Exiled: The Return of the Elves, Book 3 (EBOOK)

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• Found family
• Fated mates
• Different worlds
• Accidental pregnancy
• Tortured hero
• Enemies to lovers
• Second chance romance
• Friends to lovers
• Polyamory (MFF – one book only)
• Unrequited love
• Anti-hero
• Single parents
• Twisted mate bonds
• Mental health struggles
• Recovering from loss
• Finding one’s place
• Star-crossed lovers
• Fish out of water

Chapter 1


Inona scowled at the stone arch, but her steps didn’t falter as she strode toward the portal. Of all the duties assigned to her, this was her least favorite. Checking on the exiles. A bunch of wastrels, for the most part. She tugged uneasily at the odd, flimsy T-shirt, so thin she couldn’t even conceal a knife beneath it. At least her thick blue pants had suitable pockets. Really, humans gave too little thought to protection.
Most of them.
With a wave to the portal guard, Inona marched straight through the invisible barrier to the Veil. The mists closed around her, and her insides gave a sick lurch at the tumultuous energy buffeting her. She rubbed her hand across her stomach. The Veil had grown worse since her last trip from Moranaia to Earth. Strands of color whirled as though tossed by a gale, and the one she sought, the one that would guide her to her destination, slipped away several times before she grasped it with her magic.
Latching tightly, Inona tugged with her power, a soft whoosh hissing through her lips as she slipped across boundless space. She swallowed against a rush of nausea. Gods, this was rougher than it should have been. Her eyes squeezed closed as the energy buffeted her, almost as though it wanted to shake her loose. It was like trying to cross flood-swelled rapids instead of a calm stream.
As she neared her destination, she grasped for the sub-strand that would take her to the exit she needed. Finally, Inona stumbled through the other side of the portal. She reached out to steady herself against the nearby rock and blinked against the shift in light. The small crevice in the side of the bluff hid her from view, but it didn’t block the afternoon sun.
Inona leaned back against the warm stone to catch her breath. The last time she’d been through here, the area had been sparsely populated. How many Earth years had passed since then? Frowning, she did a quick calculation. At least eleven, she thought, though she was no expert at time conversion. That was long enough for the humans to have built their settlements closer to the ridge.
Bracing herself, Inona peeked around the edge of the crevice. To the left, the land sloped upward. Trees swayed in the breeze and birds chirped softly. Just as she remembered. She glanced right, down the hill curving away from the base of the bluff. Then she cursed. A neighborhood had sprung up near the bottom, the tidy human houses replacing the forest that had once reigned. She’d have to be more careful now.
She ducked back and pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket. With a scowl, she scanned the list of names. Only three this time, but she hadn’t met the first one before. Delbin Rayac, formerly of Oria. Coric had been responsible for him the last couple of centuries, but the dubious honor had passed to Inona while Coric and his wife welcomed their first child.
Inona sighed. Well, anything for a new parent.
#
Delbin’s eyes locked onto his target.
“You!” he said from his perch, the microphone in his mask carrying his words wide. The blond on the other side of the dirt clearing gave him an uneasy glance and walked faster. “I know you heard me, lady. I’m louder than that ugly orange shirt you’re wearing. Did your husband actually let you leave the house that way?”
She froze, her body stiffening. Finally, she turned to glare at him. “I don’t have a husband.”
“Wife, then?” he asked, winking. “I don’t judge.”
“Yeah, right,” the woman muttered, so softly a human wouldn’t have heard.
But he wasn’t human. “Yeah, I’m not buying it either,” Delbin said. Then he smirked, though she wouldn’t be able to see it through his mask. “Anyway, you’re too ugly for either one.”
Her mouth opened on a gasp, and for the first time, her gaze shifted to the target next to his tank. Delbin swished his toes through the water. She definitely wants to dunk me. But that wasn’t what she really needed. He sent out a tendril of energy, connecting to her mind with the lightest of touches.
“This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m beautiful,” Delbin sent into her thoughts.
The woman’s shoulders straightened, and she shot him a haughty scowl. “Pick on someone else.”
Delbin called out another half-hearted insult as she marched toward the Ferris wheel, but his job was done. Not that Grunge would agree. But if the dunk tank’s profits dipped a little when Delbin was in charge, the old man would have to deal. Destroying people for money would never be his thing.
Sighing, Delbin slipped his fingers beneath his mask and wiped away the sweat. The mask was way too hot to wear in the heat of a Tennessee fall, but with the insults he delivered, the garish clown disguise had saved him from more than one beating. Since they’d started this fair circuit, he’d had quite a few threats from men who didn’t like having their masculinity called into question.
Grunge ambled up, his steel-gray hair sticking up at even odder angles than usual. The state of the old man’s hair was a running joke among the crew. “How many dunks ya got?” he grumbled.
“Two,” Delbin answered. “But the day’s still young.”
Grunge nodded his head toward a tall man entering through the front gate. “How about that’n?”
An odd one for this area. Delbin’s eyes narrowed, taking in the long black hair tied away from the man’s face and the arrogant tilt of his chin. Really odd. Delbin started to send out his energy to test the newcomer but froze as the tip of the man’s ear peeked through his hair. Pointed. So he was an elf—or maybe one of the Sidhe. Could he be from Moranaia? The guy didn’t look like any of the guides who’d checked on Delbin before.
“Not him,” Delbin finally answered.
“Ah, come on.” Smirking, Grunge slapped a hand against the side of the tank. “He’s full of himself. Probably make us rich trying to dunk ya.”
“Looks more likely to knife me in an alley, old man,” Delbin said, careful to keep his tone light though his insides twisted.
Dark energy swirled around the elf, so thick even the humans gave him a wide berth. Delbin swallowed hard. Then almost sagged in relief at the sight of the three college boys eyeing the dunk tank. He shifted on his perch and focused on the trio. Whatever the elf was doing, Delbin wanted no part of it.
He straightened on his perch and called out the next insult.