“Will you bite?”
“Is that a challenge?” She raised a brow.
“I have a challenge: to tell you what I need for this to work.”
“The contract is not even dry yet and you already have something to change?”
“No, not at all.” He moved forward and placed his hands on the sides of her face, then pulled her to him.
She yanked away. “No, not like this.” She moved from his grasp. “You’re not ready for what I have in store.”
“I’m here. What more do you want?”
“More.” She paused and closed her eyes as if to steel herself against emotions she didn’t wish to feel. “Come, I will show you to your quarters, and then we can dine. We shall have your favorite.”
“How would you know what my favorite is? You’ve yet to ask me any questions about myself.”
“Do you think I leave anything up to chance? I know everything about you, and everything you will become. I might be stuck here, but I am not limited as to what I can do or achieve.”
“You might have a dossier on me, but that is not the same as knowing me, hearing my words and inflection. Some of the things you think you know might be wrong.”
“Yes, they might, but from everything you’ve shown me so far, they are dead on. You are an honorable man and not self-serving. That is the quality that allowed you over the fence. You are curious and have questions, seeking to help your fellow man. That is what got you inside the house. That you desire to be noble, kind, and better than your father is what got you the contract. Now, if you’d like to proceed.”
Harley gasped. “My father. You know about my father?”
“I know only that you are here in the United States on a student visa, and will have to return to your native Scotland soon. From the inflection in your voice, I gather that you are from the Davidson clan, and I even know that your maternal uncle believes himself to have seen the Loch Ness Monster. Does this all satisfy your curiosity?”
He shook his head. “No, no, it does not because you need to stop using a glamour on me.” Harley could only assume that this was the case. “I don’t need to be bewitched by pretty camouflage. I, too, have read up on you.” He suspected that things were not all that they seemed. Snorri, who wrote the Prose Edda, had described her appearance as being more than what she now showed him—half awe strikingly beautiful and half monstrous. Yet, what he saw of her was made up to perfection.
“You wish to see the monster behind the lipstick. Is this going to be where you try real, real hard not to make me feel bad about my appearance and give me a nice lecture about how beauty is more than skin deep? Or maybe you’re one of those types that feels he can save me?”
“Isn’t that why I’m here, to save you?”
“No, I don’t need saving. I need my kingdom back. Just like when a man watches childbirth and has no desire to visit his wife’s bed thereafter, I have no desire for the same to happen here. So, the glamour will stay in place, and you will only see me as I pretend to be. Now, if you are done making demands, I will show you to your quarters.”
Harley silently nodded. It would take a while to gain her trust, he knew. It wouldn’t be won right out of the gate, any more than it would be okay to ask anyone their deepest and darkest secrets having only just met them.
Harley wasn’t sure what he’d do about her. They butted heads like an old married couple who couldn’t find common ground on anything—even truth, honesty, veracity. She saw his ideals as weaknesses and he saw them as necessities to build on. They were on opposing sides of the spectrum, and nothing seemed to be bringing them closer to understanding each other.
“Here is your room. It has its own en-suite, and is located down the corridor from my own room, but we shall get to that when the time comes.”
Harley glanced around the bedroom that was decorated as well as that in any five-star hotel. Bright and airy, it was filled with all the types of entertainment he might enjoy. Plush carpeting covered the floor. A light blue wallpaper rested on its high walls, with a white cathedral ceiling above. The large picturesque window overlooked the James River, although from where he stood, only a settling darkness could be recognized.
A large canopy king-sized bed sat against the far wall, with enough pillows on it to create a fort, and on the opposite side of the room, he found a desk with the most advanced model of computer he’d ever seen.
“I had it specially built for you, so that you could continue to prepare for your exams and potentially move on towards a graduate degree should you wish.”
“How do you suppose that? I mean, I only have two weeks until graduation.”
Graduate school? He shuddered at the thought.
Graduate school required a wish for a bright future. Up until now, he saw nothing beyond just getting by. It had taken him seven years to complete a four year degree—not because he lacked smarts—but more that he lacked motivation. Until this very moment, something had been missing.
She smirked. “Do I need to remind you that time is not linear? There is the eternal return. That which was, shall be again.”
“Circular then, in your opinion?” He cocked his head to the side. “I’ve always thought of time as being as straight as an arrow.”
“It is flexible, but often hard for a man’s mind to grasp. There is so much more to life than days on a calendar, and we can travel soon, once you are fit, and you will not lose time here.”
He could hear it in her voice, an itchiness, as if there was more she wished to say but didn’t. It was almost like her words were pieces of popcorn stuck in her throat. Her mouth moved, she grunted, and then turned silent, as if freeing the stray kernel relieved her of its irritation.
The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation.
She tilted her head and stared at Harley.
“I take it that you had something delivered?” she asked.
“I guess we’ll both see.”
