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His arm slipped around my ribs, supporting me, while his other hand caressed my jaw, drawing my chin up as he kissed me. My whole body tingled as the magic caught hold, and then the warmth settled into my bones as though I glowed from within. It was a strange sensation that detracted from the pleasure of being in Emrys’ arms.
He didn’t linger, perhaps because we both were very aware of our audience and the importance of the gesture. But as he drew back, he did pause for a moment to run his thumb across my bottom lip and whisper, “Later.”
“About time,” Merlon muttered in a growly voice.
“We can speak!” Durvin’s voice sounded much more cultured and modulated than the healer’s.
A shadow elf appeared behind the armed elf and cleared his throat. “The princesses appear to have returned to their homes. We are verifying their safe return now.” He bowed to me. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“But I am not queen yet, or am I?”
He didn’t reply before disappearing into a shadow.
I turned to look up at Emrys, but he had moved a few steps away. His voice murmured low and commanding as he spoke to an unfamiliar elf. Even as I watched, the room grew very crowded with unfamiliar elves. All of them were taller than me and standing so close.
I clasped my hands together before me and tried to count in my head. My breathing refused to comply as my heart rate ratcheted up. The rhythm of the pounding grew just chaotic enough that I feared I would lose consciousness. The edges of my vision darkened.
“Kate?” Emrys’ hand settled on my shoulder. “Give space!” he bellowed. I was only dimly aware of movement around me. “Breathe slowly,” he whispered in my ear as his magic permeated my chest.
“Trying,” I gasped.
“Merlon!”
“Here,” the rough-voiced healer replied. “Do I have your permission, Your Majesty?”
“Yes! Yes!” came Emrys’ agitated voice.
“No, I mean hers. Last time—” the healer explained.
“Yes,” I managed in barely a whisper.
Merlon stopped speaking and laid a hand on my back. The sensation of his magic differed greatly from Emrys’. Although there was the now-familiar tingle that came with every bit of magic I encountered, Merlon’s was much more impersonal and efficient.
My heart rate swiftly settled into a comfortable pace, easing the pain in my chest. With surprising speed, my vision cleared, and the panic subsided. The overwhelming weakness and lightheadedness dissipated far faster than any of the elixirs had managed. Before I had processed it all, the healer was retreating.
“She should be well now. Though, I recommend rest. She needs sleep. There is only so much one can do.”
“Understood.” Emrys lifted me into his arms. “Excuse us,” he said loudly enough for everyone in the whole room to hear, and then he strode deeper into the building.
I opened my mouth to protest, but Emrys’ warning glance made me snap my mouth shut.
In quick succession, we passed through a corridor, a receiving room, another simpler corridor, and then stepped through a shadow. Seconds later, Emrys came to a halt in the center of a medium-sized room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Through them I could just see the hints of dawn lightening the horizon to the east. Meanwhile, the southern windows overlooked a deep midnight-blue sky.
Emrys muttered a word, and the lamplight rose from dim to full brightness, bringing the rest of the environs into focus. He set me down gently but didn’t let go of my waist as I gaped in wonder at the room and its furnishings. Wood paneling graced the exterior walls, but it extended only halfway up before giving way to a whimsically painted mural of night foliage.
On the interior walls, bookcases of varying heights overflowed with books and an intriguing collection of knickknacks. Although it appeared there had been a system of organization to the original arrangement, only the slightest hints of it remained. The shelves were buried beneath the chaos of tomes, pamphlets, slim volumes, and thick bundles of loose-leaf pages.
Amid the worst of it was a bed. As beds went, it was huge. Heaped with blankets and pillows, all more or less keeping to a color scheme of deep green and maroon, the whole had a disheveled appearance far from the ordered luxury I had anticipated. It beckoned enticingly, reminding me how long it had been since I’d slept soundly.
“Where are we?” I asked once I had made a rotation in Emrys’ arms and again looked up into his dark features. I hadn’t truly studied him in the bright lights. There had been no time for gazing in the foyer, but now, standing in the center of a well-lit room, I found myself mesmerized by the handsome lines of his nose and high cheekbones. His jaw boasted a slight dusting of stubble, making me wonder yet again at how alike he was to a human, yet so different. My gaze fell on the peaked tip of one of his ears as he tilted his head quizzically.
“My—our room.” Wry humor lifted one corner of his mouth. “I hope you like it. If you don’t—”
“I do.” I glanced around once more before meeting his gaze again. “It fits you.”
“Messy?” His smile deepened.
“Comfortable.” I glanced at the shelves. “And perhaps messy.”
