Free Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover) by Cathy McAllister Page A

of the elf her heart beat faster and a yearning sensation spread throughout her body. Every centimetre of her body tingled at the memory of his tender love-play. She was grateful to him for showing her that there could also be beautiful feelings between a man and a woman. Perhaps, at some point, she would be ready to enter a relationship with a man – although at the moment the thought of giving herself to any other man but Merlon seemed absolutely impossible. She was sure that the memory and the yearning would subside at some point and also the pain that gripped her heart right now.
    There was a knock at the door.
    “It’s me. Mina,” sounded the voice of her flatmate.
    Cherry was sharing a flat with three other girls. Mina was the main tenant. She was a little, strapping blond in her late twenties.
    Cherry opened the door and made an effort to give a friendly smile. She had only moved in on the previous evening and still had not met the other two tenants.
    “Hello, Mina.”
    “Did you sleep well? The girls were a bit loud when they got home last night. I hope they didn’t disturb you too much.”
    Cherry shook her head.
    “No. I slept deeply. I only woke up an hour ago.”
    “Ellie and Molly are still asleep, too. I was just going to get breakfast. Are you hungry?”
    “I haven’t been shopping yet,” said Cherry. “I’ll go and get something first.”
    “What? On your first morning I’ll invite you for a fry up. With that you also get my very special cheese on toast. Come on!”
    “OK,” Cherry agreed. “But I’ll return the favour and cook for us all this evening.”
    “It’s a deal. The others will be pleased. Apart from egg and bacon we hardly ever cook anything. We mainly eat microwave meals.”

    When Cherry lay in bed that evening she simply could not sleep. The evening with her flatmates had been a lot of fun. First they had eaten the lasagne that she had baked, and a homemade tiramisu. They had all been full of praise for her culinary skills and Cherry had felt happy. For a while she had forgotten both her difficult time with Justin and her passionate affair with Merlon. After the meal they had played Monopoly and drunk wine. Cherry was slightly tipsy and when she closed her eyes her bed seemed to turn like a carousel.
    Groaning quietly she turned onto her side and stared at the wall. How beautiful the few nights had been in which she had fallen asleep in Merlon’s strong arms. She missed his warmth, his aroma. It had felt good to feel him snuggling into her from behind. At that memory tears filled her eyes and her heart nearly stopped. Damn it! Could it be true? Had she perhaps really fallen in love with him? This acknowledgement unsettled her. She absolutely had to forget him. He was not the right man for her. He was too … dangerous … too exciting and … he was almost immortal compared with her. No! She could not bear growing old next to him and him losing interest in her. He would no longer be able to desire her when she became wrinkled and unattractive. It was simply out of the question. A future with him was … impossible!
    She sighed. Hot tears ran down her cheeks and her nose blocked. She reached out clumsily for the box of tissues on the bedside table and pulled out one of the tissues to blow her nose. She sat up in bed and tried to ignore the slight dizziness. Blinded by tears she grabbed for the next tissue.



Chapter 8

    M erlon stood before his father’s desk and waited for King Assgard to look up from his pile of documents. He knew that it was unwise to say a word before his father asked him to speak. Finally King Assgard moved the papers aside and looked up.
    “Son.”
    “Father. I would like to go to Abyssus to stand at Volcan’s side in his battle against Exesor.”
    “You understand that you could be killed?”
    “Yes, father.”
    “And you know your responsibility to your people? You will soon be king. What will happen if you are killed?”
    “I don’t think