Glass Slippers, page 30
She flushed, knowing it was nothing so grand as what he likely was accustomed to, given the sort of attire he had arrived in.
“Don’t get too excited. It’s just something I made,” she mumbled in embarrassment.
“You made something for me?” he asked in disbelief.
With a snick of his claws, the binding fell away, and he was able to unwrap the tattered fabric from around it, letting the material lay in an unfolded pile on his palm. She watched him anxiously. She had no idea what to offer him, and she had taken a dried knob from a branch that had fallen from one of the hazel trees. Cutting away the rest of the branch until she had a chunk of wood that fit comfortably in her palm, she had spent weeks in secrecy carving into it the image of the delicate rose vine from the garden where they had met.
An emotion she couldn’t quite decipher stole into his eyes, and his claws trembled slightly as he reached down and plucked it up. She wished that she had a chain or some kind of fine cord to put it on rather than the rough leather, but he didn’t seem to mind as he stared at it wide-eyed as if she had presented him the most lauded royal jewel.
Without a word, he slipped it around his neck and let it drop gently against his chest. Eyes brimming with emotion, he swept her up into his arms, drawing her down into his lap as he sat in the chair she had vacated when she got up from the table. His entire body seemed to surround her in his incredible heat, his tail slipping around her waist to tug her even closer as he rested his jaw against the top of her head. Although not a word left him, she decided that this was much better than any thanks that could be spoken.
She cast an apologetic glance toward Raskyuil as the male spooned thick stew into his bowl. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you. I hadn’t expected company for this.”
The troll grinned back at her and shook his head. “This meal is fine enough of a gift for me. It is not often I have stew and bread to enjoy while I’m chasing down crocotta.”
She shivered despite herself at the reminder of the beasts. “Any luck?”
He took a deep swallow and shook his head. “Not yet. I was certain there was one sniffing around, but he may have followed the pack south. I’ll likely do so as well soon enough and see if I can pick up their trail again.”
“But that will be later,” Lucifero said, his tone pointed.
Raskyuil grinned mockingly and saluted him with his bowl. “Later, naturally. I shall not move from this place until you’ve returned to Eleanor.”
She felt Lucifero nod against her head. Suddenly, he reached out with one hand and plucked up one of the gifts he had brought for her and deposited it in her hands with a warm smile angled down at her.
“Your turn now, my love. Open it. I fear my gifts are nowhere near as perfect as yours, and certainly no jewels that I would have preferred to give you, but I hope they make you happy.”
Curious, she pulled open the bundle. A blue jar lay within, its lid tightly sealed. Pulling it out, she sat it in front of her and worked off the wax seal. She let out a delighted gasp when the lid popped open and a rich, sweet scent filled the air just as the firelight caught on the golden contents.
“Honey!” she exclaimed in delight, turning to wrap her arms around the male tucked around her. “This is better than any jewel. How did you guess that I missed honey? This will make every mouthful of tea and bread all the sweeter. Thank you.”
He nudged the other gift toward her with a laugh, his delight evident in the deep roll of his chuckle. “Do not forget this one.”
She didn’t hesitate to snatch it up. The weight of it was like a sack heavy with grain, and yet there was a floral scent coming off of it that mystified her. Drawing the string open, she glanced down inside and saw a number of flowers and salts mixed together in a sweet bouquet, a true luxury that she had never possessed.
“Bath salts? But where did you get this?” she asked.
“The naiad from whom I begged the honey happens to also enjoy creating various blends for baths. She was quite pleased to relieve me of a few of my possessions in exchange for it, with the promise that you would find enjoyment with it. I’m pleased to discover that she is right,” he laughed.
Eleanor gave her lover a mischievous look. “I can imagine that we will both get a lot of enjoyment out of this,” she whispered.
The wooden floor groaned as Raskyuil shot to his feet, his bowl landing on the table with a thud. “And that is my cue to leave,” he grunted.
