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Authors: Cathy McAllister

Tags: #romance, #Paranormal, #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Elves, #Romantasy

Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover) (10 page)

BOOK: Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover)
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“Is everything OK?” Merlon asked with concern, stroking a damp strand of hair out of her face.

“I was just dreaming,” she whispered, without looking directly at him.

“I’m sorry that I had to take somewhat drastic measures to bring you here, but I had not counted on you taking it so badly that you would wreck all of my furniture.” There was a slight hint of humour in his voice, but still Cherry blushed at the mention of the damage that she had caused. She would have understood if he were now cross with her.

“I thought you’d left me here. Everything was bolted and I couldn’t get out.”

“Did you really think I’d leave you here alone? Why would I go to all the trouble of abducting you just to then leave you here alone?”

“Because … because I pushed you away. I thought … I couldn’t think straight. I was afraid that the candles would go out and leave me in darkness. I couldn’t even open the window. Why did you leave me here alone?” she cried, distressed and again tears ran down her cheeks.

Merlon looked at her, upset, and he wanted to take her in his arms, but she pushed him away again. She was angry and confused.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice flat. “I hadn’t thought … I’m sorry.”

He got up and left the room, leaving the door open. A little later she heard a noise at the window, then it suddenly became lighter, as the window shutters opened and daylight flooded in.

She sat on the bed for a while and tried to sort her chaotic thoughts and emotions. Her eyes wandered to the open door. She could get up now and go through this door. But what then? Even if he were to just let her go, where should she go? She was trapped in Merlon’s world. She had no idea how to get back to her world. She doubted that Merlon would help her.

She could try to get help from other elves. But she did not expect to find anyone here who could help her. This was clearly a hunting lodge and they were usually found a long way from civilisation – probably surrounded by forests and perhaps mountains. That was probably why he had brought her here – because she would not disturb anyone here.

As the seductive smell of roasting meat came into the room Cherry realised how hungry she was. Her stomach began to make itself heard. But she did not want to go to Merlon and so she carried on sitting stubbornly on the bed. The smell grew stronger and the rumbling in her stomach grew louder. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on something else, but she could not. The enticing aroma began to torture her and she noticed that her anger with Merlon moved into the background at the prospect of a tender piece of meat. To make matters worse the smell of freshly baked bread was added. That was not fair. Cherry felt faint with hunger. She groaned quietly.

After another quarter of an hour of torture Cherry gave up all pride and anger and got out of bed. With weak knees and a pounding heart she went to the open door. She stood in the doorway and looked into a large lounge with an open kitchen. There Merlon was dealing with the food. She watched him for a while. It surprised her somewhat to see him cooking. She had not thought him the sort of man who would know about such things. And yet he seemed to be really good at it. At least if one used the delicious smell as an indicator.

“Do you want to stand there all day or are you going to come here and help me lay the table?” he teased, without looking up from the lettuce that he was cutting into strips.

Cherry gave herself a nudge and crossed the lounge that was fitted out with a cosy seating area in front of the chimney and a table with four chairs by the window. The kitchen area took up a good quarter of the room and almost looked like a modern kitchen apart from the fact that there was no electrical equipment. The stove was heated with wood and likewise the oven from which came the smell of delicious bread.

“The plates are there,” said Merlon and pointed to the cupboard. You’ll find the cutlery in the middle drawer.”

Without a word Cherry began to lay the table, then she returned to the kitchen and leant against the work surface. Merlon had finished chopping the salad and was mixing everything together in a bowl. Then he lifted the lid of the huge roasting dish that was on the stove and the smell of roasting meat became still more intense.

“What is it?” she asked and sniffed.

“Bagol. That’s an animal that looks a bit like a rabbit only with a long snout and short ears. And it tastes more like wild boar than rabbit. I’m sure you’ll like it. I’m a good cook.”

“And so modest,” she said dryly.

Merlon grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders.

“Elves are not raised to hide their skills under a bushel.”

