“Don’t stay out long,” Father said as Jhaeros and I walked to the front doors. “It’s cold,” he added.
Lame.
“Don’t worry, Father. I have Jhaeros to keep me warm.” I smiled sweetly over my shoulder and looped my arm around Jhaeros’s.
Father shot me a warning glare, but my smile didn’t waver.
As soon as we were outside, alone, Jhaeros turned his head to stare at me, eyebrows furrowed. “I know he’s overbearing, but he has a point about propriety. I would never wish anyone to think ill of you, Aerith. I can wait two months.”
My footsteps froze. The warm feeling in my belly cooled like cocoa left out too long. It turned to sludge inside my stomach. I slipped my arm away from Jhaeros and pressed my hands at my sides. We hadn’t yet made it to the estate’s wide drive with the topiary trees spaced apart just so, and already I wanted to storm back inside.
“Aerith?” he asked, trying hard to read my face.
He was overlooking the fact that my father had sent me to the ball for the express purpose of finding a mate to whisk me off at once. Time didn’t matter. Two months. Two days. So what?
Jhaeros had been at that tournament nineteen months ago—seen the Fae prince I’d “won” with my bow and arrows. As a former bride of Faerie, the folks in Pinemist would already judge me as corrupted. Only a desperate elf would give up her realm to marry a Fae.
I would have found another way to keep our family fed if given the chance.
At the time, I never thought I’d return to Pinemist again. If my father had his way, he’d prevent me even now.
“Two months,” I repeated, “very well.” My words were spoken without emotion.
“Unless—” Jhaeros stared pointedly at my belly.
“I told you I’m barren.”
“And you still can’t know that it wasn’t your late mate who was impotent,” he returned.
“Do you want children?” I asked.
His lips thinned. “I’ve never cared for them.”
I snorted, utterly unsurprised. Lucky for Jhaeros, he had nothing to worry about.
“That doesn’t mean I’m opposed to having my own,” he threw in.
“Ever the diplomat,” I muttered.
Jhaeros frowned as though he’d made a wrong move on a campaigne board and was trying to figure out how to get the game back on track. “Tell me what you want, Aerith, and I will gladly submit. I will wed you tomorrow if that’s what you wish.”
“Tomorrow but not today?” I challenged, arching a brow.
His head jerked, and his lips parted. He stared intently down the drive. I couldn’t be sure if he was contemplating running for it or taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Then his gaze slid to mine, and I grinned.
It took several seconds to register that I was teasing him. I doubted anyone before me had ever taunted Jhaeros Keasandoral. A knowing look entered his eyes, followed by something I couldn’t discern. He didn’t chuckle. Instead, he stepped closer and took both my hands in his. Gaze locked onto mine, he stared at me with open longing.
“Aerith, I would marry you right now, on the spot, if you would consent to be my mate.”
The air left my lungs. Was he proposing? He was!
For all my joking, I wasn’t ready yet.
I squeezed his hands then released them and stepped back. “I’ve never been courted before. I think I should like to try it before I settle down.”
Jhaeros pursed his lips and clasped his hands together as though he might beg for me to reconsider. Ironic when he was the one moments before speaking about propriety. “Then I would like to start at once.”
“You don’t want to wait the respectable two months?” I challenged.
His arms shot out, and he pulled me against him, mouth on mine in a hungry kiss that somehow managed to steal my breath and savor it all at once. My eyes closed on cue, leaving only the feeling of Jhaeros holding me in his embrace, coaxing my lips apart with his tongue.
I gave into it, my body going slack. I felt the muscles tighten in his arms all the way to his hands, which gathered me against him. Jhaeros didn’t have the broad, muscular build of the shifters I’d met at the Monster Ball, but his chest was firm and toned and strong like his arms.
I moaned a little into Jhaeros’s mouth, and his kiss deepened, becoming more insistent.
