Dominated by the Dark Elf by Celeste King

Author:Celeste King [King, Celeste]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Protheka Publishing
Published: 2022-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

19

Gwen

He stares at me, with an expression that’s a mixture of surprise and concern. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting me to be quite so blunt about the matter.

But I don’t have time to beat around the bush. Whether or not we can survive this trip has been weighing heavily on my mind, and my concerns are only growing. Death seems to lurk behind every corner. Each time we manage to fend it off, but surely our luck can’t last forever, can it?

It’s beginning to feel as though we must be delaying the inevitable. Because death never stops chasing us. How long will it take before it finally catches up?

It’s not just that I fear death. I do, of course. I don’t have any great desire to meet my end out here.

But it’s more than that, for me. I have an entire family depending on me. What happens to them, if Hatharal and I don’t manage to return?

My mother is too ill to be able to provide for herself. My younger brother and sister aren’t much better, both quite fragile and in need of my care. I’m not ready to relinquish that responsibility, though I’m beginning to fear I won’t be given the choice.

I had finally gotten them into a position that I felt was tenable, at least for now. In Hatharal’s home, they are provided for. I was willing to undertake this journey for that exchange, but I’m beginning to see that I may have acted in hast. Because if we die, there will be no one left to take care of them.

It’s yet another example of how I’ve been denying the inevitable. The end, for us all, is drawing near. It feels like the noose tightens around my throat, more and more, and I can only pretend not to feel it for so long.

Hatharal studies my face, noting my grim expression. The glow of the firelight on his face makes him look surprisingly tender and wholesome, the only bright spot in the otherwise dark night. His eyes glimmer with something like compassion. I never thought dark elves were capable of such a sentiment, but he’s been nothing but unexpected from our very first meeting.

He lifts his hand, as if about to offer me comfort. But then he seems to think better of it and stops. His hand hovers in midair, then finally lands awkwardly by his side.

In that moment, all I can think is that I wish I had his embrace to fall back on. A voice in my head chastises me, telling me to stop such thoughts. I gave up my right to ask for such things when I dismissed him this morning.

It was a cold rejection, but necessary. Passion would only complicate our already complicated relationship. If I should give myself to him, what happens when he grows tired of me? What if my family and I should end up on the streets of Protheka, rejected by the only provider that we have?

No, it’s better to leave it as a purely transactional exchange.

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