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LENGTH: Short Story
SENSUALITY: Carnal

Cover art (c) Kat Richards 2004
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Rating: Contains adult situations, paranormal themes, strong language, explicit sex, violence, and is not intended for the faint of heart.

"Five Stars! Peace Offerings is a romantic dark fantasy story that will have you glued to your chair. The characters are fascinating with their captivating plots; fairies, Kings, a Queen, politics and last but not least the love and passions of Princess Mackenzie. As you read this short story have a glass of cool water to lower the temperature in the room; this story is HOT! Ms. Roth has written a fantasy world where anyone could fall in love, as the characters come to life in this story you will find many surprises that will tug at your heart. The love encounters are truly amazing, they will dazzle the readers with loving, tender, and sizzling hot scenes. I adored this adventure, it kept me entertained. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Roth and will file this romance in my home library under…HOT!! Check it out!" Susan Holly, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

"Five Stars! From whence Ms. Roth gets her ideas, I cannot conceive. I am just delighted she has so many enthralling tales to captivate her readers. No matter the type of immortal, her characters are vividly drawn with many layers to their personalities. In PEACE OFFERINGS, I was never positive if I was privy to all the secrets of her characters, which will keep me guessing until the next book. The clever quips, sensual romance and unforeseen twists are carefully woven all through the book. With writing like this, Mandy Roth is certain to become a favorite author of those readers who crave paranormal stories." Amelia Richard, eCataRomance Reviews

"Four ½ Hearts! Fairies caught up in political turmoil! Ms. Roth does an excellent job of portraying Mackenzie's confusion and her anger at being put in such a horrid position first by her mother, and then by the man she only sought to release her sexual urges and later by a dear friend. This story does not end the tale and I cannot wait to see what befalls Mackenzie and all the Fairies." Sara Sawyer, The Romance Studio

Book One

PEACE OFFERINGS

By

Mandy M. Roth

© copyright July 2004, Mandy M. Roth
Cover art by Kat Richards, © copyright July 2004
New Concepts Publishing
5202 Humphreys Rd.
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com

Chapter 1

"Get the thought out of your head, girl. He’ll bring you nothing but worry and pain. It’s not worth a moment of bliss for an eternity of bein’ damned." I heard Dina’s voice ringing in my ear.

Dina made it difficult not to hear her. She seemed more than capable of projecting her abnormally loud voice out so all the world could listen in. I often wondered why my mother hadn’t employed her to be the announcer at the faerie games. She could easily make herself heard over the roar of thousands of immortals without the use of magic. She made a hissing noise at me, and I felt certain that the residents of the neighboring town knew that Dina was not pleased with me at the moment.

"Quiet … he’ll hear you," I whispered back to her. I glanced towards the center of the courtyard to make sure that the object of my desire was not looking in our direction. I was safe. His attentions were on the two men he had arrived with. I tried to listen as they talked quietly amongst themselves, never once noticing the weight of my stare.

They’d come to speak with Moya, the Queen, about faerie matters. The war between the Blessed and the Unblessed Courts had ended a little over a year ago. Since the end of the war, peace negotiations had been underway. The tension was thick in the air. After a hundred years of fighting, peace had come so suddenly that adapting to the change was more difficult than fighting the war.

My dear, loving mother had decided that the best way to ensure peace between the courts was to promise my hand in marriage to a member of the royal Unblessed Court. When I had rounded on my mother, Queen Moya, with my anger over this decision, she simply laughed. "Oh, my dear Mackenzie, do not fear. I have heard that Prince Elwyn is quite the catch. Many of little Fay have tried to win his heart, but none have succeeded until now."

I didn’t have the energy to point out the obvious, which was that I had not succeeded in winning his heart either. Rather my heart was bargained off to him as honey to sweeten the deal between the courts. I’d been informed that I was to be his wife, I was never asked. Even for the faerie courts, this was archaic. We’d been allowed to marry our mate on our own terms for close to a hundred years now. I felt like I’d taken a step back in time, to a time when women had no rights, and I didn’t care for it too much.

I’d been sick with dread over meeting my soon-to-be husband for weeks now. After all, it was common knowledge that members of the Unblessed Court were fond of torture, bondage, multiple sex partners, and dark magic, all of which I found to be unsavory. Well all, that is, except for the multiple partners one. A girl’s got to have her releases, you know.

"Mackenzie, let’s go before one of them gets a notion to come this way. You’re about to be a married woman. Someday soon you’ll be their Queen, and they don’t need to be gettin’ no ideas about you." Dina’s accent was laced with old Gaelic. Mine wasn’t free of the old language either, but I’d been raised with tutors who’d tried their best to break me of old habits.

