Chapter Seven
Wylda blinked and inhaled. They were no longer at the party. The air was warm and scented with flowers.
Lord Rez smiled. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. This will be more comfortable than that party.”
She swallowed and nodded. “It is quieter.”
He took her hand and walked toward a bench in a beautiful garden with a huge pond that was bridged by carved wooden structures. There was something to see at every angle.
She let her wings fade but kept her horns. The larger spikes next to the smaller ones.
He stopped next to the bench and urged her to sit. “Please.”
She smiled and sat. “So, Lord Rez, why are we here?”
He sat and rubbed his hands down his thighs with a sigh. “Wylda, will you marry me?”
She paused. “Just like that?”
“Well, yes. I have power, social standing, funds, a pretty home which you have just admired. What more do you wish? Name it, and I will acquire it.”
Wylda blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“What can I provide you to gain your agreement?”
She looked at his serious face and said, “Is negotiating for a bride customary?”
“It can be, but you are your own representative. You are the one who must tell me what you need.” He smiled and held her hand.
His long fingers had long nails. His skin was a pale gold that made his bright gold horns and black hair stand out.
His suit had been swapped for a kimono, and he looked like he had walked out of a painting.
Wylda knew that she looked like she stepped off a circus poster. It had been said before.
“I don’t know what I need. I can list the basics. A place to be safe, a place where food will come easily, and a place where I can work. Nessa gave me a place to work, but I was a host. I would like to do more.”
He smiled. “I think with your gift for languages, you could do much more.”
She figured out that their language had shifted. “Ah. You caught that.”
“I did. You can work anywhere.”
“No, I can’t. I don’t have proper identification. I certainly don’t have a passport.”
He paused. “You don’t?”
“You need an address for it. It takes weeks. I have never been able to manage that.”
“Where are you staying now?”
She twisted her lips. “With Delphine. I am just a guest, though.”
He nodded. “Would you consider my proposal?”
Wylda smiled. “Of course. I have been full of regrets regarding you.”
“As have I. I did not treat you well. I was too eager to have you to see what was actually in my arms.”
“Compulsion? I wasn’t forcing attraction.”
“I know. I also know that for my lifetime, I have been looking for you. Your energy, excitement, and that sweet smile. They have haunted my dreams for decades. When I saw you, I got a little feral. I apologize.”
She nodded. “Apology accepted.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. I remember discomfort, but the spell was effective. My name was forgotten until those I knew were with me again.”
“Is that what you asked for?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask for something?”
She looked at him and then nodded. “Of course.”
“A night with you, to wash the memories away and make new ones.” Lord Rez’s thumb caressed her palm. “I can do much better knowing the goal of making you comfortable with me.”
She looked at their hands and up at his face. “You are serious about this.”
“I am. I will purchase you a home near the city, you can register there, and get your documentation.”
“I can stay with Delphine.”
“Your friends are rushing toward their own unions. Do you want to be with them while you wait for your paperwork?”
“Um, I am going to ask. Delphine is good about these things. She’s the only one of us who was out where folks could see her in the mortal realm. She knows about this stuff.”
“I could find someone to help you.” He smiled. “I am fairly sure that when Stovos uncouples from Orvis, he would be glad to lay assistance at your feet.”
“That isn’t necessary. I have my friends, and when things change, I will call on you. I think Delphine has a lawyer to help us with identity. Elodie has been a confined elf for years. She has to remake her identity.”
“Of course. But what I asked for. May we have the rest of the night?”
“As long as I am back to Delphine’s tomorrow morning. Can you do that?”
He folded his fingers and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “I can do that.”
“Then, we can try again, but watch the nails.”
He smiled and slowly rose to his feet. “You are texting?”
“I am telling Delphine where I am.” She watched until the delivered icon showed up.
“I will get you a phone so that we can keep in touch. Mine is the need, mine will be the bill.”
She looked at him and shrugged. “Okay.”
He smiled. “You won’t fight me on it?”
“I live in a car, and this phone is prepaid. If you change your mind, you take the phone back.”
