuckled. “I had forgotten how slowly you used to eat. It drove my father crazy.”
“Where is he?”
“He has a quiet home on the far side of the city and he has opened a donut shop at your suggestion though he doesn’t remember where the idea came from. They are almost edible now.”
She almost spewed the juice she was drinking. “A donut shop? I remember waxing wistful about them and trying to teach his cook to make them.”
“It worked into his mind somehow and we all have to pay the price now.” Tuartha’s voice was serious, but there was a playful grin on his face.
She wrapped her sandwich in a napkin and got to her feet. “Lead on, High Lord.”
“You can call me, Tuartha.”
“I think your people would appreciate my formality a little more than my normal flippant tone.”
“You are probably correct, Lady Warder.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, lord, what did I start?”
They left the home of the High Lord, his hand holding her left one, his fingers touching his ring. There was some significance to that, but she couldn’t remember it now.
Walking through the streets holding hands with one’s secretary was probably not a normal activity for the High Lord, but no one questioned him. Her munching of the bacon sandwich got more attention than their connection. They walked from his home to the council hall with only a few passersby noting their joined hands.
“What will my duties be today?” She tried to keep her voice low.
“Organizing my appointments and keeping track of petitions. I want you at my side as much as possible, so don’t stray too far.” He gave her a serious look with his admonition.
“Yes, High Lord. Where do I start?” They were approaching the main council hall.
“I will give you a book and you will record the petitioners as well as their topics. Take the grieving first and leave the drier disputes for the afternoon. Carrag will bring us lunch.”
He smiled and she caught her breath at how handsome the expression made him look. It was a genuine smile that came out of his soul and spread across his features. She hadn’t seen that look on his face since she had turned eighteen here in the city and he had asked her to dance.
She swallowed hard and wriggled her fingers in his grip. “Will I get a note pad or something?”
“A ledger. All petitions to the High Lord are recorded and archived. I hope you have good penmanship. We keep those archives forever.” He opened the door just shy of the council hall. “My private offices. The open door means folks can come in and wait to be heard. You can take that desk and wait for the first petitioner. The ledger is on the blotter and I will see you when the first person arrives.”
The tidy clothing suddenly made a lot of sense. She was representing the High Lord as his receptionist. From what she knew, it was not a position that had ever been assigned to a single person before.
She slowly circled her new desk as Tuartha entered his office and closed the door. A small mirror was next to the ledger, the bright shamrock on the tip of it made it clear that it was a leprechaun mirror. A quick test with the tip of her finger on the leaves showed her an image of Tuartha settling down to do paperwork. She swiftly removed her finger before he looked up. It was the equivalent of a magical intercom. That was how she would keep him informed of the goings on in the office.
Asha just began to relax when the first petitioner came into the room. She flipped open the ledger and smiled. “How may I help you this morning?” With that one sentence, her day began.
Once she offered them some guidance, most folks were fairly forthcoming with their difficulties. Tuartha had to mediate a schoolyard fight, organize a search for a prize sheep and work with a family to reallocate space for a new home now that their deceased father’s place was crumbling around them.
Asha listened to each petition, recorded it and then contacted Tuartha to inform him of what was coming through the door. The families seemed happy that she was taking time to get the details correct before sending them in. The general feeling was that precision was not a normal thing.
In the moments between visitors, she read the previous entries in the ledger. When she could read the handwriting, it was sloppy, inaccurate and hard to figure out. The reasons for the meetings were unclear and there were doodles in the margins.
When Carrag brought lunch, Asha had her wait until the High Lord finished speaking to a young lad about eating his vegetables. When the boy and his mother left the office, smiling and with a spring in their steps, Carrag was allowed in with her huge basket.
The mirror flashed
and Tuartha’s smiling face appeared. “Come in and have lunch, Asha. You are doing a wonderful job and have more than earned it.”
Carrag gave her a genuine grin as she passed through the waiting room. The goblin closed the door behind her, giving them the privacy that was needed for a proper break.
