Page 22 of Tristan
I heat to the tips of my ears.My eyes fly to my bare feet, briefly, before they meet his again.He’ll figure you out and then he really won’t let you have a sword.“I was next in line for Warlord, Corrik.I can behave myself.”
He raises his brow.I don’t think he believes me. And okay, even I know I’m going to have to be punished into behaving but when you think about it, Warlords thrive on structure. It’s just that some of us need a very different kind of structure than others.
He sighs.“In any case, now you know what I did not wish to tell you. How did you get me to do that, hmmm?”
“I wasn’t trying to. Why wouldn’t you want me to know that, Corrik? If anything, it helps us.”
“That’s what Mother said.”
“You should listen to your mother,” I lecture.
His eyes smile even if his lips do not. He’s pleased.
“Corrik? Are you going to punish me now?” I hate having punishments hanging over my head.
“No. Ishouldspank your naughty bottom, but I won’t this time
“Spank me?” I shrill outraged. “That’s a child’s punishment—I’m a man now.” I expect that from my father but not my husband.
“Nevertheless, that is what you can expect from me if you choose to disobey me again.” He’s serious. I remember something else he hasn’t mentioned. Now that it seems I’m in the clear, maybe I shouldn’t ask—he might change his mind about punishing me—but I want to understand him.
“Corrik, last night, after we consummated our marriage, I told you I hated you.”
“I remember.” His voice is hard.
“It bothers you.”
“It does.”
“Why didn’t you mention it in your list of my transgressions?”
“That’s how you feel—much as I don’t like it—I’ll never punish you for how you feel.”
“You don’t like that I hate you?”
“Are you always this obtuse? Or is it just around me? I understood you to be intelligent.”
“Corrik!”
His face softens. He’s just teasing. “Of course, I don’t want you to hate me.”
He doesn’t? I was certain I meant nothing to him and that he didn’t care what I felt.Don’t get carried away, Tristan, someone saying they don’t want you to hate them isn’t exactly a declaration of love.
“Come my husband.” When he moves, the morning sun hits his forehead in a spot that was covered by his crown yesterday. I didn’t notice in between all the sex. A translucent tattoo is beneath his feathered gold bangs, semblant to the pattern of the insignia on his crown and the ones on his ears. It’s stunning, and I can’t help but reach out and touch it. He wiggles his ears, delighted. That’s kind of adorable.
“What is this?” I ask.
“That is the royal Elven crest,” he states with pride. “I was born with it, but you will have one too someday.”
“I will? How is that possible?”
“So many questions. You will have the crest when you finish your transition to becoming an Elf, and you will get one because you are my husband.”
His pride over this radiates through him—he can’t wait for me to become an Elf. “Nawh. Go clean up. We must leave soon.”
He sends me through the doors to our private bathing chamber with a hard slap to my right ass cheek. When I’m out of his sight, Ihave to rub the sting out. I’m more than glad he chose not to punish me after that, his handhurt.I’ll be working hard not to attract his ire in the future.
Now to see if I can remove all these ridiculous braids on my own.
