Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover) (3 page)

Volcan changed this unpleasant subject.

“And how’s it going for you? We haven’t seen one another for a while. How long has it been now?”

“Seven months, my friend,” answered Merlon and put his head back, closing his eyes. “It’s pretty much the same as with you. There’s this girl.” Suddenly he was no longer laughing, as he thought about his own problems.

“Tell me!” demanded Volcan.

 “She’s a human woman. I saw her one evening in a club. She works there. Since then I can’t get her out of my head. She has completely bewitched me.”

“And what’s the problem?”

“She’s with someone – a nasty man. The club belongs to him. I think he beats her.”

“I understand!” said Volcan. “What’s bothering you is the law.”

The law decreed that neither guardians, nor elves, nor dwarves were allowed to use lethal force in the human world, unless it was absolutely necessary in self-defence. However, defending a human life did not count as self-defence. The only exception was the protection of a guardian’s mate.

Merlon nodded.

“And what’s more I have no idea how Cherry would react if I were to speak to her. Up to now I haven’t gone near her. I didn’t want to cause her any trouble. Her bloke is quite jealous and very impulsive.”

“Sounds like a complete asshole.”

“You can say that again,” snarled Merlon bitterly. “I’ll get Cherry out of there. I just need to work out how best to do it.”

“I didn’t realise that love could be so exhausting,” joked Volcan.

“Hmm. À propos exhausting – does your father know you’re here?”

“Are you out of your mind? Of course not! He’ll knock me to the ground if he finds out I’m here.”

“Perhaps you’d better disappear before your presence is noticed,” Merlon suggested to his friend.

Volcan sighed.

“Yes, unfortunately you’re right. I’ll make my way back. I hope you get your girl out of there. If you should need help …”

“Thanks. I’ll go for a swim now – a bit of swimming has often helped me to think things through.”

“You can think?” Volcan teased him.

“Shut up! Don’t forget that I was always better in school than you.”

“Because you copied off Heladios,” interjected Volcan derisively.

“If you’re clever, you know how to cheat your way through,” answered Merlon, shrugging his shoulders.

“I’d better get going then,” said Volcan, and he got up. “You’re coming to my wedding, aren’t you?”

“Of course! But first you’ve got to capture your wife,” said Merlon grinning. “I hope you don’t mess it up. You just don’t know how to handle women. Perhaps I should give you a helping hand?”

Volcan glared at Merlon angrily.

“Do I look like someone who can’t seduce a girl?” he growled crossly.

Merlon chuckled. It was amusing to see his friend, otherwise so self-confident, in such a state. It made him feel a little better about his own situation.

“The main thing is not to forget to change your form. Your hairstyle is somewhat unusual for the human world, and your ears …”

“Thank you for the advice,” said Volcan. “I’m not a stupid elf, you know.”

Merlon grinned at the insinuation. He had once had such an experience – he had totally shocked a woman when he had forgotten to take on his human form. Not only did the fact that he had pointed ears and bluish skin not have a particularly good effect on his conquest, but also, or especially, his unusual eyes. Volcan loved teasing Merlon with this old story.

“OK, we’ll see one another again at my wedding, at the latest. And if you can get hold of your girl by then, just bring her with you.”

“I’ll do that,” said Merlon grinning. “Let’s see who manages it first.”

W
ith great satisfaction
Merlon watched the officers taking the hand-cuffed Justin out of the house. This man would not be out of custody any time soon. That would give Merlon time to finally win Cherry for himself. He knew that she was afraid of her boyfriend, and with good reason. Merlon could not bear to think about everything that Cherry must have had to suffer for years. He had found out a few things about Justin and none of it had shown Cherry’s boyfriend in a good light. He was a man who loved violence, especially violence towards women. It made Merlon’s blood boil just imagining this pig laying a finger on Cherry. But now there was an end to that. He had given the police a tip as to where Justin and his accomplices had hidden a considerable amount of drugs and weapons, and that had led to the arrest of Cherry’s boyfriend. Now Merlon just had to come up with a good plan as to how he was going to win Cherry’s favour. He knew she was interested in him but she had already been hurt. Convincing her that they were meant for one another was going to be hard work.

Cherry had come out of the house behind Justin and the officers and Merlon’s heart was beating madly at the sight of her. She looked absolutely enchanting, dressed in a dark blue dress with a white floral pattern and a cream-coloured woollen cardigan. Her arms were folded and she looked paler than usual. Her red mane was dishevelled as if she had just got out of bed. Merlon was worried about her. He could not work out how she was feeling from her expression which showed no emotion. Was she relieved to finally be rid of Justin? Or was she perhaps concerned about this scoundrel? This very thought made him utter a quiet groan. He could not bear to consider that she may in fact feel something for this man. After all, she was with him. She could leave him. Or was she perhaps afraid to take such a step?

