The Witch's Dream - A Love Letter to Paranormal Romance (Black Swan 2) (8 page)

He smirked, which was okay with Elora. She was thinking any emotion at all was an improvement. "And what would you be knowin' about it?"

With complete solemnity she looked into his face. It was time to find out if he could read her or if she was imagining things. "More than you might expect."

He pulled back, stared at her for a couple of heartbeats, then turned and strode away like a man late for an appointment. Fortunately Tepring was busy elsewhere and didn't notice.

Left alone, Elora's attention riveted to Storm, who was across the vast ballroom space, clearly out of place with waltzing, and having no fun. At all. His discomfort was a sharp contrast to Kay and his sisters who had taken ballroom dancing classes as juveniles so that they would be prepared for the demands of social registry functions.

When the music stopped, Tepring drifted toward the entrance thanking the extra young men for coming. Saying goodnight to their employer, the musicians left everything in place because they would be back in two days and because they did not fear theft. Elora caught Storm's eye and motioned for him to stay behind. He looked like he'd rather take a beating.

When Kay reached the door with his brace of female flurry, he turned back. Elora said to go ahead, that she and Storm would be just a minute.

Storm stood with his hands in his back pockets and sighed deeply.

"How are you?"

"Okay. I heard you're expecting."

"Yes. Expecting." She smiled. "It was quite unexpected."

Storm looked at something behind her off to the side and blinked, but made no reply, didn't even change his expression.

Okay. So no jokes.
"I hate this, Storm. This... being uneasy around each other. Everything about it is
so
wrong. It feels... so wrong." She thought she saw a shadow of emotion flicker over his features, but again, he didn't respond. It seemed he didn't have any intention of making this easier. Finally, she shook her head and continued. "You owe me an invoice."

He squinted and shook his head like he had no idea what she meant. "What?"

"You told me you would keep a running tab of my expenditures so I could pay you back when I started earning money."

Storm looked around the ballroom. "Yeah. I guess money's not going to be a challenge from here on out."

"You're trying to goad me. I don't mean Ram's family money and you know it. Farnsworth assures me that I have enough to cover my debt to you. Just let me know what it is."

"Okay." He looked around as if to say, "We done here?"

"I noticed you could use some help with the waltz. Everyone's gone. It's just us here. Let me show you."

He looked her full in the face for the first time. "What are you doing, Elora?"

"Letting you know in no uncertain terms that you're still part of my life. You're my best friend and I'm not letting you get away without a fight."

She moved toward him and insisted he assume classic dance pose. He was reluctant, but complied. She started at the beginning, going over the steps. By the time they had practiced to the point where he could do it without thinking, he had relaxed and was looking a little more like himself.

She stepped back. "You're a quick study, as good at this as at everything else you try."

He smiled a little at the compliment.

"Every woman is going to want to dance with you tomorrow night, Storm."

"Why wouldn't they?" he asked with mock arrogance. "I know how to waltz."

She laughed and they walked out together.

A couple of hours before dawn Elora felt the bed move. Half asleep, she reached for Ram. "Where've you been?"

He opened his arms so that she could snuggle into his side and warm him. He nuzzled her ear and kissed her temple. "'Tis a surprise. Show you tomorrow."

She wiggled in closer. He was wearing drawstring sweat pants and nothing else. "Missed you."

"And I you. What else did I miss?"

"I danced with the king."

Ram caused Elora and the entire bed to shake as he laughed silently.

"And 'twas a roarin' good time I suppose?"

"Well, he is a little stiff."

"You had better be meanin' that in the sense of bein' dead and no' in the sense of bein' excited. Make that aroused. He probably does no' get excited even when he comes."

"You're very funny for an elf who's been up all night". She snuggled closer, wiggling until she was satisfied that she was as close to Ram as possible without intercourse being involved. "And with Storm."

"I have no' been with Storm."

"No. I also danced with Storm, practiced the waltz. Everybody else knew how." Ram was silent. "He seems a little broken and it's hard to watch. He doesn't have his usual..."

"Swagger?"

"Um, I was thinking confidence. You think he's going to be okay?"

"Give it time. He'll find the one who's meant for him. 'Tis no' you though. You know that."

She raised herself up so that she leaned on one elbow. There was enough moonlight coming through the tall window to see her hunky elf's outline on the white sheet next to her. It would be a full moon in two days and Elora secretly thought a handfasting on the occasion of a full moon was most auspicious.

"Of course I know that," she said with just the right measure of indignation. "It would serve you right if I said I wasn't sure and was rethinking things." She then set upon his ticklish spot with a vengeance and without pity for the fact that he'd been up all night and was running on empty.

When Ram woke the next morning, Elora had already taken a long bubble bath, washed, and dried her hair, and put on a sleeveless, pink, linen dress that made him think about licking strawberry ice cream.

"How late have I slept?"
She turned toward the bed. "Late. I'm going to grab a muffin, but I'll come right back. I'll get a couple extra and bring you a coffee."

She opened the door to leave the suite, but the knob jerked out of her hand as the door shut quickly in her face. She turned around to welcome an elf fresh from the bed, pressing his still warm and relaxed body into hers. She opened her mouth to ask how he had moved that fast, but the question was drowned by a kiss that stole her breath and made her forget all about breakfast.

When he pulled back, she moaned deep in her throat.

"Hmmm. The second sweetest sound in the universe." He was staring at her mouth.

"What's first?" she asked with a lazy smile.

He raised his gaze to her eyes and laughed. "The way you scream when you come, o' course."

"I scream?" She looked guileless as a summer's day. "I don't remember."

