The Thing about Elves Read online

  Ardan popped his head in. “Angie, I think it’s time to go. You can come and check on her later. She, Jedrick and both of us need a long rest.”

  Angie turned toward the sound of his voice. In the few minutes he had been gone, he seemed to have regained his composure. “Sure.” Turning to Tessa, she sighed and squeezed her hand. “The boss has spoken, so I better go. I’ll come back as soon as I can.” She slowly got up and walked to the door. “You call us if you need us for anything, right?”

  Jedrick got up and gently pushed her toward the door. “We’ll be fine. Go to bed.”

  Angie allowed him to force her out and heard the gentle click of the door. She put her hand on the wall and leaned her head toward it. She really had to get a grip on herself. She felt gentle arms clasp her shoulders.

  “It’s alright to cry, you know,” Ardan whispered gently in her ear and leaned over her.

  “I know. I just don’t want to do it here.” She pushed herself away from the wall and from him. Sighing deeply, she turned to look at the man she had dreamed about for almost a year. True, the man did resemble one of the popular actors of a recent epic film but there were subtle differences too. Ardan’s lips were fuller and his face leaner. Not only did he still have the flush of youth, but the look of a more mature man as well. There was something definitely raw about him that she couldn’t quite place. And he had the look of someone who knew exactly what he wanted and where he was going. “I’ll just go back to my room. That way I’ll be close in case I’m needed.”

  “Not tonight,” he stated firmly, and started to rub her neck gently.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If I leave you here tonight, you will likely bring your blanket and sleep in the hall. And that won’t help either one of us.” He stopped moving his hands and looked deeply into her eyes as if willing her to do what he wanted.

  “Why not?” Angie looked at him skeptically, wondering just what he could say that would make her want to leave.

  “I think the best place for you to go would be somewhere other than the hospital.”

  She shook her head tiredly. “No shit, Sherlock. But I really don’t have anywhere to go now do I, thank you very much. If you’d just get out of my way, I’ll manage to fall into my bed somehow.”

  “Come home with me.”

  Angie stopped in mid-track and swallowed hard. Rubbing her hands in front of her face, she contemplated her options. If she didn’t go with him tonight, he would never ask her again, of this she could be sure. If she did go, she wouldn’t or couldn’t be responsible for her actions. And from past history, she knew that those actions could get her into hot water. No matter what choice she made it wouldn’t necessarily be the right one for her. The air suddenly sparked with sexual tension. Again, she knew this would probably be the last chance she would get and she was never one to allow a chance slip by. She swallowed hard and turned back to face Ardan.

  “Alright, I’ll go. Just let me get a few things.” She ran down the hall and into the dormitory style room. She wasn’t going to give him time to change his mind. She rapidly threw off her scrubs into the bin, redid her heavy braid and pulled on her clothes that had been sitting on the bed. Angie didn’t care that she needed a shower; she was going home with Ardan. Grabbing a small duffle, she threw in another pair of jeans, sweater and underwear. Reaching for her coat, she was out the door in less than five minutes.

  Upon her return, Ardan, who had been leaning against the wall, stood up and gaped.

  “What?”

  “You just went at warp speed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you move that fast.”

  Breathing heavily, she tried to answer coherently. “I’ve always been able to move fast when I wanted to.”

  “I see.”

  Slowing her breathing down, Angie rolled her neck, trying to relax. “Just a minute, buster,” she finally said, “I’m not sure you see anything.”

  Reaching for her arm, Ardan put her hand in the crook of his elbow. “I see enough to know that both of us are dead tired and need to get some sleep. I see enough to know that your devotion to Tessa is such that if I left you here you wouldn’t get any sleep at all. Is that good enough?”

  She couldn’t deny his logic if she tried. “So?”

  “I also see that you will never admit I’m right if you can help it.”

  Smiling more to herself than anything else, she chuckled. “I’m glad you see so much. I guess I’m just not one of those ‘yes, doctor’ nurses. Couldn’t ever stand kowtowing, no matter what or who wanted me to do so.”

  “I’m glad that you still have a sense of humor and I’m glad that you didn’t kowtow to those who were less superior than you.”

  “Well…I’m not sure about that…but sometimes I definitely knew they didn’t deserve the honor.”

  “I find few in the human world who have honor, much less deserve the devotion that is sometimes thrust upon them.”

  “Ah…a philosopher…did you study that at school too?” she asked as she walked along side him, hand tucked in neatly against his body.

  “A little…not enough to imbibe great wisdom on anyone, mind you…just enough to want to figure things out for myself.”

  “And just what are you trying to figure out, doctor?”

  “Things.” He turned her and looked deep into her eyes, pressing his body the whole length of hers.

  Angie felt her heart stop and her crotch clench. “What things?” she whispered, trying to keep the emotion from her voice.

  “Things that I can’t show you here. Things that I need to work out of my system.”

  She tried to breathe steadily but it got harder with each breath. She could feel every muscle in his leg and his abdomen seemed to be caressing hers. “Am I one of those things?”

  “We’ll just have to see, won’t we? I’ll be just a minute.” He pulled himself from her and walked into the men’s changing room, not affording her even a backward glance.

