The Matchmaker's Mark Read Online Free Page B
Author: Regan Black
day to day routine. She didn't trust her memory and would look those up. But Lily had no trouble recalling the old rumors about her personal birthmark.
The elves considered it the rarest of blessings to be born with a matchmaker's mark. The older women said a girl was fated to a romantic life with a dashing hero. The house leaders said it was the mark of peace, that somehow a union would be revealed that would enrich a particular house of elves. The old men told her tales of when they were considered dashing heroes and the younger men, when they reached marriageable age, just dashed away from her.
As folklore went, the glamour had quickly worn off. She'd started hiding and ignoring her mark, though it didn't do her much good when you had hair the color of sunlight rather than dark, polished mahogany.
Her mark tingled again, hotter now and impossible to ignore. She shoved at her sleeve to take a quick peek and stuttered in shock. More leaves and another vine had sprouted.
Her gasp startled the cat away from his dinner. Henry darted out the cat door and into the alley behind the building. Lily sat, transfixed by the patterns dancing over or under – or maybe within – her flesh.
No one had ever mentioned anything like this. Feeling nauseous, she covered it up and went to open the walk in cooler, making mental notes for the wholesaler tomorrow, thinking of bouquets for the display. Anything to take her mind off the hot, twitchy sensations.
She closed the cooler when the hinges on the back door creaked with Cade's arrival. "Sorry I'm late," he said, walking in with Henry in one arm and a cardboard box in the other.
"No problem. Henry just finished eating."
Cade set the box on her work table, then hefted the cat to look him in the eye. "You should lay off the food, bud." Putting the cat down, he wrapped Lily in a quick hug. "Long day? You look pale."
"Such flattery." She caught a whiff of fried rice and sesame. "And you're not even taking me out?"
Cade nodded. "Hope you don't mind."
"That's fine." She locked the back door and unbuttoned her coat. "But you have to carry it upstairs. Come on, Henry."
Lily led the small parade up to her apartment and into her sitting room. She turned on the TV for Cade, hoping it would distract him. She crossed to the little kitchen for plates and utensils and two bottles of beer while he unpacked the various boxes. "Got soup for you."
She stopped, frozen. As signs went, a thoughtful brother was right up there with the four horsemen of the apocalypse. "Great. Thanks." Better to play it cool. If it was wonton soup, it just meant he was cold. It was January. But if it was –
"Miso. Your favorite."
Yup. The end of her world. Or at least the end of her current peace. She lowered herself to the very edge of the sofa, her eyes on him. "What do you want?"
"I need to stay here for a few days."
She used her minimal magic to scan him for weapons. Finding no more than she expected, she glared at him as he shoveled lo mein noodles into his mouth. "Why?"
"Can't tell you that," he mumbled.
"How long?"
He shrugged.
She rolled her eyes and popped the lid on her miso soup. "Do you promise to do any and all heavy lifting I might require?"
He nodded. "Labor for room and board works for me."
Lily ate her soup and turned to the television. She didn't hear any of the opinions bouncing around the sports studio, though Cade occasionally muttered an agreement or contradiction. She nudged the remote closer to him, helped herself to his sesame chicken, and made a mental list of things to keep him too busy to notice her changing birthmark while he was intruding on her space.
Chapter Two
My dearest Amy,
Oh, I hate to start with a complaint but my client today was an absolute troll. Burning bridges is regrettable, but in this case it was necessary. I hope you never have to face a similar situation. It's wonderful to know you're in academia, hopefully giving the next generation some
The elves considered it the rarest of blessings to be born with a matchmaker's mark. The older women said a girl was fated to a romantic life with a dashing hero. The house leaders said it was the mark of peace, that somehow a union would be revealed that would enrich a particular house of elves. The old men told her tales of when they were considered dashing heroes and the younger men, when they reached marriageable age, just dashed away from her.
As folklore went, the glamour had quickly worn off. She'd started hiding and ignoring her mark, though it didn't do her much good when you had hair the color of sunlight rather than dark, polished mahogany.
Her mark tingled again, hotter now and impossible to ignore. She shoved at her sleeve to take a quick peek and stuttered in shock. More leaves and another vine had sprouted.
Her gasp startled the cat away from his dinner. Henry darted out the cat door and into the alley behind the building. Lily sat, transfixed by the patterns dancing over or under – or maybe within – her flesh.
No one had ever mentioned anything like this. Feeling nauseous, she covered it up and went to open the walk in cooler, making mental notes for the wholesaler tomorrow, thinking of bouquets for the display. Anything to take her mind off the hot, twitchy sensations.
She closed the cooler when the hinges on the back door creaked with Cade's arrival. "Sorry I'm late," he said, walking in with Henry in one arm and a cardboard box in the other.
"No problem. Henry just finished eating."
Cade set the box on her work table, then hefted the cat to look him in the eye. "You should lay off the food, bud." Putting the cat down, he wrapped Lily in a quick hug. "Long day? You look pale."
"Such flattery." She caught a whiff of fried rice and sesame. "And you're not even taking me out?"
Cade nodded. "Hope you don't mind."
"That's fine." She locked the back door and unbuttoned her coat. "But you have to carry it upstairs. Come on, Henry."
Lily led the small parade up to her apartment and into her sitting room. She turned on the TV for Cade, hoping it would distract him. She crossed to the little kitchen for plates and utensils and two bottles of beer while he unpacked the various boxes. "Got soup for you."
She stopped, frozen. As signs went, a thoughtful brother was right up there with the four horsemen of the apocalypse. "Great. Thanks." Better to play it cool. If it was wonton soup, it just meant he was cold. It was January. But if it was –
"Miso. Your favorite."
Yup. The end of her world. Or at least the end of her current peace. She lowered herself to the very edge of the sofa, her eyes on him. "What do you want?"
"I need to stay here for a few days."
She used her minimal magic to scan him for weapons. Finding no more than she expected, she glared at him as he shoveled lo mein noodles into his mouth. "Why?"
"Can't tell you that," he mumbled.
"How long?"
He shrugged.
She rolled her eyes and popped the lid on her miso soup. "Do you promise to do any and all heavy lifting I might require?"
He nodded. "Labor for room and board works for me."
Lily ate her soup and turned to the television. She didn't hear any of the opinions bouncing around the sports studio, though Cade occasionally muttered an agreement or contradiction. She nudged the remote closer to him, helped herself to his sesame chicken, and made a mental list of things to keep him too busy to notice her changing birthmark while he was intruding on her space.
Chapter Two
My dearest Amy,
Oh, I hate to start with a complaint but my client today was an absolute troll. Burning bridges is regrettable, but in this case it was necessary. I hope you never have to face a similar situation. It's wonderful to know you're in academia, hopefully giving the next generation some
Readers choose
Viola Grace
Becky Wilde
Susan Bliler
Yvette Hines
Pierre Berton
authors_sort
Glen Cook
Chrissy Peebles
Georgette Heyer
Andrés Vidal