Affinity (Halfblood Club Book 2) Read online

  “For the next few weeks, we will reside with you. When you get your affairs in order, you will come with us and live at our residence. It will make the learning easier, if all of the proper tools and wards are in place.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, “Plus, we have a bigger bathtub.”

  “This is a joke, right? I am not moving in with you! I don’t even know you.” Esmy was appalled. And a little intrigued. This was definitely an interesting development.

  She paused and ran over the events of the previous day. “Why didn’t you tell me all of this yesterday?”

  This time Orlyn smiled. “We wanted to get laid.”

  Esmy looked at the incredibly handsome, earnest faces and began to giggle. Then she began to laugh. Then a full-throated howl broke from her mouth as she fell off her chair, laughing like a loon.

  Her new instructors looked at each other, bemused. This was not the reaction they had expected. They watched her roll from side to side, clutching her ribs. Finally, the paroxysm subsided.

  She lay back and gasped for breath, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes.

  “Okay, but you guys have to do the housework until I finish my two weeks’ notice at work.” Her voice was abruptly sober as she made her decree.

  Orlyn looked at Boral and they both smiled. “Agreed. But we get to pick out your dress for the High Council Winter Ball. What you were wearing last night was hideous.”

  “Making draperies, fussing with women’s clothing. Are you guys sure you’re not gay?” Her brow arched in inquiry and two stony faces looked at her.

  “Little joke, fellas, really, I know you’re not... I mean I am guessing based on my information... I mean...” Her voice trailed off as they continued to glare at her.

  Suddenly Boral swooped in and flipped her over his shoulder. He swatted her backside with one hand as he made his way up the stairs.

  “Orlyn, are you coming?”

  “Just a second, I am looking for the syrup,” was the last thing that Esmy heard before the giggles claimed her once again. Another swat on her butt as they reached the top of the stairs made her laugh even harder.

  “Found it!”

  As she gave in to her good humor and elfin lovers, she smiled to herself. It was worth a little sticky embarrassment with the syrup to enjoy the embraces of men who genuinely wanted to be with her and not some altered fantasy female.

  Chapter Eight

  She simply quit her job without explanation and they accepted her resignation with a good heart. Well, not really. But what were they going to do, drag her back to the office?

  Her clothing and furniture was put into storage while she wasn’t looking and Esmerelda found herself unceremoniously packed off to Realm without so much as a by-your-leave.

  “So, this is your place?” she asked her escorts as they opened the transportation doorway in a courtyard of a castle, “It looks a bit drafty, are you sure that it is properly insulated?”

  They looked offended and she giggled. “It is lovely, really. Can I go exploring?” She was almost bouncing with anticipation. It looked beautiful. Just what every fairy princess had ever imagined. Well, she was no princess, but it was still spectacular.

  Mind you, she looked like a princess. The boys had taken control over her wardrobe and she was dressed in a flowing gown of rippling blue. The shades of the gauzy material flowed from an ice blue to navy and back again as she walked. Today was Boral’s choice. Orlyn dressed her in fire.

  “You can explore as soon as we introduce you to the staff.” They tugged her forward and she followed them gladly. Her lessons had begun that first morning, after the syrup. They were thorough and direct when it came to instructing her in magic, and the fooling around was saved for a reward system.

  Esmy made it a point to study hard, and she could understand why they wanted to continue her education in Realm, from the screaming point alone, more privacy was required.

  Isowyn had been delighted that she had accepted them as consorts and even more thrilled that she was agreeing to them as tutors. Esmy had called her after lunch, and after she had gotten in touch with the members of the club.

  Hex was fine, hand-fasted to her ex-boss and enjoying every minute of it. Mr. Sterling was reeling with the acquisition of the most powerful magus of this generation, but he was making the best of it.

  George was playing with the dragon council’s Rikard. Every time he thought he had her, she slipped away. It was more than a game—she was making him work for the child that she carried. Her father had even gotten into the act and claimed her mother as mate at long last. Arabel was satisfied that Matthias had waited long enough and she herself had begun to think of more children now that her daughter was grown and mated.

  Jinx was a nervous wreck. Her mother’s family had finally appeared to take an interest in her life, now that she was on the map as the only living Archive in a thousand or more years. They were staging a set of werewolf games to find her a mate, and she had no idea where she was going to end up. Hookey calmed her with the promise of intervention if she found herself in an awkward situation. Jinx’s voice relaxed and Esmy could hear the smile of confidence slowly returning to her.

  With a promise to keep in touch at least once a week until they could have another margarita night, they hung up their respective cell phones and braced themselves for what was about to take over their lives. Magicians, wolves, warlocks and dragons, and not to mention fairies were now a part of their select group, they just didn’t know it yet.

  She carefully assessed every inch of the walkway to the door of the castle. Shrubs and flowers lined the walk, but they seemed a little recent.

  “Did you guys just plant these? They are gorgeous.” She tried to pull them back so that she could get a better look at the flowers, but they tugged her forward.

