by Viola Grace
“Um.” She pressed her lips together.
He returned to her side and thumbed her earlobe as he kissed her. “You will get used to it.”
She looked up into his eyes. “I am nearly positive that I won’t.”
He leaned in to nuzzle her other ear. “I think I can apply some effort to making it less onerous.”
She shivered. “If they stick around, you had better. This is one more adjustment in a very large pile.”
“I promise to make it up to you, even if it takes centuries.”
Adua leaned back to look at him. “You are joking, right?”
He smiled. “Meet your grandmother, and you tell me. Are you ready?”
She inhaled, exhaled, and said, “I am expecting normal food at some point. I can find my own greens, but it is a necessity, not a craving.”
He nodded. “Understood. I will make sure that there is something here for you after we retire.”
“Thank you.” She put her hand on his proffered arm, and they left his quarters to head to the ballroom. One more dance.
Chapter Nine
Adua smiled as he wrapped her hand around his arm so they were tight together. He was announced, and then, her eyes widened when she heard, “Queen Elladualian of the Midnight Castle, Cursebreaker.”
She didn’t say anything as they went to the dance floor, but she could feel astonished eyes on her. When they faced each other to dance, she raised her brows. “Just like that?”
He grinned. “I am the king. I get to choose. Aside from that, the forest has chosen you, so you are wanted all the way around.”
The music started, and she absently began to dance with him. “It still seems weird.”
“It will be explained later. There is a very good explanation for it.” He smiled like he knew a secret and she hadn’t grasped it yet, which he probably did.
He spun her around the dancefloor with exuberance, and she laughed as she got a little dizzy. “You are in a really good mood tonight, considering this afternoon.”
“They were bound to try for you eventually. I just did not think they would take you from the castle grounds. I am happier than you could know that you are safe and that you were willing and able to defend yourself.”
“I was looking for a weapon for a while, so I am really glad that you provided the boots. Even as these glass shoes, they don’t just fall off.”
He grinned. “It was the least I could do since your footwear was destroyed trying to get away from me.”
She blushed, and he twirled her around before bracing her back against his body. “Thank you again for that.”
“Oh, there are ways you can thank me.” He murmured it to her as they completed another circuit.
She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “I can and will get revenge for every time you mock me.”
“I look forward to it.”
The dancers joined them on the floor, and they continued to dance for a few minutes, light banter going back and forth between them. When he swept her off the dancefloor, she was giggling and leaning against him.
A stern elf and a smiling human joined them as they walked to the rear stone patio. Ledock walked a suitable distance from the ballroom and turned to the couple. “Adua, these are your grandparents, Nerom and Dahlia.”
Adua blinked and stared at the perpetually young Nerom and the equally frozen-in-time Dahlia.
She curtsied. “I am pleased to meet you. I was not aware that you were still alive until recently.”
Dahlia nodded. “We didn’t know you had survived birth until a few days ago. We never came because we didn’t know you existed, and it was too painful to be where she died.”
Fat tears began to roll down her grandmother’s face. “We would have come.”
Adua followed her instinct and took Dahlia in her arms. Her grandmother sobbed, and Nerom was repeatedly swallowing. Adua gripped his arm with hers, and he held on tight in return. Eventually, there was a tripod of hugging going on. There were tears, there were sobs, and then there was laughter.
Ledock put his arm around her and eased her from the clutches of her grandparents. “You are always welcome in our home and are invited to stay a few days and learn more about your granddaughter, but make sure to return in ten months.” He smiled brightly.
The reason for his smugness and delight was now explained. Adua stared at him. “Are you kidding me?”
He smiled and shrugged. “It was the only way I could have gotten through the barrier.”
Her cheeks heated, and she turned toward him to hide her blazing cheeks against his chest. “You are going to pay for that.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I look forward to it.”
Her grandmother’s voice was hopeful. “So, you are pregnant?”
Adua swallowed her embarrassment and turned around. “Apparently, it is how the curse had to be broken.”
Nerom smiled. “So, I barely know that she is alive, and you have stolen her away, Ledock.”
The king inclined his head. “It was always going to be her, so thank you for that. I have seen the error of my ways and pledge to keep her and our children safe.”
Nerom sighed. “Don’t worry about that. Just try to raise them to be good people. Whether they are safe is up to them.”
Dahlia took his hand and nodded. “Just raise them to make their own decisions and do the best for themselves.”
“Do you regret my mother’s marriage?”
Dahlia shook her head. “No, we regret her death. If we had been closer, we might have been able to help, but we didn’t know, and then, we were lied to as to your survival.”
Nerom’s shoulders slumped. “We thought the project had failed.”
Adua looked at them. “What project?”
Dahlia smiled. “How old do you think I am?”
“Based on my mother’s age, I would say you were fifty, but look thirty?”
She smiled. “I am one hundred and sixty. Your mother was seventy-five when she married your father. I gain my extended lifespan from Nerom, but your mother didn’t have anyone to draw on when it came to keeping her energy up. I don’t blame your father, but he didn’t have any more time to give.”