  It was everything that Angie could do not to just melt into the floor. She just knew that she was going to die from sexual tension if she weren’t careful. Still, she could be hopeful for something. Soon she tapped her foot as she knew he deliberately tortured her by making her wait.

  * * * *

  What the hell was he doing? Ardan leaned against the door and breathed deeply. Every nerve ending in his body was on fire because of that woman. And this time it had gone too far. He had to have her. He didn’t care what the outcome would be; he had to have her luscious body. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been offering it to him for a year now. He walked over to the locker and jerked off his lab coat.

  Slamming open the door, he wasn’t sure this was the wisest thing to do, given the situation. But then again with the sexual tension running through his body he wasn’t sure what the wisest thing would be. His elven magic continued to be on high alert, first with Tessa in the operating room and now with Angie. He didn’t want to care for the woman but after tonight something had crept into his heart and that something was caring.

  Clenching and unclenching his fists, he walked around the room several times. He had to get a hold of himself before he went back out to her. Leaning his head against the door, he strained to hear her breathing. With his elven magic, he could discern the slow beat of her heart and the rhythmic feel of her breath. Putting out a tendril of magic, he realized her heart beat faster with just that small touch. Could she actually feel him and his magic? Was it possible this human woman could be his match?

  Shaking his head, he pushed away from the door. He couldn’t do this. He calmed himself down through some breathing exercises and gained control over his errant emotions. He was just a little stressed from the hard delivery. That had to be it because it couldn’t be anything else.

  Oh…but he wanted her so badly…and when she had touched his ears earlier in the day he thought he would burst. Her very touch could send him zinging and he wasn’t quite sure why…or at least he didn’t want to adm
it it to himself.

  He would just go out there and tell her that nothing was going to happen. Nothing at all. All he had to do was to convince himself it was true.

  * * * *

  He had touched her with the magic. Angie stood straighter. She felt it…a light brush against her already hot skin…it had set her pulses to racing even more. What the hell was the man doing? Testing her? She nearly jumped through the roof when the door opened and she turned wide eyes his direction. Ardan stood there in silhouette. She couldn’t have wanted him more if she tried.

  “I want to make it clear that nothing will happen tonight.”

  She blinked her eyes and sighed deeply. “Whatever. I need to get some sleep.” She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She was in no mood to try and decipher what had happened in the time he had been away from her. He happened to be moodier than any woman she knew and in her current state of mind, it had a numbing sensation.

  Angie shoved her way through the front door and set down her bag. Pulling on her coat, she watched as the snow swirled around her and into the night. This truly was a winter wonderland and she was one of the privileged few who were accepted into this realm.

  “It’s really beautiful here,” she stated quietly, not sure if Ardan had even caught up with her.

  “You think it’s beautiful?”

  She didn’t have to look at him to know he was surprised by her observation. She could hear it in his voice. “Yes, I do.” She turned to look up at him and pulled her parka hood closer to her head. “It might not be the conventional beauty of a land with four seasons, but there’s something stark and raw about it that makes it beautiful.”

  “Yes… it does have a harsh beauty… but most women never see it.”

  “Ardan… I’m not most women… and like you’ve told me many times, you are not most men.” Anything else she had to say could wait. The sleigh had arrived with Eggther driving.

  “Hello, Eggther,” Angie said.

  “Hello, Angie Hudson. And how do you do on this cold winter’s night?”

  Angie smiled at the elf. He was Santa’s beck and call elf, doing anything the jolly fellow needed him to do. He was one of the smallest elves she had ever seen and he dressed in the traditional little green or red suit, whichever matched his mood of the day. One of the lucky few who were allowed to wear both colors, Angie could tell Eggther considered himself one special elf. She didn’t get into elf politics, but she knew that they did have some rules and standards. Rules and standards that had been broken when Santa arrived with Tessa over a year ago.

  From what she recalled of the tale, Eggther had hardly been happy when Santa told him they were taking the human woman home with them. But something had changed during the past year, and he was now one of Tessa’s most ardent admirers. And he had taken a shine to her as well.

  “Other than cold, Eggie, I think I’m just really tired.”

  The small elf got a really sad look on his face. “Are they going to be okay?”

  “Absolutely. They had the best medical team around. For now, they just need rest and recuperation time,” Ardan stated emphatically.

  “And we need rest too, Eggie.”

  “Where are you going, Ardan? I thought you always stayed at the hospital. And I don’t think Angie has been assigned any place beyond what you gave her here.”

  “Eggie, we’re going to my house.”

  The elf blinked at them once then twice. “Oh.” There was a great deal of wonder in that one little word.

  “It’s not what you think,” Ardan began, stopping almost immediately as if realizing some mistake.

  “And just what do you think I think?” the small elf questioned, hands on hips.

  Angie had never seen Ardan blush or be uncomfortable in any way.

  “I know exactly what you think…and you don’t need to be telling my parents anything…got that?”

  The small man stared at him for a few moments. “You, young man, have a very dirty mind if you think I was thinking that.”

  Angie did her best not to chuckle. Soon she shook in soundless mirth. That would teach the arrogant bastard. One of his own got the better of him.