My insides heated and throbbed, wanting more than his tongue. I broke the kiss only to whisper, “There’s a garden shed in back.” Cool air answered me. I opened my eyes to find Jhaeros blinking as though coming out of a daze.
He shook his head slowly, a slight frown on his lips. “The next time I bed you, we will be proper mates.”
Oh no, not this again. I took in a deep breath and released it.
Jhaeros gazed into my eyes. “It’s the least you deserve, Aerith.” He kept staring until I nodded.
“Very, well. I will try to behave myself during our courtship.”
“And I as well,” Jhaeros said, straightening his shirt, though it wasn’t out of place. “Would you still care to take that walk down the lane?”
“Sure,” I said, slipping my hand onto Jhaeros’s arm.
I needed something to cool off. My insides were still oozing with anticipation. Damn Jhaeros for being such a noble male.
But as we fell into step, an easy conversation started. At the ball, I’d thought beating Jhaeros at campaigne would be my greatest triumph over the arrogant elf, but walking arm in arm, here and now, it was making him laugh that proved to be the best reward of all.
Father was waiting in the foyer after Jhaeros walked me to the front door and took his leave. It wouldn’t have surprised me if my father had been standing there the entire time, fuming while I walked with Jhaeros. The area around the foot of the stairs felt ten degrees hotter, as though Father’s anger could heat the whole first floor.
“Aerith, explain yourself,” he commanded as I entered.
“Explain what?” I asked saucily.
Father’s eyes bulged, and his hands fisted. “You know what. Jhaeros! What happened at the ball to make him so ridiculously bewitched by you?”
I pulled off my cloak and hugged it against my belly. “We had a good time together. Simple as that.”
Father scowled. “You can do better than him.”
“And by better, you mean richer?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.” Father didn’t even try to deny it. “You know we need more than a wealthy bachelor from Pinemist to maintain the family estate. We need a high elf or royalty from another world.”
I dug my nails into my woolen cloak and glared at my father. “Maybe you should have thought of that before moving to Sweetbell and buying this monstrosity.”
“What was I supposed to do with all the money Cirrus sent?” Father challenged.
“Save it,” I replied without a beat.
“I never expected it to stop—especially not so soon.” Father straightened his spine and lifted his nose, narrowing his eyes on me. “The fault lies with you, Aerith, as well as the responsibility.”
A burst of laughter escaped my lips. Brittle. Bitter. Infuriated.
Still he pressed. “Or do you not think your sisters deserve a little happiness?”
“And what about my happiness, Father?”
He drew his lips back and sucked air in through his teeth. “I hardly recognize the spiteful, selfish female you’ve become. Faerie changed you, and not for the better.”
Pushing past the anger and hurt, I kept my chin held high. “Faerie did change me,” I agreed. “The Fae are always out for their best interests. You’d fit right in.”
Father’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “You will not speak to me that way. I am your father.”
“Pity for me,” I said, rushing past him for the stairs.
“What did I just tell you?” he bellowed at my back.
I stormed up the first four steps before turning around. “You reminded me that you are my father.
Let me take this opportunity to do the same by reminding you I am your daughter and a grown female. A widow. A princess. A lady of great wealth. I have no need of a mate, affluent or otherwise. I am moving back to Pinemist tomorrow, and I’m taking Mel with me. I suggest you encourage Shalendra to make a gainful match as soon as she can. You might try doing the same for yourself.”
I raced up the rest of the stairs, afraid if I heard anymore of Father’s ruthless comments, I wouldn’t last another night in Sweetbell. I wanted to leave at first light and secure temporary lodgings until I could find something more permanent—a cute cottage to rent. I’d give Mel the option of leaving with me right away or joining me once I had found us a place.
Mel, of course, wanted to run off with me at once. She found me in my room, tossing gowns into trunks. She didn’t linger, not after I told her to pack.
One more night in Sweetbell.
I skipped dinner to avoid Father’s scathing tongue and Shalendra’s venomous glare. I’d had adversaries in Faerie, too, but none of them thought as ill of me as my own father and sister.
