Bound by the Mist (Mists of Eria) (11 page)

The silence stretched on too long. His manners had disappeared, along with his mind. “Do you require any refreshments? There is tea, wine, biscuits, and honey cakes. If you desire anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. We might be able to procure it for you.” More than likely, the women wouldn’t eat much, if anything.

Maggie gulped, slamming a hand down on the table, and broke the visual war with his father. “I think I could use a glass of wine.”

Cal blanched at the suggestion of food and drink, throwing Maggie a wary look. Relian raised an eyebrow. What did that signify? Hopefully, it didn’t speak of foolish mortal superstitions about elvin trickery. For the most part, humans had falsely perpetuated those tales.

He would have to settle any doubts. “My lady, why do you look leery at the offer of refreshment? I promise we’ve not enchanted it or whatever nonsense you may have heard.” Cal’s eyes widened and met his. Ah yes, he’d guessed the problem correctly, after all. “Considering this belief, I’m surprised you gave your names so easily, though we never use the power of names for nefarious purposes. We’ve no need of it, as we prefer to avoid such methods.”

Both women paled. He shifted in his chair. Maybe he shouldn’t have let such news slip so soon, but he’d wanted to show no harm would be done to them through the bounty served. The women should recognize that his honor could let him do no less. “Eat. Everything is safe. And you also have our true names in turn.” Not that they’d know what to do with that information, but they had it, nevertheless.

Cal glowered at the food, apparently still distrustful. When she looked up, doubt shadowed her face. “Okay.”

Maggie resorted back to her impertinent attitude. “That’s reassuring,”

His father shot her a stony stare. She visibly swallowed and didn’t speak for a few minutes. The king lounged back in his chair, a smile on his lips.

Relian narrowed his eyes as he cast his father a look. It seemed Talion’s biting wit found a target. Would he have to referee his interactions with Maggie as if they were two recalcitrant children? By the skies above, he hoped not. He’d enough to contend with.

Chapter 11

Cal threw a look at Maggie but said nothing. Even if the food wasn’t enchanted, she didn’t want to be unwisely trusting or drunk. While she avoided it whenever possible, Maggie seemed to seek it out, unfortunately.

Relian’s gaze followed her. She twitched, trying to control every movement she made. Her body threatened to explode in a thousand different directions, otherwise. Her hands clenched in her lap. God, would he stop staring? Sensations, disturbing yet exciting, stirred within her. But she tamped down the emotions. Denial was much easier.

In direct opposition to her will, steamy images roared through her mind. Heat spread over her face and down her neck. Him and her. Together. Oh, lord. She refused to think of
that
right now. But so far out of her element, where did she begin in her dealings with him? Though every corded muscle and sleek plane of his body was familiar, she tongue-tied herself into a twisted noodle when faced with the truth of him.

She cleared her throat and attempted to steady her voice in vain. “Please, I think I’ll have a cup of tea.”

Relian nodded. Kenhel poured a glass of wine for Maggie, while Relian did the same for Cal. When Kenhel set the drink before Maggie, Relian had still not moved to place the cup before her.

She forced herself not to stir, even though his close presence caused her hormones to sit up and beg for his attention. He seemed to be waiting on something but what?

“Do you require cream or sugar?”

Cal jumped in surprise. Oh, cream and sugar. He waited for her to tell him how she liked her tea. “I'll have both. Thank you.”

Relian gave her a stiff nod that looked odd coming from him. “Think nothing of it.”

His strong, lean hands swiftly, yet gracefully complied with her wishes. Many women would die to move like that back on Earth. Heck, she’d love to be able to move like that. But somehow it didn’t seem feminine on him.

Relian moved closer to set the cup down, his hair gliding over her bare arm as he leaned over. As she reached for that dang cup, her fingers brushed his. She froze, just as he did, and glanced into his eyes.
Big
mistake. All intelligent thought fled her brain as her world narrowed to one person, and she couldn’t remember why she was afraid.

