Page 12 of Triplets for the Dark Elf

I want her. I want to be with her. My father will accept us. Imris and Charmaine would be delighted for Annalise to become part of the family...there’s no reason to hold back except my own stupid fears.

Once the ceremony is over, I stay at the reception long enough to be polite before taking my leave. I give the newly-mates my congratulations as my mind whirls, trying to decide how to do this. Can I really just rush up to her and blurt out that I want her?

No, I have to do this properly. I’m going to ask her to be my mate. I’m going to make an honest woman out of her. The thought puts me into a state of excitement, my footsteps picking up speed as I leap from the carriage.

“Annalise!” I call, approaching the shop. But my heart leaps in my throat as I realize that the front windows are smashed in – a detail that eluded my overactive mind as I approached. “Annalise!” I call out again, this time frantic as I push open the front door.

7

ANNALISE

Miothro gives me a kiss before he’s off to his brother’s wedding. I watch him leave, waving through the shop window as he climbs into his carriage. He waves back and I head back to the counter to make sure the ledger is in order while I wait for customers. It’s nearing the end of the day and I know he’ll be back late but I’m going to wait up for him anyway.

A part of me wishes I could have gone with him. When he told me about it, I thought maybe he would offer but he never did.

Then again, he did look maybe a little disappointed when I offered to watch the shop. Was it because he was hoping I would want to come? Was he going to ask me to come?

I had assumed he wouldn’t want to be seen out with me. I mean, granted his brother is marrying a human but maybe Miothro is a little more cautious about that sort of thing.

A customer comes in and distracts me from my thoughts, asking about our parchment types. I show him a few samples for his business, telling him that we offer custom letterhead, should he wish it. Our typesetters do good work, that’s why we’re one of the best in the stationary business.

Of course, that’s all thanks to Miothro’s brilliant business acumen. He’s got a head for this sort of thing. I make note of the customer’s information as I take his order and let him know that his custom letterhead will be ready within two weeks.

Once he’s gone, I decide to start getting ready to close up the shop. It’s late enough and I know we won’t have many more customers so I start by sweeping up and tidying anything that’s been moved around. While I work, Miothro’s face comes into view. I didn’t get a chance to have lunch with him today because he had to get ready for the wedding.

I’m starting to get used to spending so much time with him. He’s there every morning, we eat lunch together every afternoon and he walks me home every night that we don’t spend in his apartment.

I was right too. After that first night we were together—it was like everything clicked into place for us. Some part of me knew that once I started I couldn’t stop the feelings I was going to develop for him.

It’s unfortunate that he’ll get tired of me in the end and leave me. I shouldn’t have let myself fall for him so easily. But I can’t help it. Miothro is so kind, so charming, so caring...he’s everything I could ever want in a man.

And he’s so considerate. He takes care of everyone who works for him. We all get paid wages, equal wages for human servants and zagfer alike. After Charmaine left, I’m the only human still working for him at the moment but it’s the principle of the thing, isn’t it?

He’s not just kind and caring either—there’s a side of him with a wicked sense of humor too. When we banter, it’s like sparks flying. I can feel the tension in the air between us. Everything feels so much more lively and fun whenever we’re together.

But...no matter how fun it all is, at the end of the day he’s a dark elf and I’m a human. He’s never once given any indication of wanting more from me than just a fling. He’s never taken me out in public on any outings either. We’ve only spent time together in the shop or in his home.

And he hasn’t said a word about our relationship to anyone else. Is he ashamed to be with a human? Am I just a dirty secret to him? Just because Imris mated a human woman doesn’t mean Miothro would do the same.

He’s always been so carefully distant with most of the staff. He’s caring but before that first night we spent together, he would usually hole himself up in his office all day every day. It’s like he wants to be closer to us but something is holding him back. He watches us joke and laugh together from afar.

My musings are only making me miss him more so I decide to focus on putting away the inventory that needs to be sorted. I head to the back where it’s just me now, by myself. The other zagfer work down at the stalls and the ones who bring in the shipments are gone for the day.

As I work, I recall how tired he’s been looking lately. I wonder why he’s been tired. Is he troubled about something? I wish he would share more with me. He’s so brooding some days.

The doorbell chimes and I freeze, a grin immediately growing on my face. He’s back! It’s far earlier than I expected but maybe he missed me as much as I missed him?

Just as I take a step towards the door, about to call out his name, I hear a sound that sends chills down my spine.

“Miothro!”

Someone is bellowing his name, calling for him to come out and face them. My heart is thudding so hard in my chest and I quietly duck behind a large crate, shaking like a leaf as I hear more footsteps in the shop.

“Almu, he’s not here,” someone says loudly. I nearly topple over as I gasp, holding my hand to my mouth. Almu? As in the elf that tried to bid on me and was outbid by Miothro?

“I’m going to make that rodan bastardpayfor what he did to me!” Almu shrieks.

“What the glacies are you on about?” another elf asks him. I hold my breath, trying to figure out what’s going on. “I thought you said he owed you money or something?”