She closed her thighs slowly and tugged her skirt down.
"I will take you to see your cousin now, Asha, but you are not going to undo what we have done here with your panic. We are destined to remain together and I am not letting you get away from me again. You will be at my side or me at yours no matter what we are doing."
She scowled at him. "Is that a threat?"
"I don't threaten, my bride. I promise."
He used his magic to tidy her up as well, straightened the creases out of her dress and brushed her hair with a wave of his fingers.
Asha had to admit that as promises went, his filled her with a sense of security that she had really missed.
Chapter Seven
Elhara was in the care centre, surrounded by men and women who were made of and wearing various shades of green. Gran and Gramps were standing nearby, watching the leprechauns working on their granddaughter.
The two goblins ran to give her a hug, but Gramps leaned back and stared at her. "Why did you change your hair, Asha?"
Asha blinked and pulled a hank over where she could stare at it. Green would have been surprising, but the blood-crimson was shocking. She turned to look at Tuartha. "Why didn't you mention this?"
"I think it looks nice on you. The bonding magic has a different effect on each couple."
"So that is why your eyes are gold now?"
He looked pleased. "They are?"
She groaned. "They are. Why is this a good thing?"
"Because my family, friends and community will know that this is a true match. True soul mates are rare, but the change in physical characteristics is a confirmation of an equal magic. It confirms what I suspected but could never prove."
"Until now."
He hugged her and greeted her grandparents. "Welcome to the leprechaun city. How was your journey?"
Gran blushed and batted her eyes. "It was quick and comfortable, thank you, sir. You seem to know Asha."
He bowed low. "Please forgive my lack of manners. I am High Lord Tuartha of the leprechaun nation. Asha is my soul mate. We have finally consummated our bond after years of separation."
Gran and Gramps stared at them both, his arm around Asha's waist and the obvious glow of magic around them.
"This is the man that you dreamed of?" Gran raised her brows.
Asha blushed and it was answer enough for her relatives. Congratulations flowed and hugs were distributed all around.
When she finished extricating herself from her grandmother's arms, she asked, "How is Elhara doing?"
Gran smiled. "They are working to produce a charm that will deactivate the spell on her, and it
is
a spell. She is stable now and once they have the charm in place, it will be a week until full recovery. She will be fine."
The relief that Asha felt made her slump against Tuartha. He pulled her to his side and supported her while she fought the tears that threatened. It had been one helluva day.
"Would you like to speak to your cousin?" Tuartha's voice was low and quiet.
"She's in a coma. She can't hear me."
"She will be able to feel you. It will be enough." He squeezed her hand and gestured for her to sit with Elhara.
With her skirt rustling, she walked to the bed and took a seat at the edge, taking Elhara's hand in hers. "Oh, El. You would not believe the day I have been having."
As the care personnel bustled around, taking samples of the ambient magic in Elhara's vicinity, Asha told her cousin about her day. Occasionally, one of the leprechauns would give her a startled look but she doggedly kept speaking.
Elhara's cool hand warmed in her grip as she spoke. Finally, one of the attendants touched Asha's arm and smiled gently. "You need to rest and we need to run more tests. You can return tomorrow and regale her with more tales. Congratulations by the way."
She blushed as the woman noted her gleaming ring. It was true, the spirit jewels gleamed brightly and the central diamond had grown while she had been chatting at her cousin.
"Thank you. It caught me a little by surprise, but I am very happy." She smiled brightly.
"But, Lady, you still need to leave."
Asha chuckled. "I get the hint. Where did my grandparents go?"
"The High Lord took them to guest quarters. They will be comfortable there." She smiled again.
Asha got to her feet, shook out her skirts and walked to the door. The sun had set while she was with Elhara, but she was familiar enough with the paths to start walking back to the High Lord's home.
The streets were quiet. All of the local folk were snug in their homes. She walked with a relaxed swing in her step and her skirt rustling with every move. She was halfway to Tuartha's home when she heard footsteps behind her.
