Page 15 of Shelf-Made Man
Tobias nearly drove off the road. “We just met!” he protested after he’d steered the car back to safety.
“And in that short time, you have proved kind, considerate, and brave. You have given up your bed, cared for me tenderly and with respect for my dignity, defended me physically, and fled your home at a moment’s notice in order to help me. I’ve never met anyone like you. And don’t discount my love, please. An elfin prince does not easily or capriciously allow himself to love.”
Since Tobias couldn’t come up with a reasonable response, he remained silent. But—despite his bizarre and precarious circumstances—some of the jagged places of his soul felt soothed.
They madea pit stop in Roseburg and, after enjoying a fried chicken sandwich, Alfie fell asleep. That left Tobias alone with his thoughts, a solitude that he found surprisingly uncomfortable despite being how he’d spent most of his life. He turned the radio on low and found a classic rock station that reminded him of his mother, who used to belt out Grateful Dead and AC/DC songs on their road trips together.
Alfie stirred a little south of the California border. He groaned a bit as he moved but quickly went silent and patted Tobias’s arm. “I’m sorry I’m such poor company.”
“You need your rest.”
“Even so.”
“I’m going to stop for the night sometime soon.” They were at about the halfway point, the sun had set, and Tobias was hungry again. He was also tired of staring at the highway.
“All right.” Alfie yawned and then laughed at himself. “I promise, I’m usually not this useless.”
“You’ve, uh, had a pretty rough time of things.”
“I have. I was going to tell you my tale, wasn’t I? Before the trolls interrupted us. Shall I do it now?”
“Please.” Tobias may have answered a bit over-enthusiastically, failing in his attempt to play it cool and pretend like he hadn’t been dying to hear. But he’d been waiting for over a day now, and patience wasn’t always his best virtue. Honestly, he felt as if he’d exercised admirable restraint in not pestering Alfie to spill hoursago.
As if reading Tobias’s thoughts, Alfie chuckled again. It was a very sexy chuckle, the kind that sent Tobias’s mind all sorts of naughty places despite his overwhelming curiosity. That laugh reminded Tobias that it had been months since he’d managed a quick hookup with anyone and much longer since he’d had sex with anyone who wasn’t a stranger. Until Alfie came along, he wasn’t sure of the last time he’d been touched.
“My father is—was, dammit—Claus Clausen, and he was our king. That sounds rather more impressive than it is. Ours is a very small kingdom and we owe our allegiance to the Emperor of the Sparkling Plains. My father was a good ruler: intelligent and just and beloved by our people. The Emperor considered him an important advisor.”
Alfie’s voice rang with pride, which Tobias understood. He’d felt that way about his own mother. She hadn’t been royalty, of course, but she’d been brilliant andgood. Alfie had also used the past tense.
“Has your father passed away?” Tobias asked gently.
“He… yes.” A heavy sigh. “The Emperor has been losing strength. Our world is intimately connected with yours, you see, and I believe that your changing weather patterns have resulted in the waning of the Emperor’s power.”
“Climate change is ruining things for you too?” Tobias was appalled at the concept. It was horrifying enough to see people destroying one world, but toknow that they were damaging another as well…. It was awful beyond belief.
“Yes.” Alfie was clearly saddened. “And there are those who would prey upon his weakness. They would like to see the empire disintegrate so their own authority can grow. My older brother is one of them.”
Tobias, who had an intuition regarding where this might be going, took his gaze off the road just long enough to glance at Alfie’s bleak expression. “Oh no,” Tobias said.
Alfie gave one of his comforting leg squeezes. “Kol and I have never gotten on well. He’s three years older than I am and has never let me forget that he is the heir. Father tried so hard to teach Kol kindness, humility, and patience, but with little success. And I was not blameless. Free of the heir’s responsibilities, I’ve often been a bit, well, wild. Kol envies my relative freedom.”
Silence settled between them for a few minutes, the tires humming against the pavement and the engine purring along. They were surrounded by trees now, and the forest seemed especially dark and mysterious, especially since there were fewer cars about.
“Do you have siblings?” Alfie’s question surprised Tobias.
“It was just Mom and me.”
He had sometimes longed for a brother or sister, but single parenthood was hard enough with one child, he supposed. And a greedy part of him treasured having his mother to himself.
“I believe that family relationships tend to becomplicated under any circumstances. But when the family is royal, that can add even more layers.”
Tobias thought about all the headlines and memes he’d seen about the British royals and nodded.
Alfie continued his story. “Father and Kol argued about what to do regarding the Emperor and the empire, but Kol could only press so hard. Although I backed Father, he asked me to stay quiet about it, since my open involvement in the disagreement would only make things worse. He hoped that eventually Kol would change his views.”
It wasn’t fair. All the Christmas season kitsch depicted elves as jolly little fellows concerned mostly with making toys and maybe baking cookies. In reality, though, it sounded as if they had much more serious problems to deal with. The lore should have acknowledged that elves’ lives could also be tough.
“Koldidn’tchange his views, I take it?” Tobias prompted.
