Forbidden Devotion Ch. 01

It was flattering in the beginning but was as cute as a snaggletooth toad when time went on.

Ilana was digging for excuses to make herself believe their relationship wasn't as good as it was. Perfect it wasn't but it without a doubt topped the best she ever had.

Ilana would only be with one elf at a time and to stray was nothing she'd think of doing. She began to wonder how much Jayden would test that. In a way, she wanted to be tested.

Ilana rubbed her eyes and forced a yawn. "Baby, I'm sorry. I'm just tired. It's been a long, stressful day. I hope you understand."

Feris stared at Ilana like he was searching for signs of a lie no matter how white it was.

Ilana did feel like weights were attached to her eyelids and was drained to the point she could collapse at a blink. It also wasn't as though she couldn't have kept herself up for a little fun with Feris. She was still experiencing a rush. Not just from Feris's natural born ability but from the attention he showed. As tempting as it was, her conscious couldn't let her go further.

Feris's squinted stare was replaced by a warm, breathtaking embrace and Ilana mimicked the squeeze, relieved.

Feris whispered into her ear. "I understand, my love." He gripped her earlobe in his teeth and gave a tug. "I can't imagine how hard it was." Feris slid his fingers within Ilana's and laid on his side with Ilana following and curling up with him.

They snuggled beneath the blanket. Feris traced the outline of Ilana's face and played with her tresses. She giggled and tingled when Feris touched her.

"You're so lovable, Feris," Ilana said.

They drifted into the dream world together.

A few hours later in the middle of the night, Ilana found herself staring at the ceiling. The pale blue moonlight bathed in the darkness and crickets were still chirping. Feris's arm was draped over Ilana's tits and while she reveled in the heat their bodies created, she thought about Jayden.

She was all but certain the sunrise would be his last and she wouldn't sleep another wink if something happened to him.

She held Feris's hand to her lips and gave it a smooch before she slid from his warmth and dropped her feet on the floor. The chill sweeping across the polished pine chilled her toes. Feris grumbled something as he shifted to his side facing away from her.

Ilana watched him until he settled into position before she sped on her tippy toes to the closet.

She threw on a black leather top tied with strings at the top with hood attached. It had forest green sleeves. She donned matching pants and leather shoes. She pulled her locks into a ponytail and was all set.

Spying on Feris snoozing brought a glow to Ilana's cheeks. She eased over to him and left a light kiss on his shoulder.

Ilana's wish was that she could accomplish her mission and snuggle back into bed before Feris realized there was a void next to him. If not, she'd need a credible narrative that didn't involve using the name Jayden to spill to him. That was a dilemma second to rescuing the dashing man in brown pants and black boots.

Ilana snagged her bow and a special arrow and crept out of the door. She dashed the half-mile of stone road that led to the palace.

The palace was circular and the entrance was always guarded by a pair of knight elves with their backs straight, chests thrust forward, and swords in hand. She could have sent them chasing after a beautiful mystical damsel but she looked up and found a better idea.

There wouldn't be any rescuing without the key to Jayden's shackles. It was a three story climb to get it from the king's chambers.

Ilana took her bow off her shoulder, placed the arrow in its notch, eased it back, and tilted the bow upward. The target was the underside of the third floor balcony.

She rolled an eye towards the knights. They were still preoccupied with staring out into the darkness of the city.

Ilana fired her arrow with a three-story length rope. It opened like a grappling hook when it lodged into its target. She checked on the guards once more. They still seemed oblivious to her attempted intrusion. She gave the rope a tug to ensure it wouldn't give way and up she went.

The climb reminded her of the days she used to do this heisting jewels from the privileged and stealing secrets from the palace. She'd visited the king unbeknownst to him long before she became his advisor.

Looking at the moon caused her to reminisce. She never imagined she'd be drawn back to the life she tried to leave behind. She wondered if it was worth it. She already had the relationship of an elf's dreams yet here she was trying to satiate her curiosities about the mysterious prisoner.

Ilana reached the white railing, hoisted herself onto the balcony, and crouch-walked to the side of the double glass doors leading inside. She peeked an eyeball around the corner.

There wasn't a sound aside from the breezes sweeping through the air. The king was deep into his slumber and there wasn't movement to be found.

