Epilogue
I stepped from the carriage to the wet cobblestone street in front of her home.
Sephi took my extended hand in hers, her slim fingers appearing positively dainty in those skin-tight, green silken gloves. She squeezed my hand as the carriage departed. A firm grip. A grip that I could trust if either of us ever dangled from a cliff.
Though hopefully that wouldn't be tonight.
The historic ogre district was a quiet neighborhood this late at night.
Industrial feeling, with a lot of brick buildings and not many windows or storefronts at ground level.
Wind whipped the tops of a few spindly trees to and fro, while moonlight reflected off pooled water from the earlier rain.
Temperature hovered around freezing. Not a cozy locale.
I glanced at Sephi.
The company, on the other hand, made it cozy.
“I am grateful that you and your colleagues waited for me,” she said. “The second half of the evening was far more agreeable than the first.”
I took her hand in my other, so that I could slide an arm around the delightful curve of her waist. The side of her hip pressed firmly into mine as I pulled her tight. “Agreeable, hmm?”
“Most.”
“Even the Lindworm Lunge?”
An exasperated huff passed her lips, fogging the night air. “Even that most rustic of formation dances with your friends.”
“They seem to be on the way to becoming your friends as well.”
She flashed a subtle nod. “Shall we go?”
“Lead the way.”
Gretta, who I’d learned was one of an entire family of ogres living in the building, greeted us as we pushed the heavy door within a door shut.
“Hullo Missus Nose, hullo Mister Wood,” said the ogress.
“Good evening Gretta,” said Sephi. “I see you are nearly done with the blanket you have been knitting. The pattern is most fetching.”
“Thank you, missus Nose. You two have fun playing ball?”
“Indeed.” Sephi put a palm on my back to guide me toward the wrought iron staircase that led up to the level of her apartment, pausing at the first step.
“Gretta, do not be concerned if you hear odd noises coming from my home this evening. Mister Thistlewood is my new consort, whom I shall be ravishing most extensively for the next few hours.”
A pity I had no beverage, as I would have either choked on it, or spit it out most theatrically at that moment.
I felt fingers on the back of my neck as I secured the door to her apartment, fingers that glided under the collar of my overcoat to slide it off my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I noted she’d already hung up hers, leaving her in that slinky iridescent green dress that both covered and accentuated her every curve. “You’re beautiful.”
“You…” She began unbuttoning my jacket top to bottom. “Are overdressed.”
She seemed to drink in every detail, the tip of her tongue poking from the corner of her mouth, as she deftly undid the lowest burnished brass button.
“And most handsome, darling consort.” Her green eyes sparkled as she slid her fingers under the jacket to press her palms against my belly, thumbs playing with the little buttons of my shirt.
My abs tensed at the touch.
“Exquisite.” She pursed her lips.
“Thanks.” My gaze met hers. “I even ironed it for the occasion, you know.”
A lopsided grin spread across her face. “We are going to have so much fun together my darling Theo.”
I put my hands on her upper arms, lightly kneading the muscle. The expanse of tanned skin between her long gloves and armholes in her sleeveless dress delighted my senses.
She raised an eyebrow. “You have rather cold hands.”
“And you have rather warm arms.”
She shoved me back against the door, lips pouncing onto mine. My breaths quickened as she nibbled my lip, finally pressing her tongue hungrily into my mouth. She clawed her hands from my abs to my chest, then over my shoulders to slide my jacket off. “My apologies.”
“For?” I panted at the sensation. Traces of sweat, mixed with the pine and peppermint of her scent, filled my lungs.
She pressed a forearm against my collarbone, pinning me against the door, her nose just shy of mine as she gazed down at me. “I could not come up with a sufficiently witty retort and decided to—mummf!”
I pressed my mouth against hers, sucking her tongue back into my mouth. “Funny. I couldn’t come up with one either.”
She pulled back, tongue tracing those luscious lips, eyes dancing… eyes that felt larger than usual, and far hungrier in the dim light of her apartment. “You, my darling consort, may just be able to keep up with me.”
“I shall try.”
“But it has been a rather long day, and while dancing may not be as strenuous as fighting for our lives in a deadly wilderness, I would like to bathe.”
I glanced at a wet spot under my arm. “I… suppose I should as well.”
“And you will bathe me.”
“Will I?”
She nodded. “It is the traditional responsibility of a consort. Especially in more provincial regions. Unless you prefer those progressive attitudes of Drach-Principalis.”