Nerom sighed, “What your grandmother is trying to say is that she was one of the humans who were selected from distinct genetic backgrounds to see if they could blend with ours. Dahlia came from the colony station, and she has been the only one of the colonists to successfully bear a child to one of our kind. You are the end result of that. That is why they tried to say your mother died. They were trying to kill the project.”
“So, all of the humans that are here now...”
Nerom shrugged. “Were selected because of the diversity of their genes. We are trying to figure out which traits will allow our two species to create a new subspecies that have fewer restrictions on their reproduction.”
Ledock smiled. “There are less than five thousand elves left.”
Nerom nodded. “I was startled when Dahlia finally became pregnant.”
Dahlia snorted. “I was shocked. I was in my nineties. But, she emerged and was loved and grew up near the spaceport, was introduced to all possible elves, and in the end, she chose your father.”
“Not an elf.”
“No, not an elf.” Dahlia chuckled. “He originally was a researcher who was making a detailed study of your mother, and I guess they both enjoyed the process.”
Adua’s cheeks heated. “And then I came along.”
“Yes, but we were told that you died. It was touted as proof that the hybrids weren’t going to be suitable to create a new population.”
Ledock’s arm around her tightened. “And you are living proof that a hybrid can live, thrive, and gain their own magic.”
She frowned, and then she blinked. “Oh, the spirit horse.”
He chuckled. “And the vision that you use on plants to determine suitability.”
“Oh. That.”
“Yes. That. Th
at particular skill is very desirable in our society.”
Nerom was surprised. “You have the sight for flora?”
Dahlia looked impressed. “I have only met two elves with that skill before. Your Highness, are you sure?”
He nodded. “I am sure. I tested her.”
Adua leaned her head against Ledock’s shoulder, and that is when Dahlia gasped. “Your ears!”
Adua blushed and put her hand gently over the exposed ear. “I think it is temporary. It didn’t look this way earlier today.”
Ledock smiled. “It came with her mother’s gift.”
Adua felt a yawn surging up, and she apologized. “I am sorry, but it has been an eventful three days.”
Dahlia smiled. “I am so glad that you are wearing your mother’s shoes.”
Adua looked down at the shining toes of the glass shoes. “They are hers?”
Nerom nodded. “Glassmaking is my speciality. I made her a pair just like that for her wedding.”
Adua smiled. “She gave them to me, and I thank her for them.”
Nerom chuckled. “I never thought they would be used the way you used them this afternoon.”
She got a little pale. “Neither did I, but these gowns don’t come with pockets.”
Dahlia snorted and grinned. “You sound just like your mother.”
Adua yawned, but she asked, “Will you stay and tell me about her? The tree doesn’t say much.”
Dahlia nodded. “Tomorrow. We will stay for a few days and then go to the city and have a chat with the persons who pronounced you dead. They will want to come and type you and Ledock. Nerom and I are already on file.”
Adua chuckled. “That will be fine, I am sure. As long as nothing they do puts me at risk, I will be fine. I am rather attached to my existence.”
There was another round of hugs, and then, Ledock led her around the outer edge of the castle, back to the private wing.
“No rides in the moonlight?” She wrecked the flirty sentiment with a jaw-cracking yawn.
He laughed. “Not tonight. Tonight we have time to just be together, and tomorrow you can wake in my arms.”
“Great, I would like something to eat, please. We can be together and eat, right?”
He nodded. “I will make sure that you are satisfied.”
She looked at him sideways and was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to simply restrict himself to dinner. She didn’t want him to, but his teasing was enough to make her head spin.
They headed to his rooms, and after he spoke to one of the younger guards, requesting proper food for them both, they entered his bedroom and opened the huge windows, letting in the night air.
“You knew about the project?” She looked at him as he shrugged out of the outer robe.
“Yes. I opposed it. That is why the curse was cast that bound me here. It was my punishment that the only thing that I stated could not exist would be my key to freedom.”
She grinned. “You didn’t believe that I could exist?”
He reached out and pulled her against him. “I didn’t think that any woman who could help me existed. Your mother was brought here to consider me as a suitor, but she turned me down with a smile. I wasn’t for her.”
“Wow. You tried to have sex with my mom. Huh.” She drummed her fingers on his chest. “Tacky.”
“It was fifty years ago, and she was absolutely right. We were not right for each other.” He smiled. “I had to wait.”
“What did you learn while you waited?”
He grinned. “That a woman alone in the woods is surprisingly quick with the right motivation.”
She thumped her hand against his chest. “Weirdo.”
He leaned in to kiss her, and he whispered, “Your weirdo.”
Adua gave herself to the kiss and let her senses spin. It was a very pleasurable occupation, and all that she really needed now was a full belly.
Chapter Ten
Sitting in the bed while he checked the food for poison before hand-feeding her, she smiled. Her clothing was neatly set on a nearby chair with her newly favoured shoes clearly visible. When they disappeared, it would be midnight.
