The Snow Queen (Not Quite the Fairy #4) Page 3

  “You like that?”

  The elf smiled, propelling himself from the land of way too attractive for his own good and landing in the realm of pants off. Now.

  She felt that smile teasing her between her legs.

  Oh goodie. Two millenniums worth of hormones were hitting her in one go. Just what the doctor had not ordered.

  “There. Eat more.”

  She wasn’t sure why he was still feeding her like a child, but she wasn’t stopping it.

  Finally, he ran out of supply; seeing disappointment in her eyes, he told her:

  “Stay there. I’ll get you some food.”

  On that note, he – unfortunately – put his coat back on his shoulders, before grabbing the bow and arrow he’d left down near his axe.

  Then, her standoffish barbarian elf was on his way to kill something for her to eat.

  For an obscure – and pretty stupid – reason, he’d decided to take care of her.

  Her. Skadi, goddess of Winter. The Snow Queen.

  Why the hell couldn’t she stop smiling?

  Kai was serious about his responsibilities and today, he’d been on the rota as a hunter so first, he stopped by the village and dropped off a dozen rabbits and pheasants with Fyn, kissing the old lady’s cheek before trying to run for it.

  “Wait a minute, boy. Where are you going so quick? And with… is that a duck?”

  He shrugged, hoping she’d let it go, especially right now, as there were ten people with their eyes and pointy ears glued to them.

  They’d noticed his absences, obviously; finding the girl had taken two days – two days when he’d barely been back to the village to sleep, before returning to his chase.

  When he’d seen her curled up next to the bear, his heart all but stopped. It took a while to accept what his eyes were telling him: the animal wasn’t a danger to her.

  Definitely some kinda witch, he’d reasoned.

  Although she could apparently tame bears, she’d seemed so vulnerable in her sleep.

  The animal had awoken when he’d approached, but guessing that it would be sharper than the average beast out there, Kai had told him he was no threat, willing every word to convince it.

  Somehow, it worked. The bear watched silently, as he built them a fire.

  Kai fed him most of the rabbit he’d trapped, before cooking himself a leg.

  Then, he’d insulated the space as best he could, before going to sleep too, staying at the entrance of their cave until dawn.

  It was the first night he’d spent away from the village, save for the scheduled trips to town, so he was hardly surprised at Fyn’s – and the rest of the villager’s – curiosity.

  Catching his glance towards the preying eyes, Fyn offered: “Why don’t I walk with you?”

  They’d barely closed the door behind them when the old lady jumped on it.

  “You’ve found her, then?”

  “Ladies. Always after a good bit of gossip.”

  “Don’t underestimate me, boy. I’m after a niece, if you can manage it; otherwise, a nephew would do.”

  Kai felt the corner of his lips lift again; it had happened more within the last few days than over the course of the previous decade.

  “I’ve found the lady we spoke of, and built her a shelter. You might not recall how it works, but we’re a ways off from the baby-making process.”

  He wasn’t denying that his pursuit might take him there; each time he saw her, he wanted to burry himself in her, to the hilt. It grew more violent, carnal every day – most especially when he’d felt her tongue on his finger, teasing him.

  It also helped that Fyn, the oldest elder amongst them, hadn’t said a word against his infatuation, although she knew the girl was no elf.

  “You may not want to carry this discussion forth, Kailan. I could tell you things that would make you blush about what I know of the baby-making process.”

  He pretended to retch, and she chuckled, bumping him on the sides.

  Truth was, Fyn had been the beauty of the Deldenhams, a long, long time ago. Hundreds had died to allow her to flee with books containing the history of their kind, when the gods had found their lands and destroyed most of their people, during the last war.

  Or so the legend said. Fyn never breathed a word about those times.

  All of that aside, he had no doubt that Fyn had had her fair share of suitors in her days, and she still did, fair as she was. The years had made her more unapproachable, but certainly no less appealing; although it hurt to admit that his aunt was a bombshell.

  Kai frowned, thinking of the dozens of men she could choose from, because the little witch whose name he still didn’t know was just as stunning as the white-haired beauty by his side.

  That meant she could have been tucked in safe, in a lord’s bed, if she’d wanted to be.

  “Fyn, if anything was to make you change your mind about taking a companion, and raising a child of your own, what would it be?”

  She thought it out for a long time, before exhaling a sighed.

  “You’re asking the wrong person. I used to have a man and a child; it won’t happen again.”

  That was news to him. He was tempted to push for an explanation, but she distracted him by answering the actual question he’d been asking:

  “However, you’re wondering how to charm a girl who hides away in cold, frozen woods, isolated. I’d say the best thing you could tempt her with might be warmth. Company. Perhaps a little bit of love, too.”

  He nodded. Right. Warmth, good company and love. Just what he was great at.

  “You mean to say that I’m screwed.”

  “Well, I’d vastly prefer if she was, boy.”

  Chapter Six

  The previous day, he’d brought fruits and a modern book – something frightfully interesting, the writer hadn’t skipped past the good bits; in the old days, they just talked of loving before hurriedly jumping back to things far less outrageous, such as beheadings. Now, they had no shame in describing just what the loving entailed, cock sucking and all.