  “There will be plenty of time to look at the pretty flowers and the maze in the rear gardens. C’mon. We want you to meet the housekeeper and the rest of the staff, in case you need anything.”

  “Maze? Cool!” She trotted to keep up and had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as they opened the doors with a flourish. The staff they had mentioned was waiting.

  “Please be welcome, Miss Hawks. I am Washi, the housekeeper.” A spider goblin with six arms coming out of her torso bowed deeply. “This is Dacian, Treal, Vinson and Bendek. Treal will be your personal maid.”

  “Are you all goblins?” Treal seemed to be female, the rest were unidentifiable behind the fangs, snouts and warty skin. The number of limbs that they had varied as well.

  “Indeed, Miss. Of the Laban family. We have served the Masters for over six hundred years.”

  Six hundred? “How old are you guys?” She knew that they were older than two or three hundred years, but six?

  Orlyn answered, “Um, over six hundred?”

  “Didn’t you want to go exploring, Esmerelda?” Boral was quick with his own interjection.

  “Yes. Yes, I did.” She gave them a look that said that the discussion wasn’t over and hiked up her skirts to bolt up the staircase. She gave the banisters a longing look as she ran and promised herself a slide down them at the first opportunity.

  The halls seemed almost endless. Dozens of rooms opened off the main hallway, and she opened them all one by one. Most were guestrooms, one was a library, another an office of sorts. The master bedroom had the marks of both men, and two enormous beds.

  They really had been together for a very long time.

  She ducked back out of the bedroom with one last look at those enticing beds. Just seeing them made her crave a nice naked nap.

  She carefully examined the portraits in the halls, looking at the variety of dress that the boys had been in while being painted. From the Middle Ages with them depicted in a tapestry, to a modern portrayal of them both back to back.

  Their bond had obviously survived the centuries and it made her shiver a little to think that it would last long after she was dust. It just wasn’t
fair.

  A little depressed, she made her way down the staircase and sought out the entrance to the rear garden. She stroked the dewy petals of the roses that bloomed as she passed, lost in thought.

  What did her future hold? How long would she be trained by Boral and Orlyn? What would she do with her Affinity after they had tired of her? Was her life to be one meaningless encounter after another, searching for a man for whom she would not change? What about children? As a mule between species, was it even possible for her to get pregnant? And what if her encounters with her tutors bore fruit, would they want the child or send her away to raise it on her own?

  Her heart was heavy as she paced along and when she took a look at her surroundings she was deep in the maze.

  “Fantastic.” Talking to herself was probably not a good sign. Looking back the way she had come, she desperately searched for some sign of her passage. Nothing. Not one trace of footprints or broken leaves. She was stuck. Unless she solved the maze.

  “Not bloody likely.” Wait. She had kept her left hand trailing across the flowers and hedges. She just might be able to trace her path if she turned one hundred and eighty degrees and used her right hand to find her way out. If her memory was correct and she had kept her hand on the wall the whole time. Otherwise, she was just going to get more and more lost as she progressed.

  With her hand shaking slightly, she turned and stroked the green wall of the hedge. The guys would come for her, but in how long? They were so happy to be home that it may be hours before they came looking for her.

  She kept her hand firmly in contact with the greenery and walked at a slow and determined pace. Esmy didn’t know how long she had been out already, but it felt like hours.

  She came to several conclusions on her long hike. One was that no matter what happened to her in the future, she didn’t regret meeting Boral and Orlyn. The second was that by gaining control of her talents she had begun to feel a comfort within her own skin that she had never felt before. For the first time in her life, she was around strangers who simply accepted her for what she was. A half-breed elf. And a woman. Nothing else mattered to them. As she continued her mulling over her newly serene status she stumbled out of the maze in surprise.

  While she walked pensively back to the house, she realized that she had left her fears and panic in the maze. She had now to worry about, and that was plenty.

  Chapter Nine

  The goblins were huddled in a corner of the entrance chamber, and as she wandered in through the rear entrance they stilled and looked at her with relief on their homely faces. “Miss Hawks! We are so glad to see you. The masters had begun asking for you, and we didn’t know where you had gone.”

  She curtsied gracefully, a skill that her tutors had made her practice. “I apologize for the confusion. In the future I will try and let Treal know where I am wandering to.” The goblins looked astonished at the courtesy paid to them, and flushed an unbecoming indigo.

  “That would be most welcome, Miss. Now, dinner will be served in an hour, and you need to clean up before the guests arrive.”

  “Guests? What guests are those?” She allowed her maid to hustle her up the stairs and waited for the gossip to flow.

  “Well, Miss,” Treal’s husky voice drew quiet as they passed one of the other goblins who was running up and down the halls with pitchers and linens. “The Masters decided that you needed more exposure to others to test your growing control over your talent. They also invited your father and grandmother, I believe.”

