by Lisa Kumar
She nodded. That made sense.
Eamon continued on. “While she never came out and said it, she seemed to have an unhealthy love-hate relationship with my father.” Disgust flittered across his face. “The thought didn’t occur to me at the time, but I now wonder if they didn’t have a sexual relationship at some point. Either consensual or coerced, I don’t know. I’m also positive my father taught her the art of torture.”
Nausea clawed at her stomach, and she shivered. “God, I guess that makes sense — your father being a psychopath and drawing his sister down that same abusive road.”
“As they’re both dead, I‘ll probably never know. But it doesn’t matter. Only the fact that I share blood with them does.”
The distaste and pain in his voice caused her to offer whatever small comfort she could. “But you’re also your mother’s son and your uncle’s nephew. Not all that you’re descended from is bad. It’s up to you now how you choose to live your life.”
He shook his head, clearly not believing her full-heartedly. “I don’t have a good record.”
Though she couldn’t absolve him of his wrongdoing, she had to make him see the past with some perspective. “Your father and aunt manipulated it so you had no one to turn to.”
A scowl furrowed his brow. “I know what they did, but I still could’ve gone to the king or my uncle.”
“Not in the frame of mind you’d been conditioned to have.”
He shrugged and looked away from her. “You might be right, but it won’t change the past.”
“So let’s leave the past where it belongs and move on.” She knew it’d take more time and progress before he thought himself a better man.
“What a stupendous idea.” He abruptly stood, taking her along for the ride.
She let out a squeak of surprise as he carried her bridal style toward the bedroom. “Already sweeping me off my feet?”
“Of course,” he said and glanced at her, a wicked smile curving his lips. “I’ve done it many times already and will keep doing it.”
She chuckled and placed one arm around his shoulder. “Still so humble.”
“I have no problem stating the truth, especially when it comes to you.”
“Is that so?”
He regarded her with an unexpectedly serious expression that made her gulp. “Yes. To me, you’re the most beautiful woman in either dimension, and I love you more than I’ve loved anyone, including my mother.”
Stupid tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Even though I’ve never seen Eria, I could say the same exact sentiment about you.”
Her hand slid up to his neck and pulled his head down. Their lips met and their tongues danced, even as he increased his pace to the bedroom.
With a foot, he kicked the door open. It thudded against the doorstop. Archie looked at them from the floor but didn’t bother to raise his head.
Eamon shook his head in mock disgust, staring at the dog. “That animal shows not even a proper portion of the respect he should. He always stays during our intimate moments.”
“He’s just used to our antics and knows your bark is worse than your bite.”
He hiked a brow up. “Talking dirty, are you? I do bite — for you.”
A flushing heat worked its way up her body. “Let’s start, then. I have the perfect place for you.”
A sexy groan rumbled up his throat. “Gladly.”
Epilogue
Christmas Day dawned bright and loud for Caralyn, with Archie demanding to be taken out. After a scrumptious breakfast with her two elves — how weird did that sound? — she loaded them up into her car. God help her, she was taking them for Christmas at her parents. She hoped she didn’t live to regret her decision. With Eamon permanently in her life as her bondmate, she wanted to include him in everything she could. Her parents would’ve found out about him sooner or later, so having this face-to-face meeting was for the better.
Of course, she and Eamon had concocted a cover story. Whether her parents would ever know the full truth remained to be seen. Caralyn hoped they could tell her family someday. But letting humans who weren’t mated to a fae know of their existence could be risky. In that vein, they’d decided not to tell her family anything about Cal and Maggie. It would lead to questions they couldn’t answer. If and when the other two women came to Earth, a suitable story would have to be created or some portion of the truth revealed.
As for her and Eamon, part of their made-up tale was that they’d been dating for nearly five months, but Caralyn had been loath to tell her family about it until she knew the relationship was serious. Fortunately, her parents had seemed to buy it on the phone. Now would be the true test.
Still, there was so much they hadn’t figured out, and the whole graykindred thing was practically an unknown. Eamon refused to obsess over it, though, saying whatever came their way they would handle.
They’d tackled the problem of not growing old in a world that aged. Eamon said they could use glamours to alter their appearance. Once they reached a ripe old age, they’d have to fake their deaths and forge new identities. That was definitely a downside to living next to forever.
The drive to her parents’ house was uneventful, thanks to well-behaving weather. The blue sky was cloudless, and sunlight glinted off the previously fallen snow. Andrian, who sat in the back, was oddly quiet yet exuded a barely contained energy. He’d been like that since waking up, and Eamon had made one of his sarcastic remarks about it.
On the last twenty minutes of their ride, she and Eamon got on the subject of Cal, Maggie, and the orb. Caralyn hadn’t known of their role in a prophecy and now listened with rapt attention.
“So how did Cal and Maggie tie into this prophecy?” she asked, quickly glancing at Eamon, who looked handsome in a gray turtleneck sweater.