Even their audience faded as he lowered his face, and her lips parted. His warm breath played across her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed. All worries, even her past, ceased to exist. Only this moment mattered until a coughing, hacking sound rudely forced its way into her consciousness. Coughing sound? Reality intruded and broke her little bubble. Cal’s eyelids shot open, and her gaze met Relian’s glassy stare.

Maggie, the king, and Kenhel…oh, lord. What had she been thinking? To nearly lip-lock with Relian? In front of everybody at the table? A cringe shuddered through her. Her childhood and teenage years had been destroyed by him, by this world. She couldn’t forget that so easily.

Noise pierced the silence again. She and Relian each whipped their head toward the direction of the sound. The sight of Maggie’s red face almost caused her to huff in exasperation. Maggie and alcohol—nothing ever good came out of that match. On second thought, Maggie’s interruption saved her from a potentially embarrassing gaffe. Let her drink on.

Maggie’s flush deepened while she coughed. Cal groaned and glanced around the table. Kenhel looked amused, whereas King Talion apparently couldn’t decide between amusement and annoyance. Relian? She didn’t know and didn’t care to look.

Nobody said a word until Maggie’s sputters died away. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke. “Sorry, I guess this wasn’t a proof that should be guzzled down.”

King Talion recovered from the situation the quickest. “Lady Cal, your tea will get cold if you don’t drink it soon. Lady Maggie, you might want to slow down.”

Cal froze at his last words. Oh, no. Maggie was somewhat of a loose cannon when angered, and what he said seemed designed to arouse that emotion. But Maggie settled for throwing him a dirty look. A silent sigh of relief escaped Cal as Maggie scowled into her wine cup. Giving the king a tentative smile while she tried to moderate her breathing, Cal reached for her cup.

Relian moved away from her to sit again. “Ah yes, you should drink your tea.” His normal reserve snapped back into place. But were the points of his ears, which were peeking through his hair, just a little red? Did elves blush? The idea was oddly endearing, especially on him. Cal started. That thought couldn’t be good. She needed to be impartial.

Taking a moment to glance sideways at him, she processed the fact he wore very formal robe-type garments. That mode of dress was not unfamiliar. In some of her dreams, she saw him clothed that way. Well, when he had clothes on at all. Heat flickered through her core when she remembered what all too often happened to those fancy garments of his when they removed them.

Her gaze encompassed the two other males at the table. A combination of light and dark is how they all appeared seated next to each other, their hair capturing the rays of the setting sun. Even their dispositions spoke of contrasting traits. The prince gave the impression of being imposing and introspective, whereas Kenhel was somewhat audacious. Even though the king’s personality resembled Relian’s, he possessed their shared traits in a more pronounced manner. Talion had a relaxed self-assurance she attributed in part to his prominent station and the authority he wielded. And age. He seemed more devilish and sardonic, though Relian could probably hold his own in these areas if need be.

Overall, the males at the table offered up a powerful and heady combination. She flushed. Clothes. Yes, turn to the clothes. That was a much tamer subject.

Both Kenhel and the king dressed similarly to Relian. Hadn’t the king said something about a celebration? That would explain the lavishness of their robes. What had they been celebrating? Probably some harvest or some other such rite.

The king graced her and Maggie with a smile. “You probably wonder what you two are doing here in Eria. I wish I could give you a short and simple answer, but we don’t know all the details ourselves. So please bear with me as I attempt to explain what we do know. We also have many suppositions, but those can wait for the most part.”

Cal threw Maggie a desperate, yet eager look. Finally, they might discover what was happening and why. When and if they could go home was a question running forefront in her mind.

No matter how attractive she found Relian, Cal longed for home, for Earth. The familiarity and safety it represented couldn’t be denied. Not to mention, her family would become worried if she were gone too long. So would Maggie’s. A twinge of guilt assailed her. Regardless of what Maggie said, she shouldn’t have involved her. Now she’d not only the problem of getting herself home, she had to worry about Maggie, too.

“Lady Cal, you know of the dreams you’ve been having. My son has been having the same precise ones as you, we believe. While I won’t go into detail as they are of a private nature, I can’t stress how important this sharing of dreams is to you and your life.”

