Page 54 of Tristan
“Precisely. Did you think your behavior yesterday wouldn’t cost you?” Corrik manages to sound arid and threatening at the same time.
“C’mon, Corrik. I said I was sorry.”
“Yet I’ll bet I can make you sorrier.”
I sense the ghost of a smile that suggests he’s sharing a joke with himself—his own inside joke with “other Corrik.” In my head, there are two Corriks. Right now, it’s pernicious Corrik out to play. Pernicious Corrik is hard and unyielding; he likes to watch me squirm—yet he is sarcastically dark and playful. Other Corrik has the ability to be kind, despite what the queen believes; I’ve seen it. He’s not kind in the way other people are, you have to look closely, but it’s there. Both Corriks like control, power, and each other (especially each other). He and his other half think he’s a funny Elf now—butCorrik doesn’t do funny—neither Corrik does. Someone should tell them that.
“I shall bring you breakfast. You will remain in here the rest of the day and remember this next time you should think to threaten or speak to me the way you did yesterday.”
He’s grounding me?“You can’t cage a dragon, Corrik. I’ll go mad in here. You said I could visit Diekin.”
“And you shall.Later.”
Confining me to our room is the worst punishment he could come up with. Even Father saved this for the more egregious acts.
“Spank me,please. You’ll enjoy that.”
“As much as I would enjoy that, I can’t. You are just recently healed and as good as you feel, the healing still occurs. You should be resting anyway.” He raises both brows toward me because I haven’t stopped moving toward the door. He’s still on the bed, naked, as the day is long; I have a head start: I could run. He will catch me, but it might soften his stone heart.
A smile splits my face.
“Tristan!”
I run out the door of our bedchamber that leads into the anteroom and catch the movements of the large Elf out of the corner of my eye as he takes up the pursuit. He’s quicker than I planned—though I didn’t really plan any of this. I make it as far as the outer door. Corrik’s frosted, alabaster skin is in my periphery, and I feel the ghost of his hand wisp by my wrist just as I make it out the door.
That’s as far as I get.
I yelp and laugh hysterically as his arm reaches out quick as lightning to curl around my waist. He spins us around so I’m back on the inside of the door and shuts it with his arse as I writhe and attempt fruitlessly to shimmy out of his iron grip. I still laugh at myself. It was short, but fun. I don’t think I’ve laughed like that since…? Well, I can’t remember.
Corrik tosses me on the bed. His face is trackless, but I sense lightness in his posture. “You will stay in your cage, Dragon.”
His lips are a rigid line (Corrik’s form of a smile) and his dark eyes almost twinkle. Helikedmy game.
Victory for Dragon House.
“All right, but I’m hungry Corrik,” I whine.
“Your stomach will be the death of me,” he mutters as he pulls on a pair of pants and slings his sword onto his back. He’s quite the sight like that. Impenetrable warrior meets Elven farmer. I have to stifle a giggle—Corrik doesn’t go anywhere without his sword.
“Couldn’t we send someone to fetch us something?”
“Yes, but after yesterday I would prefer to watch them prepare your food with my own eyes.”
“Corrik,seriously.”
“I am serious.”
It seems to take forever, but finally he returns. I attempted to read his book while he was gone, but it’s in Elvish of course so I had fun looking at the pictures and pretending what I think the pages might say.
“Any luck with that?” he says putting a plate down on the bed by me. He’s making fun again.Since when did Corrik become “Mr. Relaxed-Fun-Guy?”
“Yes. I think I’ve managed to figure out every time the author swears since I’ve some experience with that,” I tease him back. “What is this, Corrik?” I shake the book.
“It’s about magic.”
“Don’t you know everything about magic?”
“No one can possibly knoweverythingabout magic. I’ve many years to go before I reach the level of mastery of some of my siblings.”
