Bound by the Mist (Mists of Eria) Read online

  She needed out of his arms. Now. Nearly hyperventilating from the conflicting fear and desire that swept over her, she tried to right herself. No matter the maneuver, she ended up placing her hands on his shoulders, her hands buried in his hair. His soft, silky hair. This was bad—the sinking of her stomach told her so. He made falling way too easy.

  Her hands slipped down to his chest. His muscles rippled under her fingers, the sensation shooting straight to her core. Oh God, this was even worse. If she didn’t leave soon—in fact, right now—he’d make a goner out of her.

  Mesmerized, she looked up into turbulent gray eyes, their blue pupils dilated. Blue? They should be black. Then all coherent thought fled as his lips descended toward hers.

  Chapter 5

  Cal woke up disoriented and groggy. One thought kept playing in her head, and it had something to do with a kiss. She touched her lips, still feeling his breath upon them. His breath?

  Pursing her lips in confusion, she focused on her thoughts. Had she been about to get kissed? Wait…his lips had been only a fraction away from hers and then nothing—nothing but this unease and lingering thrill. Who was he? Relian…elf…prince.

  She’d been only too ready to kiss...an elf prince. So much was wrong with that statement that it took a few minutes to sink in. Then everything flooded back.

  Shooting up in bed, she looked wildly about her. But there was no Relian, no mist. She was back in her bedroom, back in her bed, as if she’d never left.

  Cal removed shaking fingers from her lips and clenched her hands together. The dream—it had seemed so real. A surprising pang of regret filled her. Did she want it to be real? Heaven help her, part of her did. But maybe it was the part that wanted undeniable proof she was sane. Yes, that was it. But if he were real, that opened up a whole other can of contention. He’d already taken up enough of her time, her life. She was no fairytale damsel. Though he was a prince, he wasn’t charming. He already failed that description on more than one account—he’d been downright cold to her, and he wasn't human.

  When she glanced down, the air in her lungs stilled as she saw something peculiar on her left wrist. The item was beautiful in its simplicity—a bracelet of black hair woven with silver threads that glided in and out of the strands.

  Her mind whirled. How did the bracelet get there, and what did it mean? She had no answers other than an upsetting intuition. The mist. Though she couldn’t pin down the exact significance of the bracelet, somehow its very presence was important. How she knew this, she couldn’t say. She just did.

  The thump of the bedroom door against the doorstop made her jump. Maggie stalked into the room. Her usually boisterous friend looked decidedly unhappy with that frown marring her face.

  “About time you got up, girl. You’re going to be late to Music Theory if you don’t hurry up. But I guess that’s what you get for staying out half the night without telling anyone where you were.” To punctuate that mini-rant, Maggie threw her backpack on the bed.

  Puzzlement and alarm shot through Cal. “I wasn’t here for most of the night?” So she’d really disappeared? How long had she been asleep in that mist before meeting Relian?

  Maggie glanced at her in disbelief but then seemed to note her genuine confusion. “What’s wrong with you, Cal? You’ve been acting strange lately, at least more than usual.” She said the last sentence softly, softening the impact of her words.

  “I’m just tired. You know I haven’t been sleeping well. I become quite eccentric when I’m sleep deprived, if you remember.” Maybe some humor would dissolve the tension that sprang up in the room.

  While Maggie was genuinely concerned about her wellbeing, Cal couldn’t tell her the truth, not when she didn’t know it herself. Maggie would think she’d taken a dive into the loony bin.

  Thankfully, Maggie went along with her game for right now. “Then you must’ve been lacking sleep from the moment we met because you’ve always been an oddball.”

  “Thanks, you really understand how to make an emotionally distressed person feel better. I think you need some sensitivity training.”

  Maggie gave a soft snort of laughter. “I aim to please, that I do. Why would I want sensitivity training? What I do, I do for free. I don’t even charge you a fee. You can’t get that kind of service anywhere else. Besides, that sort of training would steal all the funness right out of me.”