“Why do you keep looking at your footwear?”
She smiled as he bit one of his favourites and offered her the remaining quarter. She took it with her teeth, and when she had swallowed, she said, “I am waiting for them to turn into boots.”
He chuckled. “I am thinking that it was the best move I have ever made. One set of hunting boots in exchange for a bride.”
She grimaced. “Well, that is really bringing it back to basics. So, I am nearly as good as boots?”
He blinked and suddenly was wary. “Um, I was making a joke.”
She nodded and turned her back to him, lying down. “Ah. Good joke.”
He stroked her arm, and he said, “I apologize.”
She turned to look at him. “Feel free to make the joke when I have more than one pair of shoes.”
His eyes got wide. “You are right. It was not well done of me.”
She nodded. “It will get better once I feel settled and stable. Right now, it is not that time.” She sat back up again and took one of the treats that he favoured. She bit it in half and fed him half.
His eyes crinkled. “You forgive too easily.”
“Resentment only hurts me, punishes you, and makes both of us unhappy.” She huffed. “It isn’t productive.”
He nodded. “So, you know that already. Excellent.”
“Yeah, I would have gone insane if I couldn’t learn to let things go and focus on my future, even though I had no clue as to what it would be.”
He stroked a hand up her back. “I will try to make the future as pleasant as possible for you.”
Adua smiled at him. “I know, but I will still need to find other things to do around here.”
“I am sure that you can find something.”
She shrugged. “I am going to have to take a crash course in elven society. Do you know a good tutor?”
He laughed. “I know of a tutor. I don’t know how good I will be.”
“I guess I will just have to read as much as I can and study hard.”
He set the food aside and tackled her to the bed as gently as possible. He held her hands above her head and leaned in. Instead of a kiss, he ran his tongue along the edge of her ear, and she squeaked. Part of her melted.
Adua squirmed, and she could feel his smile. His entire body was smug and enjoying this new development.
He moved his head and did the same to the other ear, and she moaned.
“This is the stupidest erogenous zone ever!” She growled.
He laughed and lifted his head. “But, it is so convenient and accessible.” His expression was innocent.
She growled and slid her knee up the outside of his thigh, “But it’s so quick! Shouldn’t you need to work at it?”
He thought about it. “No.”
He leaned in and licked at her ear again before sucking the pointed tip carefully between his lips. His tongue flicked the edge, and she began to shake violently.
His hand slid between her thighs, and she was embarrassed at how slick and hot she was. He leaned back. “Yes, I definitely enjoy that.”
There was a moment when he fitted himself to her, and then, she arched up as he thrust deep. His eyes glowed, and there was magic between them as they moved together until the beat of their bodies matched their thundering heartbeats.
Adua gasped and shook when he slid a hand between them to stroke her, and he groaned and joined her as their bodies slowed and breathing evened.
He held her and rolled to his side with his hand on her back. He cuddled her against him, and she smiled. She started laughing.
“Is that a comment on our previous activities?”
She shook her head. “No, I am just guessing that the nerve sensitivity is inherited and that Nerom probably gets an erection when his hair blows the wrong way.”
Ledock laughed. �
�It thankfully restricts itself to the female line but is carried by the males.”
She exhaled. “So, if we have a girl, she’s fine, but if we have a boy, his daughters could have it? Oh, that isn’t going to keep me up nights.”
He chuckled. “If you grow up with it, it isn’t that bad, or so I have been told.”
Adua sighed. “So, I will get less sensitive if they stick around?”
He shook his head with a grin. “No. If they remain, you are stuck with them.”
She huffed. “That sucks.”
He kissed her softly. “I promise to keep the fondling to when we are alone, and your rank circlet will be clear of them.”
She grumbled. “Pointy ears suck.”
He got another intense look, and he slowly stroked his fingers over the exposed curve of her ear. She shivered and felt her body clutch at him. She could see how that reflex would make it easier for a species dependent on a high sex drive for survival.
Pleasure urged conscious thought out the window, and she enjoyed the moment. The night was filled with such moments.
When she woke up in the early light, she looked over at her shoes. They were still glass and settled on top of her gown. She sat up and carefully touched her ears. They were still pointy.
“Fuck.”
Ledock sat up, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her back to the bed. “Sorry, but I didn’t want to tell you last night. Your mother gave you what she couldn’t at your birth. The gift of life. The shoes... that is a family thing on your side, but the ears are yours and yours alone.”
She gave him a dark look.
“You will be expected to pass on the elven magic to our child. It will complete their development. Don’t worry, I will help.” He smiled.
“So, you are sure that I am...”
“Pregnant. Yes. That was the requirement for me to leave the forest.” He trailed his fingers over her belly. “There is a tiny little elf getting started right here.”
She wove her fingers through his and remained silent for a moment. “This is not how I saw my life going.”
He chuckled. “No one except seers knows how they will end up. We live long lives and see many seasons change, but each one is different and has its own beauty.”