Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5
commanding voice cries. In my mind I see a great warrior, an officer of the elven guard.
I've barely time to step back from the door when it shatters inward. An elf stood before me, dressed in battle garb: leather breast and arm plates, etched with protective runes. His ebony locks hang in a multitude of plaits that I somehow know marks his enemy kills. He's fierce and beautiful, but he's not Alastair.
I stagger, my strength at an end.
Then, as if in a dream, the man steps aside and another takes his place, wrapping, leather-bound arms around me and easing me to the floor. Full lips, high cheekbones, brows arched in concern. A blood smear mars his cheek.
A fist appears in view, another warrior offering the stone charm I'd worn upon my arrival. Alastair swats it away. "I should have known any charm coming from a traitor would be tainted. See how well it protected the wearer?"
I feel weak, unable to hold up my head. "What's happening to me?" I asked.
My lover imparted a bittersweet smile, lips trembling. "It's seems I've found you only to lose you again."
"I don't understand." My voice, weaker now, barely leaves my body.
"Our kind cannot survive long in man's world, and your breath reeks of holly. You've been away for too long and have been poisoned – holly can be deadly to elves, and the spells you've unknowingly been casting have taken your magic. I'll get you back home but I'm afraid it may be too late." A fat tear washes blood from his face.
"Rodin," I manage.
"I know. And he will pay."
My vision blackens around the edges. I hear a faint, "I love you," and then I know nothing.
****
A soft serenade, a lullaby, spoken in the language of men. My human mother. I try to speak, but my mouth won't do my bidding.
A gentle touch soothes my brow. "Hush, child. Rest now. The worst is over."
A cup bumps my lips and I open, trustfully swallowing down a bitter concoction of roots, herbs, and berries. I ease into a grateful slumber.
We stand facing, Alastair and I, beneath the full moonrise. Unseen in the darkness, our people lift their voices, giving us their chanted blessings, although some do so grudgingly. We step into the circle of stones, and all grows quiet, save for the gentle rustling of the wind through autumn-dry grasses.
Long fingers lift back my hood, and I stand, head bowed. "Look at me," the elf king whispers.
I raise my eyes to find my new husband smiling at me. Most think him rather plain for an elf; to me his beauty shines likes the stars in the heavens above us. His mouth meets mine, and we exchange our first kiss as a joined pair.
No hesitation slows his hands as he removes my cloak, my tunic, my braes, and my boots, until I stand naked before him. Slowly he removes his own cloak, leather armaments, and doublet, my breath catching with each new bit of exposed skin. While his face is not classically handsome, his body is perfection, chiseled from marble, marred by the occasional battle scar.
Boots and braes fall to the ground and my warrior prince lowers me gently to a bed made of mounded cloaks, claiming me mind, body, and soul. My moans mingle with his soothing love words as he prepares me and breeches my opening, our two bodies becoming one for the very first time.
"Don't fight me," he urges, and for one instant I wonder if any save me has ever seen the tender side of our newly named king.
A sharp pain, quickly chased away by a growing, desperate need from deep within. Forcing my body to relax, I welcome my lover into the recesses of my body, sealing our union, quite literally, until death do us part. Glowing threads enmesh us, creating the magical bond that forevermore will bind us together.
Alastair's tentative thrusting quickens, and we cry out in unison. Sated, we nestle together on the ground, his fingers trailing my skin while he sings…
The words follow me into waking, and I open one eye to find my lover hovering over my bed, humming the tune from my dream. "Welcome back," he says, eyes twinkling and relief clearly etched on his smiling countenance.
"It's good to be back," I reply.
"You have proven yourself a mage of great power. Otherwise, you couldn't have penetrated the veil that separates our world from that of men to call to me, nor could you summon me in dreams. That, and the fact that you were dying in the world of men has proven that your elf blood dominates the humanity in your veins. Even the sternest of our people will never question you as my chosen ever
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