Taken by the Dark Elf King (Monstrous Mates, #1)

by Charlotte Swan

“No matter what you see. No matter what you hear. Nothing in Myrkorvin is as it appears.”

“Come on, Elvie. The longer you stay in there, the less time I have to bed twenty-seven elves before the sun rises.”

“And as my friend, allow me to impart some wisdom on you that I have learned over the years. If they don’t like you, fuck them. If they do like you then fuck them too.”

In hindsight, this whole thing could’ve gone a bit smoother.

Instead of securing forces through a politically advantageous marriage I have a bride-to-be who fainted at the first sight of me.

Her shoulders continue to shake as she throws her head back and lets out the most beautiful laugh I’ve ever heard. She looks me in my eyes and I am at a loss at what to do. Do I join in? Do I ask her what’s so funny? Do I call in the healer to see if maybe her fainting had done some internal damage to her head?

“You’re not ready for that answer yet. But I’ll give you a bit of the truth. I did know it was you tonight, there was no version of this evening where you would’ve left without becoming my bride.” “Charming.” “I try.”

“Do not sneak up on me!” She shakes a finger at me and I continue to smirk. “I swear all elves should be born with a collar and bell. It is not natural how quietly you move. It is as if the gods made you creatures just to scare the daylights out of me.” “How unpleasant for our females to birth babies with belled collars.” “Oh excellent,” the pink-haired human shakes her head. “This one likes to tell jokes.”

“But if you did want to repay my kindness there is something you could do for me.”

Girl, you were fixing what you broke!

The gown she has on is hideous. The Myrkorvin black leaches the color from her face and makes her look sickly. “That dress looks hideous,” I say and then quickly shut my mouth. What the fuck is wrong with me? Why would I say that? Elvie’s head snaps up and her mouth falls open. “An hour of silence and that is the thought you deemed important enough to break it with?” She

Elvie glances over her shoulder and smirks at me. Before I can ask what she is doing, I hear the ripping of fabric and watch in shock as her black gown slides down her slight frame and pools at her feet. She is dressed in nothing more than a white shift, the curves of her ass visible beneath the sheer fabric. It is through centuries of battle training that I do not come from that sight alone.

I scrub a clawed hand down my face. Elvie is actually trying to kill me. Her silver hair is piled on top of her head as she sits in the bath. Steam billows over the sides, the water a milky white, while wildflowers of every kind and color float to the surface of the water. Her silver eyes find mine, her grin mischievous.

“You’re…naked,” I manage to get out though the words sound rough even to me. “That is how one bathes, Your Majesty.”

“But I am a monster, Elvie. You don’t belong here, but I am too selfish to let you go. I’ll kill anyone who tries to take you from me.”

knight and the princess had just escaped from the sea monster’s lair–” “Which seems highly improbable, I still don’t understand how he found her even though there were a hundred underwater caves she could’ve been in.” “He found her through the power of true love, Arkain.” He rolls his eyes but nods down at the book. “It’s still a plot hole but carry on.” “Thank you.”

‘Please,’ she chants. ‘Please, my love. I need you inside me.’ Her knight all too ready to oblige grips his co—” Before I have a chance to finish the passage, I find myself pinned beneath a hulking male figure. Arkain’s eyes are wild as they stare down at me. “This is one of your favorite books?” he asks incredulously. “I think you can see why, though we haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.” I smile at him. “Unless of course you would like a more hands-on demonstration.”

“You don’t believe I am your mate?” “I don’t believe I am that lucky.”

“Who told you killing an elf was how you become a dark elf?” “It’s what we are taught…” I can feel his body shaking with laughter under me. “Is that not right?” “No, that’s not right. The killing has to be unjust. Under the blood moon. That happens only once every two hundred years.” “Oh, well, someone should really update our tutors with that information.”