Love & War
Chapter 20

Illiana

Elliot is standing there pinching the bridge of his nose. It really would not have done him any good if he had tried to tell me no again. Looking over at Obsidian, I see Arabella standing beside him. Almost like she is watching over him. I cock my head to the side and join him by the road. He does not even seem to notice my presence.

“Do you like feeding the unicorns?” I ask.

He looks up and me and quickly nods. His starry eyes are brimming with happiness.

Oh to be a child.

Arabella nods her head at me as a greeting, I assume.

“Shall we go to the market to buy you some new clothes? You can’t wear the same outfit every day.” I look down at Dian again.

“You mean I get more?”

“Get more clothes? Yes. Why?” I ask.

His eyes widen and he stares up at me. “Back home, we were not allowed to have more than one outfit. The elders said it was greedy and greed is why the magi had to flee. You know, the one who hurt the ground here.”

The magi who cast the curse my father demanded. I frown. Even this child is not safe from his cruelty.

“Well from now on you will have more than one outfit. It is okay to be a little greedy, Dian. Everyone is. I am. Elliot is. Everyone.” I pat his shoulder and put my other hand on my belly.

“Okay!” He grins showing his two missing teeth proudly.

He is absolutely adorable! I could just squeeze him to me!

“Shall we?” I offer him my hand.

He grabs it and half drags me to the main road giggling the whole way. We arrive at the market and it is bustling. Children, elderly, and vendors are all yelling and talking amongst themselves. I scan the crowd for Lori. My secondary objective.

“Illiana? Gods, it is you! Out and about too!” I hear Lori’s voice to my left. She is grinning walking toward Dian and me.

“That is Ellori, Dian. She is a good friend of mine,” I say. Dian nods quietly and stares ahead. “Lori! I actually have a favor to ask of you.”

“Oh? Do tell?” She stops in front of us and smiles down at Dian.

“This is Obsidian. Elliot and I have taken him in. There has been a- uh- conflict. Elliot and I have to go out of town for a few days. Would you watch Obsidian until we return? We will compensate you for everything and buy food of course.”

“Lia you’re rambling again. Yes, I would be more than happy to keep Obsidian! He can help me out with the stable work.”

“Stable work?” Obsidian asks.

“Oh, my family owns the unicorn stables. It’s my job to muck out the stalls, feed the unicorns, and general upkeep.”

“Can I please, Illiana?” Obsidian is practically jumping up and down.

I chuckle and nod. “You may. Thank you, Lori. I owe you one.”

“Can he come with me now? I’m about to head that way now. I can start my watch tonight and when you two get back, you can come get him?”

Obsidian is squeezing my hand. He is so excited, he is almost shaking.

“Dian, what do you want to do?”

“May I go now, please?”

“You may! Stay with Lori and listen to her, okay? Keep out of trouble,” I say.

He smiles at me and walks to Lori’s side and waves at me as the two of them head to a vendor selling boots. So much for new clothes. I turn my head toward the road home. This will be my last night in an actual bed for a few nights, so I should enjoy it. The air feels thicker than usual. I just want to go home. The road in front of our home is unusually silent. No children, no laughter, and no music. I climb up the stairs and open the front door. Elliot’s boots are missing, so I assume he is still at the barracks.

I slip off my shoes by the door and walk to the bedroom. The thick blanket on the bed is disheveled. Just how we left it this morning. I sit on the edge of the foot of the bed and pull off a few layers of clothes. Once I am down to just a cotton shirt hanging loosely over my swollen belly, I scoot back onto the bed.

The front door creaks open. Boots thump to the ground, and heavy footsteps thud through the living room.

“Kona? Are you home?” Elliot’s voice echoes through the house.

“I’m in the bedroom!”

Propping myself up on my elbows behind me, I close my eyes for a moment. Elliot’s footsteps get closer to the bed and then stop.

“Theos, Illiana, you do tempt me.”

“Pardon?”

I open my eyes and he is standing at my feet. His eyes are trailing up and down my body. He pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it to the side. I can not pull my eyes off of him. The contrast between his tanned skin and his pale scars is beautiful. His muscular form is not too bad to look at either. Toned abs and two deep lines leading to his privates.

Who knew lines could be sexy?

“Like what you see?”

“I do.”

Elliot chuckles and takes off his belt.

“May I touch you?”

“Yes.”

He touches my left leg just below my knee. My body is responding to even just the slightest touch. I push my knees together. Elliot looks up at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.”

How do I tell him my body is on fire? How do I tell him I want him inside of me? Gods this is embarrassing.

“May I?” He glances at my legs.

I spread my knees apart. “Yes.”

Elliot pushes his pants off and kicks them aside with his shirt. He climbs up on the bed between my legs. He kisses the inside of my right thigh inches above my knee. The kiss slowly moves up to the middle of my thigh. He moves his hand to my waist and pauses.