“So you’re probably the best at everything, hmm?”

He winked.

“Not at everything. But I’m happy to show you what I am good at.” His eyes wandered meaningfully over her body and she blushed.

“Mind your bread doesn’t burn,” she said, without entering into his innuendo.

Merlon studied her with an unfathomable look. She had to force herself to resist his gaze. She had sworn to herself that she would no longer show weakness in his presence. She was certain that he was not a sadist like Justin and that there was no threat of physical danger from him. But the danger that he presented to her heart should not be underestimated. Just looking at him made her body tingle and she knew that he could smell her desire. She could see his nostrils slightly quiver and a knowing expression enter his eyes. She cursed her tell-tale body.

“The food’s nearly ready. Do go and sit down,” he said at last, as if the tension between them had never existed.

Cherry looked away somewhat too hastily and murmured a shaky ‘OK’.

“Do you like wine?” asked Merlon from the kitchen.

Cherry had already sat down at the table and was restlessly putting the cutlery straight.

“Yes. That would be … yes, please.”

Merlon appeared with a jug and two silver cups and put everything onto the table. Then he served the roast with vegetables that Cherry did not recognise. They looked like beans, only these were red and in pairs. He also offered her fresh bread, and butter seasoned with herbs. He poured the wine and made a toast.

“To peace?”

She nodded and they both put their cups to their lips. The wine tasted superb. It was a strong red colour and tasted a little of blackberries with a hint of almonds. It was not sweet, quite dry. After a few sips, though, she realised that it was stronger than the light taste suggested. She would have to be careful not to drink too much. The alcohol was already affecting her.

“Try the Bagol,” said Merlon and looked at her expectantly.

She cut a piece of the dark meat and put it into her mouth. She closed her eyes involuntarily as she began to chew and the taste of the tender meat exploded on her tongue.

“Hmmm,” she said and forgot the tense situation she was in. “That is good!”

“I told you,” said Merlon with satisfaction.

Cherry opened her eyes and looked at him. Her heart warmed to the beautiful smile he was giving her. It was not damn fair that he was so attractive. That word did not do him justice. He was much more than attractive. He was stunning, mouth-watering, overpoweringly sexy.

“What sort of vegetable is this?” she asked, to hide her nervousness.

“Tika. It’s one of the most popular vegetables in my kingdom. Try it. It goes really well with bagol.”

She cut a tika in half and tasted it. The taste was not at all like beans, but rather a combination of mild chilli and carrots.

“Good,” she declared, putting the other half into her mouth.

Merlon cut a thick slice of the crispy bread and spread it with the seasoned butter before passing it to her.

For a while they ate in silence and drank their wine. Cherry relaxed and enjoyed the meal. It was the best food that she had had for a long time and, without envy, she had to admit that Merlon’s culinary skills were better than her own and she considered herself to be a good cook.

***

Merlon surreptitiously watched Cherry during the meal. He was pleased that she was obviously enjoying the meal and to his relief she seemed to relax a little. Perhaps it was down to the wine, but for whatever reason she was now much more chilled. He intended to give her time to get used to her situation. To let her go was out of the question anyway. Even if she were to request this. He could not do it. Even if that was quite selfish of him, he could not help himself.

In the silence he wondered how long it would take before she was ready to become his queen. He could not stay away from the court for a long time. He had to at least show up there now and then and that meant that he had to then leave Cherry here alone. He did not like the thought of that. He did not want to lock her in, but he could also not risk her running away from him. Moreover, no one was to find out that she was here. Not until she stayed with him of her own free will.

Chapter 10

C
herry was woken
up by the feeling of a wet tongue moving over her face. She jumped and opened her eyes tentatively. All she could see was hair. And a lot of it. She sat up jerkily and screamed. She heard chuckling. That sounded like Merlon. No! The sound was not coming from this hairy monster that looked like a cross between a dog and a bear and was about the size of an Alsatian.