Their laughter followed him out, stemmed only when their lips met in an impassioned kiss. Lucifero scooped her up into his arms and carried her up to their room. In that bed, there was no worry about tomorrow, no separation looming. There was only love and passion captured and reflected between them with every touch and sigh as they made love. His fingers glided over her ribs as if memorizing every groove and line of her, tormenting the sensitive flesh of her breasts and belly in their long, sweeping paths as his mouth plundered hers, drawing out tiny gasps with the dexterous dance of his tongue.
The smooth wood of his pendant danced across her breasts when he arched over her, his eyes tracking its path with admiration as he pinched and rubbed at her clit, making her breasts jiggle with every wiggle of her hips against him. She whimpered at the torment until at last he pushed forward, ending her torment with a hard thrust, burrowing the thick length of his ridged cock so deeply within her that her channel spasmed helplessly in pleasure at the merciless intrusion.
Holding her legs up high against his sides, Lucifero rotated his hips as if drawing her up into his rhythm, into a primal dance that needed no other understanding. Whereas so many of their previous joinings were raw, with their mutual passion feeding off of each other, there was a leisurely sweetness to their lovemaking that stirred something far deeper within her heart. A promise of love and a bond far deeper than any mortal imaginings of the emotion. It promised her everything and demanded everything from her in turn. He would return—he would always return.
She sighed, surrendering to the bliss, her body answering his as each thrust delved deeper, rocking her to her core. It was when his tail dipped between them, fitting itself alongside his cock with every thrust, that she felt a second orgasm bloom and cut through her. Yet amid that bliss, his tail pulled free to wiggle its lubricated length against her back entrance, straining against the tight rosette until it slipped in bit by bit, drawing a sharp moan from her as it rubbed and flicked, massaging against the thrust of his cock on the other side of her body’s barrier.
Her nails dug into him as their sensual dance rose to a fever pitch, their bodies sliding against each other where they were entwined. When their orgasm came at last, it was like a burst of light and life from the dark as they reached their pinnacle together. Her cries mingled with his growls as her channel milked his pulsating cock until they both lay replete in each other’s arms, until their mutual need had them seeking each other again and again. All night, they made love, neither of them thinking about what the next day was to bring when he would finally leave.
There might have been no bath that night, but Eleanor didn’t mind. She decided there would be plenty of opportunities in the future to enjoy his gift with him.
CHAPTER 45
The brittle lace of ice covered the windows, marking the extreme drop in temperature. The snows did not rage as they had in the early part of winter. Instead, everything had dropped to a blisteringly frigid temperature that the woodstove and hearths could barely stave off. The weather was so miserable that even Raskyuil had taken to remaining close to the fires in his own room, only venturing down into the kitchen to share a meal. She never would have expected company, and so she was surprised when the dryad’s sent up a modest alert, announcing Casey’s arrival moments before the woman appeared on her doorstep, her face and nose bright red from the cold despite the broad smile on her face.
Laughing, Eleanor dragged her inside, pulling her over to sit by the stove as she helped her friend strip of her wet outer gear so that it could dry.
“Are you daft?” she chided. “Why is everyone sneaking out during the lockdown—and with such terrible weather at that!”
Casey scowled. “Wait, who else has come around here?” she demanded. “There was no sneaking around involved. Garrett gave me permission to come out here and to bring this.” She held up a roughly woven sack. “It’s nothing much, but I figure you can’t just spend your holiday out here with no one.”
To Eleanor’s surprise, there was what appeared to be some dried apples and pears likely traded from a nearby orchard, a small bottle of cream, and smoked pork that made her stomach growl at the smell of it.
Casey leaned back in her chair wearing a self-satisfied smile. “I knew you would be surprised. The compound got a milking cow and a few goats from one of the towns, and a few hogs that the men butchered for smoking.”
“Thank you,” Eleanor murmured in awe. “This is entirely unexpected. Perhaps some tea? I have honey.”