Eamon frowned thoughtfully. “They were needed to bring it about. The new queen’s blood destroyed the tie I had to the darkindred since she was mortal-born and freely gave her blood for her bondmate. When she cut the orb from my hand, her blood touched the crystal and irrevocably broke the link.”
Caralyn chewed on her lip while she took the correct exit off the freeway. “Why would she being human make a difference?”
“From what I understand, it had to be a human because the veil created the orb by using the blood of a human bondmate. Given the orb’s original purpose, the blood of a human bondmate was needed to undo the tie I had to the darkindred.”
She stifled a smile. He appeared a trifle disgruntled that two human women had signaled his downfall in Eria. While he certainly wasn’t as prejudiced against humans as before, she didn’t think he’d ever love humanity as a whole. But then, she highly doubted he loved faekind as a whole, either.
“What has you so amused?” he drawled, sounding slightly entertained himself.
“Just your face.”
He scowled. “Are you saying you find it funny looking?”
She looked back at the road. “Only when you appear disgruntled. You’re so cute and grouchy looking.”
A huffing growl left his throat. “Cute is not the proper adjective for me.”
“Dumb instead?” Andrian finally piped up.
“No one asked you, graykindred.”
Caralyn sighed, knowing how fast the two elves could denigrate into nasty insults. The quiet spell between them had been too good to last for long. “Guys, we’re almost to my parents’ house, and it’s a holiday. Can we not fight?”
After a bit of grumbling and another ten minutes in the car, she pulled up to her parents’ remodeled Victorian house. Nerves rumbled her stomach. She hoped they could pull this off without a major scene.
“Will Maggie’s parents be here?” Eamon asked as they were getting out of the car.
Caralyn gave a wary chuckle. “My parents hate Maggie’s and vice versa, so that would be a no. They lead what my parents call an unwholesome life.”
“Really?” Eamon asked as he came to stand beside h
er at the trunk of her car, where she offloaded the Christmas contents into his arms. He and Andrian made handy carriers.
“Maggie’s parents weren’t good ones. I think some of the more flippant aspects of her personality came about because of her dysfunctional home life.”
A slight interest passed over his face. “Hmm, enlightening. The few times I saw her she was mouthy, brash, and brave.”
“That sounds like her.”
Eamon and Andrian helped her haul the dishes she’d made for Christmas lunch and the gifts. Before she rang the doorbell, her bondmate eyed the house and gave it an approving nod. “This home has character.”
She gave him a distracted smile. “I think you’ll find the people inside have it, too.”
All too soon, they were inside and under the inquisitive gazes of her family, particularly her parents and brothers. Eamon stared right back at them.
Caralyn shifted from one foot to the other and stared at her parents. “Mom and Dad, this is Eamon and his cousin Andrian.”
“What handsome young men,” her mother exclaimed with a sweet, welcoming smile and smoothed a runaway tendril of brownish-blond hair away from her lightly lined forehead. “Come in, and set all that stuff down.”
After they’d deposited everything, the formal inspection was back on. Her father, standing tall with his graying brown head held high, gave both elvin men a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, especially you, young man,” he said, addressing Eamon.
“Same to you,” Eamon said, nodding and keeping a surprisingly affable expression on his face.
“So how long have you known our sister?” asked Brent, her oldest brother and the burliest man in the family.
Eamon answered easily. “Six months.”
Her other brother, Jordan, clapped a heavy if friendly hand on his shoulder. “And what are your intentions toward her?”
The subtle stiffening of Eamon’s body told her that his annoyance was rising, but in spite of her fears, he handled himself well. “To make her my wife.”
Caralyn groaned. This was why she hated bringing any guy around her family. Inside, though, Eamon’s words melted her into a little pile of goo. Even though she was his mate according to elvin custom, there was something about hearing him state his devotion in a very American way. She was traditional enough to want a husband and kids. Oh God, their kids. They’d be so adorable.
As everyone slowly drifted back to what they had previously been doing, she ripped herself from her fantasy. Lunch went off without a hitch. After Eamon’s declaration, her whole family warmed to him like an ant to honey. They loved that he and Andrian “owned” their own security company — another nice piece of handiwork Aistiane had set up to appear convincing. Sometimes, her family’s overfriendly gestures left him internally writhing in discomfort, but his outward mien showed little of that.
Even Andrian was shown a warm welcome, especially by all the women in the family. Married or not, young or old, it didn’t matter. Her newly divorced sister, Morgan, seemed particularly interested, but he remained politely distant with her.
When the gift-opening portion of the day was nearly done, Eamon rose to his feet and cleared his throat. A distinct nervousness poured through their bond to her. She cocked her head to the side. Just what was he preparing himself to say? He’d done so well, so hopefully it wasn’t something that would be full of assholeness.
After pulling a little velvet box out of his pants pocket, he dropped to one knee before her. She blinked, not believing her surely untrustworthy eyes. All she could do was stare at him. Her lungs forgot how to function. Everything seemed to slow down to a crawl.