  She straightened from her conspiratorial pose. “Here are your chambers, Miss. There is a full wardrobe on the other side of the room, a bathing chamber off through that door over there, and a dressing table with a fresh selection of cosmetics. The bed will be turned down promptly at ten whether you sleep in it or not.” With a smile and a wink out of one muddy green eye, Treal let her know that the staff was aware of her involvement with the masters and that no one cared.

  “The masters have requested that you wear the gown on your bed this evening, they wish you to be at the height of confidence when meeting the guests.”

  The gown would certainly do that. It was one of the revealing/concealing outfits that Isowyn was always trying to get her to wear. She sighed and held it up—it really was beautiful, a dark rainbow of colors in an almost toga style. She smiled and laid it back on the bed. Shower first.

  Treal was in the bathroom and Esmy was unsurprised to see that a bath had been drawn for her. She was taken aback when the maid started to tug at her clothing. “What are you doing?”

  “I am taking on my duties as your maid, Miss.”

  “I am accustomed to taking care of myself, Treal.”

  The goblin’s hands loosened her clothing in a matter of seconds and her dress slid to the floor. “Not anymore, Miss. In this house, the masters have given us orders to wait on you so that you may concentrate on your studies, and that is what we will do.”

  She gave up and let Treal strip her completely, then stepped into the bath. “Have they trained many people before me?”

  “No, Miss, as far as I am aware, you are the first that has ever been taken into their home.”

  The goblin scrubbed at her skin in a no-nonsense fashion, soaping and rinsing her with brisk efficiency. It was short minutes later that she was hauled out of the tub and toweled dry. It was the fastest and most thorough bath she had ever had. Her skin was glowing pink with the scrubbing and she had to ask, “What’s the hurry?”

  “I still have to dress your hair, Miss, and that will take some time. You need to be ready in half an hour—we don’t have any time to waste.” Shooing her charge in front of her, Treal bullied and poked her onto the stool in front of the mirror, and soon she was having a brush dragged through her hair with determined force.

  The midnight blue strands separated and behaved immediately, falling to her hips obediently. After they were dried in more towels, her tresses began to undergo their transformation.

  Treal’s clever fingers wove braids in the thick mass and Esmy held completely still as her head was transformed into a marvel of engineering.

  From a box on the dressing table the goblin took a variety of gemstones and pinned them into the master work she had created.

  “There. Now stand and we will get the gown on.”

  Esmy was beginning to sense that Treal was less of a maid and more of a handler. She obediently stood and let her drop the gown over her head. It snagged briefly on her coiffure and she kept herself still as the gown was settled over her. A few short tugs and the stroke of a hand settled it completely into place.

  “Back to the mirror, please.” Treal hustled her back into place and quickly and efficiently applied makeup to her hapless victim. Finally she stood back and let her prey stand and look at herself in the mirror.

  “Holy crap!” Looking at her in the mirror was a nobly born elven woman of startling beauty and impeccable fashion. The masters of the house were right, she had never felt more powerful or confident. She was fantastic.

  A knock at her door told her that Treal had been right to rush her. “Esmy. It’s time—the guests will be here in a moment. Are you ready?”

  She crossed over to the door and was almost spun around when Treal shoved her out of the way to open the door for her.

  Boral and Orlyn were as astonished at her appearance as she had been. “Light and lady... you look wonderful.” Boral took her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles. She shivered lightly and the waves kept going as Orlyn took her other hand and laid a moist kiss on her palm. “You look as you always should look. As a woman of your beauty and grace should always be seen.”

  She was a little dazed. The looks in their eyes had her skin flushing and a small ember began to flare to life in her abdomen. Oh. This was going to be way too long a dinner party.

  They took positions to either side of her and offered her their arms. Linked through her, they progressed down the grand staircase just in time to greet
the first of their guests.

  Chapter Ten

  Mitski was an elf of dryad extraction—her rich mahogany skin was framed by her wealth of emerald hair. She greeted both of her hosts warmly and then turned to her, “So, you are the new creature that has come into the council’s light? You are far more beautiful than Wyx had described you.” Mitski took both her hands and kissed her on the lips, her breath was warm and scented with honey. It was intoxicating to Esmy’s senses.

  She leaned into the kiss and it was only the sense of her magic answering Mitski’s query that caused her to draw back and firm up control of her form.

  “Pleased to meet you. But I rarely answer to creature now, my name is Esmerelda Hawks.” She politely drew her hands from those of the elf and gracefully retreated.

  Mitski looked both disappointed and pleased at the same time, but she stepped back to let the second arrival take his place in the greeting line.

  Venril as well was an exceptionally attractive elf, his entire countenance kissed by the sun. Warm and glowing, his golden eyes were lighter than his golden skin, but darker than his metallic hair. He took her into a less than formal embrace as well, her body responding more naturally to being in masculine arms, but again as she felt the tug on her senses, she broke the contact and withdrew.

  This followed with the other guests that were attending, some members of the elven council, a Warder named Eylonwy who’s very nature gave rise to the hint of great age. She wore a ring on her finger in giant fashion, the center finger with a large flat gem. Esmy made a note to ask her about it during dinner.