Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover) (5 page)

The two men had called Merlon an elf and he did look like one with his bluish skin and those ears. His friends did have the same pointed ears but their skin was normal. So were they not elves? So what were they?

“Umm, you guys?”

“Yes?” asked Aerios, looking at her.

“Could you just explain to me what’s going on here and who you are? I mean, first I find your friend here in front of my club, more dead than alive, and it was clearly not human beings that treated him so terribly. Then you appear out of nowhere and look like … I don’t know, and you’re doing some sort of … heaven knows what, and I don’t even know yet whether you’re friend or foe, and … I don’t know!” she sighed.

“Sorry. Cherry? That is your name, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“All this is a lot for you to be dealing with. Why don’t you rest a bit?”

“Not until I have answers!”

“You’re right. I’ll make it brief so that we can concentrate on the healing. We’re guardians. Merlon’s an elf. My name’s Aerios and this is Volcan. We can’t say who it was that attacked Merlon like this until he wakes up and can tell us what happened. There are a lot of possibilities, but I won’t list them all now. We have powers that you humans don’t have but we don’t want to harm you. You have nothing to fear from us and we will probably need two days to complete the healing. We can’t teleport Merlon in his condition and that’s why we need you to help us by allowing us to use this room and keeping everyone away from us.”

“I’ll do that! Don’t worry. I’ll shut up shop for two days. I’ll call all the employees and tell them they’ve got two days off.”

“Thank you,” said Volcan. “We appreciate your help.”

“I … I’ll go and make the calls,” said Cherry and disappeared from the room.

Aerios started swaying and Volcan looked with concern at his friend. For two days they had been occupied with the difficult healing, and they were both clearly running out of energy. Cherry kept them supplied with drinks but they did not want anything to eat. She had stopped bothering the men with the offer of food. They were going to know best what they needed and did not need. She ate very little herself, and with no enthusiasm, but now and then she had to have something if she did not want to collapse with exhaustion. She was also at Merlon’s side most of the time and only slept sporadically for a few hours on the bench in the corner.

“Sit down for a while. We’ve dealt with the worst of it,” said Volcan to his friend.

Merlon had regained consciousness on the previous day, and since then he had been awake and responsive for longer and longer amounts of time. However, he was very weak and Volcan had explained to Cherry that the danger of another collapse could not yet be completely ruled out. Merlon’s elf body was at least healing more quickly than his human body. If he had been a normal human being, he would not have survived the serious injuries. Only his elf strength had kept the human shell alive.

“I can hold out,” said Aerios and, with relief, he accepted the energy drink that Cherry passed to him.

“Thanks, babe!”

“Will he pull through?” asked Cherry.

“Yes, he’s almost made it now. When he comes around next time, then he’s survived it. He’ll manage the rest himself then,” explained Volcan. “Can I have one of those, too?”

“Oh, yes, of course. Sorry. Here you are!” said Cherry, passing him an energy drink.

Volcan emptied the can in one gulp and threw it, without looking, into the bin behind him.

“You guys should go into the circus,” said Cherry, smiling.

“Thank you,” said Volcan, and smiled at Cherry. “I mean because of Merlon. That was really brave of you to help him and call Aerios. I know about the difficulties you’re having and you’ve risked a lot. You could still have a lot of trouble when your boyfriend comes back.”

“I won’t be here when he comes back,” said Cherry. “I’ve decided to leave him. I’m only still here because of him,” she explained, looking at Merlon. “As soon as he’s better I’ll be out of here.”

“He could help you. He likes you!” said Volcan.

“I know,” answered Cherry quietly, and looked away. She had made her decision but that did not mean that she was happy about it. “I like him, too. But I’m not ready for a new relationship yet. I’ve been through too much. I don’t know whether I’ll ever be able to trust anyone again.”

“He’s different. I don’t need to tell you anything else. You know now that he’s not a normal man. Elves bond for life. If he’s decided upon you, then it’s for life. For as long as you both live,” Volcan explained gently.

“I … I need to go to the bathroom,” Cherry moved off the subject and disappeared from the room.

She was in a complete mess emotionally. She could not deny that she felt something for the elf. She also liked the two guardians – she had grown to think highly of them during the last two days. But she was simply not ready for a relationship and Volcan was not making it any easier for her, praising Merlon likes that.

Cherry had an alcoholic drink and tried to get her chaotic feelings under control. After a while, and two more drinks, she felt up to going back into the back room.

