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Chapter 35
Cal glanced around the lovely room. So this was where they’d do the deed and consummate their bonding. That thought sent anticipation and no little amount of nervousness skittering through her. She didn’t know why she was so anxious. Everyone knew what had to happen.
They’d made their getaway amid many knowing glances. Maggie and a few others, most notably Kenhel, told them to have fun. Everyone around them snickered. Cal had been relieved to get away, but now that she and Relian were alone, she wasn’t so sure.
Her handmaidens had decorated the bower-like retreat in which they now stood. It was a private gazebo-type room in a secluded area. The lantern-lit trees surrounded the structure and had guided their way in the lengthening darkness.
The bed, a wooden masterpiece of silk and brocade, dominated the small room. Relian went to a side table and poured water from the pitcher into a crystal glass. “Would you care for some water, my love?”
She shook her head no, even while her mouth settled into a parched state that had everything to do with the endearment that slid so easily from his tongue. He lifted the glass to his lips. As he drank, the strong column of his throat flexed. Upon second thought... “Yes, please, I’ll take some water.”
His lips quirked, and he strode over to where she stood by the doorway entrance. His hand brushed against hers as he handed her the half-full glass. A shock of energy shot from her fingers down to the soles of her feet. How much of this was the bond wanting consummation and how much was...her? She gulped the water, wanting to quench a thirst water alone couldn’t touch.
Her gaze tracked Relian as he strode toward a high-backed chair. He discarded his robe, leaving his tunic and trousers on before removing his boots. Glancing up from the endeavor, he cocked his head to the side. “Cal, you can step away from the door. I’m not going to fall on you like a raving animal.”
That was the problem. She kind of hoped he would. Still, she stepped away from the door, knowing she looked foolish loitering there.
She took a few preliminary steps farther into the room. Relian stayed where he was, still undoing the laces of his boots. He looked up and flashed her a beckoning smile. “Come here, Cal.”
Uh.... “No, I think not.” She didn’t know if she was ready for all of this. Not just the sex, but being his and Eria’s princess. Suddenly, his presence overpowered the small space.
He held out a hand, which she ignored. “You must come to me of your own free will. I cannot force you or even meet you halfway. You must do this for yourself.”
She shivered at his words. “Don’t you mean ‘by’ myself, not ‘for’ myself.”
“Nay. You have to do it for yourself. By yourself is not enough.”
She scoffed. She was nervous enough without this. Word games amused the elves to no end, especially this one in particular. “You speak in riddles, which you all seem so fond of. Why can’t black be black instead of every possible color under the sky?”
He stared at her. “I thought humans were able to lurk in murky areas that aren’t carefully delineated.”
“We can. But what does this have to do with what we’re discussing?”
“Riddles are often clothed in varied shades that are hard to untangle, would you not agree?”
“Yes, I guess so.” She didn’t know where this was going.
“Personal knowledge and experience color all we see and do, who we are. Riddles are much the same, making us see deeper if we only look.”
“So I must ‘look deeper’ to figure out what this means to me? Is that what you’re saying?”
He raised a brow. “I don’t know, am I?”
She shot him a peeved glare.
He gave a short laugh and held up his hands in surrender. “Yes, that’s what I am ‘trying to get at,’ as you would say.”
“Why didn’t you just say so?”
“Now what fun would that be?”
Aiming a scowl at him, she crossed her arms over her chest. He was infuriating. Heaven help her, she found it enticing, not that she’d let him know.
She stomped over to him as much as she could, given she was in slippers. “There. Happy?”
“Supremely.” He stood up from the chair and gestured toward it. “Here, my lady, please have a seat, and I’ll see to your slippers.”
He was going to play at ladies’ maid, was he? Just how far would he go? She sat down and waited to see his next move. He removed her slippers, setting them next to his boots. Though she’d never thought her feet particularly small, his boots dwarfed her slippers.