One more night, I reminded myself.
I couldn’t wait to return home—to settle into a cozy, little cottage with Mel and make up for the time we’d lost together. We could maintain the place ourselves and discuss her elemental magic further. It would give her more time to warm up to Jhaeros and see the wonderful male I’d come to know.
I hated to admit it, but my brother-in-law, Liri, had given me a second chance by poisoning Cirrus. If not for him, I might have been stuck in Faerie forever. Cirrus had been nice enough, and more attentive than I required, but he’d forbidden me from visiting my family. He was all too happy to deliver letters back and forth between the realms, but it hadn’t been enough, and a dark part of me reveled in his death.
“Yes, I did us both a favor,” a husky voice whispered across the room after I’d crawled into bed.
My eyes flew open, and my body tensed, sensing the presence nearby.
His skin was as pale as the moon, his hair white as snow. He’d braided it back into a whiplike tail that followed him as he crept along the edge of my bed.
I tried to sit up, but every bone in my body felt as though it had turned to mashed potatoes. “What are you doing here, Liri?” I demanded.
He smirked. “I am not really here, which is a shame.” He climbed onto my bed, walking on his knees toward me. The mattress made no movement, no dip or shudder. “See?” His smile widened as he made his way toward me until he straddled my limp body.
I narrowed my eyes at the pitiless face above mine. He was beautiful, but I knew better. “Why are you here?” I asked again.
“I’ve come to check on you,” Liri said, stroking the blanket near my hip. I hated the tingle I felt even though he wasn’t really here, wasn’t really touching me. But my brain said otherwise with the information my eyes fed it. He smiled coyly, well aware of the fact that he didn’t need to physically touch me for me to feel him.
“I would have come sooner,” he continued in a lazy drawl, “but I’ve been busy.”
“Poisoning more rivals?” I asked in a haughty tone.
Liri’s next smile showed all his teeth, white and gleaming like his hair and skin. If it weren’t for his pointed ears, I might think him a vampire. He was just as heartless.
He stared at my lips, his eyes turning lambent. “My desire for you has not changed, nor my wish to have you as my bride.”
“Nor have my wishes changed,” I fired back. “I’m back in the elven realm where I belong—where I want to be.”
Liri shook his perfectly sculpted face.
“You belong on the highest pedestal, my pet. Nothing short of a kingdom will do for such beauty, such grace, such…fire.” His eyes gleamed. His long, pale fingers faded into the covers on both sides of my thighs, causing my hips to rise toward him. Sure, now my limbs worked. I thought he’d rub it in my face, but his expression brightened with hunger.
“My brother made you a princess, but I, sweet Aerith, will make you a queen.”
CHAPTER TEN
Melarue
The next morning, I kicked off my covers, rolled to the edge of my wide mattress, bounced off, and landed on my feet.
“See ya, Sweetbell!” I said, lifting my arm into the air and waving it around. “I’d say it’s been swell, but that would be lying, and lying isn’t good . . . unless it’s to your sister Shalendra about her missing jeweled comb that you used to pick fleas out of poor itchy Mugsy, the groundkeeper’s dog.”
I snickered to myself as I got dressed in a pair of trousers and a loose blouse, which I secured with a brown leather waist cincher. No more dresses for this elf! My trunks were already packed with items of value to sell. The gowns I did pack were for the express purpose of padding, especially around the breakables.
Not all the valuables were technically mine. Well, none of it really. Father had always given me useless stuff, like dresses, slippers, and fans.
Then again, it had all been paid for by Aerith, so really I should take one last look around the estate for more goods that were easy to transport. There was a beautifully engraved cigar box in the study. Too bad it had been personalized with the initials “E.H.” But maybe I’d get lucky and find another “E.H.” out there or someone who didn’t care. Or maybe I could turn “E.H.” into something else.
“Expert Huntsman,” I said aloud. Good one, Mel. “Educated Highborn,” I continued on the way to my bedroom door. “Elderly Humbug.” I lifted my hand to my lips to cover my snigger, even though no one was around to hear me.
