A Clash Of Light And Thunder (War Of The Forgotten Lovers Book 1)

A New Mission

Warm water surrounded Aria's body as she laid in her bath chamber.

The elf's love of cleanliness had been something that Aria had been enjoying. Adjacent to her personal chambers was a door that led into a secluded circular room. There were no windows, only a flame here and there for light. The floor was made out of glass and the waterpool of dark earth rock, perhaps obsidian. Within it, the water rested gently, undisturbed.

Aria marveled at the ceiling. Rock crystals that shun like the stars were embedded into the bedrock. If Aria starred long enough, lines would form, resembling the outlines of the gods that decorated the night sky. A woman. A Fruit. A dragon.

The mixture the maids had poured into the bath chamber was meant to calm her tired muscles. But, Aria could barely enjoy their calming effects. Her mind was glued to the events earlier today.

Aria definitely had a way of sticking her own foot in her mouth. But, Lia's ears were a surprise. Not entirely human or elf, but a perfect blend. She should have gone after her. But when Aria had exited the hut to try to find the young girl. Her two ever so faithful and vigilant guards, much to her dismay, were there to stop her. By the time she managed to explain that she did not harm the little girl, Lia was far out of sight.

Aria grunted in annoyance. The situation irked her. The feeling of having hurt a child, even if unintentionally, made her skin itch. She wondered if Lia felt like she had all her life. Unwanted. Alone. Making up her mind to try to fix things tomorrow, Aria rose from the water pool.

Aria shivered when the cold night air hit her skin, making her want to dive right back in. She grabbed her towel but did not care to wrap it around herself. Instead, she pressed it against her face, enjoying how the soft material absorbed the water that still dripped from her rustic hair.

"It's good to see you have made yourself at home," Elvin's deep and baritone voice trailed down Aria's spine, causing the towel to drop from her head. He stood at the center of her bedroom lazily looking at her. He was clad in fighting gear, no armor, just fighting ladders covering his vital parts. His silver hair was tied at each side into braids that cascaded and merged with his silky locks that flowed down his back.

"Wh...what are you doing here?!" Aria screamed, throwing the towel at him. At first, it seemed like a smart option — to attack the intruder. Then it hit her, like the cold air on her nipples, that the towel was her only immediate choice of coverage. The tip of her ears heated when she saw the prince's grey-blue eyes wandered downwards ever so slightly. Her heart frantically palpitated as she scrambled to hide. Finding refuge behind a changing screen, Aria slipped on a robe and threw it over her still damped form.

"How dare you just barge into my chambers while I am not modest!" Aria demanded as she exited from behind the screen. The color of her cheeks imitating her red hair.

Elvin smirked at the human antics. He came to update the human on her sister's status and was confused to find the chamber empty. Only to have her barge in as bare as the day the gods had placed her on this earth. His eyes unconsciously slipped down her nude form. She was shorter than most elf women. But what she lacked in stature, she made up for in curves. He still remembered the way her breast bounced, tempting his hands, as she tried to attack him. It never occurred to him that his life being in danger could look so... alluring.

"I didn't expect you to walk out bare, considering how prude you are," Elvin responded. More to tease the human than anything. He seemed to enjoy the way her cheeks would redden when he did.

"Can you stop calling me a prude?" Aria demanded, patting her strains of wet hair into place. She hated that word. Heard it so much since coming of age. Many suitors had pursued her, and although she was not hard on the eyes, they had been mostly after the title she held. So she had dismissed them. To soothe their hurt egos, they would call her names behind her back; prude was the one that burned the most. She was not modest out of embarrassment over her body. She was beautiful, and she knew it. Or a sense that it was only something that should be shared with your one true love. No. It had come from experience. She attempted to step out of her bounds once, and the consequences had been dire.