Cherry entered the room, but neither Volcan nor Aerios seemed to notice her. She sat down at Merlon’s side and waited, just as she had waited at his side for numerous hours already. There was nothing that she could do. She could not even hold his hand because it would interfere with the energy flow, Volcan had explained to her.

After what seemed like an eternity Merlon opened his eyes. The guardians stopped the energy injection and Volcan put his hand on the elf’s shoulder.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’ve been better, but I’m not complaining,” answered Merlon weakly. “I’m guessing that was a close one, huh?”

Aerios uttered a disapproving sound.

“
Close
? What the hell have you been up to? Who did that to you?”

“Ice elves,” answered Merlon.

“
Ice elves
?” Aerios looked in shock at Volcan.

“Damn it!” exclaimed Volcan. “ I’ve got to get straight to Coreena. If it’s not already too late!”

“Go!” said Aerios. “I’ll stay with Merlon, and when I can I’ll follow you.”

Volcan immaterialised.

“What’s wrong?” asked Merlon.

“Don’t you get it? The attack on you was not against you personally. It was done purely as a distraction manoeuvre. Who has connections with the ice-elves?”

“Exesor,” groaned Merlon in horror. “You mean the bastard had me beaten up so that Volcan was occupied, and Exesor could easily get to Volcan’s chosen one?”

Ice-elves! Exesor? Whatever was that all about? Cherry gradually began to feel as if she was in a film. Only she did not know the script and had no idea what her role was in the whole thing. Not a particularly good feeling.

 “It certainly looks like that,” Aerios groaned in response to Merlon’s question. “We’ll soon find out.”

“Shit!” Merlon swore.

“You can say that again!”Aerios agreed with him.

“I don’t understand any of this,” interjected Cherry.

Only now did Merlon spot Cherry, and his expression became warm.

“You’re here,” he whispered hoarsely.

Cherry took his hand. Her heart was pounding.

“Of course I am. You needed me.”

Merlon put his hand to his head in shock, feeling his ears. He looked back at her.

“So you know now. I’m not a …”

“Not a human. Yes, I know!”

“I’ll leave you two alone for a minute. I’ll get myself a beer first.” With these words Aerios left them alone.

“T
hank you,” whispered
Merlon, squeezing her hand gently.

“Wh… what for?” stammered Cherry, confused by his proximity.

She pulled her hand away from his. The brief touch had sent a tingling sensation right down to her toes, and her heart was beating faster.

“For everything – for calling Aerios and for being with me.” He looked at her intensely. “Above all, for being with me.”

His gaze made her nervous. She had never reacted to a man as much as she was reacting to him. Perhaps it was because he was not human. Perhaps he was able to influence her somehow, like a vampire could influence its victim. How could she know whether he was dangerous? She did not know him and did not know what he was capable of. She had learnt that appearances could lie. Evil men did not always look evil. She ought to know better, so why was she so attracted to this elf?

“It was … that was of course …,” she stammered, confused.

“No!” he interrupted her. “Don’t say ‘
it was nothing
’
! I can well imagine what the whole situation must have been like for you – and still must be. I’m sorry you’ve been put into such a terrible situation because of me.”

“It’s all so … there’s so much that I don’t understand.”

“Then give me time to explain everything,” he said in a weak voice, closing his eyes. “I’m still a bit …”

Cherry realised, with concern, that Merlon was unconscious again. She was about to call Aerios for help when the guardian came through the door.

“I have to help Volcan. Can I leave Merlon with you?” he asked.

“He’s just fallen unconscious again,” said Cherry, worried.

Aerios put his hand on Merlon’s forehead.

“He’s healing. No need to worry. Can you look after him until he gets his strength back?”

“Yes! I can do that.”

He put a shopping bag into her hand.

“Thank you! I must hurry. There are clothes for him in the bag.” He grinned and winked at her. “The lad can’t walk home naked after all.”

Cherry blushed. She nodded and the guardian disappeared before her eyes.

She looked at the sleeping elf and sighed. Precisely now, when she wanted to begin her new life, he had to turn up and confuse everything. Right now, when she was finally free of Justin, she did not want to tie herself to any other man. Maybe she would never get involved again. The fear of being hurt again was too deep. Up to now men had only done her wrong. It had started with her mother re-marrying when Cherry was seven years old. He brought a son into the family. Aiden was six years older than her and as a thirteen year old he already had a pronounced sadistic streak.  He tortured Cherry for years. He threatened her so that she did not betray him. When she was twelve her stepfather’s interest also grew and he began to abuse her. After the first time, she told her mother, but she did not believe a word and scolded Cherry for telling lies to make her throw her stepfather out of the house. Cherry’s mother made it very clear that she was not going to allow her
happiness
to be destroyed.