An insistent knock sounded on my door before it was swung open and Aerith rushed in. Her blonde head swiveled from side to side, searching the corners of the room.
“Um, I’m right here,” I said with a wave.
When her gaze met mine, a chill crawled down my spine. There were dark circles beneath my sister’s eyes—the kind I remembered from before she left, when she used to get up early to hunt for our next meal in Brightwhisk Forest.
My heart plummeted. What if she’d changed her mind about leaving? What if it was guilt eating away at her?
I frowned and concentrated on pulling my lower lip back so it didn’t puff out into a pout. “You changed your mind,” I said, unable to hold back the accusation.
Aerith came to a jerky stop. “What? No! We need to leave at once.”
My body relaxed. This wasn’t what I’d been expecting when she stormed in all crazy-eyed like an elf out of bedlam. “So, right after breakfast?” I asked. I still needed to swipe that cigar case. Some Esteemed High Elf was going to want it. Maybe I could add an extra “E” after “H.” I rubbed my lips together in thought and stared absently at the ceiling.
“Now,” Aerith said.
I tried to meet my oldest sister’s eyes, but it was like trying to catch a firefly in a jar the way her pupils darted all around the room. She’d returned from Faerie looking like a beautiful golden princess, but right now she looked bedraggled and not quite right in the head.
“Did you get any sleep?” I asked.
She twisted her fingers, still unable to hold my stare or keep still for more than a second. “Nightmare,” she grumbled.
I put my hands on my hips. “Are you sure you’re not having second thoughts?”
“Never.” The steel in Aerith’s voice convinced me. “I told you I’m ready right now.”
“Okay. Cool.” I bobbed my head, stealing glances at her. She’d managed to remain in place for about five seconds and seemed calmer. “Are you sure there isn’t a little extra time to, you know, look around, make sure we didn’t miss anything?”
Aerith turned a sharp blue gaze on me as though she’d sleepwalked into my room and just now fully awakened. She laughed, which made me grin. It was good to see her back to herself.
“You little scamp,” she said, sounding delighted despite her words. She glanced at my closed trunks. “I don’t even want to know what you’ve squirreled away
.”
I stretched my arms over my head with indifference, yawned, and smiled. “Finders, keepers.”
“Said every thief in history,” Aerith muttered, shaking her head. She took a deep breath and straightened her spine. “Fine, whatever, we don’t have time to waste putting anything back.”
“Okeydoke, but I really do have to grab one more thing.”
“Make it quick,” Aerith said.
I grinned. “I will.”
It took two footmen eight trips up and down the grand staircase to bring down all our trunks. Not exactly the stealthiest getaway.
Father sputtered and fumed in the foyer the entire time. He told Aerith that if she left, she shouldn’t expect to be welcomed back. I, however, had a standing invitation to return home since I “didn’t know any better.” Hello? Seventeen, not seven. Sometimes being the youngest sucked. Then again, I liked the “getting away with everything” part—a lot.
Despite Father’s tantrum, we took one of the estate’s carriages, which would return after depositing us at Dixie’s Inn in Pinemist. All but two of our trunks were following on a wagon and would be delivered to Jhaeros Keasandoral’s manor home.
I wrinkled my nose. Too bad boring old Jhaeros had to be involved, but I understood we couldn’t bring eight large trunks into a rented room at the inn. I definitely didn’t want to leave my loot behind.
What I didn’t understand was Aerith’s sudden fondness for the uptight drone. Even Shalendra had blown him off the first chance she got. Somehow, I didn’t think Aerith would do the same. Shalendra had been using Jhaeros until better prospects came along. Aerith would never treat another elf that way.
I sighed inwardly. It was up to me to keep them apart for as long as possible. After Aerith’s ordeal in Faerie and with Father, she deserved a break, plenty of time to get back to nature, catch up on reading, and go on adventures. Several years at least.
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