He blinked. “So, you actually were in your vehicle?”
“Yes. I was able to reinforce the wards on it. It held just fine until those eight bozos came and tried to rattle me out of it.”
“How did you bathe?”
“I had a membership in a national gym. I would go in in the early morning and shower.”
“No bathing?”
“No. No time. I had to work a thousand tiny jobs.”
They were walking over a lightly arching bridge, rippling water under it and large, slow fish swaying from side to side in their territory.
Wylda asked, “Is this where we were that time?”
“No. This is my country home.”
“Oh. It’s nice.”
“Thank you. I will bring you to your friend’s home at dawn.”
She looked around and saw the light of an afternoon. “Wait. Dawn here, or dawn there?”
He chuckled. “Here.”
“Oh, that is quite a while away. Why are we going to wait?”
“I am going to apologize to every part of you. It will take some time. However, we are first going to bathe properly.”
She snorted. “I am guessing it will not be proper.”
He chuckled. “Perhaps not, but it will be an excellent starting point. The bathing house is this way.”
He steered her carefully, and when they were near the part of the courtyard containing the bathing areas, he removed his shoes. “Your turn.”
Wylda kicked off her heels and stepped onto the smooth wood. He led her along and said, “Do you need help getting undressed?”
“Possibly. I sweated a lot, and parts of this fused to me.”
He chucked. “We will get you a robe for the rest of your stay.”
“Oh. Yay.”
They walked to the platform near the pool, where there were shower heads, taps, and buckets.
“You are sure that I can wear something?”
“Yes. If we don’t find a yukata for you, you can wear one of mine.” He was smiling eagerly.
“Fine. I will start stripping, and when I am stuck, I will let you know.” She unwrapped the outer layer, the middle layer, and then she had to peel the bra and panties off. That was where she was stuck. “Help, please, Lord Rez.”
He chuckled. “Of course, Wylda.”
He carefully drew his finger down the fabric, and she felt it part under his touch. She was naked in seconds.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” The purred words were next to her ear.
“What do I do now?”
“Sit on that wooden stool, and I will bathe you. You can do it yourself next time.” He chuckled.
Wylda walked over and sat where he had indicated. He filled a bucket with warm water, got soap and a soft cloth, and knelt next to her, still dressed.
His sleeves were pushed back, and he carefully scrubbed her body from forehead to toes. After she was rinsed, he washed her hair, and it smelled pretty when he tied it up with something.
He murmured, “Get in the water.”
She nodded and turned to walk toward the pool that was gently steaming.
She glanced over her shoulder and blinked at the green flames covering Lord Rez’s aspect as he stripped.
She stepped into the pool and floated away from the edge, turning to watch as water ran over him, under the fire.
She blinked. “I was not paying attention the first time.”
Compact muscles moved and bunched under his pale but tanned skin. She swallowed and put more distance between them. When he walked toward the pool, she felt rock prodding against her back. She had run out of running room.
She whispered, “What’s the flame?”
“Ogre fire. Spirit flame.” He moved toward her and smiled. “You look tense. There are benches under the water over here.”
His hands slid around her waist, and he pulled her with him. She didn’t have anything but him to hold on to.
Rez was smiling. Wylda smiled shyly. “You seem to be in a good mood.”
“This time, I am not in a hurry. We will know each other as monsters should, on equal ground.”
He floated her onto his lap and held her against him. She felt movement under her thighs and slowly looked up at him. “That’s new.”
He chuckled. “It is an ancient adaptation that works very well for my people. Just as the giants had males who were only slightly taller than humans but could grow to three times the size. They were the most successful at finding partners.”
“Is that a tiny giant?”
He laughed. “No, but it is an adaptation that lets me hold down an ogress so she can’t bite. Don’t worry, they are willing, but they get excited and violent.”
“Well, you can just call one, and I will get out of here.”
“I have not had a lover that wasn’t you in half a decade. I just wanted to explain what it was for.” He stroked her back. “I am hoping you will let me demonstrate later.”