He would give her a little time and only attempt his first move the next day. She first needed to get used to her new situation - Justin no longer being there. After the police car had driven away Cherry turned and went back into the house. Just very briefly the expressionless mask fell from her face and he had seen, to his great joy, true relief.

Cherry closed the door behind her and leant against it, her heart pounding. He had gone! She could not believe it. The police had really taken him and they had said that he would remain under arrest until the trial. Would he be condemned? And if so, for how long? She had no real idea of what he had actually been accused of and how much proof there was. She had no idea whatsoever as to what punishment he could expect.  Of course she had always known that Justin did not have a clean slate and that he was involved in some dirty business, but he never talked to her about it. The club was, so-to-speak, the clean jacket that he wore over his soiled shirt. But she did know about the accounts and the club did not bring in enough money to pay for a Ferrari. Whatever he had done it looked as if he was now going to have to pay for it. This was a chance for her to get her life sorted.

What should she do now? What was going to happen with the club now? So many questions. Gradually her knees gave way and she sank to the floor. Cherry put her hands in front of her face and began to cry. She did not even know why she was crying because she was in fact relieved. She was free. She could calmly consider where she wanted to go and plan everything. The only dilemma was that she did not know where she wanted to go. At some point Justin would be released from prison and then nowhere would be safe for her. She knew him well and she was certain that he would try to find her. She needed to hide so well that he would never again be able to find her.

After a while she pulled herself together and went into the bathroom. A glance in the mirror told her that she looked as awful as she felt. She was pale and her eyes were red and swollen. Sighing, she turned away and started running a bath. She added some pine needle bubble bath and tested the water temperature. It was a bit hotter than she usually liked it to be, but today she needed a very hot bath to purify herself from the filth that had burdened her soul throughout the many years with Justin. She slowly undressed whilst waiting for the bath to fill.

Merlon was striding through the corridors of his huge palace, cursing the fact that within the palace walls he was not permitted to move from one place to another by teleportation. The long corridors seemed unending and he wondered, yet again, why the palace had to be so damned big. He preferred his little hunting lodge where he had spent far too little time recently. Sometimes he wished that he was not the successor to the throne so that he had more leisure time. He was not bothered about being the first born. Damn it! He was not even bothered about being a prince. He envied the simple people who led a carefree life. They just counted on their king to sort everything for them. He had to deal with politics and the state budget and who knows what else, instead of pursuing meaningful activities. Once he had succeeded to the throne it would be even worse and he was already fed up with it.

Merlon had a boring reception behind him and wanted to distract himself a little, in his planetarium, from his concern about Cherry. This evening he would have to participate in another reception but the next day he wanted, at last, to try to speak with Cherry. Just the thought of it put him in a state of high excitement. With her at his side even reigning would be bearable. He was certain that his people would love her once they got to know his mate. She was, of course, not an elf, but she had a golden heart and possessed a natural personality that only few humans had.

Finally he saw the folding door to his private planetarium, bedecked with planets and constellations. He hurried his steps and entered the big, dark room. Only a few crystal lamps stopped the room from being in complete darkness. He headed towards the large telescope and climbed the spiral staircase that lead up to the telescope.

Merlon was so engrossed in his study of the sky that he nearly cried out in fright when he heard a man’s voice.

 “Still searching for a shooting star, my friend?”

Merlon turned round and looked down at the two people standing at the foot of the spiral staircase.

“Volcan! Hey! I’ll come down. Wait!”

Merlon went down the steps and embraced his friend.

“I’m so pleased that you’ve visited,” he said, once he had pulled away from his friend and he looked with curiosity at the young woman with Volcan.

“Coreena. This is Merlon, the Prince of Amarantus. Merlon, this is Coreena.” Volcan introduced them to one another.

“I’m pleased to finally meet you after Volcan has enthused about you so much.”

Merlon held her lightly by the upper arms and kissed her on the right cheek, then on the left. His friend’s chosen one really was a beauty, even if Merlon did prefer his little redhead.

“I … I’m pleased, too,” responded Coreena. “You have a wonderful palace.”

“Thank you. If it were up to me, it could definitely be a bit smaller,” said Merlon, sighing. “I need half an eternity to get from my bedroom to the planetarium.”

“Can’t you teleport yourself?” asked Coreena.

“Not allowed. In the palace no magic or supernatural powers are permitted,” explained Volcan.

“Oh!”

”Let’s go into the morning room and have a little snack. I still haven’t eaten anything today.” Merlon suggested.

They sat in the room flooded with sunshine and drank hot chocolate. As well as this there was a rich choice of cold and warm food spread out on a long table.

“We met your little sister earlier on the staircase,” remarked Volcan once they had finished eating.

“Ifitia?”asked Merlon.

Volcan nodded.

“She’s intended for Prince Rrandon?” he asked.

“Did she say that?” asked Merlon in despair.

