Series: Elves of Eldarlan #3
Publication date: September 6th, 2022
Synopsis:
The King of Eldarlan hates parties. Superficial conversations and social niceties never come easy for him. When cursed to host human princesses at a party every night, he considers it mild torture until an unusual princess appears one night. Wrapped in a worn robe with bare feet and tousled hair, she intrigues him immediately.
Kate had been a princess only a matter of hours before being pulled from her bed by a magical spell. It drops her in an enchanted garden populated by silent elves and princesses of various ages. Attempting to avoid the unsolicited advice of her new peers, she retreats to the dark hedge maze where she encounters her host.
The Elf King's Sacrifice is a light, fantasy romance novella with a romance between a powerful elf king and an unusual human princess. It features friends to lovers amid curses and chronic illness. Also included is a marriage of necessity, an adorable puppy, and a relaxed alpha hero.
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Excerpt
Since spending so much time with humans, I had discovered they weighed their young years heavily. And those were the years being stolen. How long before the twin terrors no longer recalled a good night's sleep? And the toddler, would she never know what it was like to sleep through the night?
"You worry about us." Her words snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I do. I should. You are all my guests. What host wouldn't concern himself with his guests' needs?"
"I wasn't attacking, only making an observation." She swung her feet down to rest on the grass and moved her bowl to the tray. I was pleased that she had scraped it clean. "You are right that any suitable host would be concerned with the wellbeing of his guests. I am saying you worry more than that."
I smothered a bitter laugh. "My apologies for my defensiveness. My advisors argue I shouldn't even be attending to the princesses. They call the princesses. They call the princesses a distraction, a nuisance, and, in the case of the twins, terrors."
"I guess that last one was earned."
"Tonight, they ruined the milk and the cream, setting the kitchen staff into a tizzy."
She laughed softly at that. "You are an excellent host, Emrys."
"I wouldn't say that." I flicked a spell, initiating a bit of folded space where I carried my essentials. Avoiding my swords, I pulled forth my secret guilty pleasure.
"A book?" She grinned up at me. "You carry a book with you to a party?"
"What host does that?"
"I wish I could!" She laughed. "If I did, my brother would be devastated and then bemoan my prospects at ever catching a husband or even surviving in my new role. What are you reading?" She bounced to her feet. "May I see?"
Bemused at her reaction, I offered her the book.
"Oh, it is in Elvish." She frowned. Her disappointment was almost palpable as she caressed the leather binding. "What is it about?"
"Spell theory."
"In truth?"
"I have little time for reading during the daylight, and I have to be available at night."
"Watching over her guests." She nodded before narrowing her eyes at me. "When do you sleep?"
I shrugged. "Elves don't need as much sleep as humans, and shadow elves even less."
"But surely you need some," she protested.
"I sleep for a few hours after you all leave." I smirked slightly. "This curse has turned me into a late sleeper. Shameful behavior in a king." Considering her carefully, I asked, "When do you sleep?"
She hesitated, fingertips tracing the whirls and swoops worked into the leather of the book cover. "Not enough. My brother doesn't know about these nightly--"
"Abductions?" I suggested.
"Adventures." She frowned up at me. "You are not responsible for the curse."
I bit my tongue and didn't protest despite my gut reaction to argue for my guilt. "How do you get enough sleep, then?"
"I don't." She opened the book. "Could you teach me Elvish?"
"Kate." I let some of my concern leak into my tone.
She didn't look up from peering at the page in the dim glow of the fairy orbs. "How do you read in this light?"
"Kate, what does the lack of sleep do to your condition?" I made a half-hearted grab for the book.
"Makes it worse." She spun around, whipping the book out of my reach. "Could you teach me Elvish? It looks fascinating."
I considered the back of her with a strange mixture of emotions. Frustration that she wasn't taking care of herself, anger at her brother's carelessness with her health, and a strange amusement at her attempt to keep my book from me. "I am too Elvish is complex compared to human languages."
"Why is that?" She half turned toward me, chin raised, eyebrows arched, and an enticing light in her eyes. I had a sudden foolish urge to kiss her.
"We had more time to develop exceptions to every grammar rule. I wish to return to the topic at hand. When are you going to tell your brother?"
She shrugged. "When the need arises, I will inform him. He has so many new responsibilities. I don't want to add to them."
"And in the meantime?"
She shrugged. "I will survive."
Unease tightened my gut. "And if you don't?"
She lifted her face to study mine. "Don't worry. I have survived worse."
Her words were probably meant to be a comfort, but they had the exact opposite on me.
A reader of fairytales and folklore, ELISA RAE loves a happy ending. Noblebright characters, dastardly villains, and chemistry between characters delight her. When she isn't writing, she loves to watch superhero movies and literary dramas.
If you like romantic adventures of various kinds, join her on her website!
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Hey, I will be his party crashing princess! Be sure to not leave this Elf King alone on the shelf!
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