The other woman’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. “Fantastic! It’s been so long since I had honey. I have a while still before I have to return to the compound.”
Eleanor nodded distractedly as she set the cream on the floor beside her. “I don’t doubt it. Truthfully, I wouldn’t have thought you would come out here alone. What about Erik?” She glanced up from the sack and gave her friend a doubtful look. “I’m certain he would rather have his wife safe at home and enjoying the holidays in bed with him.”
“Ah, yes, that.” Casey grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement as they followed Eleanor’s path to the wood stove. “I gave him plenty of holiday cheer in bed, and now he’s contently sleeping while I stop by and pay you a visit.” She chuckled at Eleanor’s furious blush and held up a hand warding off her protest. “And before you ask, he already knew I was coming here and that there was nothing he could do to stop it. I figure we can enjoy some girl time. Just you, me, and Martha.” Raising her eyebrows, she glanced around. “And where is Martha?”
“Away for the holidays.” Eleanor sighed, still missing her friend and the busy atmosphere that the other woman could bring to the house when she had some project in mind. “She left with her mate to return to his home to gather supplies that will be needed here come spring. Raskyuil is still around since Lucifero left.”
She suddenly bit her lip, recalling that, despite Bridget’s snooping, she hadn’t shared Lucifero’s presence with anyone in the colony. Casey eyed her with fascination, a wicked smile curling her lips.
“Well, well, so you finally got some! Good for you, and a far better deal than what’s been available at the compound. Jacky has been sulking since you left and acting all weird. I know he likes to sneak out whenever it suits him despite the rules, unlike some of us who actually try to get special permission for when the weather is cooperative.”
“You call this cooperative? It’s freezing!” She laughed despite herself.
“True, but at least I can bundle up against that and keep warm. It’s not like a snowstorm which can catch me off guard, get me lost, and bury me.”
“I suppose that is true enough,” Eleanor agreed reluctantly, though it still didn’t set well with her that her friend had faced such terrible weather to see her, regardless of how grateful she was for the company.
Casey inched forward and leaned in close. “And are the tales Jacky has been telling about a demon lover true too?”
Heat flooded Eleanor’s cheeks anew. Even though this was an entirely new world, she couldn’t help but to think that the openness with which people spoke of such private matters unnerving.
“I cannot say for any certainty if he’s a demon or not. He has horns and a tail, but so do many fae beings,” she replied demurely, inciting a shout of laughter from the other woman.
“That isn’t a no!” Casey chortled gleefully. “And where is he?” She looked around with enough interest to earn a chuckle from Eleanor despite the pang that struck her chest at being reminded of his absence.
“Not here either. He had some tasks to see to for the next several days, not the least of which is keeping an eye on the fae who have descended upon us.”
The smile slipped from Casey’s face to be replace with a look of consternation. “Ah, yeah, that. I’ve heard of it… a ball of all things. They’ve been busy turning the convention center into a party center. It’s all the single girls can talk about, and because they’re excited about having a party for once in this godforsaken hellhole. The guys are excited too. It freaks me out a bit.”
Now it was Eleanor’s turn to lean forward with interest. “They came to the compound? And they weren’t shot down?”
Casey gave a bitter laugh and shook her head. “Of course not. They were smart. Over half of them were females in their little group. Beautiful women and men that had people thinking with the wrong part of their anatomy.”
Eleanor could believe it. She recalled the stunningly attractive and yet eerie male who had come to her door with their invitation. It would be all too easy for any of them to work their way past the defenses of desperate people.
“Anyway,” Casey continued, “they just walked up on the compound and oh so politely ‘extended the invitation in the spirit of greeting the new year with a mutual accord between us.’ Their words,” she added with a wrinkle of her nose. “Of course Garrett was all for it, especially when they trotted out all kinds of blades, bows with sleeves full of arrows, jewelry, new duds for us to wear, sweets that none of us have tasted for well over a decade, and other little luxuries guaranteed to get people hooked.” She shook her head. “I think everyone’s been daydreaming about what they might enjoy at the ball, but the male who seemed to be leading the bunch, I didn’t trust him. The way he looked over all of us like he was counting sheep gave me the creeps.”