  Blowjobs, they called it, these days.

  “Gerda asked for this book, so I got you a copy, too,” her elf told her.

  He often brought her things; clothes, sweets, and a pretty stone the same blue as her eyes. There now was a shelf in her cave, built from wood he’d just cut outside, where she could store them all.

  “When are you going to leave me alone?” she asked conversationally.

  She said it everyday, and every day, he came back.

  “When are you going to stop living in the woods?”

  She shrugged, knowing the answer. She’d return to her palace when he stopped visiting her.

  He would, some day.

  “Are you going to tell me your name today?”

  Eira could have introduced herself, but she was reluctant to do so. Sure, she might have given one of her names without explaining the pedigree attached to it, but she knew he would have more questions when she relented this one detail. Where did she come from, why was she here? She saw them all dancing in his eyes, and when he had her name, he’d ask something else.

  Because fair was fair, she hadn’t asked for his either, although she would have liked to know it.

  “Who is Greda?”

  She heard it before she’d consciously decided to say it out loud; and there was an edge to the question, too.

  She sounded like a possessive girlfriend; and it was quite fitting too, as it happened to be exactly what she felt like.

  “My… friend, I suppose.”

  She didn’t twitch. She might have been proud of her mature reaction, if the storm outside hadn’t suddenly picked up.

  The elf was visibly alarmed by the unnatural change of weather.

  “Damn. Tonight isn’t going to be safe out there, if this continues,” he told her. “Come with me.”

  They’d met a month ago, now; he’d asked perhaps fifteen times, since.

  “I think not.”


  The elf glared at her for the longest time, she could feel it although her eyes were focused on the naughty book she was re-reading.

  “That wasn’t a question, witch.”

  On that note, like the barbarian she’d frequently accused him to be – at least, in her mind – he grabbed her and threw her onto his shoulder.

  Eira yelped in surprise, first, and then, concentrated on trying very hard to prevent herself from giggling like a schoolgirl, wiggling for the sake of it.

  “You may want to stop this witch, or I shall have to smack this fine rear end.”

  This was delivered in his usual tone, devoid of intonation, and oh-so-sexy because of it.

  She was speechless. Smack her ass? No one had ever dared in her entire existence.

  “You wouldn’t!”

  His answer to that was one harsh, loud slap right on the spot.

  She cried out and her eyes bulged in shock; to be frank, she wasn’t surprised by the smack she’d all but invited, but rather, by the feeling it awakened. She felt it down to her nipples. They were hardening and it had very little to do with the cold.

  “You heathen! If you ever do it again I’ll…”

  Smack.

  This time, the scream definitely could be described as a moan.

  “Fuck. You won’t get away with this! I swear…”

  Smack.

  She insulted him all the way down, ensuring she earned a few dozen slaps. By the time they’d reached the village, she was a bundle of restless senses, every part of her hot, bothered and ever so ready.

  “I suggest you keep your mouth shut for the next few minutes, witch. You may not want everyone in here hearing you whimper with needs.”

  The rake knew exactly what he’d been doing!

  She lifted her head, trying to see behind his shoulders, and feeling her move, he shifted her, carrying her in his arms now.

  “I can walk, you know.”

  That, the elf thoroughly ignored, keeping her right where she’d been although the entire village seemed to converge towards them.

  Ok, that might be an exaggeration; there wasn’t more then twenty people in front of them, but the crowd grew every second.

  There were cabins left and right, some on the ground, other built high in the trees. All of them were well constructed and a glimpse inside revealed modern amenities, but the living spaces were small.

  “Who is the pretty lady, Prince Kai,” a childish voice chanted.

  He didn’t stop, but the little boy followed them, obviously expecting an answer. Her elf, who was quite obviously called Kai – prince Kai – was looking down at her, waggling one eyebrow.

  Oh, dammit.

  “Eira,” she relented, wondering if he’d put the kid up to it.

  Probably.

  “Kragen,” Kai said, turning towards the child, “Go tell everyone that a storm rages up. It’s best if they stay inside until morning.”

  The boy nodded solemnly, before running towards the first person he caught, and relaying Kai’s words. Then, he ran again and repeated them.

  “He takes the whole messenger thing rather seriously,” she noted.

  They’d arrived to the door of the largest cabin; Kai kicked it open with one foot and then, they were inside his home, a humble, simple house which came with one incredible luxury: a fireplace.

  A month ago, it had been rather hot in Jereena, but after living in the cold for these last weeks, she’d forgotten what it meant to be entirely dry and warm.

  Eira jumped from Kai’s arm and ran towards the fire, removing layers of wet fabric as she defrosted her poor limbs.

  The boots went, first, then the cold socks, the coat and the jumper. Standing in her pants and long-sleeve t-shirt, she all but moaned in delight, holding her hands to the flame.

  Kai chuckled behind her, but she was enjoying this too much to care about how silly she looked.

  “Here, Eira.”

  He was drawing out her name, using it like a weapon aimed straight at her clit while handing her some fabric, which seemed awfully dry and fluffy.

