Bartered to the Fae Lord

by Rylee Winters

  Gideon grinned and said a quick goodbye before dashing out of the room.

  “Kids these days…” Elise muttered, shaking her head, hoping Gideon wouldn’t hurt himself at his break-neck speed.

  Aiden chuckled from where he was sitting but didn’t say anything.

  ❖ ❖ ❖

  Dinner that night was a nerve-wracking affair. With her closet doors thrown wide open, Elise was going through her rack of dresses for something suitable to wear tonight.

  She hadn’t seen Callum since they’d kissed, and she wanted to look good when he saw her tonight…

  No scratch that. She wanted to look more than just good—she wanted to look stunning.

  She fingered her necklace absentmindedly as she stood back and scanned the dresses in front of her.

  “If I may be so bold, my Lady, I suggest maybe you should go for the sky blue silk piece,” a soft female voice spoke up from behind her.

  Elise jumped in surprise, whirling around at the intruder.

  “Melody!” she yelped, taken completely unprepared by her chambermaid’s soundless approach. She didn’t even realize the girl had come in.

  “When did you get here?” she blurted out, trying to regain some sense of composure as Melody walked around her and to the front of the closet, sifting through the dresses to pull out the one she was talking about.

  “Not too long ago, my Lady,” she answered cheerfully, as she held the dress out for Elise to see. “What do you think?”

  Elise felt slightly embarrassed with being caught out fretting over what to wear to tonight’s dinner and hoped Melody wouldn’t read too much into it. Luckily, for her, her chambermaid had the grace and kindness to feign ignorance.

  The dress she’d taken out looked stunning. It’s shimmery satin material felt silky smooth underneath Elise’s fingertips as she trailed them over the fine fabric. She nodded. “Yes. This is perfect,” she said with a smile, overcome with relief at finally having something to wear.

  “The blue really sets off your eyes,” Melody commented, walking over to a chair nearby and laying the dress over its back. “Did you want me to help you to put it on?”

  “No, no!” Elise answered hastily, already embarrassed enough by this whole situation. “I’m fine to dress myself.”

  “As you wish, my Lady,” Melody bobbed a curtsy and tactfully left the room to give her mistress some privacy.

  Quickly unzipping herself and shuffling out of her current dress, Elise went over and picked the sky blue dress off the chair. Slipping it over her head, she did up the zip on the side and adjusted the sumptuous loose, wide straps that hung just off her shoulders.

  The temperature in the castle was warmer tonight, what with the weather outside slowly changing as the season moved into spring. She was glad she wouldn’t need to wear a shawl—covering her shoulders up would only spoil the effect of the outfit.

  Her hair was still in the braided updo Melody had put it in earlier that morning, and she patted it down for any flyaways as she checked herself in the mirror. Melody was right: the color of her eyes stood out even more vividly against the backdrop of the dress.

  Doing one last quick twirl in the mirror, she smiled with satisfaction at her image, then painted on a thin layer of red lipstick and dusted her cheeks with some rouge.

  Tucking the pendant of her necklace safely inside the front of her dress, she exited her rooms, trying to walk at a sedate pace, while her heart hammered inside.

  Aiden was waiting beside her bedroom door as always, and offering her an arm, he escorted her to the dining room. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Callum sitting in his chair twirling the wine inside the goblet he was holding, engrossed in his thoughts.

  He seemed to be pondering something…there was a serious expression on his face as he rested his head on top of his knuckles, his elbow against the table supporting its weight.

  He broke out of his reverie as Aiden scraped back a chair for Elise. With a slow motion, he slanted his eyes towards the sound. His gaze immediately took in Elise’s striking form, and his eyes seemed to shake as he tried to contain some unknown emotion.

  Unwinding himself and straightening up, he placed his goblet down on the table and turned to face Elise, wanting to drink in the image of her beauty like a glutton. Elise demurely lowered her eyes, feeling a bit shy under the heat of Callum’s attention.

  Sitting down, she allowed herself a moment to find her voice before raising her head and offering Callum a small, nervous smile. “How was your day?” she began, trying to sound normal by keeping things mundane.

  Callum was silent for a moment as he appeared to contemplate her question. “The training with the troops is going well…” he said, thinking through the matter. “Although not ideal, I think the soldiers will have sufficient training before they make the journey to the south.”

  His dark gaze regarded Elise carefully, making butterflies flutter inside her belly. “That’s great news!” she responded ardently, glad to hear that despite the stress of the current situation, things were progressing on track.

  They lapsed into silence as the servants brought in the food, and for a while neither of them said anything as they ate. But a few furtive glances from Elise informed her Callum continued to keep his gaze steadily on her. She nervously licked at her dry lips, taking regular gulps of water to moisten her overly-dry throat.

