Escaping Midnight (Stand Alone Tales Book 8) Read online

  She looked at him. “If I want it?”

  “It would be a new start, but you have time to decide if it is what you want.”

  She smiled. “How much time?”

  “As much as you need.”

  He kissed her, and she glanced in the reflection. Her eyes widened as she saw her and Ledock naked and locked together in the surface of the water.

  He paused and looked, smiling slightly. “About what I had guessed.”

  She looked at him and swallowed. “You guessed?”

  “Of course. I don’t have foresight.” He smiled and kissed her again.

  He leaned in, and she held his shoulders as she was eased to the ground.

  The moss was cool under her, but Ledock was warm. As he slowly woke her senses, she wrapped her arms around his neck and relaxed for the first time in years.

  She had food, clothing, and a protector. She could work out the details of her future later. Her present was a safe one.

  She stroked her fingers through the white flax of his hair and enjoyed the thoughtfully slow seduction. Evening would come soon enough, and there were going to be new challenges.

  It was a rushed courtship, but she thought she grasped the reason for it. Hell, her stepsisters had each been sold by their mother but then returned by their revolted spouses.

  When he helped her to her feet, she swayed, and his hands gripped her hips, holding her against him. He sighed. “I might not make it to the third night.”

  She frowned. “What is the third night?”

  He sighed. “It is tradition. It shows respect for your family, deceased or not.”

  He pressed his forehead to hers, and she felt the metal band. “This is the most danger I have been in, in recent memory.”

  “Danger?” She frowned.

  He chuckled. “I want to keep you, so I have to do this properly.”

  “Keep me?”

  “Permanently, not just to break my confinement. You will be mine, Adua, and no others will be able to make a claim on you.”

  Her previous contentment was smashed. “What do you mean, claim on me?”

  “If you can break my confinement, it means that you are a suitable carrier. That makes you the only one of your kind, and others will try and take you.”

  She swallowed at his somber expression. “What the actual hell?”

  “Don’t worry, Adua, I won’t let them take you. They will have to find another human to try and breed with.”

  Adua inhaled. “Right. But I am not precisely human, am I?”

  He paused. “No, you are not.”

  “So, what are the rules for one of your kind?”

  He frowned. “Well, proof of power, a dowry, and agreement. Those are the standard criteria.”

  She paled. “The dowry isn’t possible.”

  He nodded. “I am aware. We can work on the proof of power tonight after we dance.”

  Adua cocked her head. “We have to dance?”

  “As host, I must open the ball each night, and I don’t want any other woman in my arms.”

  She smiled and hugged him. “That was sweet.”

  He dragged in a deep breath. “One more night.”

  To make it easier for both of them, she called her horse. There was no sense in riding on his lap when he was making an effort to keep her clothing on.

  When her beast arrived, he nodded. “Good thinking.”

  She smiled and walked over to her horse. When he lifted her up and onto the saddle, he patted her thigh. When he was on his own mount, they headed back to the castle at a moderate pace.

  She pulled out the nutshells and frowned. She couldn’t tell them apart, so she smashed the one in her right hand, and the magic moved over her, transforming the clothing into a golden gown, her hair twisted up and around her head. When her eyes cleared, she was wearing gold, glass, and pearls. Her feet were once again encased in glass.

  Apparently, it was time to go to the ball. Again.

  Chapter Six

  Ledock looked back at her, and he stared. She shrugged and tucked the last shell between her breasts. She had to change sometime. She didn’t have a private space like he did.

  As they approached the castle, he held his horse back and leaned over for a quick kiss. “Remember, don’t start without me.”

  She nodded and smiled. “I won’t.”

  He looked her over, sighed, and his mount thundered off. Her own horse was slowly picking its way down the path, no hurry at all. Mind you, his clothing had a lot of layers. She might want to take a circuit around the castle.

  She chuckled at her fanciful turn of thought, and her steed walked up the walk five minutes after she and Ledock had parted ways.

  One of the guardsmen appeared to be startled out of some sort of state. “May I assist, Mistress?”

  She nodded and placed her hands on his shoulders as he took her by her waist and gently set her on her feet.

  Her smile was bright as she walked up the steps, her shoes clicking on the marble. The light was spilling out, and she was staring at a room full of faces, couples, and other groups already separated and talking softly as they waited for the king.

  She improvised and did a curtsy with her head held high. The human women looked vaguely irritated and clung to their partners. The elves looked like fresh meat had been dropped into their midst.

  The thudding of a staff on the floor got everyone’s attention. Adua looked toward the stairs. “His Royal Highness, King Ledock Ilthuan, master of the enchanted forest, keeper of the Midnight Castle. Betrothed of Elladualian.”

  She was glad she wasn’t moving, or she would have stumbled. Betrothed didn’t mean a lover, betrothed was something else entirely.

  He swept down the stairs in his black and gold. The room bowed as one, and she quickly followed suit. When his black and gold boots were in front of her, she waited, and then, she heard a snort. “Shall we dance, Adua?”

  She looked up at him through her lashes. “I don’t know. I hear you have gotten engaged.”