They were moving in a rush and she reacted like Warders always did when someone tried to strike them. Asha whirled in a slow circle to see her attackers and when she took in the two men and one woman rushing her, she did what all of her ancestors had done before her. The power flared around her in a dome, but unlike her normal magical expression, this one flared outward and knocked her attackers unconscious.
"What the hell?" Asha was more shocked than her victims.
A flare of power next to her brought Tuartha to her side. "What happened here?"
She rubbed her head. She was really not feeling well. "They were rushing at me, so I threw up a ward to protect myself and it expanded to do…this!" She flapped her arms at the unconscious trio.
Tuartha let out a piercing whistle and six forest guards appeared. "Take these citizens into custody. They attempted to attack my bride."
The guards gave her respectful glances and slapped the men and woman awake before leading the stunned leprechauns away.
Asha started a mechanical plod toward the house where she had spent the last night. Tuartha stayed at her side but let her get to his home under her own steam.
The walk from the gate to the house was lined with night-blooming flowers that gave off a brilliant glow. As she looked up with dazed eyes, the entire manor was lined with flowers that created a welcoming glow. "Where did those come from?"
Tuartha wrapped his arm around her waist and led her inside. "It will all be answered in the morning. Today, we are going to get you fed and in bed before anything else can be piled on top."
She chuckled weakly. "I wouldn't mind you piling on top of me."
He laughed. "As charming as that invitation is, we are simply going to help you get some food and rest."
Carrag came toward them, gave Asha a good look and nodded to Tuartha. "Take her to your bedroom. I know just the thing to bring."
He nodded and swung Asha into his arms, carrying her up the stairs in a few long strides. "I am very proud of your reflexes, Asha. You did very well."
"Why were they coming toward me like that?"
"In some cases, folk believe that the High Lord engages in political alliances with other races. Proving that the match is true is not always easy."
She smiled vaguely. "I am guessing that with us, that is not the case."
He chuckled. "No. We are definitely a solid match."
"I thought so." She sighed as he sat her on a chair in his bedroom.
Carrag came in with a bowl of violent yellow soup.
Asha perked up. "
Nathi
soup! I haven't had that in ages."
Carrag grinned. "Not since you were last sick I would wager. Now, sit up and I will feed it to you and help you keep it down."
Tuartha was looking at the soup with a mixture of curiosity and horror. "What is it?"
Carrag and Asha looked at him and said in unison. "You really don't want to know."
Asha opened her mouth and Carrag poured the soup in, clamping her hand over Asha's mouth the moment that the soup was down.
Asha's body heaved violently. The goblin woman held her down and kept her mouth closed while she thrashed.
Asha could feel the soup being absorbed, the bile, blood and ground insects were perfect for her goblin half, but her human half had a nasty urge to vomit it all over the housekeeper. Carrag held on until Asha slumped back in exhaustion, the liquid absorbed directly into her system.
She panted and gave Carrag the thumbs up, allowing the woman to back away.
When the housekeeper saw the High Lord suspended in a warded bubble, she took the bowl and tray and left the room.
Asha slowly let Tuartha touch the floor again. "You were trying to stop her."
He straightened his shirt and knelt at her side. "You were convulsing."
"Not convulsing, digesting. Nathi soup is the equivalent of an energy boost for goblins. It has everything we need in its most easily consumed form." She shrugged. "It is a bit revolting for most races, but for a goblin, it can bring us back from death. If Elhara had been awake for a little longer, we would have given her some so we could have looked into her issues at home."
"My dearest, I am glad to see you are feeling better, but your breath is horrible." He pressed a kiss to her temple and she laughed.
With a grunt, she boosted herself out of the chair and went to brush her teeth. When she returned, a proper meal was sitting on the table and Carrag was beaming.
"You look much better, Lady."
"I feel much better. Thank you for being so quick with the dose." She leaned forward and hugged the housekeeper.
Hugging a goblin was always a risky venture, but Carrag released her without trying to bite. It was in a goblin's nature to bite when a goblin of another bloodline got too close.
