Page 62 of Callista and the Elf

I paused. What if I didn’torderhim to do what I wanted? People did things for Callista when she only asked. What if a king… asked?

I softened my voice. “Mylo, would you ask someone from the kitchens to bring us food in the library?”

His amused smile returned. “Are you sure about that? Maybe I should offer to chaperone you two instead?”

“Mylo,” I growled.

He waved a hand, as if to dismiss my protest, and laughed. “Of course, I’m happy to send food.” Then he turned to Callista. “You’ll tell me, though, if you need a chaperone, won’t you? I’m not sure I trust the king.”

She laughed and patted my arm with her free hand. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” Her voice lowered, and while she held my arm, she leaned toward him with a conspiratory tone. “He might not like me telling anyone this, but he’s the most honorable elf I’ve ever met.”

I couldn’t help muttering, “Considering that the other elves you’ve met are Koan and Jolter, that doesn’t say much.”

Mylo burst out laughing again and dipped his head as I nudged her away.

She kept up easily and chattered about birds shewatched out the window, the weather changing, how she was concerned about the shorter nights and how that must mean that I’m a drekkan longer, and how she’d been thinking about my family’s book all day.

Was she trying to fill up the air with random thoughts? Or was this normal behavior for her when she was not nervous and unsure of how I would respond?

She stopped talking and slowed down when we entered the library. Her hand slid up to my bicep and tightened as she spun to face me. She set her free hand on my forearm.

Physically, I could lift her with one hand. Carrying her like a baby would take no more effort than lifting a fork. But as she held my arm with both her hands, I could not move a muscle. My body froze, caught somewhere between her open willingness to touch me and her blue eyes staring at mine. Did she hear my heart pound? Did she feel the fire that ran in my veins?

“We’re not in a hurry, right?” she asked, apparently oblivious to the effect her hands had on my arm.

“We have time for whatever you’d like.”

She smiled, and a hint of happiness leaked into the bond. She squeezed my arm with both hands. “Thank you. I’ll be so fast.”

Then she took those dangerous hands off my arm, ran to the spiral staircase, and set one hand on the banister. She started running, rushing up the steps with her white dress and flame-kissed hair flying out behind her and one hand trailing the top of the railing.

She was stunning. Beautiful in every way. Like a firehawk. I wanted to wrap her up and keep her forever… but one did not put a wild bird in a cage. She needed to be free—if for nothing else than to run up and down giant staircases in libraries.

She stopped at the top and surveyed the room from her new vantage point. I wanted to join her. Halfway up the staircase, though, I stopped. What if she did not want me up here with her? What if she wanted to be alone?

I had never questioned whether or not I should do something that I wanted to do, and that gave me even more pause. A king did whatever he wanted. But if what I wanted affected someone else—if it affected Callista, she should have a say in it. I looked up at her, and found she was not studying the massive library anymore—she was looking at me.

Her lips lifted in a beautiful, fresh smile that drew me closer. She was not upset at me joining her. When I reached the top, she threw her arms out to her sides and waved at the library’s expanse. “This is amazing. How long did it take to build?”

That was a good question. I rested a hand on the railing in front of us. “I’m not sure. It was a gift from the people of Sirun for King Toren and his new wife when they married, about 15,000 years ago. It gets reinforced with new layers of magic every decade.”

Both her hands patted the banister. “Amazing. Well—” She turned to me. “Shall we go read your book?”

I nodded and extended an elbow.

Instead of taking it, her eyes lit up and one corner of her mouth lifted. “Let’s race,” she breathed, and then ran down the stairs.

By the time I realized what was happening, she had a two-second lead on me. But I was an elf, and she had to lift her dress to avoid tripping on the hem.

I skipped the stairs three at a time and caught up to her before she reached halfway. I beat her by at least three seconds.

Winded, yet full of energy, and absolutelybursting with the playful challenge, I turned and caught her waist as she neared the landing. I spun her in a circle, twice, before I was flooded with her sweet happiness pouring through our bond. I spun her one more time, hoping to make it last a few seconds longer, and then set her down.

I didn’t want her to get sick.

She landed, panting, with a hand on my arm. “Thank you. I’ve wanted… to see that all day.”

I brushed a wild lock of hair away from her eyes. “You could have come with anyone else.”

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