A Lady of the Realm Read Free Page A

this was going to work. “And since you pointed out I know nothing, I want you to teach me,” I said.
    Learning magic was hard work. In the two years since leaving home, I’d been able to distinguish scents and feel auras. I was capable of seeing light when the powerful freaks shifted space. I could see and sense the energy fields some used as weapons. I wasn’t good at much else.
    Then there was the pesky side of Realm etiquette. I wasn’t reared a Lady. I didn’t know the unspoken rules. My position in the New World was precarious at best. I needed to learn, and learn fast, from a master, and there was no one better than the dark elf.
    “Minx, where have you been the last two centuries?” he chortled.
    “Is it a deal?” I asked, excited. If he agreed, he wouldn’t change his mind. Elves might not know how to tell the truth, but they were notorious for doing exactly what they said. This was why no one liked pissing them off. If they said they’d kill you, you were dead.
    “By all means. It’s the best deal I’ve made this century,” he said.
    I smiled, extending my hand out for a shake. This was as good as I could hope for given the circumstances.
    “I’d like a kiss,” he said smoothly.
    “A what?”
    “A kiss, pet.” He folded his hands behind his head waiting. “I won’t move. I promise.”
    I looked searchingly into his violet eyes. He didn’t move. His body was one large immobile object. I could smell the lust in the air, and it wasn’t mine this time. Men are so easy.
    I got up from the chair and leaned down, my lips an inch from his. I smelled his scent. It wafted between us, a mixture of lust and sandalwood. My hormones kicked into first, the lust surging forward. I licked his lips softly, and he hissed. I smiled at the reaction and pressed my lips firmly onto his. I felt a wave of shock pass through my body when his mouth came open underneath my lips, my tongue seeking his.
    I was nowhere near virgin status, but this kiss was different. My mind whirled with his scent. I felt the tendrils of energy in the room gathering around us. They caressed my body, pressed against my breasts, ran down my legs. My hands went up to cradle his head as I deepened the kiss. If I felt this good with one kiss, I couldn’t imagine sharing his bed. Maybe all the tales about elves in the sack weren’t myths.
    I pulled away reluctantly. “One kiss,” I whispered against his mouth. “Anything else?”
    “Call me, Sasha, pet. I hate titles and formalities where certain people are concerned,” he whispered.
    “Sasha? No problem,” I said lightly nipping his bottom lip.
    “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said quietly.
     
    Chapter Two: Lessons
     
    I’d practically moved in with the elf four days later. Lordy, his bathroom alone was bigger than the room I rented. His personal quarters included a full bar in one of the corners, a seating area, and a king size bed in the middle of the room.
    I’d learned enough about his ways in the following weeks not to goad him with expletives or boasting. It hurt to swallow the retorts, which easily sprang out of my mouth. He provoked me intentionally, and I usually failed the test. It always went badly when I lost my temper.
    We were working tonight on sensory perception. I should be able, as a witch with exemplary bloodlines, to find him in the dark. His room was completely dark now. I couldn’t see the hand I was extending out in front of me. No light entered through the skylights, the windows shuttered tightly against the streetlights. I concentrated on the energy in the room. He was near. I could feel his presence. I turned slowly around, extending my emotional antennae.
    The smack of a hand upon my backside stung. The sulfurous odor of my anger scented the air immediately. I whirled, throwing a left hook in the direction of the offender. I made no contact and stumbled with the momentum.
    A bubble of laughter filled the air. “Pet, you must concentrate,” Sasha