I frowned at her and wished, just this once, that she wasn’t my best friend. Her long, curly red hair was pulled back in a long braid. That was the norm with her nowadays--the uptight look. I feared that she’d lost her ability to let herself go and have a good time. She’d been more than willing to lose her inhabitations the night before last when we’d run naked through the stables trying to catch the eyes of the stable hands. We’d succeeded and the night had ended with pleasures that were much needed for the both of us. Oh, yes, Dina had no problems with shyness when she and I were together.

My gaze wandered back over to the dangerous stranger that had paid us a visit. He was spectacularly stunning with his long, dark brown hair so close to black that I wasn’t sure what to call it. It was sleek, straight, and hung to his mid-back. I wondered what it would be like to have him above me with that glorious crown of silk flowing all around me.

I knew the touch of a man well. Being a faerie naturally made me sexually charged. What I’d rarely known was the touch of a man I desired. Don’t get me wrong, the men who graced my bed were admirable bedmates, but none possessed my heart, my soul, my mind. None that is to say, except for one, but he had passed away over a year ago. Since then I had been searching for the one who would make my inner thighs tighten again with just the thought of being near him. I was pretty sure that I’d finally found him. The only problem I could see was that my mother would lose her mind if she found out that I had bedded a low level-messenger of the Unblessed Court. I toyed with this idea in my mind, and decided that I would risk her wrath. Besides, it would be so very like me to push her limits.

I headed right for the tall, dark-haired stranger. I heard Dina’s cries for me to stop, and blocked them out. When I was within two feet of him, he stopped speaking to his friends and looked at me. His dark chocolate eyes scanned my body. They stopped to linger over my thin white gown, and to stare at my more than blessed chest. I blushed slightly. This caught me off guard, I never felt embarrassed or ashamed. What power was it that this man possessed? Yes, he was a gift from the Goddess herself, but still that ought not cause me to turn into a silly schoolgirl at the very sight of him.

I looked at his chiseled face and could not remember a time when I had seen a faerie with skin as bronzed as his. More often than not, we faeries ran a bit on the pale side. Some of us did, however, break the mold.

"I’m Mackenzie. And you are?"

He stopped staring at my chest and directed his attention towards my face. "I am Rowan. So, you are the lovely Princess Mackenzie. I have heard much about you. I fear that my informants have understated just how magnificent you truly are."

"What, may I ask have you heard of me then?" I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but the thought of not hearing that deep rich voice again made me shudder.

He held out his hand to me. I took it. His fingers were rough. He was most certainly a warrior. Men of wealth and honor rarely had coarse hands. I’d found that most of the men I’d bedded were as silky smooth as myself. Rowan was a refreshing change. "My dear Princess, your beauty is known throughout the lands. Lesser beings talk of your hair, as gold as the sun with streaks as white as snow, of your eyes, as green as newly formed leaves, and of your body, which is rivaled only by the goddesses themselves."

My pulse quickened. Many men had made futile attempts at flattery with me, but this one was different. This man called Rowan made me want to prove him right. He made me want to show him how much more I could really be.

"I dare say that you flatter me so with your kind remarks." I gave a small curtsy. "Am I to assume that what you’ve heard about me is true then?"

His dark eyes lit up. "Oh no, I think that words cannot possibly do you justice."

"Then how do plan on telling Prince Elwyn of me? It would have been so much easier for him to come personally to see me. I requested this, but of course, he never responded. Just like an Unblessed, thinking they don’t have to answer to anyone but themselves…. Are you to house an image of me in an orb?"

My obsession with human culture almost caused me to slip and say photograph, I was pleased that I caught myself. Orb images were livelier than a two dimensional photograph, but dated all the same. I’d not yet received one of the Prince. I was flying blind as to what he looked like. I’d impressed my image into an orb on the off chance he’d request it, but he had not.

Rowan looked amused by my comments. "I take it from your tone that you’re not happy about the current arrangement."

I tossed my hand in the air and laughed. "Oh, please. Don’t tell me for a minute that if you were me you’d be happy marrying that barbaric beast!"

Rowan and his two friends burst into laughter. The blonde one actually clutched his gut. I wanted to smack him square in the back of his head, but resisted. "Barbaric beast? What makes you think that the Prince is a barbarian?"

"Oh, that’s simple. He is to be King of the Unblessed Court one day, what else could he be? I hardly think they have kind gentleman roaming about to lead an army of demons. No thanks, I’d rather marry a Goblin and that’s not saying much, is it?"

Rowan’s grip on my hand tightened. I had offended him. I didn’t care. I had spoken the truth, and that’s all that mattered. I could respect his loyalty to his Prince, but even he had to admit that someone from the Unblessed Court had to be a scoundrel. I grew tired of this little game with him. I knew that he wanted me, and I him, so there was really no point in continuing.