He dropped his duffle bag by the bed and pressed on the firm mattress.
“I hope it is as you like it.”
“The more that I stand here, the more I like everything.” Again the image of her, with her legs wrapped around his waist flashed before his eyes.
“Why are you doing that?”
He could feel the illusion beginning, her pushing her power on him, but it had little effect.
“Doing what?” she asked coyly, and turned her attention to her perfect manicure.
“Well, I guess the only way to get it to stop is by doing this.”
He crossed the large room in a couple of steps and pulled her to him. His hands wound around her waist and slid around the curves of her ass. As his lips nibbled along her neck, he felt her pulse jump at the slightest of touches, and a tremble run from her directly to him. Her breathing hitched, and all he wanted to do was please her.
“No, not like this. I don’t usually give away control,” she said. “but you are doing something to me that I can’t deny.” Her hands yanked at his T-shirt, revealing his bare skin. “Tonight, you will serve me.”
“Whatever you want,” he said, and lifted her up until her legs indeed wrapped around him as he so desired.
Her bottom wiggled against him. His pants stretched, showing her his delight.
He set her against the dresser and pulled away to place his hands on either side of her face.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, and leaned in to give her a kiss, but she moved her head to the side, directing his face again to her neck.
Chapter 9
Helena
“Sorry, I’ve never done anything like this before,” Harley whispered.
Helena pulled back. She walked a tightrope between restraint and utter exhilaration. He smelled like life, mountains and trees, although surely, he’d not climbed the last two today, but his skin beckoned her touch. She clenched her jaw, steeling herself against the foreign emotions battering against her. Her belly clenched and she puckered her lips, wanting only a small
taste of the pleasure she knew they could have together. Until now, she’d only toyed with the men that popped over the fence. The illusion of sex seemed to satisfy them, but with him that illusion was worthless.
He made her want.
And that could be a dangerous thing.
“I don’t usually let anyone touch me, unless I so determine it, but there is something about you. Something that calls me to give up a little control—and I love being in control.” Seated on the dresser’s top, her legs apart, they faced one another.
“I want to know you before we give in to this between us,” Harley said, and trailed his fingers up her thigh wanting so much more. “Before we take this step.”
“Through this step you will know me completely.” Desire quickened her heartbeat until it thumped, almost drowning out her own breath. Anticipation—her hands prickled at the thought of touching him, to feel him on her, and the more she thought of what they were about to do, the more aroused she became. Her nipples rubbed against the thick leather she wore, and her core clenched.
She felt her body flush.
The air between them was heavy with want as she stared at him, but she’d never done this with one of the young men. As if caught inbetween moving forwards and retreating, she took a deep breath.
Her hands moved to the front of his pants, and akin to a Yule time gifting, she began to slowly unwrap his large package, inching his zipper down to reveal, as she’d commanded, hipster shorts.
“Nice touch,” she said.
“I pay attention.”
She pulled her dress up, and guided him closer, until he fit nicely in place. An instant groan sounded in her ear.
They came together like water droplets dancing on a hot skillet. His hips moved back and forth, and she gave into the deep thrusting. There were no more questions about if he had been a good choice, or if he might not even like her. Nothing mattered but the feel of his strong body against her own, as he moved with vigor against her.
The sounds of their lovemaking cocooned them.
Each thrust was as eagerly received as the first. Pleasure forced her higher, and tempted her to give into more than just receiving an inkling of it. She leaned back against the dresser to receive all that he could give.
He grabbed her nipples through her clothes, pinching them between his forefingers and thumbs. The unexpected shock sent her over the top until wave after wave crashed against her, followed by bliss.
“You may finish now,” she said, and he obeyed her again. “We are going to get along just fine.”
Without any words, she hopped down off of the dresser, fixed her clothing and headed out of the room.
“I ordered something for you,” Harley called after her.
She’d refused to look at him. Refused to consider what this now meant. Something was different about doing this with him. She shook her head and tried to get him out of her mind. Now that she’d had him, she could calm down, and not wonder what they would be like together. But his touch reminded her of the love she’d lost so long ago. The love of her life. She shook her head.
All of this was about searching for him, finding him.
As she entered the entryway, she was greeted by an extra-large bouquet of black and white roses in a large vase, and a card that simply said: There is nothing more beautiful or sexy in a woman than confidence. I like yours. –H
She balled up the card and sauntered away.
He would not change her, and she would remain the one she’d always been.
She wouldn’t allow it. All she had to do was stay focused. What happened was a mistake, and not to happen again.
Chapter 10
Helena
“My lady, are you okay?” Siegfried entered Helena’s office, and found everything in pieces. Antiqued wood lay splintered and furniture tossed around the room. Shattered glass spun around her seated figure like she was in the eye of a tornado. Ice covered the wallpapered walls and paneling, while arctic air rushed around room. She sat there, eyes wide open, and stared straight ahead.