The rustle of the green dress caused her to slow her steps as she entered the private office. “How has your morning been, High Lord?”
“Surprisingly calm. Thank you, Asha. What are you doing to them out there?” He poured a glass of wine for her and waited for her to take it, her fingers brushing his deep green digits as she lifted it out his grip.
“Just talking to them. You might remember how charmingly direct I can be when I put my mind to it?”
He snorted and broke a small loaf of bread in half, placing each half on a plate. “In other words, you are talking them into stupors.”
She chuckled. “Pretty much.”
“Good. I am wondering how you will do with the petitioners this afternoon.” He dished out roasted chicken, vegetables and a small nub of butter.
She picked up her silverware and waited for him to begin as protocol dictated. “What is on the line-up for this afternoon?”
Tuartha’s green cheekbones darkened. “There is a group of women who are making bids for my hand in marriage. I need your assistance in dealing with them.”
Her appetite was gone as swiftly as it had woken. She didn’t want to let him see her distress, so she moved through the food with the determination that she rarely had to muster.
“I will do my best for you, High Lord.”
He looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes and a secretive smile crept over his features. “You always do.”
Chapter Six
Sitting while leprechaun women preened and primped in preparation for meeting the High Lord caused a ball of lead to fill Asha’s stomach. Of course, he would need to marry one of his own race. It was probably why he had not taken advantage of her no-holds-barred agreement to serve him in any way.
Despite his anger over her disappearance, he was not angry enough to take her virginity and discard her for one of his own.
“Lady Avendeer, you and your father may see him now.”
The lady took her father’s arm and swept into the inner office with the aura of pride wrapped around them.
Asha held her dignity to her. She sat up and gave the next woman a polite smile, taking her particulars and making admiring comments about the jewels she wore with her gown. Lady Bordial was a quiet woman with the stunning bone structure of a supermodel. She was putting herself forward as a candidate at her family’s urging.
Lady Avendeer and her father emerged from the inner office. Their heads were high and there was no trace of what had gone on within the High Lord’s meeting space, but they were not showing signs of triumph that she would expect if they had been successful.
As they left, she smiled at them and inclined her head politely before activating the mirror. “Lady Bordial is here to see you, High Lord.”
“Give me three minutes and send her in, Asha.” He didn’t look ruffled. His skin tone was even and his long midnight green hair was immaculate.
She watched his lips move slightly as he composed a letter and let the image of him fade away. “He will be with you in a moment, Lady Bordial. Please be at ease.”
The spirit ring on her finger had been going both hot and cold during the day. She rubbed it idly as she waited for the three minutes to tick past.
Lady Bordial smiled at her and nodded to her hand. “How long have you been engaged?”
Blinking in shock, Asha stared at her hand. The band that had always been felt and not seen was now a very pale gold, like a raised tan line. “Um, it has been a while.”
“When will you wed?”
Asha shrugged. “It has never seemed to work out.”
The three minutes that Asha’s mind had measured out passed. “You can go and see him now.”
Lady Bordial was in Tuartha’s office for five minutes before she came out again. She reached out and took Asha’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. He gave you a piece of himself and never reclaimed it. He will eventually progress to the wedding. I am sure of it.”
“Thank you. It is…nice to hear.”
Lady Bordial smiled brightly and left the office.
The High Lord was loitering in his doorway. “What was that?”
She blushed and cleared her throat. “Lady Bordial was just congratulating me on my engagement.” She raised her hand and the clearly visible ring sent a small thrill of magic through her.
He stepped forward and lifted the hand that bore his soul. With a quiet smile, he pressed a kiss to the back of the ring. “You never figured it out?”
She stood and came around the desk. “You never recalled it. Never broke our connection.”
He draped his arms around her and placed soft kisses against her lips. “No woman can replace you in my heart. I waited because there is no way that the fates would put us together and then keep us apart. They have brought us back to each other and I am going to make sure that this time it sticks.”
