Fear

Chapter 7

He joined me, folding his arms around me once more, kissing whatever flesh he could access until I calmed.

"Eloisa...it's me, Grant. You can see me finally." He kept repeating it over and over until I relaxed. As my fear subsided, he turned me around, holding me to his firm body, wrapping the blanket around us both. I looked up at him shyly, still trembling, although whether it was from fear or excitement, it's difficult to say. A handsome concerned face looked down at me. He was several inches taller than I was, my head could rest on his chest comfortably, and yet looking up at him did not cause discomfort. His eyes were a bright green, surrounded by lashes almost white against his skin. His skin was darker than mine, as if the sun had tanned him for a long time, making it a golden brown. His hair was blonde and curled over his head and around ears that were pointed at the tip. He was the epitome of an elf. He had the body of a god and was all that my fingers had informed me as he allowed the blanket to slip from around us.

"Am I as you imagined? Do you like what you see?"

My voice had disappeared. I could only nod.

"Do you want me to stay?"

Again I nodded.

"Come back to bed?"

I nodded again. I must look like one of those nodding dog toys who lay on the back of vehicle seats, nodding inanely at each bump in the road.

He chuckled and led me back to the bed, easing me between the covers before joining me. With a click of his fingers, the light went out again, enveloping us in darkness. He wrapped me in his arms and nuzzled my neck, kissing me softly occasionally. Despite the darkness, I could see his features.

"I'm sorry I shocked you."

I croaked, coughed and tried again to reassure him. "I'm sorry I reacted like that."

"I startled you. I should have been more gentle."

"I can hear you properly too."

"I sound the same?"

"Yes. It was the sound of your voice that calmed me and bought me out of my terror. I knew your voice."

"I promised not to hurt you, sholry."

"You didn't. You haven't." I looked up at him and ended with conviction. "You won't."

His face softened, his eyes grew darker and he smiled. He had dimples in his cheeks and even white teeth. "To hurt you would be like hurting myself. I couldn't do it. I've spent years trying to find you, feeling only half a man, you mean that much to me."

"You're an elf. I'm an elf."

He didn't answer. It was not a question. It was a statement, a truth I was trying to accept.

"And I'm five hundred years old."

"Five hundred and thirty seven."

I giggled. "How old are you, then?"

"Six hundred and two."

At first I just sat up and stared at him, my eyes wide. He was joking, surely? He looked only a few years older than me, and I would guess no more than thirty. Then I began to laugh. I laughed until tears began, and still I laughed. I expect it was hysteria. I'd just had a massive shock, and he continued to pile it on. Grant just held me until I calmed, his arms a comfort, not a restraint.

"Six hundred and two?" I gulped.

He nodded. "Until next month. Then I'll be six hundred and three."

"How long do elves live?"

"My grandfather still lives and has reached over three thousand. He has had a hard life. Naturally? I would expect closer to ten thousand years if living was easy."

I sucked in a deep breath. Things were distinctly crazy in my world just at that moment. The mind doctor would be in ecstasy with this revelation.

"About that mind doctor..." Grant began.

"I don't wish to discuss it...not at this moment."

"We should discuss it – soon, if not now, Eloisa. I believe he is responsible for wiping your memories. I want to restore them."

"And then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Once you have restored them, what then?"

"I'll take you home."

Fear rose and took hold. I pushed him away. This was all too much. I glanced at him and saw his hurt and the puzzled expression on his handsome face.

"These dreams are getting so real." I snapped. "I can't be what I'm not. Invisible people...elves...come on, mind, get real!"

I sprung out of bed again and threw on a robe. I opened the door easily this time, being less scared, and made my way to the kitchen. I switched the light on and screamed.