“Quax! Come here! The lady’s frightened of you,” she heard Merlon’s laughing voice say.

The monster jumped off the bed and ran to its master who was leaning against the door frame, grinning from ear to ear.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked, clearly in a very good mood.

Cherry could only stare at him. Why did he have to be so unashamedly attractive? She should be angry with him for abducting her but she could not be. She even regretted sleeping alone in that huge bed that night. Merlon had clearly decided to give her time. He had spent the night on the couch and he looked fresher than she did although she had slept in a comfortable bed.

“I … yes, thank you,” she said sleepily. “What’s that?” She was pointing at the supersized furry ball at his feet. The animal’s fur was so thick that its eyes were barely visible. It had a short, round snout and ears like a bear. Even the shape of its body was like a bear, only this animal had a long tail that was wagging like a dog’s.

“That’s Quax. He’s a lofot. You must excuse his somewhat clumsy behaviour. He’s still a baby.”

“A baby?” she asked in dismay. Going by his size she had presumed that this was a fully-grown animal. “How … how big will he be then, when he’s fully grown?”

“His mother’s shoulder-height is about here,” he said, indicating the height of his nose. “His father is a bit bigger. These aren’t pets.

Quax often comes to visit me but he would never be comfortable in a house. He’s a wild animal, even if he is a lovely chap.”

“And his parents? Do they also come by …?”

“No. Not right up here. They sometimes wander around this area, but they don’t come right up here.”

Cherry felt a wave of relief come over her and she relaxed a little.

“Would you like breakfast?” asked Merlon.

“Hmm.”

“I’ve run a bath for you. In the meantime I’ll prepare breakfast,” said Merlon. “Come on, Quax. Let’s leave the lady alone.”

When Merlon and the strange animal had gone Cherry got out of bed. She felt exhausted, she had slept so restlessly. She had woken up numerous times during the night and had felt around for Merlon only to remember that he was sleeping on the couch. She was even about to wake him up and ask him to come to bed with her.

With shaky steps she wobbled into the ensuite bathroom. The huge bath was indeed filled with an aromatic bubble bath. It was slightly steamy and Cherry was almost glad that the mirrors were all covered in condensation. She was sure that she must look awful.

Sighing, she climbed into the warm water and lay back, relaxed. The high bathtub was full up to the rim and only her head showed above the water. It was heavenly and she closed her eyes pleasurably. Immediately, all tension left her and her body became pleasantly heavy. Even her headache disappeared. She thought of her co-tenants and what they would probably be thinking now. They would definitely be worried about her suddenly disappearing without a word.

There was at least one good thing about this abduction. Justin would never find her here. That was for sure. However, she could not stay here. Perhaps if Merlon were to love her. But he had said nothing about love. Anyway, the problem still remained that she would become older whilst he remained young. He was, of course, not immortal, but in fifty years he would probably not look very different from now whilst she would then already be an old woman. Not a particularly great thought. How long could she be happy with a man like him?

In one fell swoop her mood was really low again. The relaxation was gone. That proved once again that it was not good to think too much. Could she not just take what was offered to her and enjoy it as long as it lasted. She sighed.

“Breakfast is ready!” sounded Merlon’s voice through the door.

“Coming!” she answered.

She really did not want to get out of the bath at all. She was not ready to face Merlon’s charm. He would definitely try to wrap her round his little finger and if she was not careful she would give in to him again. When she thought that she could no longer delay without risking Merlon coming and fetching her out of the bath, she climbed out of the tub.  She reached for the towel and dried herself. Her eyes fell on a pair of trousers and a shirt that Merlon had put on a stool next to the basin. First she picked up the green shirt and pulled it over her head. It was made of a silk-like material and went down over her bottom. The cream-coloured trousers were tight-fitting and made of suede. But she did not have any clean knickers to put on. What should she do now? She could not bring herself to put her knickers back on after having a bath. She would wash them out and hang them up to dry, but right now she did not have a spare pair. The only thing she could do was just put on the trousers. Sighing, she finished getting dressed. She was not used to having nothing on underneath. The soft leather felt far too intimate against her naked flesh and she felt a little shameful. Her sex began to tingle. She should go to Merlon like this? Impossible! Perhaps she should put her knickers on again after all.