  A few moments later, Callum started the conversation again, asking about Gideon. Elise answered by telling him what she’d said to Aiden. Callum in return nodded in satisfaction, seeming pleased to hear how well Gideon was adapting to life at the garrison and progressing with his studies.

  “Are you free after dinner?” Callum asked Elise out of the blue, as they were polishing off the last bits of their delicious meal. Cook had outdone himself again with the roasted pheasant covered in thick gravy, accompanied by fresh seasonal vegetables and a custard pudding dessert drizzled with caramel sauce.

  “Sure, of course,” Elise replied without hesitation, as a nervous bolt of anticipation surged through her.

  “There’s something I want to show you,” Callum said, making Elise glance over at him curiously. “No questions please”—he held up his hand, stopping Elise just as she opened her mouth to ask more questions—“I don’t want to spoil the surprise.” He rose from his seat. “Come with me.”

  Elise watched as Callum stood up from his chair to his full height, and was reminded again just how tall and broad the man was. His bulging muscles stood out as clear as day under the bright lights from the giant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and Elise was unable to stop herself from wondering how it would feel to run her hands over them, as an image of him shirtless flashed across her mind.

  Desire flared between her legs as she imagined herself straddling him…across the thick, taut muscles of his strong, powerful legs. She felt her face heat up.

  Grabbing her goblet of water, she took a generous gulp; her throat becoming sand-papery dry once again; before rising up from her seat and making her way to Callum’s side near the door.

  None of the servants followed them, not even Aiden, and a nervous flutter of anticipation rose in her chest.

  “Where are we going?” Elise couldn’t help asking.

  Callum studied her silently for a moment before replying, “to my room.” Elise’s heart seemed to stop momentarily. Starting up again, it thumped away fast and loud against her ribcage, and she wondered nervously if Callum could hear it.

  Walking at a leisurely pace, Callum didn’t seem like he was in any kind of rush. In contrast, the journey for Elise seemed to take a lifetime! Thoughts and questions wormed themselves into her mind, as apprehension and curiosity over what Callum was planning to do strung her taut with nervous anticipation.

  Then finally, they arrived at Callum’s door.

  He opened it and gestured for Elise to go through. “Thanks,” she murmured softly, entering Callum’s room for the first time. Behind h
er, she heard Callum gently shut the door close.

  The room was huge! Even larger than Elise’s. It made even the massive king sized bed look dwarf-sized. Weapons and tapestries of battlefields hung against the stone walls, and a large nook held a study area with a heavy wooden desk and chair underneath it. Like Elise’s room, there was a roaring fire burning on one side with three armchairs a small coffee table arranged in a half-circle in front of it.

  The curtains were drawn, shutting out the wintry night sky, and lanterns fuelled with magic lightstones like the ones in Elise’s room, cast the room in a soft mellow light.

  Callum lumbered casually over to his desk, and Elise followed awkwardly behind him, bewildered by the whole situation, her pulse racing. In her state of nervousness she didn’t notice the large bundle sitting on his desk until she was in front of it and Callum was already picking it up.

  He offered it to her unexpectedly.

  “What is this?” she blurted dumbly, staring at the bundle wrapped in soft wool in Callum’s hands.

  “A gift.” Callum held it out to her. Elise paused a moment, looking at the large, homogenous shape curiously, before taking it carefully from Callum’s hands. She unwrapped the woollen cloth to reveal a bow and a quiver with a full set of arrows.

  Her eyes lit up with delight as she stared down at the beautiful polished wood of the bow and the well-crafted leather of the quiver that currently held about a dozen high-quality arrows fletched with shimmery, white feathers.

  A huge smile crept up her face, and her eyes seemed to dance as they reflected the soft light from the lanterns. “T-Thank you,” she stammered, taken by surprise at the unexpectedness and thoughtfulness of the present.

  Running her hands down the wood of the bow, she felt just how lovely and smooth it was, and although the material was light, she could tell the wood used was sturdy and solid.

  Callum could see how excited Elise was at the chance to have her own bow. She hastily freed the items from the woollen blanket and he assisted by taking the blanket from her so her hands could be free to test out the bow.

  Slinging the quiver over her shoulders and onto her back, she positioned herself in a shooting stance and brought the bow up to eye-level as if to fire. Then, she pulled back on the bowstring, assessing its feel and balance.

  A delighted smile appeared on her face. “It’s beautiful!” she remarked in awe, over the moon and a little bit in disbelief at owning such a remarkable weapon. “This must have cost a fortune!” she commented, studying it as she turned it over in her hands, lightly fingering the ornate engravings near the bottom and top edges.