She reached for the nearest door handle and gave it a pull. It didn't move.

She growled under her breath and pulled out a pouch with her lock picking tools. As she jiggled them in the door's lock, she realized how she was slipping further into her old life and losing herself more. She was certain it needed to be done.

Ilana heard a click and slowly stepped onto the carpet in the room.

The king's snores sounded like wood being sawed and they consumed the room providing cover for the door's closure.

She remained in her crouch and walked in slow motion through the blackness. Ilana knew the king kept the key on or in his nightstand. She spent plenty of time in his chambers in an official capacity and under not so official terms.

She felt her way around and made silent steps towards her objective. Lunar streams of light was all that lit her path. She was fortunate the king was on his side facing opposite of her.

Ilana stopped at the nightstand and squinted. She didn't see the key so she touched in random spots for it. No key but she knocked something off.

She held her hand beneath where it fell and with luck, she caught it.

She exhaled and extended it into the moonlight to examine it.

It was a device, maybe a little bigger than her hand, with a cracked screen and visible circuits underneath. She'd never seen such a sophisticated looking thing. She figured it was the trans-something device Jayden mentioned. Trans-realm, yeah. Ilana took it with her.

The king snorted and repositioned and Ilana's nerves had her crumbling.

She held her breath until he ceased moving. He remained in his sleep and she was relieved. She grabbed the knob of the sliding drawer in the nightstand and felt around. She brushed something small like iron with grooves at the end. She pulled it out. It was the key!

"Yes!" she celebrated to herself.

She replaced the key with a phony and retraced her steps back to the balcony.

She slid down the rope and took it with her to hide the evidence. She trekked down a slope alongside the palace to a secret stone door that led into the dungeon.

She tossed herself inside, throwing caution out of the window, and crashed through the door of Jayden's cell.

He was slouched in his restraints and his breathing was shallow.

She slid in front of him and cupped his face to bring their eyes together. His eyes were sealed and he trembled with weakness.

"Jayden! Jayden! I'm back! Please wake up!" Ilana pleaded.

He responded but with his remaining strength, he could only talk at a whisper. "You've...come back...to send me...to my execution! Get...away!"

Ilana inserted the key into his wrist shackles and with a turn, they released him. "No, no! I only agreed with the king so he wouldn't suspect that I'm doing this..."

Without the ability to keep himself upright, he fell forward right into her arms. He was more than double her weight and she struggled to hold him but nothing would stop her from trying.

The circumstances could have been better but for him to be in her arms was an experience she didn't want to break but it had to, her chagrin not of any matter.

He mumbled, "Hungry...thirsty...need the...men's room..."

"I know..." she said. "Listen to me! I want you to leave here and run to the evergreen forest behind here! Go to the largest boulder in the center and use this..." She unclasped the choker with purple amethyst stone set in the middle from her neck and stuffed it into his palm.

"What's...this? Are you about to confess your love for me?"

Ilana didn't know how to answer that. She couldn't tell if he was flirting or a mind reader. "Not yet. The rock really isn't a rock. This will dispel the illusion and open a path to my underground getaway cave. Wait for me there!"

"How do I know someone's not waiting outside to kill me when I crawl out of here?"

"I wouldn't rescue you to get you killed. Don't you think that would be easier with you chained up?"

"Oh, right..."

Ilana reached into her pouch and presented the device she'd found. "I think this is yours. Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen."

Jayden took it and frowned at the screen that resembled a spider web. He tried turning it on but it was dead. Ilana could see a flicker of sadness but he forced a smile.

He said, "It's kaput. You didn't have to risk yourself to get it."

"But you're trapped here..." Ilana said as though she was selfishly happy about it.

"I'll worry about it later. I don't know about elves but I can't go anywhere without fuel. I can't run on my good intentions."

Ilana placed another pouch into his left paw. "Here's some more nuts and berries. Now, go!"

"I need some real food..."

"Sorry, fresh out of cow. Please, hurry. It won't be a happy ending for either of us if the guards spot us!"

"Fine..."

Jayden groaned as he strained to rise to his feet but Ilana embraced him and assisted with his ascent. He was staggering. He braced himself on her shoulder, cracked his back, and let her go when he was able to stand on his own.