“Where are you, then? Is everything OK?”

Cherry jumped.

“Yes! I’m … I’m just coming.”

‘Damn it! What am I going to do now?’

She looked frantically into the mirror. It was still steamed up in places but when she stood on tiptoe she could see her face. Her shining eyes and reddened cheeks clearly gave away the state she was in. Her heart began to race and her stomach fluttered nervously. She closed her eyes.

“Pull yourself together, girl,” she murmured quietly. “It’s showtime! Put on your poker face, close your eyes and in you go!”

***

Merlon stared open-mouthed at Cherry as she walked across the lounge to him. The tightly fitting trousers emphasised her beautifully formed legs and the green shirt emphasised her big, shining eyes. Her damp hair curled bewitchingly around her slightly red face. She had never looked more beautiful. He suppressed the urge to go up to her, take her up in his arms and carry her back to bed. Instead of that he forced himself to close his mouth and look away. Inside he counted to ten and tried to get his arousal under control. His erection was fortunately hidden from her under the kitchen work surface. He slowly looked up and smiled at her.

“Take a seat. I’ll bring everything to the table.”

“I can help you,” she offered, her voice shaky.

Merlon suppressed a grin as the scent of her arousal entered his nose. He looked at her. She was behaving very nervously. Good! It was a good sign if he made her jittery. It showed that he meant something to her and her scent told him that she desired him as much as he desired her. He just had to get rid of her fears and doubts.

“No need. You’re my guest, Cherry.”

“More like your prisoner,” she murmured without looking at him.

He sighed.

“Would you have come with me if I’d asked you to?” he asked in a hurt voice.

“No! I’ve already told you that it won’t work with us.”

“You see? You gave me no other choice. Your own stubbornness is stopping us having any chance.”

“Chance? Of what, Merlon? There is no future for us,” Cherry explained emphatically.

“Cherry. Please let’s have breakfast in peace together. Give me a week to change your mind. If after that week you still want to go back to your world then I’ll take you back. OK?”

“This week won’t change anything, Merlon. But I’ll take you at your word. In one week you’ll take me back to where you abducted me from.”

“OK,” he said quietly.

He had gained one week. He had to succeed because one thing was clear – if she should not have given in after one week then he would break a promise for the first time in his life, because he could not give her up. It would kill him.

“Sit down,” he said gently. “Please!”

They ate in silence. Merlon watched Cherry furtively. He wished again for the time when there had been an unspoken agreement between them. Those few days had been the best days of his life and he did not want to give up hope of it being like that again between them. It was not only the sex that they enjoyed. It was so much more. He wanted her laughter, her trust, her warmth and most of all he wanted her love. He had felt it when their souls bonded. He could not be mistaken. He must not be mistaken!

“I’d like to show you something,” he said, and held her gaze as she looked up from her plate. “After breakfast. I’d like to take you to one of my favourite places.”

“OK.”

“Would you like some more coffee?”

She nodded and Merlon got up to make them both more coffee. He always brought coffee from the human world because he had got used to it and could not get coffee in Amarantus.

“I’ve got so used to this stuff that I can’t cope without it,” he said, grinning, as he came back to the table with the coffee.

“I can’t go without it either,” answered Cherry and gave him a bashful smile that warmed his heart.

“If I had to choose between being without coffee or without you, then I’d rather go without coffee,” Merlon declared honestly.

Cherry looked at him without saying anything. He found it difficult to read her feelings. Since she had left him she had built a wall around herself that he could not penetrate. Before she had been open to him. Elves could read the feelings and thoughts of their mate unless the spouse blocked the invisible bond and Cherry had done precisely that. She must have done it purely instinctively because she had not even been aware of this bond. Only once they had properly entered the bond would she be able to feel and use the bond. How she had managed to block him was a mystery to him. It must be to do with the fact that she was so hurt and frightened. If he only knew how to reach her.