  “Funness? Is that even a real word?”

  Maggie shrugged her shoulders. “Probably not. Again, another specialty area I excel at.”

  “Too bad it’s not something actually useful.”

  “Come on, you slug, out of bed.” With these words, Maggie came over and tugged her to her feet. While she did so, Maggie noticed the intricately braided bracelet around her wrist. She touched it lightly. “Where did this come from? You didn’t have it on yesterday.”

  Cal stared at her, cursing inwardly. She’d been hoping no one would notice, but apparently, no such luck was on her side. While her mind fumbled for a reasonable explanation, she muttered numbly, “Someone gave it to me.”

  “Who?” Maggie watched her closely.

  Cal shied away, desperately trying to think of something, anything, that would be plausible and come out coherently. She bent down and picked up the bedcovers. “Look, I’m sorry, but I have to get ready for class. Maybe we can talk about this later?” Hopefully never. However, this was highly unlikely because her friend was like a tenacious pit bull.

  Maggie gave her a look that said she recognized what Cal was doing. Thank God, the professor of the class wasn’t known for his leniency, so she had the perfect excuse to postpone any further talk until later.

  Her pace frantic, she threw on a fresh set of clothes. This drew raised brows from Maggie. But who cared right now about the privacy Cal usually insisted on? She grabbed her books and flung them into her bag. If nothing else, this nervous energy would get her from their apartment, which was right off campus, to her class on time

  “Bye, see you later.” Before Maggie could respond in kind, Cal was already down the hall and racing away.

  When Cal finished her last class, she shuffled down the corridor. The ferocious frown on her face caused people to shy away, but she didn’t care. Let them look. The only thing she wanted to do was sleep, but she had to catch up on some studying first.

  As it stood, she had enough time for some reviewing and lunch. She scowled at her shoes as her stomach rumbled, demanding lunch as her breakfast had been non-existent.

  Her afternoon class would come next, followed by rehearsal that evening. Since she was a music education major, she constantly participated in some rehearsal, production, or field experience, it seemed. It proved to be very time-consuming, and her few non-major classes took up a large chunk of her very limited time. Thank heavens, she didn’t have to worry about working at the boutique for a couple of days.

  Her eyes watered, though she couldn’t tell whether it was in response to tiredness or emotion. After her little trip through the veil and her subsequent discovery of the mysterious bracelet, her not-quite-an-argument with Maggie quickly soured any hope of salvaging the day.

  Turning her thoughts to the bracelet, she hazarded a guess whose hair twined through it so elegantly. It had to be. While weird, it added up to the rest of the strangeness that was now her life. There was also the fact she couldn’t imagine wearing anyone else’s hair. In her mind, it almost seemed like infidelity to think otherwise.

  Walking toward a study lounge area, she shrugged off those thoughts. Stewing over it would solve nothing. She didn’t have any control of the situation where it concerned the elf. A spark of anger ignited in her gut. Hadn’t he ruined her life enough already?

  Her flare of ire died away. Something beyond both their powers and her understanding was bringing them together. Cal collapsed in a chair and pulled out a book. She was free until one in the afternoon and wanted to appear busy when Maggie showed up so they could eat lunch. Fanciful though re
al events had no place in her time-consumed thoughts. College was something uniquely hers, something normal. He couldn’t take that away, though a sourness in the pit of her stomach warned that his strange world would soon again collide with hers.

  ***

  The plaster walls of Relian’s study closed in around him, as did his dilemma. He was in a quandary, a state he found he didn’t like in the least. Desiring escape, he found none. At least, not from his mind. Ignoring the work set out before him on the desk, he leaned back in his chair.

  He’d nearly kissed his human, as he now thought of her, and had desired nothing more. His composure disappeared when the situation dealt with her, and worse, he wasn’t sure if he wanted it back. Relian always thought humans to be bold and crass, often to their own detriment. So far, she appeared to have neither quality in an overabundance. She aroused no repulsion in him, though her humanity was still hard to stomach.