"You do no'?" His eyes traveled slowly to her mouth as he began pulling the zipper down the back of her dress. "I can help you with that."

"Stop! Ram!" She laughed softly as she pushed him back carefully, remembering to be gentle. Since becoming dedicated lovers, they had suffered a couple of mishaps when she'd been excited and forgotten how strong she was. "Quick muffins and coffee. Then zippers and slow fornication. Okay?"

Ram tilted his head back. Half shuttered eyelids couldn't hide his amusement. "'Tis no' fornicatin' if we're mates."

"It is if we're not married. Or handfasted. We still have a day and a half to fornicate."

He pressed his face into her neck and talked into her skin. "Then hurry up with breakin' your fast so we can fuckin' fornicate our asses off."

She left gigglin, with him thinking that was another sound he loved hearing.

When Elora returned, it was not with a large coffee in a to-go cup fixed the way Ram liked it. His mother had sent two servants carrying trays: one with a complete silver coffee
and
tea service, the other with covered plates of soft Irish bacon, scrambled eggs, and halved tomatoes fried with black breakfast pudding and mushrooms in sausage fat.

Elora poked her head in to see if he was decent. He heard the door and stepped out of the bathroom with wet hair, wearing a thick white terry, bath sheet tied around his waist and using a smaller towel to dry his upper body.

With raised eyebrows and a look that spoke volumes Elora said: "
We
have arrived with full Irish breakfast."

Ram was mildly amused. Elora felt a familiar stir of interest, watching his pecs move as he towel-dried his hair. "Let me guess. My mother," was all he said.

Elora nodded in confirmation and held the door open for the troops. They put the trays down on the large desk. "Sorry. I don't have any Irish money for a tip." The young men just stared at her. "It was a joke?" she offered.

"Aye, mistress." They gave her the same nod she'd received from Aelsblood after their dance, and left.

Ram chuckled and went back into the bathroom to comb his hair.

Elora followed and stood behind him. "So what about the disappearing act?"

He looked at her through the mirror then turned around. "I was thinkin' about our handfastin' cord."

"Uh huh?"

"Come see."

He walked over to the dressing table and retrieved a bunch of greenery tied with a red ribbon. He held it out to her like a bouquet.

"'Tis holly. It grows by the door of the, uh, our huntin' cottage."

Elora looked at the greenery, accepted it into her hands, and was instantly overcome with emotion. Her eyes filled with tears, her nipples beaded, and fine goose bumps formed all over her body.

"Ram," she said so softly. "You went all that way in the middle of the night? Through the woods in the darkness? Just to bring something from our time there?"

The tears were running down her cheeks and onto her pretty pink linen dress. Ram took a step forward and, in a gesture that had become all too familiar, cupped her face, and pushed the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. He kissed her lips with all the tenderness of an elf who was doubly blessed to be both mated
and
in love.

"I've never heard of anything more romantic." She looked into his eyes. "I'm the luckiest person alive."

"Oh, 'tis no' so, my girl. That would be myself."

After breakfast, the guests spent the morning in comic pandemonium sorting out who would wear what costume and having them fitted. The women were thrilled. The men were disgruntled about tights and codpieces. Except for Baka who was already two hundred years old when the style came in vogue.

At the end of a lunch break, they dispersed for personal pursuits. In mid afternoon Kay was making his way toward the library bar to see if somebody might be up for a game of cards when he heard Dandie, his sister the firebrand, shouting. He rounded the corner just in time to hear her finishing up a tirade. "Get the hell away from me or my brother is gonna kick your ass."

"Whose ass am I kicking now?" Kay asked calmly as he entered the room to find her staring at Baka with hands on hips.

She motioned toward Baka. "This
player
thinks he's got a shot at sleeping his way through the Norns. Just last night he was in somebody
else's
bed and now he's putting moves on me." Smirking at Baka, she said, "Credits for stamina - maybe. Debits for sleaze."

Kay looked at Baka who shrugged and smiled innocently as he walked behind the bar. "I'm making up for lost time." Turning toward Dandie, he said, "Yesterday's lady and I had an understanding."

"No doubt." Kay leveled a meaningful look at Baka. "You need to find something else to occupy your time."

"That's it?" Dandie was incensed. "You're letting him off with a warning?" She shook her head at Kay reprovingly. "Wow. That government job has made you soft, Bubba."

In the middle of pouring a whiskey, Baka stopped at that to bark out a laugh. He turned to Dandie and appeared to agree with her. "That's exactly what
I've
been saying! Kay, you and those other people you work with are simply too soft." He shook his head as he poured Scotch over ice. "God in heaven, you people are fun." He held the bottle up toward Kay in a gesture that asked, "How about you?"

Kay ignored him and looked at his sister. "Dan, that vampire and I have been through a lot together."

She looked blank. After a few blinks she drew her brows together. "Vampire?"

Kay paled a little when he realized he'd slipped. He looked at Baka, who grinned brightly and raised his glass as if to say, "Cheers," before bringing it to his perfectly chiseled lips.

Kay stared at Baka for a moment before finally deciding what to say. "It's an inside joke."

Dandie turned to Baka as if to get confirmation. He waved the glass in his hand toward Kay. "Indeed. Nothing quite says
funny
like vampire."

Dandie considered that for a moment, stepped closer to Baka and said: "Come near me again and I'll kick your ass myself."

In response Baka gave her his best sardonic smile and rubbed a forefinger in his ear. "I'm sorry. Did you say kick or lick?"

Dandie's eyes grew impossibly wide and her face reddened, making it look like she might spontaneously combust.