Ilana had a hand on his hip and her other on his stomach. "Go left out of here and you'll be outside. I'll meet you as soon as I can."

"Alright. Um, thanks..." Jayden said.

Ilana bent her neck back to meet his eyes and he returned the gesture.

Ilana's tension was on verge of erupting. She found herself entranced and a thousand gold coins couldn't get her to budge. It felt so right yet so wrong.

Ilana waved him away to shatter the suspense. "Go, go!"

He nodded and shuffled out.

She had no idea if he was going to make it. Keeping himself on both feet looked to be a challenge. She recalled the immense strength humans had and hoped that would get him to her hideout.

She shadowed him into the hall and watched as he escaped.

The sound of clanking metal grew louder. She panicked and wound up with her feet glued to the floor when a trio of sword-wielding armored elves approached.

The lead knight stepped forward and held his sword over the left side of his chest. "Ilana! The king wants the prisoner moved to the training grounds!"

Not one prisoner has returned from a trip to the training grounds. If the doomed didn't care for being tied to a post and made into a pincushion—or rather an arrow cushion, they could opt for being hanged upside down and turned into shredded meat by all of the knights' blades.

That was something else Ilana and the king butted like rams about. His methods were akin to barbarism in Ilana's mind but even she couldn't deny the miniscule crime rate in Ellistas as a side effect. She was certain there was a better way. Regardless, it would be a hot day in the northern tundra before she would let Jayden be subjected to such cruelty.

Ilana said, "Okay, I will bring the prisoner to you." She hoped to dissuade them from offering their unwanted assistance.

The lead knight rattled past her. "Don't worry yourself, m'lady. We'll take care of it."

She stepped into his path to the cell and threw her palms up facing him. "No, it's fine!"

All of a sudden, it was like he went deaf. He snatched the door handle, flung the door open, and barged in.

He scoured the nooks, crannies, and corners of the cell and found nothing but cobwebs and the waving flames of the candles lodged in the walls.

"He's gone! We must find him or the king will have our heads!" he shouted with shaking in his voice.

With everyone's attention on the empty cell, she crept behind the three knights and pointed down the corridor at their rears. "There he is!"

Jayden appeared to be fleeing in the distance thanks to Ilana's birth talent.

The lead knight popped out of the cell and spotted the mirage. He was in full sprint after it before Ilana could blink. Relief washed over her for a moment.

"After him!" the lead knight said as he clanked by her. His subordinates were in tow.

She waited until they were out of sight before she slipped through the secret entrance in pursuit of Jayden.

She dashed for the first tree leading into the forest at the palace's rear. She turned and watched the chaos she created as knights and servants poured from all floors of the palace in hysteria. Ilana smirked without a hint of guilt.

Her heart burned for her people but not when they didn't meet her moral code. The consequences for defying King Zoran were things of nightmares but her knack for deception would have to be her saving grace. She was ashamed that she drew pleasure from her trickery but she tried to at least use her skills for her cause.

She scampered into the depths of the woods.

The trees bore fruit that glowed golden creating a forest lit like the sun. The sky was sparkling from the stars spotted on its canvas and the birds began to wake with their early morning songs. The smell of the thick flora along the dirt path flowed into Ilana's nose. The whole scene brought peace to her in a time filled with turbulence.

When she arrived at the forest's center, she dispelled the imaginary boulder disguising the entrance to her hideaway.

A hole with a stairway of hardened mud appeared in its place.

She followed the stairs to the bottom as the "boulder" reappeared.

Ilana lit the lantern on the wall before taking a step.

She shrieked at Jayden whose face was buried in the cave's rocky floor.

She was stricken with fear and tapped his back. "Jayden? Jayden! Please answer me!"

Grumbles were all she heard but at least he was still amongst the living.

She had a cot nearby but it was going to be an adventure getting him on it.

She grabbed his shoulders and pulled. He didn't move an inch. Tugged his arms. Nope.

Ilana blew in disgust and instead became his blanket. She wanted to lie with him until he came to but ended up falling out with him.

A few hours later, Ilana felt Jayden's first movements accompanied by a yawn. She sprang to attention.