Two years later the whole family was involved in a car crash and only Cherry survived the accident. She was put into an orphanage where smacks and abuse were the norm. When she was sixteen she could not bear it any longer and ran away.

Justin was her knight in shining armour and for a short time she floated in bliss. He conducted himself like a gentleman. But soon after she had moved in with him he let his mask fall and at some point she started to believe that she must be worthless, as no one seemed to be able to love her. She crept into a hidden corner of her inner self and built high walls around her. Thick walls. Only in this way was she able to survive her ordeal. Cherry was broken and the only part of her that was still alive was the small, undamaged core of her being hidden behind the walls. But now she could see with horror that the walls were splitting and the cracks were becoming porous.  She had to do something about it. She had to get into safety and repair her walls before it was too late.

Cherry’s eyes fell upon Merlon again. He was helpless. At least, in his current state. She was responsible for him and she could not leave him alone right now. She would look after him until he was well again. But then she would flee. As far away as she possibly could. Perhaps to Europe. She could speak a little Spanish and French, so she could probably manage there.

When Merlon awoke from the deep, healing sleep his head was pounding like after a night of drinking. He could even feel the same furry sensation in his mouth, and for a moment he wondered whether he had had one too many and had only dreamt about the incident with the ice-elves. Gradually he became aware of his surroundings. He was lying on something hard which definitely did not feel like his soft, warm bed. It smelt of floor polish, stale tobacco smoke and beer. A quiet humming sound came to his ears, accompanied by a rhythmic ‘
woosh’.
He tentatively opened his eyes and saw a large fan slowly turning above him.

Footsteps were approaching and he turned his head in the direction of them. A little later the door opened and Cherry entered the room. Her eyes widened when she saw him and then a somewhat shy smile appeared on her full lips. Merlon looked at her face and responded with a smile.

“You’re awake?” she said, visibly pleased. “How are you feeling?”

She closed the door behind her and went closer.

“My head is going to explode at any moment and I feel dehydrated, but otherwise I’m fine. I’m alive – thanks to you.”

Cherry reached out for a glass of water on a coffee table.

“Can you sit up?”

He nodded, groaning quietly as he did so. He was in disbelief himself at how weak he felt. A slight faintness made him stop and he closed his eyes. He heard her put the glass down and then he felt her hands supporting his upper body until the faintness had passed.

“OK?”

“Mmm.”

He slowly opened his eyes again. This time he was not dizzy and he took the glass that she handed him.

“Thank you.”

He drank the water in small sips and as he gave the glass back to her their fingers touched. It was like an electric shock. One look in her eyes told him that she had felt it, too. She turned away quickly but he grasped her wrist.

“Don’t go,” he begged.

She turned round but avoided looking him in the eye. She had clamped her lower lip between her teeth and the pulse in her neck was beating quickly and irregularly. She was clearly overwhelmed by the situation. He could see the fear in her beautiful eyes. So as not to unsettle her still more he fought off the irresistible desire to pull her to him and instead he let go of her. Nothing had ever been so difficult for him.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to get to know you.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. He could hear a hint of panic in her voice.

“Not all men are like Justin,” he began and looked at her, begging for trust.

“I … I know,” she breathed, avoiding his eyes. “It’s just …”

“I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to. I just want to be near you and show you that I’m different. Give me a chance,” he begged.

He could see her battling with herself. She finally raised her eyes and looked at him with wide eyes. He again cursed the man who had stopped her trusting any other man. Prison was still too good for that man.

“OK,” she said and tried to smile. “Would you like something to eat? I can make you something light.”

“I think I could manage something. But please nothing
light
.
I need protein.”

“Steak?”

“Sounds good. Does
two steaks
sound cheeky?” he asked with a grin.

She smiled and it warmed his heart. He hoped to see her smile a lot in the future. She was so beautiful. He never wanted to let her go again. He could not imagine spending one more day without her.

“No! That’s not cheeky! I’ll bring you the best steaks that you’ve ever eaten.”

“I’m certain of that,” said Merlon and winked.

She blushed and, to his disappointment, turned away. He had to be more careful. He must not rush to be so flirtatious. As patience was not one of his strengths he was in for a hard test. But Cherry was worth it. For her he could do anything. Even be patient.