  “It’s not funny.” Ardan scowled down at her.

  Wiping the laughter off her face, she looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Did I say it was?”

  Ardan rubbed his forehead. “This is going to be a mess.”

  Angie placed her hand in his arm. “I’ve always found that honesty is the best policy. We’ll tell everyone the truth. We were tired and needed to get away from the hospital. What could be misconstrued from that?”

  “My parents will wonder why I didn’t bring you to their house.”

  “At two in the morning?”

  “You don’t know my mother.” He rolled his eyes. “Nor the elven community.”

  “I’ve got a pretty good idea from Tessa how things work around here. I’ll tell them I refused to let you wake them up and you refused to leave me here. It’ll take care of everything.”

  Ardan seemed to breathe a sigh or relief. “That sounds plausible.”

  “Good. Let’s get to your house before I fall over.”

  They climbed into the sled, settling in by pulling the blanket around them both and instructed Eggther to make haste to Ardan’s home.

  Chapter 2

  Angie slowly walked around the living room for what must have been the millionth time. She stood, amazed at what she saw in the room. It certainly wasn’t what she expected from the stuffy elf. She had expected something darker and while most of the greens were dark, they weren’t overbearing. They were quite inviting and something she would expect of a woodland elf if she could define furniture that way. The room definitely had the feel of being outside in nature. Not the nature found here at the North Pole but elsewhere in the world where it would be dominated by forest.

  The room had a similar layout to that of Jedrick’s and Tessa’s with a large fireplace which almost took up the whole room. But that’s where the similarity ended. The mantle here was a polished dark wood, almost black upon closer inspection, and the roaring fire added to the sheen of the wood. The chairs seemed to be more minimalist with lots of wood showing. The pillows brought a splash of color to an otherwise dark room with their blues and greens. The couch looked comfortable and efficient without the benefit of many of the overstuffed pillows so many designers used today. All in all it made a good impression.

  Sighing, she turned and looked at the window. The snow still swirled in graceful eddies at the front of the house. Rubbing her arms, she wondered just why she was here. He had explained at the hospital there could be nothing between them; still, she harbored hope in her heart. A hope that would not die slowly, that she knew. No, it would take a long time for her to get over this man.

  Swallowing hard, she felt the man enter the room. Was this what it was like for Jedrick and Tessa? Could they sense each other? If she didn’t know better she would swear he had transferred some of that elven magic to her when she had felt his tentative touch through the wall.

  “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I made hot chocolate, hot tea and coffee. Then of course there’s the scotch to liven it up.”

  She turned toward Ardan. “Scotch?”

  “You don’t like scotch?”

  “I didn’t say that. It is an acquired taste.” Angie stood by the window and watched him set the tray on the low table in the middle of the room. His hair shimmered in the firelight, dancing around his head and shoulders like a waterfall against a cliff. His long limbs called to her to be touched. She kept her arms tightly crossed. She couldn’t yield unto this temptation no matter how much she wanted to do so at the moment.

  Ardan sat on the couch and indicated one of the chairs to her. “What do you like?”

  “Tequila’s always good.”

  A horrified look crossed his face. “You’ve got to be kidding…right?”

  “You don’t like tequila?”

&nbs
p; “I don’t like what it does to me.”

  She smiled and moved forward. “That I can understand.” Frowning, she looked over the contents of the tray. “Did you make these cookies too?”

  “Since no one is waiting at home for me, I have to bake everything myself. I’m not the best chef or baker, but I’m adequate.”

  Crossing in front of the chair, she slowly folded herself into the square space. “I guess I’ll have some hot chocolate with some whiskey. That’ll feed my chocolate craving.”

  “Good choice.” He leaned forward picking up one of the cups and poured from one of the ceramic pitchers. “So you’re craving other things?” Ardan looked at her pointedly as if trying to see within her soul.

  Angie blinked back at him slowly. Well two could play this game. “I suppose you could say that,” she practically purred. She didn’t know just how far she could push this game. If she could push it all the way, she would. But at this moment, Ardan was almost playing a practical cat and mouse game. Thing was she didn’t know just who happened to be the mouse.

  “Ah.” Ardan stirred the whiskey into the hot chocolate before handing her the toasty mug.

  “Just ‘ah’ and nothing else? How unlike you.” She reached for the mug and almost dropped it when his fingers grazed her. The electric shock was felt throughout her whole body. Looking looked through lazy eyes at Ardan, she wanted to smile. He was not unaffected by the quick touch. She could almost swear that he paled for just bare a moment.

  Ardan cleared his throat and sat back on the couch, mug in hand. “So you’ve seen Tessa and Jedrick’s house and you know they’re basically the same, but what do you think of mine?”

  This was unexpected. Angie arched her eyebrow in surprise. “You want me to tell you what I think about the decorating? Or would you like my comment on the house itself?”

  “The decorating…if you don’t mind, that is.”

  She snorted. “Sorry. But that isn’t what I expected you to ask.” She looked at him, trying to gauge the reason he asked. “Well…since you ask…I didn’t expect this at all.”