Eleanor shuddered, knowing exactly what that felt like, and covered Casey’s hand with her own. “Don’t worry. Lucifero said he knew someone with some influence and said that everyone who attends will be safe.”
She licked her lips, wondering how much to share, but plunged ahead, believing that having one person aware that she was there would be much safer than slipping into the ball without a single person in her corner. Last time, she had been fortunate to have Martha and Drezden. She couldn’t expect to get so lucky again.
“It’s going to be okay. I plan on slipping in and keeping an eye on everything. I am a bit familiar with fae balls and will figure out an exit strategy if anything goes afoul of the plan. I will make myself known to you when I arrive, and only you, though you will not recognize me.”
Casey’s lips quirked into a lopsided smile. “I doubt you could disguise yourself so well that I wouldn’t recognize you, but whatever, I’m game. Anything to even the playing field. Consider me on board for operation ‘ball breaker.’” She snorted at her own joke while Eleanor stared at her absently, still trying to decode everything her friend said. Her own lips eventually twitched at the double entendre regarding “balls,” and she shook her head.
The kettle shrieked, and Eleanor shot to her feet. Tea was definitely called for if they were to make plans. An anxious shiver worked its way up her spine as she gathered up the kettle with a hot pad and poured the water into a pot waiting on the tray with all of their tea things. Thankfully it would not take long, as it would have to be kept simple enough. Casey and Erik would wait just inside for the signal from her, and from there everything would unfold on whatever course the fae intended.
But it would all begin with the grand entrance.
CHAPTER 46
Lucifero frowned at the folleto standing nearby, his frustration mounting. Githeri was constantly underfoot, taking control of everything in a way that was testing his temper. He knew that the male was simply doing his job, and in truth there was nothing perceivably different from any other ball that his servant had assisted him in hosting. Had it been one of the earlier balls, he would have happily ceded the details as usual and been glad not to bother with them. But this was different. With the court’s volatile reaction to his news, he needed to keep an eye on everything and make the separation he was enduring from Eleanor worth it.
He hid a grimace behind a cold façade. Though none of his court would know by outward signs, he was sick with longing for his mate. Her absence was not only intolerable to him on so many levels as he was denied the sweetness of her smile and the keen edge of her wit, but he also felt as if a light had been withdrawn from within him. Not snuffed out, not yet, but so faint that he felt beyond its reach. He had just barely been able to perform his celestial duties and not without others noticing that there was something amiss.
He did this for her, however, and he would see to it that none of her fellow humans would be treated dishonorably by his court.
Because of that, he was tempted to snatch the attendance list from Githeri’s hand, regardless of how well-intentioned the male, and scrutinize each attendee personally. He tore his gaze away from the parchment held by his servant, his eyes lifting to meet the clear purple gaze of the elven woman.
Tarana.
Though she possessed a delicate beauty, like that of a sylph, she had a reputation for brutality that had kept her far from his balls. Of the few elven females who had attempted to share his bed over the ages, she was one with whom he’d never feel comfortable sharing such intimacy. As lovely as she was, there was a sharpness in her eyes that communicated quite clearly that she was far deadlier than she appeared. She tipped her head, lowering her eyes in a show of submission as she bowed.
“My king. I was not expecting to see you. Githeri made no mention of it,” she observed, her music voice soft and pleasant to the ear.
“A recent development,” he replied. “I happened to be more familiar with the current situation here among the humans and noted the presence of the hunt. It seemed an appropriate time to become involved once more.” He eyed her suspiciously. “I am surprised to see you as well. I was not aware that the ball was to your taste, Tarana.”
