Claimed by the Elven Brothers: Decision (An Elven King Novella Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

neither brother
seemed very enthusiastic about something I enjoyed. “I would be perfectly happy
to dance and socialize every night for the rest of my life if I could.”
    “It’s not that I hate the social gatherings, themselves,” Seren hastened
to explain. “I quite enjoy the music and seeing friends that have long been
absent from the elven court. There are just certain—aspects of those particular
evenings that I would rather avoid for the moment.”
    Locien snorted, earning a sharp look from Seren.
    “‘Aspects,’ huh?” I said, probably more intrigued than I should have
been.
    Seren shrugged, looking altogether too nonchalant. “I shall tell you
some other time, perhaps.”
    “Nothing like an evasive answer to keep a girl up at night,” I
grumbled, but decided to let it go all the same. “So, would your mistress even
be able to attend these parties? I know how uptight blue bloods can get about
certain types of relationships being flaunted in public. I can tell you right
now that I won’t put up with being kept behind closed doors like the family’s
dirty secret. That alone would be a deal breaker.”
    Both elves suddenly began to shift uncomfortably, setting off alarm
bells in my head.
    “The human brides are by no means something that must be kept secret,”
Seren said firmly.
    “Then why do both of you look like I just asked if I could show up to
one of your shindigs naked?” I demanded. “Are there different rules for you two
because you’re part of the royal family or something?”
     Seren sighed. “It’s more a matter of circumstance rather than our
being royals or a bride’s humanity. It’s the same reason why a human bride is
often given rooms apart from her husband within his residence. Thus, the human
brides frequently attend public gatherings together, rather than with their
husbands, although, of course, there are exceptions.” He offered me a crooked
grin that made something within me that had frozen with outrage melt, and I
couldn’t help but smile back at him despite the heavy subject and how irritated
about the whole thing I had been feeling only seconds earlier. “I think I can
be persuaded to attend the gatherings again as your escort if that is what you
wish.”
    Damn him—one smile and it was as though all of my very real concerns
just disappeared. Was I really prepared to leave all my friends behind—no, more
importantly, to reconsider my stance on having children just for the chance to
become the wife of one of these incredible men? Could I really accept such a
simple role?
    I ran a hand agitatedly through my hair. Yeah right. I couldn’t even
give them a straight answer to Locien’s last proposition. I looked at first
Seren and then Locian, who had been unusually quiet as Seren and I had talked.
Maybe it was time to quit stalling and to take that last, great leap.
    “Locian, about your suggestion from yesterday…”
    The rest of my words were lost within the shrieking sound of my alarm,
and the hazy meadow was replaced with a blurry view of my clock atop my
nightstand. However, the first thing that ran through my head was not disdain
for being woken up at such an interesting point in the dream, but, Who the
hell is Hilde?
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
     
    “I have to either be the stupidest or craziest woman in existence,” I
muttered as I stepped between the trees for the second time in twenty-four
hours.
    Here it was, Friday night, and instead of meeting Jenna, Tara, and Mel
at the usual hotspot, I blew them off with some lame excuse of having a
migraine in order to meet a couple of elves in another dimension. Yeah—crazy
didn’t quite cut it.
    Maybe if I hadn’t had that dream last night, I might have been
able to stay away, but if there was something worse than my big mouth, then it
definitely was my damnable curiosity. I was like a dog with a bone; once I sunk
my teeth into something, there was no way I could let it go until I had chewed
down to the marrow.