To Claim the Elvin Princess: Apprentice by Jack Bessie Read Free Book Online Page A

first, as everyone will wish to pay their respects and meet you! By the time we have any time alone, you’ll have an Elvin Princess just dying to be had on your hands!” Amein sighed, the prospect of this clearly daunting her.
    “Would any other have the right to push you aside, and insist on sleeping with me first?” he wondered, curious to see how bad this might upset her. Amein closed her eyes, and sat, rubbing her temples, clearly exasperated.
    “Several! I don’t think any of them would...at least I can’t recall ever doing anything to justify them wanting to make me that miserable! Not that I might not be wrong!” she sighed.
    “Who might they be?”
    “I’d prefer not to say...I don’t wish to make you suspicious of anyone!”
    “Would your mother be one?” Rasten whispered, watching Amein’s face closely. Her eyes flared widely, before she looked away. ‘Well?”
    “Of course...she does have a somewhat loftier position than I do, and thus, her wishes would override mine, at least in things not involving the sword or battle command! I forbid you to even think about such a thing!” she hissed.
    “How closely do you resemble her?” he asked, and waited. “Well?” he demanded, poking her gently in the ribs with his index finger.
    “I look almost exactly like she did when she was my age! She is a stunningly beautiful Elvin Princess! Just more mature!” Amein grumbled.
    “I’m not all that turned on by older women!” Rasten assured her.
    “You lie, nicely, but it’s still a lie! One sniff of her femaleness, and you’d want her as much as you do me!”
    “Oh. Well, let’s hope she’s not inclined to take her panties off then!” he laughed. Seeing Amein’s pouty appearance, he touched her. “What’s wrong?”
    Amein sighed, shaking her head.
    “I hope there’s nothing she holds against me...she could punish me beyond all things, should she decide to play with you, and make me do without!”
    “I’d suggest we don’t tell her what you fear!”
    “Good luck with that! She is almost as gifted at reading others as father was. All of my siblings learned that the hard way!”
    “Including you?”
    “Especially me! I got caught merely omitting the truth once, about what I had been doing, instead of practicing my war skills. She didn’t take me to father, she paddled my bare elf bottom in public...in the great hall’s audience room, in front of a few hundred witnesses! Then made me walk all the way to my room with my red butt bare and able to be viewed by any and all!”
    “Did you learn your lesson?
    “Assuredly. The elf girl with the sore butt was much wiser than the one whose bottom had not felt the paddle! Much wiser! But just as naughty!” she confessed, and giggled.

 
    7
     
    “Princess...how many should we choose to accompany you on this...attack?” the tribal elder Hacarim wondered, obviously unsure what to call such a thing as Shocara had planned.
    “How many of the terranak riders might we send forth? I want no one who is weak or injured! We need our best fighters for this!” Shocara insisted.
    “I count forty who are here and worthy, and the same might come from our near villages. We could double that, if we have the Kerini join us...we can have them here by tomorrow night! If we could wait a few days...we could have even more...” he added, falling silent in the face of Shocara’s scowl.
    “You know I won’t wait! We have no idea when Amein might return! I have no desire to face her in her own stronghold, where she might command a thousand warriors against us! If we lose our advantage of surprise, we will likely lose our lives as well!” she hissed at the man, her features showing her displeasure at being doubted. “Summon the Kerini.”
    “I’m sure you’d hate to encounter her!” the man foolishly joked. He found the point of Shocara’s sword touching his throat almost instantly.
    “You are a fool! I would welcome the chance to cross blades with her,