51. Myelas
MYELAS
Izzy showered after her time with Rook, and as she was dressing, getting ready to face the world, Olinara arrived.
“If you think you’re going out today, you’re sorely mistaken, granddaughter,” the nymph stated in no uncertain terms. “You’re not queen yet, and frankly no one is ready for a coronation and won’t be for a while, so sit down and relax.
You’ve definitely earned it. You’re on forced R&R until further notice. ”
Behind Olinara, the succubus who’d introduced herself as Izzy’s head lady in waiting, wheeled in a trolley laden with food. It smelled great. My stomach rumbled, as did several others in the room.
“This is Malineth,” Olinara introduced the woman. “She’s your new head lady in waiting. She’ll take care of all your needs.”
Olinara put her hands on her ample hips and stared Izzy down. “If I hear you’ve done anything more strenuous than a casual walk around your residence, you’ll be in big trouble. That goes for all of you. Take care of each other. That’s an order.”
“Alright, alright,” Izzy said hands up in front of her. “You win. I’ll rest.”
“Good,” Olinara said, then made sure to stare each of us down until we also acquiesced. Before she left, she came to me. “You’re the healthiest of them, and the sanest. Keep an eye on them, will you?”
“Always,” I promised.
She smiled, then left.
I joined the others at the large table next to the bank of windows in the far corner from the bed in Izzy’s bedroom. Malineth had laid out trays of food then left, but not before adding, “If there is anything you need, just ask, mistress.”
“Why do I get the feeling she means anything,” Vyns asked as the woman left.
“She does, and please ignore her,” Rook informed us.
That got five curious looks, and the incubus finally relented. “She’s my mother. I don’t know how she got this position, but I feel like I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.”
“She seems… nice,” Izzy commented.
“She’s great, but she will probably try to sleep with all of you. Please… tell her no and move on,” Rook said.
“Not my type, too soft,” Bayn grunted, mouth half full of eggs and sausage.
“Not my type, too… demony,” Vyns said with a wink at Rook.
“Not my type,” Izzy began and knowing Izzy — and her crude sense of humor — I fully expected her to say not enough dick. But instead, she went with, “Too mother-in-lawy.”
That made everyone laugh.
“Oh Blazes… she will be your mother-in-law, won’t she? So… are you going to, like, officially marry all of us?” Rook asked.
“I’ve considered it.” She looked around at us all. “Is that okay?”
Everyone smiled, some nodded, most of us made soft sounds of agreement.
“Usually the queen has a harem, her inamorati, but they’re not actually spouses. You really are going to shake things up,” Koar said.
“That’s the plan,” Izzy said with a grin, but it quickly faded. I could see — and feel through our bond — the burden of her impending rulership weighing on her.
“We’ll all be there to help you,” I whispered, reaching over to clasp her hand tightly.
She gave a bit of a smile at that, but her mood didn’t lift much.
We didn’t talk a lot after that, focusing on the food. We were all recovering and famished. We polished off everything Malineth had brought, then asked for more. Izzy excused herself while some of the others were still eating.
I got up with her and asked if we could talk.
She nodded and mumbled, “I just… need some air.” So, I escorted her outside, where we meandered over the lawns around Izzy’s residence.
I gave her some time to her thoughts before I spoke, but she seemed to only grow gloomier. I squeezed her hand, held in mine as we walked.
“I have a proposal,” I said, hoping to jar her out of her dark thoughts.
She quirked one brow. “Like a down-on-one-knee proposal?”
I laughed. “I think that’s a given. No, something else.” I drew in a breath and plastered on a smile. “I want you to break the bond between us.”
Izzy’s mouth fell open. I sensed her confusion and distress, so I hurried to explain.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot this morning.” I’d been up first and had taken a walk earlier myself, pondering this and how to tell Izzy. I still hadn’t come up with any good way to say it, hence the reason I’d blurted it out.
“I learned a lot about myself yesterday,” I said.
“I no longer feel unworthy. I know I’m enough.
I may not be the strongest or the fastest, but I’m no slouch and I kicked ass in that battle.
I’m… good now. I don’t need the bond to prove that you love me.
I know you do, and I love me too. I know you’ll be there for me and I’ll always be there for you.
Nothing will ever change that. So… I’m good. ”
That made her smile, but she still looked a bit worried.
I pushed on. “And the bond, well, as much as I like feeling everything you feel, the whole imperative to mate can be a bit awkward at times. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m guessing it won’t always be possible to stay close, and we both know how rough it feels to be apart.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to be close to you all the time, but I also want to be more than a husband. ”
This was the part I’d been thinking a lot about earlier.
“I want a role in your government. I want to help, somehow, though I don’t know exactly how yet. I want to help the people of the three realms as much as you do. And if I do, I might be away from you for a while. I don’t want to be, but it may be a part of whatever role I take on.”
She nodded solemnly, lips pursed.
“Anything else,” she asked.
“No, that’s pretty much it.”
She nodded and gave a tight smile. “Request denied.”
I raised my brows.
She squeezed my hand.
“I get that you’re feeling better about yourself and that you don’t need the bond to feel whole.