  He grinned and grabbed her, pulling her against him. “I have. Is she jealous?”

  “I will have to ask her. Her name sounds like a mouthful.”

  He held her flush against him, and the music started. He leaned down and whispered, “Shall we?”

  She nodded and lifted the edge of her skirt as he took her hand. They moved on the beat, and it was much easier than the first night. She smiled and looked around at the lights and the glittering clothing that the partiers were wearing. There was a weird kind of tension in their bodies as they watched the king dance.

  “Why are they staring?” She murmured it as quietly as she could.

  “My guess is that anyone of them would like to trade places with one of us.”

  She chuckled. “I can see why the ladies would want to swap places with me.”

  He grinned. “Yes, I can see that.”

  She snorted, and they moved easily around the dance floor. Her shoes slid along the polished stone under her feet, and it was her grip on Ledock that kept her upright.

  Adua wasn’t sure when the signal was sent out, but other couples joined them after a few minutes, and they did a few more turns around the dance floor before Ledock guided her to the edge of the dancers and out into the night.

  She chuckled and was going to speak when her stomach growled. She pressed a hand over her abdomen and blushed. “Sorry.”

  “You are entitled to be hungry. Come on, we will get something for you to eat.”

  She paused. “I can just eat in the gardens. It won’t have been dosed, so I should be fine, right?”

  He gave her a strange look. “You can forage?”

  “Sure. The good plants are blue, the bad plants are black.”

  He nodded. “Can you demonstrate?”

  “Sure.” She stepped into the gardens and moved past the shrubs that divided the spaces, finding a small weed that was glowing green. “This one is edible.”

  She popped i
t in her mouth and munched.

  “What was your father’s occupation?” Ledock’s words were casual.

  “He started as a physician. That was why I became interested in herbs. He became a merchant for a few years, but he was never truly successful at that. His work with his patients had been his true calling.”

  She found another one and showed it to him before eating it.

  Adua looked at the plant that radiated dark energy. “That one is not good to eat.”

  He asked her softly, “What does it look like?”

  “I can see the green, the flowers, the stems, but there is a vein of dark purple energy running through it. It is a useful plant, but it isn’t suitable for raw consumption.”

  “So, you can see what you can eat?”

  She knelt and picked a few more greens. “I can see what I need. If I need berries, I can find berries; if I need food, I find food. If I was looking for an aphrodisiac, I would find it.”

  “Why did you not see it in the food?”

  As she moved, he followed her.

  Adua swallowed. “It isn’t alive anymore. I can only see this in the living plants. I can also see it in people, but it makes me a bit dizzy, so I rarely bother.” She sighed. “It is usually disappointing.”

  “What do you see when you look at me?”

  She slowly turned around. “You want me to look at you?”

  “Yes. I would like to know what you see.”

  Adua walked to him and pressed her hand to his chest. “I see sunlight, moonlight, and a bolt of fire. I have since the first time I saw you.”

  He swallowed. “You have?”

  She patted his chest. “I have. And I ran like hell every time you got close. You are far too pretty.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “It is my lot in life.”

  She laughed, and when he tried to kiss her, she put her hand between them. His brows rose in surprise.

  He mumbled against her hand, “Any particular reason for your hand?”

  She blushed. “I taste like plants.”

  He smiled. “I know. I watched you. The last thing you had was mint. That is not an appalling thing.”

  She was getting ready to move her hand when he sucked one of her fingers into his mouth. The wet heat surrounded her, and he swirled his tongue around her central digit.

  Her knees buckled, and he held her tight. He released her finger with a soft pop then kissed her with increasing heat as she slumped against him.

  When he lifted his head, she whispered, “Not fair.”

  He smiled. “I am trying very hard to make sure that it isn’t. I like today’s mask.”

  She pressed a hand to her cheek, and there was the gossamer lace against her skin. “Was this there last night?”

  “Until the magic was depleted and you were asleep in my arms. It was the colour of moonlight yesterday, though.”

  “So, just the humans wear masks?”

  He shrugged. “It allows them a certain amount of freedom that they would not otherwise claim.”

  She smiled slyly. “So, since I have this mask on, my identity is secret?”

  He stroked his hand up her naked back. He leaned in toward her and whispered in her ear. “Absolutely not. I know you, no matter what you wear or what magic you are wrapped in.”

  She relaxed against him and smiled. “Glad to know it.”

  He caressed her back.

  “How long are we going to avoid the party?”

  He grinned. “Midnight.”

  “Why midnight? So, the humans are asleep?”

  He chuckled and bent and swung her into his arms. “So, that it will be the third day, and I can make you mine.”

  Her stomach fluttered. “Ah. That.”

  “Yes. That. After that, I will know you, and you will know me.” He smiled. “And you won’t be so nervous.”

  She blushed. “I am pretty sure I will be nervous for a while.”

  She heard hoofbeats, and his horse cantered up. She smiled. “We are going to wear him out.”

  “He is enjoying it. He rarely gets out unless I am answering a contact with the barrier.”