White and blue lights danced on her open upturned palms, on her silver tinged fingers.
“This was a bad idea. I never should have intervened.”
“You appear quite sad, if I may say so,” Siegfried said.
“Sadness is relative. The cost of trying to help my son has given me such a burden that I am unsure if I can bear it. This has created a problem.”
“What sort of problem?”
“He’s making me feel things.”
“We all feel things.”
“No, not me. I’ve always been able to keep my distance, but it’s as if he has flipped a switch inside of me. What is this oddness?”
“Perhaps you should just talk to him?”
“There is no point in doing such. This is limited. This, whatever I have with him, will end just like it always does.”
“But you had hope,” Siegfried whispered.
Snowflakes began to fall from the ceiling.
“I have looked after women during childbirth and comforted them as they perished. I’ve held the hands of children and walked with them into the halls of the afterlife, always benevolent. In the shadow of death, I welcomed all, and judged those who should enter. That never got to me. I felt their sorrow, and their peace. Their heartache and longing—I tasted their tears. But today, my shoulders are not wide enough to carry this burden.”
She could feel the Norns—the women who controlled fate and destiny—pulling on her strings of time. They surely yanked left, while she pulled right.
“Hope is toxic. It never allows one to truly comprehend the truth of a situation. I did the unthinkable. I allowed him to touch me.”
“But you’ve never done that. You’ve always just planted the idea.”
“I know, and now there are repercussions.”
“Which are?”
The words could barely be heard.
“I now know why he is so special. He has the touch, the blood of the Alder King. The gods play games with me. This, my being here, is not cruel enough. Instead, they taunt me through my adoration.”
“It can’t be. The fairy kingdom declared the Alder King dead.”
“Kingdoms lie. I’ve lost him once and barely survived. For them to bring back my Alder King in the form of this young man… I’ve scoured the realms in search of him, touched the other nine planes, and I thought him gone forever. I’ve called his name, as if it were a prayer. And still, I did not recognize him as this young man. They taunt me with what I want the most.”
“Your prayer has been answered, then, my lady.”
She clapped her hands and screamed. The windows of her office overlooking the gardens exploded.
“No. For if the Alder King is here, it is likely that they will only strip him from me again. It is better not to love. To not allow them to win. I will have my revenge, and they will all pay.”
“You would willingly give up the love of your life?”
What could she achieve by holding on? There was nothing left to do other than to give up on him, her beloved.
The time was upon her to revisit that which had passed. She sat there frozen. This was doomed to fail. He would never be the man she remembered, and she would never be the perfect woman she believed he’d desired. Their relationship could never succeed. There was simply too much against them, against it.
“Do I have a choice? This battle, I cannot win. My heart will surely lose, for they believe the one who watches over the dead must not have a need for love, or companionship. To them, I will always be the terrifying monster who they sent to rule over Helheim because of a physical deformity, instead of a woman who happened to love a man.”
She’d never voiced her fears, and it shook her to the core.
Harley threw the door open, and everything thudded to the ground.
“Helena,” he shouted. He was out of breath. His chest moved quickly up and down, and his eyes darted around the room. In his hand, he held
a poker from a fireplace. “Are you okay?”
Chapter 11
Harley
Two days later
The last couple of days had been interestingly weird. Helena had said nothing to him since they’d consummated their relationship—but could it really be even considered a relationship? With his head bent down, he plodded back towards his dorm room.
“Hey, Harl,” Emili called out. “Wait up.”
Harley stopped and waited for her to catch up.
“I thought you’d be heading to class or to the lab?” he said.
“First to my room and then the lab. It will give me a chance to finish working on this animation. What happened between you and Jay the other night? I’ve never known you to be so physical.”
“Why, what did you hear?”
“Not so much about what I heard, but what I saw. His face was black and blue, and no matter how much he protests he fell drunkenly down the stairs, I know you went to see him.”
Harley sighed. “Things just got out of hand. I don’t know.”
“You really beat him up?”
“I don’t know what happened. He just said some things that were reprehensible. I don’t know how a guy like him thinks it’s okay to talk so badly about women. I mean, he thinks they are just there to serve him.”
He pulled the door open to the shared lobby and the common area, known as the fishbowl with its glass walls, and let her walk through.
“Well, you are a feminist, and that shows. I mean, if you were taking up for a girl’s honor, I think that’s a great reason to give another man a beat-down.” She leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Tell Graham I’ll see him later and that he’s buying dinner tonight.” She waved goodbye and headed on towards her dorm.
After Emili had placed the kiss on his cheek, he heard Siegfried clearing his throat. “Mr. Harley,” he said.
“Hey. What’s up?”
Siegfried frowned. “Her ladyship has requested your presence this afternoon.”
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