Asha smiled and took a seat at the table.
Carrag left with her head high, beaming happily.
"You have her happier than I have ever seen her. Now, what was in that soup?"
Asha winced. "Well, do you have a weak stomach?"
He shook his head and tucked into his dinner.
"Good. If she prepared the soup like my Gran does, then she ground the proper insects into a paste, slit her arm to start the broth and then brought up bile from her second stomach. Everything was heated to boiling and then cooled with more bile. It takes a proficient about five minutes and she was very proficient."
He looked a little peaked, but he continued to eat. "How many times have you had to drink that?"
"Four in my lifetime. Each time involved the same convulsing and forcible restraint."
"How unpleasant."
The understatement was enough to give her a grin that lasted through her salad as well as the bread and meat courses. She finally told him, "In each case, my life was in imminent danger."
He looked surprised. "I would have known if you were in danger."
"This was before I made that wish. I did have a life before I met you, you know." A jaw cracking yawn broke free as she sipped some water.
"Time you get you into bed, my bride."
She yawned again and he waved his hand at her, shifting her dress and jacket into a nightgown of gauzy blue. Asha found herself tucked into bed in under three minutes and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before he left her alone. Sleep came quickly, but she woke up when he slipped in next to her and wrapped his deep green arms around her. A smile curved her lips as she breathed in his scent of wilderness and masculine musk.
He was next to her where he should be and when she was feeling better, she was going to tell him all about how he couldn't sneak off for High Lord business while she slept. That was not acceptable and he was going to have to learn sooner rather than later.
Chapter Eight
In the bright light of morning, Asha took a quick bath and dressed in another green gown, but this one had a sapphire imprint along the hem and neckline. It contrasted nicely with her new red hair. Her jacket was also sapphire blue with gold embroidery and she felt quite smart as she stepped into the dining room where Tuartha was working on some documents.
"This habit you have of leaving me to attend to business is going to have to stop. I will feel a little neglected if you leave me alone in bed again." She put her hands on her hips and scowled at him.
He looked up at her and did a double take. She had braided a lock of her hair and used it to bind the rest of it into a cascading pony tail. Her slightly pointed goblin ears were obvious with her hair pulled back.
Tuartha put his papers down and came over to give her a kiss. His own hair was still damp from a bath that he must have taken while she slept. "I am sorry. I was working on the attack from last night."
She smiled up at him. "Technically, it wasn't an attack. Or do you mean me against them?"
He snorted. "Three leprechauns rushed you in the dark. That was an attack. Your response was out of reflex and would not have occurred if you were not threatened."
She shrugged and had a seat, serving herself from the covered platters.
"Asha, I never noticed your ears. They are lovely."
She smiled. "Ask Carrag. Goblins mature slowly and the points on my ears grew in when I was twenty-five."
"It seems there are still things we need to learn about each other." His wink was wicked.
"Of course and there will be a twice-a-week maximum for having sex on your desk."
His pout was cute, but he couldn't hold it. "That was my favourite thing that I have ever done on that desk."
Asha smiled. "I enjoyed it as well. It was a far better first time than I had anticipated. The magic made it mind blowing and I am not talking about the power."
He blushed. His dark skin darkened even more, but his gold eyes took on a pleased look.
She took a few forkfuls of food before she ventured, "What is on the agenda for today?"
"The same as yesterday, but this afternoon, we will have a talk with the trio who came after you."
"Do you have names?"
"It was Lady Nritha and her brothers. It was her knock we heard yesterday when we were in my office."
The memory of straddling him was enough to make her cough. "Right. So she was supposed to come in and make her proposal, but when she found out that you were taken, she got a little ticked."
"Apparently."
They finished their meal and, once again, walked hand in hand to the council hall and offices. There was one small matter that Tuartha had not mentioned and if he didn't want to discuss it, then she wouldn't bring it up. How did the trio know that she was walking alone back to the High Lord's manor?