Cherry stepped out of the shower and reached out for a towel. She had hardly spent any time in her house since she had found Merlon injured in the side street, and she only went to shower, as now, and to put on fresh clothes. There was actually a shower at the club, too, but it was old and the boiler was broken. Cold showering was not her thing. And somehow the idea of showering at the club made her nervous whilst Merlon was still there. She wanted to avoid anything happening between them at all costs. She knew that it would not be without complications.

She looked a little forlornly around the bathroom. Her plants were nearly all dried out and only the palm in the bathroom seemed to be living still. Sighing, Cherry looked at it, snipped off a dry leaf and threw it into the overflowing bin. She really should tidy up a little before returning to the B57.

The thought of staying in the house longer than absolutely necessary, however, was not a pleasant one. She was actually quite glad that, because of Merlon’s injuries, she had a reason to stay away from the house in which she practically had only bad memories. Even now, with Justin away, he seemed to be present in every room. These were all his things. There was very little here that she considered her own and she was even happy to go without these few possessions.

She went from the bathroom into the bedroom and opened the big wardrobe with the mirrored sliding doors. She was considering what she should put on and spotted her moss-green silk dress whose colour perfectly matched her eyes. It had a figure-hugging cut and lifted her breasts in a very flattering way. The skirt ended just above the knee and did not show much of her legs but emphasised her round bottom particularly well, and her waist looked daintier in this dress.

‘Why do you need this dress to nurse a man to health? It’s impractical and much too provocative!’
she called herself to order.

She sighed and carried on rummaging. The last thing she wanted to do was spur on the elf’s interest still more. During the last two days he had improved a lot and would soon no longer need her. Then she could finally get away from here. An affair with Merlon neither fitted in with her plans, nor would it do her any good. No! It was better for her to put on something less daring.

She grabbed her oldest jeans and a baggy jumper.

Merlon had explained some things to her that still made everything sound like a fairy tale to her. Alongside the human world there were lots of other worlds. Merlon’s world was Amarantus, the kingdom of the elves, where his father reigned as king. Volcan and Aerios were guardians and each had their own kingdom. In addition there were dwarves, nymphs and lots of other wonderful creatures. Exesor, who was probably holding Volcan’s chosen one captive, was one of the evil powers. The evil ones lived in the dark abyss of Abyssus. Cherry still had difficulty believing all this and computing it – even though she had been witness herself to all sorts of strange events since she had found Merlon in the side street.

Against her will her thoughts were still fixated on Merlon. She so longed to snuggle into his arms and find out how these damned sensual lips would feel on her mouth. But she could not give in to her feelings. At no cost could she endanger her plans. And the time was coming to put these plans into action.

When she entered the B57 she could hear gentle music. It was piano music – a melody, unknown to her, of such poignant beauty that it forced tears into her eyes. She put the paper bag full of groceries on the bar and locked the door. The piano was in an upper-floor room that was hardly used. Up to now no one but her had played the instrument. Out of boredom Merlon must have gone wandering around the building and come across the piano. She was glad that he was clearly well enough to go for a walk around the club. But that also meant that he did not need her any more.

Part of her regretted the approaching end of their togetherness. She had enjoyed the last few days more than she had realised. Merlon’s company had been more than pleasant. He was charming and humorous and he had not tried to touch her again. The perfect gentleman. Yet he still made her nervous, so another part of her was glad that he would soon disappear from her life.

As Cherry climbed the stairs her heart was pounding. The tragedy in the melody that Merlon was playing seemed to increase in intensity with every step she took and then suddenly became more aggressive. Goose bumps made her shudder and she felt uncomfortable. When she reached the top she stood there indecisively. She was not sure whether it was a good idea to go to Merlon now. She was emotionally too unsettled, and, judging by the melody that he was playing, he was too, perhaps. Then the playing suddenly stopped and Merlon clearly ran over the keys aggressively and closed the piano lid loudly. A chair scraped over the floor, then there was silence. Cherry held her breath in alarm and listened. There was not a sound. She considered walking away quietly but she was unable to move from the spot.

After a while, that seemed to her an eternity, she finally went along the corridor to the room where the piano was. Her heart pounding, she slowly grasped the door handle and pushed it down. Hesitating, she opened the door until she could see inside. Merlon was standing at the window, staring out. He did not move, although she was certain that he had heard her. He was an elf with supernatural powers, so he will certainly have had sharp hearing.

‘Damn it! Do something!’
she pleaded in the silence, without actually knowing whether she meant him or herself.

Seconds passed like minutes. Cherry did not have the courage to step into the room, but neither could she simply walk away again.