  “Get changed. I’ll go beg Fyn for some broth.”

  Her mouth watered at the prospect. Broth sounded so warm.

  She discarded the rest of her clothing as soon as he’d left, changing into the comfortable things he’d given her.

  All of them were her size, and like the clothes he’d brought her in her cave, they were new. Had he purchased them for her specific use?

  Eira was perplexed. Back along, she had been pretty far down the list of gods who received offering; mainly because she hadn’t demanded any.

  Then, she recalled he didn’t know she was a goddess; so those weren’t tributes – they were presents.

  Another foreign concept. Belle had provided her with garments, but she’d seen it as payment for the endless lessons she’d given. A trade. She hadn’t given anything to Kai, yet.

  What did he want? She had half a dozen possibilities in her mind. The one thing she scratched off the list was sex. Men with his looks needn’t work quite so hard for it. Standing without a shirt on did the trick.

  No matter, he’d state his price soon enough.

  When she’d suitably warmed up, Eira finally paid attention to her surroundings.

  There was a bookshelf with several old manuscripts, and a lot of recent books, too – mysteries, mainly, by the look of it.

  The cabin had two floors; she guessed the bedroom was upstairs; down here, there just was a bare, simple kitchen on the left and a study on the right.

  Kai was back before she’d snooped much further, armed with a bucketful of something that made her stomach roar.

  “Get us some bowls, Eira. Top cupboard.”

  She all but ran to comply; trying a few drawers, she found spoons, too.

  There was a dining table near the window, but she set the places down next to the fire, understandably.

  “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

  Kai smiled, before launching in an enthusiastic praise of Fyn, the cook.

  There it was again. She managed to prevent herself from demanding who that particular lady was, but the possessiveness showed its ugly head nonetheless.

  They ate in comfortable silence and finishing before her, Kai went to his bookcase, picking up an old volume before returning to his seat.

  “Done with that?” he asked when she stopped eating.

  He moved to take her bowl just as she reached for it, and their hands touched, sending a jolt so powerful Zeus would have been jealous through her veins.

  “I’ll put it away,” she grumbled, startled by the domestic scene.

  Cleaning up dishes wasn’t a thing she was foreign to; goddess or not, she had lived alone for the best part of two millenniums.

  Kai followed her, drying everything as she finished washing. It was all so mundane, yet the tension in the room would have made anyone who intruded blush and run away.

  “Fuck it,” the elf said, dropping the spoon he’d just picked up back on the shelve, and next thing she knew, she was imprisoned between two strong, defined arms, and his mouth went down on hers.

  Fuck it sounded like a brilliant idea.

  Chapter Seven

  Lord above, let him survive this. She tasted wild, untamed, and so seething hot.

  It hadn’t been how things were supposed to go. He’d thought it over in his mind and everything told him they should talk, first. He needed to know her, she needed to know him. He needed to come clean and explain just who he was to his people, just what he wanted of her.

  Right now, there was only one thing he wanted and he was pretty sure she could feel it. He’d never been as hard in his life, and the dick was pressed against her stomach, through a few layers of clothing.

  Kai put his hands on her shoulders, meaning to gently push her back – sometime, anytime – but instead of letting him, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding against him.

  Hell on fire.


  “Talk,” he breathed. “I need to talk.”

  “Talk after making me come.”

  That worked.

  His hands were shaking, but he made quick work of the ties holding her trousers up, and then, his fingers curled just there, making her writhe, breathless.

  There was nothing graceful about his kiss, either; his mouth was fucking hers, biting, thrusting, sucking her lips, then her neck, her ear.

  Finally, she screamed and contracted around his wet finger.

  It took everything in him, but Kai took a step back, removing his hand from the pussy which was so ready for him.

  “There, done. Ready to talk, now?”

  Unbelievably, he was serious; he really wanted to have a discussion right now.

  Eira opened her mouth in disbelief, and closed it again. Hell no. No way was she letting him feel nothing, when he’d made her bones melt.

  She jumped down from the countertop, and dropped to her knees, pulling his trousers down before he managed to get a word out.

  Oh fuck.

  Eira had seen a few dicks – gods weren’t all that shy, a lot of them had been fond of walking around without a stitch of clothing on, like peacocks.

  This dick was very different to those she recalled. It was harder, for one, and longer, too. While she’d seen some which had been thicker, this long cock had no equal.

  To show her appreciation, she licked it, from the base right to the top.

  Kai held her hair firmly in his hand, gently pulling her away first; when she took the tip deep in her mouth, he soon changed his tune, pushing her down on him as he groaned.

  That was more like it.

  “Short version of the talk,” he muttered, his words hammered out with a lot of effort. “I want a child. No contraception. Deal?”

  That got her attention; she lifted her eyes up to his, without releasing his cock from her throat.

  A child. Well, she certainly hadn’t had that kinda trade in mind.

  She’d believed he might have known her for who she was, somehow. He might have liked to use her powers, like many before him. She’d owed him that much, it wouldn’t have been an ordeal.