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After Relian and Kenhel seated her and Maggie, the two males took seats on either side of the king. Everyone appeared to wait for the king to talk. They didn’t have to wait long.
***
“I hope the setting meets your approval,” his father asked the women, apparently trying to set them at ease before turning to the crux of the matter, which was a good maneuver. Relian didn’t want to upset them further before knowing if they could handle additional stress. Besides, until the quavering in his stomach abated, he could take refuge in social pleasantries.
Cal looked up briefly. “Yes, Your Majesty, it does.”
Maggie met his father’s gaze. “Fabulous like everything else I’ve seen, and private, too.”
Frowning, Relian considered both humans. Maggie was more carefree and irreverent in manner. Somehow he didn’t think his father would ignore that trait.
He was right. Talion turned a thoughtful gaze to Maggie, making her squirm under his regard. His father’s lips twitched as though he fought back a smile. Relian stifled a groan. Hopefully, Maggie wouldn’t respond. She must keep her composure if she was to have any chance of handling the king.
But the woman’s blasé attitude developed cracks. Her pulse and respiration were too rapid, even for a human. Her pupils dilated, making the black disks overtake the brown-colored irises of her eyes. Maggie appeared to be young, about the same age as Cal. A loose chignon held back her light golden-brown hair, which probably would be shoulder-length if left free. A few inches taller than her friend, she also had slightly tanner skin. She was pretty enough, for a mortal.
Why was she here? As a social support to Cal? They didn’t know the exact truth behind Cal’s appearance, so how could they guess at her friend’s?
His gaze wanted to seek out the woman who sat adjacent to him, though his mind resisted that siren call. The binding certainly didn’t help matters, as it forced an almost compulsive need on the wearers to be near each other and magnified any emotions felt. It was obvious it didn’t affect Cal to the same degree. Whether this was due in part to her worry or her being human, he couldn’t say. All he knew was he wanted her in a way he’d not wanted another. This was beyond troubling and a liability he could ill afford. He’d always kept his relationships largely separate from his public life as a prince.
His kind, being so long-lived, didn’t hastily engage in pleasures of the flesh. Though their society encouraged sexual exploration, most didn’t engage in their more base instincts without some measure of restraint. They had long muzzled their inner beasts, and most of their ways were shaped by this. Pleasure was a fine wine to be savored, not engorged upon. The quantity didn’t matter as much as the quality, for they had untold years to partake of variety. Many elves his age could count their partners on one or two hands after leaving behind the wilder years of their youth. His last relationship with an eivai was many hundreds of years ago.
And now there was Cal. Relian steeled himself and froze his face into a neutral mask. He had to truly look at her some time. It might as well be now.
Cal’s countenance hit him like a punch in the stomach, and his mouth became dry. His hands tensed on the table as he crushed the urge to draw nearer. She looked beautiful. Her deep auburn hair caught the warmth of the sun’s dying rays. A clawed hairpiece pulled her hair atop her head and let the tresses tumble down to her neck. The strands curled gently, forming waves of their own volition. Her green eyes appeared startlingly bright in her pale face.
He inhaled a shaky breath and forced order on his mind—and libido. Her appearance didn’t really matter, for the veil had already chosen her. Even if she were unattractive, in truth there was little he could’ve done. An insidious voice crept in. Your body doesn’t care about the veil. It wants her, regardless. You want her, regardless.
Relian shifted his perusal to Maggie, trying to guide his mind down a cooler path. He grabbed at the first thought to present itself. Both women dressed in much the same manner, the material of their knee-length dresses gauzy and of some type of chiffon-like material. Cal wore ivory, while Maggie had on a vibrant yellow. Their ensembles held true to their respective personalities, in his mind, at least.
The silence stretched on too long. His manners had disappeared, along with his mind. “Do you require any refreshment? There are biscuits, honey cakes, tea, and wine. 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’d 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 conferred by them for nefarious purposes. We’ve no need of it. 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. 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 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 had 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.