  She blushed. “Oh. I hadn’t realized that you were that aware of it.”

  “It is like a tickle in my mind when you entered it, a light chime. When others arrive, it is a knock.” He set her on the saddle and then slid in behind her, lifting her across his thighs before they went for a ride through the night.

  He showed her willows glowing with tiny lights, streams that contained fish in rainbow colours. The owls that hunted at night all nodded in greeting as they passed.

  “Wow, you are very popular.” She chuckled.

  “Well, I am stuck here, so I have made friends.” He smiled down at her. “Do you want to see some of the berries that only ripen in the moonlight?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Are they safe to eat?”

  “You tell me.”

  They traveled for twenty minutes, and he nodded to the bushes where berries were glowing with a hot pink to her senses.

  She stared at them. “That is new.”

  He was amused and whispered in her ear, “What do you see?”

  “Hot pink? They are sort of pulsing.”

  He chuckled. “Those berries are what we use for events like tonight.”

  The colour pulsed as she watched, and she whispered, “Oh. Right.”

  She was pulled toward them; she wanted to taste them, but she curled her hands into fists and bit her lower lip.

  She was about to tell him that they could see something else, but her dress shimmered, and the gold was replaced with the robe and sash he had dressed her in earlier.

  He looked down at her and smiled. “It’s midnight.”

  She nodded and looked back at him, nodding. “It’s midnight.”

  He grinned, and his horse wheeled around, thundering toward the castle. Apparently, his self-control ended at midnight. Funnily enough, Adua had no objection.

  Chapter Seven

  Ledock didn’t let her feet hit the ground. He dismounted with her in his arms, and his pace through the private wing was eager enough to make her slightly nervous. She was aware of the procedure, but she hadn’t gone through it herself.

  His doors locked behind them, and he stood her on her feet next to the bed. He kissed her gently and asked softly, “Are you willing?”

  She closed her eyes and thought of every touch and his hands on her when her shoes had broken. He wouldn’t hurt her.

  She looked up at him and nodded. “I am.”

  His smile was genuine, and he kissed her again, his hands framing her face as he brushed his lips against hers until she moved to intercept him. When she was fully participating, he deepened the kiss, and Adua went up on her toes to keep contact.

  His hands trailed down her neck, to her shoulders, and his fingers delved into her cleavage, pulling out the final orb. He set it down somewhere, and then, his hands went to the tie holding the sash in place. The panel of fabric loosened and slithered to the floor.

  She gasped at the change in temperature against her torso. He shrugged the formal robe from his shoulders and wrapped her in his arms. The moment that their bodies pressed together, she focused on the kiss and not her body’s reaction to the contact.

  Adua reached for the loop at the collar of her gauzy robe, and Ledock broke the kiss and looked down at her as he freed the small ties and left the robe open.

  She stared over his shoulder as he parted the robe, and her cheeks were on fire when he reached in to cup her breasts with his long-fingered hands.

  He made a low sound and knelt, taking her right nipple in his mouth and licking softly before moving to the left. Her knees buckled, and a surge of wet heat emerged at the top of her thighs. The licking turned to light sucking, and she threaded her fingers through his hair. Instincts warred with her inborn hesitancy, but instinct won. She moaned softly, and her fingers clenched.

  He released her breasts and looked up at
her, and she must have looked as dazed as she felt because he eased her robe off and set it aside. He stood and lifted her off her feet again, setting her on the bed.

  She smiled slightly and said, “I can walk around on my own.”

  “You are as light as down. You weigh nothing.”

  He straightened and removed his clothing in a flash of light. Handy skill.

  She held her breath as he moved over her, keeping his skin just an inch away from hers, but she could feel the heat radiating from him.

  He waited, his body so close that she was trembling. She lifted her hand to his side and slid another around his back, and it seemed to be what he was waiting for.

  Their kiss was wild, and when she was twisting in his arms, he slowly moved down her body. She shivered as he spent the next twenty minutes waking every inch of skin between her neck and hips. When he parted her legs and lay on his belly between them, she covered her face because the glint in his eyes as they made eye contact was too knowing.

  She bent her knees and helped him widen the space between her thighs, and he chuckled. She closed her eyes when she felt the touch of his tongue and gasped when his fingers slid into her, curved, and began to carefully rub inside her. Adua heard her voice get higher and breathy as her limbs trembled, and fire crawled through her veins.

  She let out a long, low cry when the fire blazed along every nerve, and she remained arched and pressed to his mouth until he slowly released her.

  Her hands were caught in the sheets, and he moved up her body slowly, unravelling her grip and pulling her hands up and over her head. He kissed her, and she tasted herself on his lips. She blushed, but he was butting against her sex. He undulated his hips and slid in an inch.

  She looked up and fell into his gaze. The brilliant blue let her get lost as he slowly, deliberately advanced into her until his chest was heaving with his effort to remain under control. It was comforting that he wasn’t just going through the motions.

  Adua slowly moved her legs and wrapped them around his thighs. He shuddered and withdrew nearly to the tip before sliding back into her.