  “I asked the master bow maker in the village to make it,” he grinned, pleased Elise had taken to the weapon with such enthusiasm. “He’s been making the bows for the garrison for the past several decades, and is a true master at his craft. This weapon is guaranteed to last you several lifetimes.”

  Without any warning, Elise leapt at Callum, throwing her arms around him as she embraced him in a grateful hug. “Thank you—thank you!” she repeated. “This is an amazing gift. I’ll treasure it always!”

  Callum was knocked slightly off-balance by her sudden weight. He laughed; deep and hearty, and enveloped her in his big arms, savoring the feel of her small, warm body against his and her flowery scent.

  A moment later, Elise quickly pulled away, embarrassed by her impulsive actions. She wasn’t sure what Callum would think of a woman throwing herself suddenly at him…

  “Uh, sorry,” she quickly apologized, blushing and unable to meet his eyes.

  “For what?” He asked curiously, looking slightly confused. To him, she’d done nothing wrong, so he didn’t understand what she was apologizing for.

  This only made Elise more embarrassed and she twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger self-consciously, hyper-aware of her own inherent awkwardness. She’d never been very good talking to guys. Or was it just guys who made her heart flutter, her mind asked in amusement.

  She groaned internally. She was quickly realizing she was falling hard for this handsome, otherworldly man in front of her, and there was little she could do to protect her heart from his charm.

  “Elise…” Callum began, gently taking the bow and sliding the quiver off her shoulder and arm. He placed the items back down on the desk. “There’s no need for you to hide your thoughts and worries from me. If something is making you uncomfortable or unhappy, I’d like to know. Maybe I can rectify it.”

  Elise responded immediately by shaking her head and waving her hands in front of her in a negative gesture. “No, really, it’s nothing,” she said firmly, trying to dispel Callum’s doubt. “There’s really nothing for you to…to rectify…” she paused, the shape of the word feeling clunky in her mouth.

  But her response only made Callum frown more deeply, his face looking troubled. He was silent for a moment as he stared at her under furrowed brows, and Elise swallowed, licking her dry lips as she wondered what he was thinking about.

  Callum struggled to give voice to his next words. “Does my presence make you uncomfortable, Elise? I know you dislike being here…that you’d prefer to be back in the human realm. Perhaps in some ways you may resent me for it. I can understand if you do…”

  Elise met his eyes in surprise. “No—that’s not it. I don’t resent you at all,” she replied, and even as she spoke them, she knew the words were true. Although she still missed home, she was growing more and more attached to the friends she had made here…including the very man in front of her. Though, perhaps ‘friend’ wasn’t the best way to describe her relationship with Callum or how she felt about him.

  Callum pressed his lips together grimly. “It’s okay. There’s no need for you to lie to me, little one. I can sense the hesitation in you whenever I’m around,” he said softly, looking dejected.

  “T-That’s not w-what that is…” she stammered, unable to bring herself to tell him the truth. She hardly felt confident enough to bare her soul to him.

  “Then what is it?” Callum pressed, desperate for an answer.

  Elise’s eyes darted sideways, avoiding his gaze; her lips sealing shut while she tried to barricade in the words overfilling her mouth and threatening to spill out. She wasn’t ready to confess her feelings to him…

  No. she wasn’t even close!

  She fought the rising panic inside her chest, her eyes looking wildly about in search for a way out—a way to avoid the oncoming conversation.

  “Please, look at me, Elise…” Callum’s said, his voice sounding tight and wound-up. He seemed to be straining against some internal battle of emotions as Elise lifted her head up to meet his eyes. For the first time, he didn’t seem to be filled with his usual confidence, and he appeared to almost hesitate over his next words.

  “I know this isn’t what you imagined your life to be…but there’s nothing I wish for more than for you to be happy living here—with me. Do you think you could eventually grow to enjoy your life here?” he asked hopefully, holding his breath and not daring to breathe as he awaited for her answer.

  Elise was silent for a moment as she gazed back at Callum with serious eyes. Finally, just when he was about to give up hope, she spoke up in a soft voice. “What am I to you, Callum?” she asked pathetically, her eyes glittering with unspoken emotions as she tried to seek the truth.

  Callum opened his mouth, then closed it abruptly. He gave her a strange look, but as his face cleared, he said to her: “you are my wife; my beloved; and my most cherished.”

  Upon hearing those words, Elise’s throat seemed to constrict for a moment, as she struggled to form a reply. “So, you don’t see me as some object you traded as part of a contract?” she squeaked, almost afraid to hear the answer.