  Relian growled. His body certainly found favor with her. She aroused him like no other, left him in need every night. Should he slake this need somewhere? He discarded that idea, nothing in him responding to the idea of soft arms and thighs, unless they were hers.

  This all, though, paled to what encircled his wrist. No normal means could remove the binding. Knife and scissors wouldn’t work against it. He’d know—he’d tried both of these methods in desperation. The bracelet couldn’t be removed unless mutually agreed upon. But that option might not be open to them. The very appearance of the unasked-for binding overrode any notion of freewill. Now the binding only waited for the last step to make it permanent, just as legend and tradition dictated.

  Could he conceal the binding? A part of him didn’t want to hide it away at all. Another side of him railed against the injustice of a forced binding. A bitter laugh escaped him. When used together in conjunction, ‘forced’ and ‘binding’ should’ve been an impossible endeavor to bring about.

  How would he explain to his people the existence of a human woman, one he met through dreams and mist? He’d sound demented. But to deny Cal seemed wrong. Cal. The whisper of her name felt strange on his lips, but she had felt so right in his arms, almost like a part of himself.

  If he didn’t hide it, how would he explain? Everyone would know he was betrothed and would soon notice no corresponding binding sported around by a female of his race. Every couple’s binding, every thread and weave, was unique from all others that had come before and would come after.

  The parchment underneath his fingers crumpled. After gently smoothing out the abused paper, he straightened in his chair. He’d spent enough time vacillating and would soon be expected elsewhere. Until he could come up with a well-thought-out plan, he would have to hide the binding under long sleeves. A wry smile lifted his lips. That was not hard, given he often had to wear formal robes.

  Later, tonight even, he would have a chance to reason through the unexpected turn his life was taking. While he expected their fates to join, at least for a time, he hadn’t foreseen anything of this magnitude. Its far-reaching consequences were almost inconceivable, for once a couple completely bonded, the tie was irrevocable. Throwing down the quill onto the parchment that hadn’t even seen his perusal, he stood up and walked from his study.

  Silence echoed in the halls of the family wing. As though to escape his thoughts, he quickened his pace. Soon the corridors of the public wings awaited him. Relian slowed to a more circumspect stride, and as soon as he stepped into one main artery, he returned greetings from courtier and servant alike.

  “Relian, my friend, how are you? You’ve been scarce of late,” called out Kenhel, who strode down the hallway toward him.

  He stopped in his tracks, while a smile came to his face for the first time that day. Kenhel’s teasing manner was widely known, especially when circumstances didn’t warrant his serious concentration and focus. This light-heartedness was often a balm to Relian. “I’ve been scarce? I believe you’re the one who just came back from the border.”

  Kenhel still had on his warrior attire, which looked none too fresh. His friend’s silver hair was pulled back from his face in warrior braids, but bits and pieces threatened to come loose. He also had a stray leaf and twig here and there located amongst the strands.

  “Too true, too true. But even when I come back for a brief time, I don’t see much of you unless it’s in an official capacity. And that is so very tedious.”

  Relian couldn’t deny that accusation. “Many things are coming to a head. Everyone’s time is apparently consumed with the tedious right now, including yours.”

  Kenhel let out a laugh. “Indeed, life is filled with monotony. How do we bear it?”

  It felt good to laugh with Kenhel. “I don’t know—betimes I wonder how we are to live thus for an eternity.”

  “Now come, Relian. You almost sounded solemn when you said that. This can’t be. When did you become such a sober elf? Are there not enough already?” His friend’s blue eyes twinkled, the pupils a glowing gray.

  “There comes a time when most responsible elves must be serious. I can’t help it if you’ve not reached that time in your life, not that you ever will.”

  “Oh, you wound me with your aspersions to my character. I assure you I can be as somber as the next elf.”

  “I’m positive I’ve shattered your confidence. Talking about wounds, commander, were there any to our warriors?”