The gasp from the doorway showed another father-daughter combo and the look Tuartha gave them sent them skittering away a moment before he used power to shove the door shut and lock it.
He turned his attention back to her and tightened his grip on her. “Now, where were we?”
His kiss was savage and she bent backward as his lips threatened to bruise hers. With her dress confining her legs, she could only yelp in surprise when he lifted her from her feet and carried her into his office, kicking the door shut and locking it with a flick of magic.
She looked up into his face and got over what was obviously confirmation that they were engaged. “You were seriously proposing way back then?”
He set her on the edge of his desk and worked at sliding his hands underneath her gown. “I knew when my heart was given the moment that I met you. The intervening years have only made the confirmation stronger.”
As he met her dark brown gaze with his own, Tuartha’s hands parted her thighs and he stroked her with his long, elegant fingers.
The tightness of her jacket made her breathing more rapid than it should have been and she sighed, moaned and twisted as he learned every inch of her most sensitive flesh with his hand. She blushed at the slickness that coated his fingers, but he simply kept his eyes focused on her face the entire time. When his fingers flicked over her clit and she jumped in reaction, she noted the stern satisfaction on his features.
He watched her as he brought her to the edge of orgasm and then slid two fingers into her while stroking her clit with his thumb, sending her mind spinning and her body arching as he played her expertly.
He kissed her, taking her harsh cries as his due while her hips twisted against his hands. She came back to herself with the most tender of kisses being feathered across her lids.
She opened her eyes to see the forest green of Tuartha’s gaze had shifted into a hot gold. “I have missed you at my side, Asha. I have dreamed of this day.”
She leaned up on one arm and wrapped the other around his neck. “I have dreamed of nothing but you since the day I left. Even when I thought you nothing but a dream, I wished for you.”
Her ring flared bright gold and went from clear to solid in that moment.
“Put your legs around my waist.” His words were quiet, but they held a wealth of emotion as he swept the entire surface of his desk clear with a wave of his arm.
She watched him free his erection from his black trousers and clung to his arms as he pressed into her. His pulsing green cock parted the red petals of her sex and moved into her until he butted against her hymen.
His eyes were solid gold now, blazing hotly as he kept up the pressure and she gave way to him with a sharp pop. Where pain should have been, magic flowed in. Asha’s eyes widened in surprise as the so-called agony of the first time was replaced by a sharp spike
of arousal.
“What was that?” she blinked up at him in surprise.
He leaned back and then surged forward, his hips moving slowly. “If you are not sure, then either I should be insecure or your education is sorely lacking.”
She chuckled and the bizarre feeling of being impaled while laughing sent shivers of tension through her. Her body sent back feedback of everything around her—the cool wood under her back, the heat of his leather trousers under the skin of her inner thighs, the strength of his arms and hands and the friction of her gown against her nipples as she panted with every thrust.
He moved harder against her, sliding and rocking in time to their rapid heartbeats. When she surrendered to the friction and spiralling tension inside her, he groaned and held his hips to hers while more magic spilled from his body into hers.
Asha looked into his eyes as her channel clasped and released him. When she heard a knock on the outer door, she slammed up a ward to keep the intruder out while nuzzling at Tuartha’s neck. “We are going to have a visitor.”
He smiled, narrowed his eyes and the door to his office disappeared. “That should ensure privacy.”
“Very effective.” She focussed on her hand and her eyes widened. The ring had gone from a gold band to a gold band with diamonds set in it. “What is going on with the ring?”
He nuzzled at her neck, repaying her earlier caress. “I have already guessed that you were unaware of the significance.”
“You were correct. Now spill.”
He chuckled. “I already have, but if you are up for a second round, so am I.”
She slid a hand into the dark silk of his hair and tugged sharply. “Explain, High Lord.”
The formality was ridiculous considering that he was still inside her, but he began to thrust slowly as he began to speak. “When my people meet their soul mate, they court.”
He sat her up and pulled her tightly to him, turning so that he was now sitting on the desk and she was astride him.