"The Prince is not what I want to be focused on at the moment," I said, as I took a step towards him.

He leaned closer. "And, what exactly is it that you are interested in focusing on?"

I stood on my tiptoes to be near his ear and whispered. "Why you, of course."

His laughter bellowed out and around me. I felt as though I could wrap his deep voice around me, and it alone would be enough to bring me pleasure. He turned and looked at the men who had accompanied him on his journey. Without question, they walked away, leaving the two of us standing near one another.

"So tell me Mackenzie, now that you have my undivided attention, what do you plan to do with it?"

I smiled at him as I put my lips on his. I pushed my tongue into his receptive mouth and inched it around. We explored the deep recesses of the other furiously. A tiny moan escaped him. All would have been perfect if it wasn’t for a tiny tingling sensation that started on my arm. Someone’s negative energy pressed down on me. I reluctantly pulled away from Rowan, and turned to see Dina glaring at me.

"Dina?"

She stomped her foot on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. It was her way of taking a stance. I ignored her and turned back to Rowan. I would not let my chance with him be spoiled. I grabbed hold of his hand. "Come."

Without question, he followed me. I pulled him through the courtyard gates and down the tiny winding stone path towards the river. Halfway down, I veered off the path and pulled him through a seemingly endless tangle of vines. He never complained, he simply held tight to my hand and let me pull him along. I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew every inch of the Blessed Court’s grounds. I had never been allowed off of it growing up, so this gave me plenty of time to explore every nook and cranny. My destination was within sight. A moment later, we broke through the tangled mess and stood in a small clearing on the edge of the river.

"I must say, I am impressed," Rowan said from behind me.

I reached down and began pulling my long gown over my head. I lifted it slowly up my body. I knew that he watched me and I intended on giving him a good show. I pulled it up and over my waistline, exposing the thin patch of blonde curls that lay nestled between my thighs. He drew in a deep breath, and I continued pulling my gown over my head.

Rowan’s hands slid up my waist, and to my arms, to help ease the garment completely off. My long hair spilled out and over my breasts. The sun kissed strands acted as a veil and left most of my body covered. He brushed the stray strands out of the way, and in the process grazed my erect nipples. I let out a small cry of joy, causing him to yank his hand away.

"You know that the Prince will not be pleased that you let another man touch you."

"I could care less what Prince Elwyn thinks of me. When I marry, I wish it to be for the sake of love and passion, not to maintain peace. Furthermore, the Prince and I are not married yet, so what I do is of no concern to him. If he was truly that worried, he’d have come himself and not sent you in his place. Let that be a lesson to him."

"I see. So, you do not care about the repercussions that this could bring upon us?"

I tipped my head back and laughed. "Why in the world would I care what he thinks? It is written plainly in my marriage contract with him that I shall be allowed to bed whomever I choose, so long as it remains strictly for sexual pleasure."

I had made my mother put that revision in after I’d read the first draft and found it to be completely unacceptable. After much debate, she had finally given in to my demand, and sent the contract off for approval. It, to my surprise, arrived back within two days signed by the Prince and bearing his seal.

"Ah, yes. The marriage contract," he said, tilting his head to the side as he smiled with only one side of his mouth. "I must say, the Prince has caught much backlash for allowing you to have such freedoms."

I was on the verge of being angry, but his beautiful brown eyes helped me hold my temper. "Backlash, he’s caught backlash? I’ve never even laid eyes on the man I’m to marry, and he’s concerned with negative feedback! Oh, that is truly rich! Suppose he is as ugly as a troll, what then, am I expected to spend the rest of my days lying next to him? I shall have to consume my food in another end of the castle for fear that I won’t be able to digest it."

I knew what I said was harsh and untrue. I had no problem with unattractive beings in my bed, and had even been known to lay with some unsavory characters, but that wasn’t the point. I only had problems with being forced to do something I did not wish to do. I latched onto any reason not to wed him even if it was an insanely untrue one.

"Are looks really that important to you?"

I didn’t know how to answer him. I knew that I came off as a spoiled little princess, and I had reason to be. Being forced to marry a man that I had never even met was beyond wrong. It was cruel. I searched deep within myself to see if I could honestly love something as ugly as a troll. My initial reaction had been no, but as I looked into Rowan’s eyes, I knew that I was attracted to him in a way that physical beauty could not contain. Sure, he was perfect in every way, but he had something else about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he felt right. There was something about him that made me not care what he looked like. It had been that way with only one other, but now that he had passed it did not matter. "No, I suppose that one’s beauty is not all that matters to me."

He seized hold of my bare shoulders, yanking me close to him, and kissing me heavy and hard. I didn’t protest, instead, I welcomed it. Dampness lined my inner thighs as each swipe of his tongue drove my body into more of a frenzy.