Page 75 of The Broken Elf King
He obliged and tucked it into his waistbelt, under his cloak with the hood pulled up. I watched as his eyes darted around in fascination. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him onto the cobblestone walkway and past the rows of houses. My street was three more over, and we’d have to pass McFee’s Tavern to get there. Technically, it was after curfew, but the guards let us drink at the tavern and go right home if we didn’t get in fights or vandalize property. I wondered if any of my friends from the university were inside right now.
Penelope? Matt? Did they all think I was a slave sold off to some horrible master who whipped me daily? As we approached the tavern, a figure walked up out of one of the alleys.
I recognized his guard’s uniform immediately.
Wasting no time, I pushed Raife into the wall of Mrs. Honeycutt’s house and then pressed my lips to his. He froze, seemingly in shock at my sudden kiss, but then the guard’s voice made its way to us.
“Hey, you’re out after curfew,” he snapped
Raife’s lips parted then, his tongue stroking mine; his hand came around to grasp my butt. I moaned in surprise, not even caring if this was all for show, and heat flared to life between us. The guard’s voice was closer this time.
“Lovebirds… time to go home or I’ll have to take you in.”
We broke away panting, locking eyes for a moment, and I forgot about the guard or the fact that we were doing a high-stakes rescue mission. It was just Raife and I in this moment.
“Get your lady home.” The guard looked at Raife and Raife nodded, threading his fingers through mine, stroking my palm and then pulling me away from the guard and towards the tavern.
My legs felt weak from that kiss, but I knew Raife had only played along for the guard. “See, top marks in theatre,” I told him.
Raife gave me a side glance, and I was surprised to see hurt there.
“This is my street,” I said before he could speak, and pointed to our lane just beyond the tavern. Music blared from the open windows of the neighborhood pub, and I wondered who was playing tonight.Moxie and the Heartbreakers? The Radical Six?
Raife screwed up his face. “What is that awful music?”
I laughed. “Rock.”
The drums were loud and nothing like they had in Archmere. It probably just sounded like a bunch of noise.
Grasping his hand, I broke into a run down my street and towards the little brown cottage with the bird feeder outside. I hadn’t seen my aunt in over a month. Not since they were yanking me away as a slave.
Autumn promised to bring her news that I was alive and well in Archmere, but I knew she wouldn’t believe it until she saw it. She was very protective over me, much like Raife.
Raife kept scanning the street, left and right, until we reached my door.
The little sign I helped my auntie paint when I was four years old hung above the doorway. “Love grows here,” it read. The pink and purple flowers were chipping off, but the black lettering was still legible. We’d painted it after I moved in with her, after my parents died and she assured me this would always be a home where I felt safe and loved. I bent down and pulled up the pot near the door, grinning when I saw the key was still there.
Slipping the key into the lock, Raife and I stepped inside and I closed the door quickly behind us. The house was dark and quiet, and I knew she would be sleeping at this hour. I didn’t want to scare her by looming over her bed, so I called out loudly into house, “Auntie!”
We passed the little sitting room and I called out again, “Auntie, it’s me!”
There was a rustling in the back of the house, near her room, and then I heard her, “Lani?”
I broke into a run then, going left at the kitchen and then down the hall to her open door. She was sitting on the edge of her bed with the light turned on. Her blankets were at her waist; she was wearing one of her floral nightgowns. I looked at her with tears in my eyes. I didn’t even give her a chance to speak, I just crashed into her with the biggest hug, pushing her backwards on the bed. Her throaty laughter filled the room and it was the best sound, the sound of my childhood, of happiness and better days.
I pulled back to look at her, and the second she saw me she broke into a huge grin. But what I saw stopped me dead in my tracks.
Half of her face wasn’t moving. She seemed to notice my reaction and touched the slack side of her face. “I had another seizure yesterday, a bad one. The medicine doesn’t work anymore.”
“Raife!” I called, but he was right there, swooping in front of me. He pulled back his hood.
“Hello…” He knelt before her and extended his hand. “I’m Kailani’s husband, the king of the elves.”
My aunt looked like she was in shock, which was understandable. “So it’s true.” She reached out and took his hand. “You shouldn’t be here,” she told him. “The queen hates you.”
Raife gave her a dazzling smile. “Well, the feeling is mutual.”
“Raife is the greatest healer in the realm, Auntie. He’s going to fix you,” I told her.