“I would hate to buck the local mores.”
Sephi flowed into the main room of her apartment, her shimmering green ankle-length dress concealing the strides of her long, elegant legs.
Yet the serpentine sway of her hips was, if anything, exaggerated as she glided about the room, lighting a few glow lamps as she did.
Was this how she looked on the dance floor?
As her partner, I had a different view, and at the moment, I wasn’t sure which was better.
She motioned with her head to follow me into the bedroom.
I’d caught only a glimpse of it my first visit: sparsely decorated, though elegant.
An expansive bed with a stylized wave motif on the headboard.
Nightstands and a wardrobe in simple honey-colored wood, a glow lamp atop each in the form of a fluted glass seashell, light from within in a warm teal.
A vining plant with purple leaves atop one of the sills in a ceramic pot like a butterfly.
Elegant, yet far less ornate than the ex-hotel decor of the dormitory.
She spun in place, stopping with her back to me, and cast a seductive glance over her shoulder. “Be a dear.”
And?
Stepping closer, I set a hand on each side of her waist, eyelids drooping as I felt the warmth of her hips beneath my palms. She swayed at my touch.
Such lovely curves.
“I welcome your touch, but this isn’t helping me undress.”
Oooh! That’s what she meant.
I examined the dress’s back, finding a dozen cleverly hidden little buttons running from shoulder level to the small of her back.
Despite a whirlwind day, my mind still had energy to race as I fumbled with the little green fabric-covered buttons.
We’d been through so much, had grown ever closer, I’d delighted in her company, her clever words, and had savored her every touch.
And against all odds, she had mine. And yet the casual way she asked me to undress her…
it was too much to handle; my mind threatening to overload and shatter like an overcharged power crystal.
I dropped to my knees to better view the lowest buttons. “So… this is another duty of a consort?”
“There are many responsibilities that come with the position.” She spoke at a bemused lilt. “More than some realize.”
As I fidgeted with the lowest button, it finally popped free to reveal a long V of luscious tanned skin from the small of her back to well-toned shoulders. “It sounds rather like being knighted.” I pressed a quick kiss to bare skin at the small of her back.
She spun to face me, a hand lightly on my shoulder, head tipped up a little as if in thought. “An astute observation. It is rather like being knighted.” She tapped her chin. “Although there is considerably more sex involved.”
“I love you, Sephi.” The words just came out.
She smiled, put her other hand under my chin to lift, and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on my lips. “And I, Mister Theodore Thistlewood, love you.”
What had my life become?
Amazing, that’s what.
She straightened and began shimmying out of the dress, tugging the silky fabric down off her shoulders, over her breasts, exposing a taut belly, those hips…
I slumped back till my thighs rested on my calves.
The dress slid down her legs to the floor.
Snapping my jaw shut, I blinked as I gazed at Sephi’s lovely legs, now fully bared. From the muscular curve of her calves to the thickness of her thighs to the way it all swept into the swell of those hips.
“Is there a problem, Mister Thistlewood?”
“Yes.”
She tilted her head.
“You agreed to call me Theo in private.”
She nodded sharply. “Correct. Theo. I was afraid you might grumble about having rather a lot to wash.”
I shook my head. “I’m quite pleased to take on that particular task. That is, as long as you don’t grumble about my taking too long with it.”
She patted my shoulder. “My darling Theo. You have proven yourself brave, resourceful, and true. I have every confidence in your ability to wash…” Her eyes narrowed as a grin spread across her lips.
“Every. Last. Bit.” She tapped her tongue against her teeth and lips as she spoke the words.
“Of my hot, wet, naked body… with exemplary diligence and care.”
Hearing that precise, crafted speech used in such a way would have dropped me to my knees. Fortunately, I was already on my knees. “Your confidence in my humble skills is appreciated.”
Her panties and brassiere matched the rich green of her gown. She fidgeted with a clasp at the back, and before I could soak in all the lacy details, she slid her brassiere off to reveal…
“Your breasts,” I choked out.
She’d never worn anything remotely revealing on top, and while I had seen her curves, I hadn’t appreciated just how…
“Yes, elven ladies do have breasts. Rather necessary for the whole child-rearing affair, you know.”
“They’re…” Big. What? No! That’s a crude way of putting it. Magnificent? Overly formal and non-specific. Luscious? Uuugh, that’s terrible! It makes you sound like a, like a—
“Theo?” Her voice came softer, more tentative than usual.
My gaze flicked back to her eyes. “Yes?”