That’s great, I’m proud of you. But my answer is no.
Just because we don’t need the bond doesn’t mean we don’t like it.
I, at least, really like it. I love the soothing warmth I get when we’re close.
I don’t want to lose that. It may be selfish, but this bond is a two-way street, and I would like to keep it. ”
Oh.
I had to smile. “Thanks,” I whispered. Then, after a deep breath. “So… what do we do about being apart?” I asked.
She cocked her head to the side.
“What if we adjusted the bond? Shaped it into something we both want, something that doesn’t hinder us?”
“Is that possible?” I asked. I’d never heard of a mate bond being “adjustable.”
“Let’s find out.” Izzy squeezed my hand again, then we found a spot to sit, facing each other, my hands in hers. She closed her eyes, and moved through our bond, stretching and prodding.
She spoke softly as she explored this connection between us.
“Lhorine was right, it really isn’t like other bindings, but… it is still a binding. I can work with this.” She opened her eyes and looked at me, searching.
“So… what do we want it to be?” she asked me.
I shrugged. “I’d love to keep the deep connection we have, feeling each other. It pains me at times to sense your distress, but I’d still like to have all of that.”
“And I don’t mind the intimacy it brings. The soothing presence, the way it enhances our times together.”
I laughed. “You mean the orgasms?”
“I do.” She shivered, eyes rolling up a little as passion swept through her. I guessed she was recalling some of our times together. “They’re amazing! Rook’s orgasms are sinful, but yours are… deep and meaningful.”
I smiled wider at that compliment, but also at how I didn’t even care anymore that she’d compared me to another man. I was enough, for me and for her, and it didn’t matter what any other man did.
“Okay,” I said, “so we keep the orgasms. Anything else?”
“I think…” She was slowly coming back down to earth after reliving those steamy memories. “It’s a matter of the imperative. We can keep everything except the part that makes us have to be together, the demand for sex, the need to be close.”
“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “Sounds perfect.”
She returned the smile. “Let me give it a try.” She closed her eyes and reached back into our bond.
I didn’t know how difficult this might be, but Izzy was a fast learner and could conquer pretty much anything when she put her mind to it.
“Yeah,” she mumbled. “There it is…”
Something shifted, and suddenly everything inside me… eased off.
“Oh… wow!” I breathed.
“I know, right?” Izzy said with a laugh as she opened her eyes. “It feels so much… lighter, freer.”
“But still so close and… perfect.” I was running out of words to describe this rather stunning sensation inside me.
The bond was there, Izzy was there, deep in my soul, but as a known and comforting entity.
There was no demand to be close to her, no forced anything. It was all joy and ease and liberty.
“Thank you,” I whispered reverently.
We both leaned in and kissed softly. It wasn’t an imperative, just what we wanted to do.
Oh, yes… I was definitely going to enjoy this!
And for the first time, possibly in my entire life, I felt completely unrestrained and truly happy.
“Oh wow… what was that?” Izzy breathed as we parted. “Your soul just… lit up!”
I laughed. It bubbled up out of me so freely. “I feel great! For the first time… I’m living for myself. I don’t serve anyone, don’t have to worry about anyone else’s demands or expectations. I’m bound by nothing except love, and I feel so… alive and joyful and free!”
Izzy laughed with me.
But then her mirth died off.
My words had hit a chord. All of my shackles had fallen away, but Izzy was about to put on some of her own, willingly accepting a huge responsibility.
“Remember,” I whispered to her. “We’re going to do this together. This was what you wanted. And you won’t be alone. We’ll form a government of the people, a ruling council. Not everything will be on you.”
Her mood lightened a little, but the responsibility of being queen hadn’t been all that had been bothering her. She still felt so deeply for all the lives that had been lost to pave the way for freedom.
“Remember too,” I said, squeezing her hands. “You didn’t want this war. You fought only to save people, to free them. And you won. We did the best we could and saved thousands of lives by ending the war when we did. Valnea is responsible for the war, the death.”
Izzy gave a soft smile, but it was forced. My words had helped, but my tender-hearted mate still claimed some responsibility for those who’d died.
I tried one last approach.
“Your compassion makes you stronger, better, a far more capable ruler than any elf that ever lived. Use what you’re feeling now to drive you to make this world better, as you’d hoped. So that no one else has to die in a conflict like this.”
She nodded. “You’re right, thank you, Myel. I love you. I need you so damned much.” She kissed me again, then whispered. “Whatever role you want in the new government, just don’t rush into it, okay? I may need you around reminding me of everything you just said… for a while.”
“Deal,” I said. “I want you to be happy, and luckily, even if I’m not there, you’ve got others who want the same thing.
” And that made me happy. I didn’t worry about the other guys anymore.
I didn’t compare myself to them, didn’t fear I might lose something because of them.
I felt only gratitude that they loved this wonderful woman too and would help her and take care of her like I would, if I wasn’t there.
“Thank you, you’re right… again,” she said.
Then we cuddled close, laying in the grass, listening to the sound of the surf below us, calm and even. Izzy let my presence sooth her until her fears and concerns faded away. Only then, did we head back inside.