"Jayden? Are you okay?" she asked, ready to leap with glee.

"I think so..." he said with a strain. "Except there's something heavy on my back." He turned to look at Ilana. "Have you been eating too many berries?"

Ilana scoffed and slapped the back of his head. "Jerk! Who gets fat off berries?"

Jayden massaged the throbbing. "Oww, I was only jesting!"

Ilana flipped off and popped to her feet. "I was really worried about you."

"I know. I couldn't move anymore. Not even for a sack of gold coins but I'll recover my strength. Anyway, we wouldn't be talking if not for you saving my life so thank you."

Ilana offered her hand and he accepted the invitation. She helped him to the cot and she sat on the one opposite.

"It was a closer call than you realized," Ilana said. "The death squads were at your heels but I distracted them."

"I don't know what to say besides thank you."

Ilana sat back with her knees drawn up. She was thinking of something he could have done that involved his lips but she didn't want to risk being too forward. Alone with him cast in the dim lighting of their background was creating a tension of its own.

A half hour later they were sipping on the elven red wine she had stashed. They were cool and mellow as they chatted.

Jayden was staring at his glass with a ring of wine around the bottom for the fifth time. "So, from your elven lore, I understand there are four items that can be used to defend against dark elves?"

Ilana finished her gulp to answer. "Yes, the wood, or forest elves as they're more commonly known, have the golden bow and arrows. The snow elves have the silver crystal that makes its owner and anyone nearby immune to their dark magic. The cave elves have the white shield. We have the banishing blade. We'll need them all to have a chance. The elves will know why we need them and hopefully, they'll make preparations for the dark elves' return. If not, they'll live in denial like last time and get turned into putty."

Jayden groaned and held his chest as he started to slide off his cot. He strained to shuffle his way over to Ilana.

She naturally made room for him to sit and when their hips touched, she felt a powerful rush.

Once Jayden settled next to her, he grimaced while attempting to find a comfortable position.

A stronger mix of feelings towards Ilana's king were flooding within. Jayden was doing more to help save Nevin than even King Zoran and he wasn't of their world.

Jayden reached into his pocket. "Grr...um, I got this for you." Ilana watched his hand and something was giving off a magenta glow. He opened his palm and in it was a flower like a primrose with oval pink petals. Its shine was mesmerizing and that plant was rarely seen in Nevin.

Ilana's mouth hung in shock and her eyes flushed and moistened. "Oh, my! I've never seen one of those outside of a book before! Wow..."

Jayden handed it to her. "I happened to stumble upon it while I was looking for your little cubbyhole here. It was the only one in the forest. I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

Ilana's heart was flying away and her ability to speak went with it. She moved her lips but nothing came out. She held the flower in front of her and gawked at its beauty.

It took a few tries to talk but finally, she said, "You're beautiful. I mean it's beautiful. I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to you."

Jayden took her hand and was still locked onto her gleaming royal irises. "I'm grateful. I'm sure your king isn't dancing because I still live. You put your neck out for me."

"That neck might get the guillotine if he finds out I did that."

Jayden gave her hand a squeeze like he wasn't going to let her go. "I won't let him do anything to you. I promise you that. Anyhow, I can go with you to get those four artifacts to fight the dark elves. Help save your world."

Ilana was beginning to feel as though the most wicked, one-eyed troll in the land couldn't touch her as long as Jayden was at her side. Someone that could make her feel that way was only something she wished for. It was things of make-believe although he was making her believe it.

Her thoughts alone about what she wanted to do with this man were enough to have Ilana believing herself to be unfaithful to Feris. She whimpered inwardly because her resistance was fading. She still loved Feris though how in love she was began to become a question.

"I can't thank you enough for helping to save our land..." Ilana said as she watched Jayden's lips draw closer. Moving away became an impossibility and she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

"It's the least I can do since I wouldn't be here talking if not for you."

Her breaths quivered when she glanced at his puckers inching closer and he rested his hand alongside her face. She purred softly and closed her eyes to absorb his touch. His hands were rugged and calloused but with his gentle strokes, she was melting. The tension was mounting and she jerked away, almost unwillingly. He sensed this and opened his eyes as he froze.