She kept her eyes centered on Talion’s face. Where was he going with all this? Fighting down the impatience to prod him along, she knew she would have to just sit back and wait.

“When elves court, they often do so in the hopes of finding the one who completes them spiritually and physically. By that, I mean a joining between two individuals who can meet soul-to-soul, freely and willingly, in a completion bond that is unbreakable except by death. By contrast, other levels of bonding exist, which are much more common. But while many elves strive for a complete or total bond, only some are lucky enough to find it. Of our own volition, we may choose any form of bonded mate, though we don’t take this process lightly. Any bond is a serious one, no matter the depth.”

Cal nodded her head, listening intently to what the king said. Any clue was invaluable, but the churning in her gut alerted her she wouldn’t like the next words out of his mouth.

“But you ask, what does this mean for you? That bracelet on your wrist, Lady Cal, can answer much. You see, Relian has such a one on his own wrist. Yours is black. His a dark auburn.”

With every eye turned to her now, her stomach dropped and her throat tightened. Even though she’d had some strong suspicions before the king even began his dialogue, to hear it was another matter.

Talion cast his son a look of expectation. “Would you please show Lady Cal your binding?”

Relian slowly drew back the long sleeve that covered most of his hand. As he inched up the brocaded silvery-blue material, he revealed what she most feared. There, on his wrist, rested a bracelet made of intertwined gold threads and auburn hair. The hair color was a precise match.

Cal shook her head, hoping it was all a weird dream, but knowing it was not. Then her bleary mind recalled something the king said.
Binding
? Was her bracelet a binding, then? How did strands of their hair end up on the other’s wrist? An answer shouted out in her mind—the mist.

“W...what is a binding, and is my bracelet one? How did it get there?”

Talion’s face set in solemn lines. A certain amount of underlying sympathy lay in the gray gaze that reminded her so much of Relian’s.

“Yes, what you have on your wrist is a binding. As to what it is, well, it’s simply the first step in the completion of a total bond. A binding signifies that a complete bond can and should take place if both parties are in agreement. It’s rare that a person denies such a gift—not only because of negative consequences, but because, once denied, the individual can never hope to find such a bond again. At least, that is how it is for us elves.” He gave her a sad smile.

Cal drowned in panic. Did he just say what she thought he had? Before she could grab hold of her jumbled thoughts, her words tumbled out with an edge of hysteria.

“I’m supposed to marry, bond, with your son?
A prince who is from another world and an elf
? That can’t be right!” She desperately pleaded this last part, somehow hoping that begging would solve this conundrum.

Rigidity overtook Relian at her words. His features became as immovable as stone. Cal shrank back at the ire that radiated off him. In her dreams he was passionate. To see his tight control slip so soon, and in anger…. Her body shook and her mind whirled. Even if she tried, she couldn’t have grabbed a coherent word.

Relian drew himself from his chair. “I’m sorry, my lady, that you find such a bond with me unappealing. I’d also hoped someone of my race would be gifted the binding that matches mine, not a human. Humans have long not been seen, and we’ve no need of them, either!”

His eyes spit fire at her, gluing her to her seat. She feared she would never move again. Then Talion spoke, breaking the trance.

“Now, children, play nice. Relian, you know the stress Lady Cal is going through, as you went through it not long ago yourself. She just learned of the truth but hasn’t had the time to process it. Lady Cal, so long have we been apart from humans that we find ourselves at a loss on how to handle the situation. We beg for your patience and understanding. We’re as strange to you as you are to us. I think we all need to keep that in mind.” After throwing Relian a disapproving glance, he looked to Cal. “My lady, does this sound agreeable to you? We must better strive to understand each other. That’s all I ask for now.”

She nodded wordlessly, her shivers dying away slowly.

***

The chastisement from his father’s words washed over Relian. Though tense and struggling for control over his emotions, he would have to be the first one to make a placatory gesture.

Cal looked down, not seeming to want to raise her head any time in the near future. His temper
had
slipped unreasonably during her last remarks. He’d not acted any differently than Cal when discovering the truth for the first time, but she didn’t have to act as if it were a death sentence. As an elf, the true indignity was that he agreed to a bond with a human.