“They have come to me with a message. It is important. I must go to the adela tree.”
Whoa. Wow. Cool again!
I totally wanted to see an adela tree. Not to mention, hang with elves.
I pressed closer and asked through my still bright smile, “Can I go?”
He kept grinning into my face but shook his head as his fingers gave me a squeeze, “No, wife.”
I felt my mouth turn down and asked, “Why?”
“They have a message for me, not you or us. And it is only me they expect at the adela tree.”
“But –”
“So it will only be me at the adela tree.”
Hmm. Bummer.
As was my way, when adventure was afoot, I didn’t give up.
“Can you go out there and maybe… ask if it was cool if I came with you? I could stand out of earshot,” I offered and he gave a short chuckle but shook his head.
“It must only be me.”
“But you’re big and scary and they’re teeny and not scary and you can stomp on them with your feet if you had a mind to. Maybe you can just tell them I’m coming.”
His brows drew slightly together again and his hands slid from my h*ps to the small of my back as his head dipped to mine and his voice went low.
“Finnie, it is true, I am their lord, but this is not their only form. They have awesome power and I command them but only because they have returned to the surface. They can retreat and I do not wish them to do so. If they want only me, as their lord, I should hear what they have to say and decide, during ensuing meetings, if I will take my winter bride.”
I was staring up with him with what I knew were big eyes when I breathed, “You’re their lord?”
He studied me then said, “Finnie, you know that, everyone does. The Frey of the line of Drakkar always commands the elves.”
Ho boy. I didn’t know and Sjofn hadn’t seen fit to share that tasty morsel in her note.
“They await, wife,” he prompted me on a slight squeeze of his arms.
“Right,” I nodded, “of course.”
I started to push back and then realized my hands on his shoulders and body pressed to his were not encountering cold. He’d been inside for awhile but it wasn’t like we had central heating. It was always a wee bit nippy, even with the fires blazing.
And his skin wasn’t cold. Not even a little bit.
I dropped my head to stare at his chest then it shot back and I stared at him.
Then I whispered, “Why aren’t you cold?”
His head tipped slightly to the side for a second before he quickly righted it and replied, “I do not suffer the cold, Finnie, this you also know because everyone knows it. I do not suffer in heat either.”
Uh.
Wow!
And.
What?