  Kenhel, as the commander of the king’s guard, became serious in a way only his position could make him. “The sentinels and guardians sustained minor injuries rebuffing a small group of darkindred. Loran had to be taken out of the skirmish, for he thought he saw his son among the newly turned.”

  “I remember that his son has been missing for some time. I know we feared such a fate for him. Was the creature in question killed and recovered so we could properly identify who it used to be?”

  “No, unfortunately, he was one of those that managed to escape, though most were killed. Identification is going on while we speak on those retrieved. How I wish we could offer Loran some definitive news. He and his wife can’t begin to grieve properly until they know.”

  Relian frowned. He couldn’t imagine the horror of not knowing the fate of one’s child. “This is sad news, indeed. See that all is done to offer them comfort.”

  Kenhel nodded. “It will be done. I go now with your leave to write up a report with the specifics. Do you want it presented first to you or your father?”

  “It matters not, for that is where I’m going.”

  “Ah yes, I should’ve guessed this with the decadence of your robes. I know how you love them.”

  Relian grimaced. “I long to take them off and wear just the tunic and leggings waiting for freedom underneath. But such a thing would shock the staidness that is this court.”

  Kenhel gave a delicate shudder. “Thank the heavens I don’t have to dress such every day, and only during special occasions. Of course, then I’m trying to impress pretty eivain, so I don’t mind.”

  Relian rolled his eyes and gave a snort. “You were ever one to chase the females.”

  “Whereas you never had to do a moment’s chasing! Eivain practically kneel at your feet, awaiting your bidding and any small shard of affection that may happen to fall on them.”

  Relian had a flock of females who hovered and suffocated him by their cloying presence. He, like most males, preferred to do the hunting at least once in a while. There was no thrill, otherwise.

  “That’s why I’m much less swayed by physical pleasures, my friend, than you are.” While he said this, his human rose to the forefront of his mind. He somehow thought she would not kneel at his feet for attention. “I believe I may have the chase of my life on my hands all too soon.” He absently rubbed at his left wrist.

  Kenhel looked at him for an explanation, eyes widened in question. Relian cursed himself for speaking that thought aloud and drew his arms farther into the voluminous sleeves of the robe. “It’ll have to wait. Everything will be ex
plained soon enough.” Before Kenhel could even form a reply, Relian said a terse goodbye and spun on his heel.

  Chapter 6

  Cal gritted her teeth. The cheap strobe light that flashed in one corner of the room sent pinpricks of pain through her eyes. She should’ve never let Maggie and some other friends talk her into coming to this house party. But it was Friday, and she made it through the week without any strange occurrences. Well, except for the bracelet that wouldn’t come off, no matter what she tried or used on it. A blowtorch probably wouldn’t harm a hair on its head.

  She smiled wryly. She hadn’t exercised that option yet. But she’d tried many others, much to her detriment.

  Once the shock of the bracelet’s appearance had worn off, anger had won out over any guilt. She’d attacked the offending piece of jewelry with scissors, only to become furious when they failed to make a cut. In her fervor she accidentally nicked her wrist more than once before finally admitting defeat, at least for the time being. She’d had to leave it be since she didn’t want to injure herself beyond repair.

  She fingered the bracelet through the long-sleeve shirt she wore to cover up the scratches. Frowning, she yanked her hand away. If only she could tear her thoughts away so easily. While dreams didn’t haunt her as before, her mind definitely flouted her control. She thought about him all the time. Damn, had she been naive enough to think she could come and celebrate her “normal” week when she wasn’t normal at all? Not that she was into the party scene, but she—like any red-blooded girl—enjoyed the attentions of good-looking young men. Never had so many shown an interest in her before, but she couldn’t muster up the slightest bit of interest in any of them. They weren’t...Relian.

  She fought off another set of persistent hands. God, she needed to find Maggie and return home, with or without her. The lights, the music, the guys – her nerves were cracking. When she’d freed herself, she stalked through the throng of people. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Maggie’s light golden-brown hair.