***

Just a few minutes after leaving the lodge Cherry had forgotten all her principles. The nature around her was simply too enchanting. She felt like a little girl discovering the world for the first time. To a certain extent she was. Even if a lot of things in Amarantus looked exactly the same as in her world, it was still completely different. They went down a winding path. In some places trees grew at the edge of the path and blocked the view, but when there was a gap in the row of trees there was a breath-taking view of far reaching forests at the foot of the mountain and meadows and fields in the distance. A long way away she could just make out a range of mountains. Merlon explained that the royal palace lay in front of this range of mountains.

“Oh, what beautiful flowers,” cried Cherry enthusiastically, and she was about to go over to the tall orchid-like flowers growing at the edge of the path when Merlon held her back by the arm.

“Don’t touch them! They’re poisonous.”

“How poisonous?” asked Cherry nervously.

“Lethal! They kill an elf within very few minutes. With humans it happens within seconds. There’s no cure.”

“Are there any more such … surprises?” asked Cherry uncomfortably. She had just been so joyful about the fairy tale nature of this place, and now it turned out that the idyll could be fatal.

“There are a few things that are dangerous. I’ll show you everything and once you know what you need to avoid then nothing will happen to you. In this area the sun’s tongues are the only danger. There’s no other plant that looks anything like it so it’s easy to recognise.”

“And what about animals?”

“You’ve got nothing to be afraid of here, either. There are only peaceful animals living here in the mountains.”

“What about Quax’s parents?”

“Not dangerous. They’re only aggressive if they feel threatened, and you’d need to grab hold of them first, and even then they’d try to run away. No! You really don’t need to be concerned here. It’s much less dangerous here than in your world.”

“Are there murderers and other criminals in your world?”

“Occasionally. Elves are certainly no angels. But our crime rate is very low. Also, we’ve no longer had wars since the peace treaty with the Kanninerrs. We’re working on it staying that way. My sister’s going to marry the eldest prince of Kanninera.”

“Because she has to or because she loves him?” asked Cherry.

“It’s a way of bonding our kingdoms and so securing peace. I’m certain that she’ll be happy.”

“But she doesn’t love him, does she?”

“Love can grow.”

“I think it’s barbaric to force someone to marry. It doesn’t surprise me now that you dragged me here. What advantages are you expecting to gain from doing
that
?”

She had stood still and put her hands on her hips. She glared at him. Merlon looked at her, somewhat confused and helpless.

“You don’t understand,” he began to explain. “That about…”

“Oh, no! You’re wrong!” she interrupted him angrily. “
Now
I understand everything perfectly!”

Merlon walked up to her and took her by the arm.

“No! You don’t understand!” he contradicted her. “You are so set upon never trusting a man again that you’re ignoring everything there is between us.”

“Trust? Ha! How am I supposed to trust you? You brought me here against my will. In my world that’s called
abduction
!”

“You gave me no other option!”

Cherry laughed ironically.

“And if you now attack me and rape me, then I presume I’ve again given you
no other option
!” she said bitterly.

“Cherry. Please let’s talk sensibly. I’m not going to touch you. Let’s just walk on peacefully and I’ll show you my world, as planned. If you give me time you’ll realise that …”

“I’ll tell you what I realise! You’re a damned macho arse-hole! You think that just because you want me I should throw myself around your neck in gratitude. But I’m going to tell you something now. I don’t care about the fact that you’re a prince or that you’re the most attractive man that I’ve ever met. These things are not important to me. The only thing that interests me in a man is his heart. How he treats me. How he feels. Everything else is worthless. At most it’s an added bonus if the rest is right. But I most definitely have something against men who think that they can force their will upon a woman.  I’ve had enough of
that
in my life. Do you understand?”

BOOK: Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover)
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