He really was going to do this in front of her family. Why? But she knew. Because he knew how important it would be to them — and her. Most of all her. He did this for her, to make her happy and pay homage to a few of her own traditions. That, more than anything, showed her how much he’d truly changed.
He opened the box and took out a beautiful antique diamond ring, though she hardly caught any of its details, in truth. “Caralyn, would you do the honor of becoming my wife?”
She looked from the ring to his beloved face. Tears flowed down her cheeks. “Yes!” She threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him backward.
With a chuckle, he somehow caught their backward descent. “I hope you’re always so enthusiastic about being saddled with me.”
He hoisted her up with him, and she laughed. “While I can’t guarantee that because I know we’ll have our issues, I know I’ll always be glad when fate tied us together and made our love possible.”
Amid the congratulations of her family and surrounded by Eamon’s strong arms, she knew the right path was spread before her. She didn’t know what their life would hold, but right now, she didn’t care. The future would come, no matter what, but she’d have Eamon by her side through it all and he her.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Kumar is a wife, mother, and romance writer who grew up in small-town Indiana. She now resides in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and son, who are used to sharing her attention with her not-so-trusty computer. When not spinning tales of romance and fantasy, she can be found with her nose buried in a book, or more accurately, her e-reader. Her scholastic background is in psychology, which enabled her to get low-paying jobs in the human services sector. She's now writing full-time.
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Bound by the Mist
Mists of Eria Book One
RELIAN HAS LIVED A life that hasn’t changed in millennia, and he likes it that way. As Prince of the Erian people, he has his conscripted duties. And a human, even one as desirable as Calantha, does not fit into them. But as the enemy darkindred knock on the borders and the magic of his people fades, he might just have to find room.
College student Cal Weston spends a good portion of her time trying to keep people from thinking she's crazy, including herself. And with good reason. But her carefully constructed reality is turned upside down when she discovers that Relian, the seductive elvin prince who has been starring in her sensuous fantasies, isn’t merely a myth and his magical kingdom really exists. Now she’s bound to an elf and stuck in a land where no one, least of all Relian, is willing to spill any answers about the truth of her arrival.
Excerpt
Relian stood still and scanned the gently rolling hills outside of Eriannon with a lingering unease. The tree-dotted area revealed no enemy presence. His vanguard of warriors, along with those already assigned to patrol this part of the border, fanned out around him.
“Captain, we’ve found something of importance over here,” a sentinel called out.
Relian swore silently. Was it impossible to have a few more seconds to determine the cause of his disquiet? His skin tingled. Something wasn’t right, but it wasn’t the incident that required their presence here. No, the enemy brought about a different dissonance within him. This unrest was something else entirely.
Wiping all emotion from his face, he turned and strolled toward the uniformed sentinel. There’d been reports of enemy activity, and now they tracked for footprints and other signs. That had to be his first priority—his only priority.
As he glanced at the warrior, he drew in a sharp breath, now seeing the reason for his growing wariness. Behind the man, an iridescent mist formed to the left of a copse of trees. The sentinel seemed completely unaware of the mist-shrouded veil. Frowning, Relian stepped toward the man and gestured to it. “Is this what troubles you?”
The sentinel pivoted around. After a few moments, he turned back, his brow furrowed. “I do not see anything, Captain.”
Relian’s mind shuddered to a halt. How could the soldier not see it...sense it?
He motioned to the sentinel. “Go join your guard. We will do this sect
ion last.”
“Yes, Captain.” The warrior bowed shallowly and walked away toward the trees.
As he watched him retreat, a sickening sensation settled deep in his stomach. The sentinel hadn’t even noticed the mist. How could that be? The veil always attracted attention.
He tore his gaze away from the mist to glance about at his men. The other warriors attended to their duties without pause as if nothing untoward was happening. His mind spun, but he forced himself to crouch down to examine the ground. Intruding glances were best avoided until he could figure out what this meant for him and his people.
After the veil had removed his kind from the human world, it tended to come and go as it pleased. But when it did deign to appear, everyone in the area saw it. All adult elves had viewed the mist at one time or another. But it never ceased to cause a ripple of excitement, because its schedule was by no means frequent or consistent. As such, his people remarked upon such an occurrence for many decades, for one might see it a handful of times over a few centuries and then go as many years without a peek of it. That was the way the veil operated.
Until now. Now it chose to reveal itself to him alone.
Relian scowled at the leaf in his hand. There must be a reason. Could his erotically disturbing dreams be related? Of late, an auburn-haired human had overtaken his nights. Images of how their bodies shuddered in passion, of how black hair meshed with that of the darkest auburn, flickered through his mind. These sensual scenes always left him gasping with need and wanting more when she disappeared from his arms.
He closed his eyes, hoping to wipe those visions away. But the woman in them wouldn’t be subdued so easily.
Relian had never seen her clearly or at least didn’t remember her features upon waking. Only brownish-red hair and green eyes filtered through his mind. But from the beginning, he couldn’t shake some unfathomable intuition she was human. That fact never seemed important, until he woke up. Then it was unconscionable. Elf and human did not mix.