“No! She said she was meeting him, but she didn’t seem very happy about it. I know about state matters so it’s not difficult to put one and one together. Kanninerra and Amarantus are still dealing with the events of days gone by. It’s hard for both sides to forget the hatred and wars of several centuries. A connection between your two houses would be a peace treaty.”

“You’re right. It’s an urgently needed step for our people. Ifitia knows where her duties lie.”

“Even if for her it means a life at the side of a monster?” Coreena interjected. It was clear that she was not in favour of this.

“Coreena, you must …” Volcan began, in order to keep the peace.

“I know Rrandon,” interrupted Merlon. “He’s not as bad as you think. Actually I even consider him to be the only man I know who can make my unmanageable little sister happy on a long-term basis.”

“How come?” asked Volcan sceptically.

“He’s strong – dominant. He’ll defy her sufficiently. She would wrap a gentle man around her little finger and within a very short time she would be very bored. Furthermore, I suspect that he doesn’t leave her as cold as she likes to make out.” Merlon turned to Coreena. “You haven’t seen him, have you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“He’s a damned attractive guy,” said Merlon. “Cool, arrogant, but still very good-looking. As far as I can judge that as a man. I would of course prefer to say that he’s an ugly bird …” He laughed. “… but unfortunately that would be a lie.”

“But for love you need more than sexual attraction.” interjected Coreena.

“Certainly. I agree with you. It’s definitely not going to be love at first sight. But with time Ifitia will realise that he is exactly what she needs. They’re very similar. Both of them love hunting and have a weakness for horses. Ifitia is passionate and impetuous. Rrandon is controlled and rational. Therefore they complete one another. My sister needs someone with a calming influence. But a person who is strong and doesn’t give in to her on everything.”

“I trust your judgement. I only know Rrandon fleetingly. But I think you could be right,” said Volcan.

Cherry knew straight away that he had entered the room. She felt his gaze upon her and a pleasant shiver ran over her body. With trembling hands she put the freshly pulled beer onto the tray with the other drinks ordered and pushed it towards the blond waitress who was serving on the tables in the games room this evening.

“Here’s your order, Sandy.”

“Thanks, Cherry,” said Sandy with a smile and she grabbed the tray.

Without looking up Cherry knew that he had stepped up to the bar and her pulse sped up. She desperately tried to breathe calmly and steadily to hide her agitation, but she could not do it.

“Can I have a beer, please?” sounded his deep voice and a shudder ran through her body.

Fighting for control over her confused feelings, she carefully raised her eyes and tried to smile casually. She knew herself that it must have looked terribly artificial, but she could not do anything about it.

“Of course. With pleasure,” she said, and pulled another beer.

The knowledge that he was watching her made her nervous. It seemed to take forever for her to finally pull the beer and put it in front of him. He put the money on the bar and she reached for it. He put his hand on top of hers and she jumped. It almost felt as if she had put her hand inside a plug socket. The tingling sensation rushed through her body and made her sex vibrate. Such a harmless touch had never before caused such a strong sensation in her. Of course, no one would consider her an expert in such things. Her sexual experiences were confined to men like Justin, and they had never awakened anything in her but fear, pain or disgust.

“May I get you a drink, Cherry?” he asked.

“You … you know my name?” she asked, confused.

“I heard the waitress call you that,” he explained.

“Oh! Yes, of course,” she said, blushing.

‘
You’re such a silly cow,’
she scolded herself.
‘
As if he would have asked after you. Grow up, Cherry Thorne!’

“Well? What about the drink?”

“That’s very nice of you, but it’s not possible. But still, thank you. I … I have to serve customers now,” she said and turned away.

She felt his gaze on her back, and her steps to the other end of the bar, where a few customers were standing, were shaky and uneven. Her heart was beating wildly. She was free. She could have a drink with him. Justin was not there to give her trouble. But still she could not bring herself to do it, however much she was attracted to the stranger. Never again did she want to give a man the chance to hurt her. She had learnt her lesson. Men were dangerous and unpredictable and she simply could not trust them.

Merlon watched her walk away and swore quietly. He had messed it up. How could he get close to her without frightening her? She was obviously in a complete mess. He could sense her fear and it made him enraged with the man that had caused her distrust. That had not gone the way he had planned. Merlon had hoped that after of the arrest of the blackguard she would have the courage to begin a new life, but he was wrong. She was a long way off that. He would need to have a great deal of patience, and patience was not a particular strength of his. It was driving him mad, seeing her but not being able to touch her.

With a groan of frustration he picked up his glass and sat at a table nearby from which he had a good view of the bar. Observing her from a distance was all that he could do for now – even if it was almost killing him, and all his instincts were telling him to take hold of her, throw her over his shoulder and take her to his apartment. She was his. He had cleared Justin out of the way and now the path was free. The fact that he was still being forced to act contrary to his instincts and wishes was a hard test of his will power.