Wylda leaned her head against him. “You have a lot of muscles for a guy who wears fancy bathrobes.”
He laughed. “I work out, I believe is the phrase. It is also the kijin default metabolism. I also spend time at my day job.”
“What is that?”
“I draw manga. Historical and fantasy. It is quite popular. I use my human seeming to attend conventions.”
Wylda giggled. “That has to be the most endearing thing I have heard from you.”
He sighed. “And finally, you relax. I must thank my hobby.”
She sat in the warm water, wrapped in his arms, and she began to breathe slowly.
* * * *
Lord Rez smiled softly as all of his dreams of caressing her until she moaned and sighed went away as her breathing evened, and she slumped against him. His songstress was asleep, but she had trusted him just to hold her.
His phone buzzed quietly, and some magic lifted it to his hand. “Hello, Arthur. My best to the family.”
“Lord Rez? There are a number of people here at the party who want to know where you took their friend.”
“We are at my home. She’s taking a nap in the hot pool. I am keeping her head above water.”
“Nothing untoward has occurred?”
“I was planning it, but no. She’s exhausted. She has a winding tale to tell, and I will get to it eventually. In the meantime, this will be a place of peace for her.”
“I think you are making Stiila cry.”
“Interesting. I am also seeking a home for her in the city. Since I can portal, I want her close to her friend Delphine.”
“Would you like me to look?”
“Please. Somewhere that I can renovate to look like my private home here.”
“So, twenty acres or more.”
“Yes.”
“I will get on it, Lord Rez. Is she enough for you?”
“She is perfect. I now have to be enough for her.”
Arthur murmured, “It’s like that, is it?”
“Definitely, and I have hopes for a very long future with her.”
“Maybe you can have a little boy to match with Riida. Someone sturdy.”
Rez laughed. “Find me a house for Wylda that we can put in her name, and I will ask her about the possibility of another generation.”
“Okay, I will tell her friends that she’s in good hands.”
“Which friends are asking?”
“Delphine and Elodie.”
“No warlocks?”
“No. Why?”
“Good. They have gotten the message.” He kept his voice soft. “Ask Delphine for the story, but I am not going to have her out and undefended.”
“When will you bring her home?”
“This is her home, but I will return her to her friend at dawn. My dawn.”
Arthur chuckled. “Got it. Just so you know, she is fate-bound to her two friends, so unless you want a pissed-off star and sacred light getting pregnant at the same time as your lady, you may want some distance.”
Rez sighed. “Of course, there would be a qualifier. Well, I will just have to throw myself into my work or, rather, put her into it.”
“I will let the ladies know to expect her later.”
“Thank you, Arthur. This is not what I was expecting from Stovos’s party, but the old bastard had the good taste to find a woman who knows how to throw a marvellous event and invite all the right people. I will have to give him a second gift.”
“Your lady gave him the gift. The energy signature coming from the mansion is radiating fertility and enough power to have the house spawn its own guesthouse. Delphine has stated that there is no doubt. By morning, things will have started a new life.”
He asked, “She is really that effective?”
“Yes. Apparently, she doesn’t need the fanfare and dancing. She can manage it with a handshake and a surge of magic.”
“She does have talented hands.” He chuckled at the effect that even holding her hand had on him.
“Right. On that note, I wish you well, and I will search out a home for her.”
“Good night, Arthur.” Rez hung up and dismissed his phone, sitting with his intended on his lap. It was a wonderful way to spend an evening. He used a little magic so she wouldn’t go pruney in the water and nodded to the servant who was bringing a tray in.
Everything else could wait. For tonight, she was in his arms again and trusting him enough to rest.
Tomorrow, he would bring her back to her friends and check on their progress with the seasons. For now, he was going to hold her as long as she would let him. He would have to atone for their first encounter another day. He grinned. He was looking forward to it.
He had caught his summoned star, and no one was going to threaten her again.
She snuffled and shifted against him, settling one hand on his chest. Rez smiled. He liked the way she looked, and her reaction was reciprocal. It was a start, and he began to plan their wedding. He knew destiny when he felt it.