“I want to touch you. May I?”

“Yes.”

His kiss inches closer to my folds and his index finger touches my clit. That alone is almost enough to send me over the edge. He moves his finger to my entrance and teasingly circles it. He brings his mouth to my clit and slowly licks upwards. As he does, he slides two fingers into me. He flicks his tongue over my clit again and pumps his fingers in and out of me slowly. Too slowly. I grind my hips into his face. A ball of pleasure is building with every flick of his tongue and thrust of his fingers. I am almost to my climax and he stops.

He stops.

He pauses for a moment before kissing my belly and sliding his fingers out of me. He sits up and slowly licks his fingers clean.

“Please, for the love of the gods, do not stop now!”

“Don’t worry, Lia. I have no intention of stopping.”

Elliot positions himself at my entrance and looks up at me again. “May I?”

“Yes. Please, Elliot.”

He smiles a sexy half-smile and eases himself into me. My body adjusts to him and I wrap a leg around his hip. He holds my hip with one hand and caresses my breasts with the other. Tweaking my nipples as he slides his hand over them.

“Gods yes.”

Elliot begins to move in and out of me, and the ball winds tighter. With every thrust, he pulls my hips against him.

“Please, faster.”

He complies and thrusts into me over and over, faster and faster. Waves of pleasure wash over me as the tight ball releases. Elliot thrusts into me one last time with a deep grunt before pulling out of me. He lays down beside me and pulls me to his chest. His heart is thudding quickly. The rhythm is quite soothing.

“Wake up, Kona. We must prepare to leave for the meeting grounds. It will take us days to reach, and in your condition, it may take longer.”

My condition? Oh. Right. Pregnant.

I sit up and brush my hair out of my face. He is already ready and packing a bag. How long has he been up?

“Good morning to you too, Elliot.”

He just shakes his head and stuffs a blanket into his bag. If he would just fold it, he would fit more into it. I get dressed and sit on the edge of the bed again. Pulling my hair to the left, I begin to braid and twist it up into a bun.

“What do I need to pack?”

Clothes, a hairbrush, a blanket, and maybe some food? I am not sure. I have never been on a patrol before.

“Nothing. I have packed for us both.”

Well, scratch that then.

I stand up and walk to the bedroom door. “I will wait by the door then.”

Elliot does not say anything in response. He does not really talk much. He is nothing like Jess.

Gods. Jess.

I walk to the shoe pile by the door. I grab my boots and put them on. By the time I stand up straight, it is hard to breathe.

Elliot drops the bag beside me. “Are you okay, Illiana?”

When did he come out of the bedroom?

“Yes. I am just a bit out of breath. It is just taking me a moment to catch it again.”

Elliot shifts his weight and frowns. He is staring at me.

Well, this is uncomfortable.

“What is it?”

“No, nothing.”

He finally slides on his boots and opens the door.

“After you,” he says moving to the side.

I give him a side-eyed look as I walk by him and out of the door. I can practically see the worry etched on his face. But why? I stop at the bottom of the stairs and rest my hand on my belly. It feels heavier today than usual. More pressure around my hips. Elliot puts his hand on my shoulder and whistles loudly for Lucinda. He has the bags and saddle on Lucinda in seconds.

How is he so fast at this?

“We will both ride Lucinda. Well all four of us will. It’ll be faster that way.”

“Okay.”

Elliot mounts Lucinda then pulls me up in front of him. He clicks his tongue twice, and Lucinda begins to trot along the road to the market. I do not see many elves wandering about. Starting at the market, elves line the road all the way to the gate. Cheering and hooting at Elliot. The men raise their fists.

“Fight with courage!” They cheer.

Elliot pulls Lucinda to a stop and raises his fist as well. “Vanquish our enemies!”

Is that an elven battle mantra? He did the same thing with the soldiers yesterday.

We ride out of the gate in silence. The crowd’s cheers eventually fade into the distance. The sunlight is peering through the rotting trees in beams. It looks kind of beautiful. Elliot sighs and rests his forehead on the top of my head.

“I love you.”

He has said that a few times now. Maybe he actually means it? But why would he? Nearly every single time we are with each other for any length of time, we almost always end up fighting. Is that what love is? Is that what it is supposed to feel like?

“When we get there, you are my priority, Illiana. Mission be damned. Please, I’m begging you, please stay safe.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me, Elliot. You worry too much.”

Elliot wraps his arm around me and sighs. I relax back against him and smile.

Perhaps this is not too bad of a life.

I hear a second set of hooves galloping not far from us. Turning my head, I see the familiar red hair and stag insignia of Theos. He nods his head at me before facing forward again. It seems like he is riding to battle with us.