Ribbon of Darkness (The Trouble with Elves Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Ribbon of Darkness

  The Trouble with Elves, Book 1

  Decadent Kane

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

  persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Ribbon of Darkness

  Copyright © 2015 Decadent Kane

  Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

  Editor: Leona Bushman

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations

  embodied in reviews.

  Books by Decadent Kane

  Trouble with Elves Series

  Ribbon of Darkness

  Tempting Clover

  Steele Your Soul

  A Hint of Cayenne

  A Whisper of Rue

  Dedicated to my family for always helping me move forward and encouraging me to keep going no matter what genre. Specially to my Manly Man who has been so patient and loving despite my many hours writing and editing. I love you bunches.

  And of course I couldn’t have made it very far without my elfaliscious editor Leona, who encouraged my elves.

  Finally, also thanks goes to my beta readers. You guys rock!

  Chapter One

  The burn at the top of her ears stirred Ribbon Winters from sleep. For the second time in the last week, she awoke to the burning sensation, which remained completely non-conducive to her beauty rest, not that she really cared but it was the principle of the matter and her body wasn’t listening to her thoughts. The first time, she nearly panicked trying to figure out why her ears hurt so badly. It lasted long enough to get her attention, and then dissipated. She double-checked herself in the mirror to make sure she didn’t have some insect bite or something that caused it, but Ribbon found nothing.

  Ribbon kicked out of her sheets and stumbled to the kitchen hoping they wouldn’t melt off. Her hands shot up to cover them. Heat emanated from the tips, feverish. Water...no ice, she needed ice. She broke out two cubes from the ice tray and pushed them against her ears. Her eyes rolled back as sweet cold relief engulfed the skin. She let her body sink to the floor as cool drops slid down her lobes.

  By the time the ice melted, the burn had subsided. Ribbon sulked her way into the bathroom, flipped on the light, and checked her alarm clock. She kept it in the bathroom forcing herself out of bed to turn the damn thing off. Not that she couldn’t be late for work, since she worked in the family business; Ribbon just preferred not to slack in any area of her life. And lazy didn’t mean the same thing; lazy meant curling up with a good book, which was definitely not slacking. She picked up the alarm: five in the morning, same as the last time. She blew a long strand of black hair from her face, glanced up, and dropped the clock.

  Pointed, pointy, points...on her ears!

  “Holy pointedness!” She stared at herself wide-eyed in the mirror. “No, nope, no freaking way.” Ribbon leaned in closer to her reflection. The ears were all in her mind, had to be. People didn’t just grow elf ears one day. She swallowed the anxiety threatening to throw a temper tantrum. Keep calm, collected, like an adult.

  Ribbon reached up to touch the elfin-looking appendages. She rubbed her eyes and checked again. Yup, still there. Deck the freaking halls, how would she hide those? How in the world did she get them? She pulled her hair straight over the offending nibs; maybe if she left it down no one would notice, including her. This served as the downside to not owning hats. If she didn’t think about it or react much to it, then it didn’t exist, right? See, adult.

  Ribbon picked up the clock from the floor and replaced it on the counter, resigned to being awake the rest of the day but determined to ignore any strange happenings to her body. She might as well dress for work since the alarm would go off in an hour anyway. Besides, she could use the extra time to finish reading her current book; with fewer than thirty pages left, she’d speed through it and be set to buy a new book at the shop. Escape via book sounded like the best plan. Even though her family owned Leaflet, the bookstore, she still paid full price. Mom and Pop places didn’t get the same amount of business as big outlets and she had no intentions of helping her parents out of business.

  Despite her resolve to ignore them, Ribbon felt the tips of her ears again as she walked back to her room, avoiding the mirrors. Goosebumps slid down her arms despite the heat of Florida. A lump settled in her chest. She somehow knew things would not get better and she had a slim chance of ignoring pointed ears. The questions were, how bad would it become and why had it happened to her?

  A restless ball of flutter roused in her stomach while she contemplated the answers. She didn’t want to know and yet... Ribbon shook her head, letting go of the yet and shook out her arms to relieve some of the restlessness. She slipped on her jeans, shirt, and then set her mind to her book instead of ears that grew into points right before Christmas.

  ***

  By the time Ribbon made it to work, her mother stood counting the till to make sure it contained one hundred dollars. Her dad had pulled stock to fill in the gaps from the previous day, and neither noticed as she rushed through the door. She headed straight for the exchange bins in the back without a single word from either parent. Perhaps she could avoid them most of her shift. She loved her parents, but they had always seemed odd. As far back as Ribbon could remember, they’d made a huge deal over everything Christmas. They celebrated, but they never bought toys; they made them. They made everything—except the pine tree.

  It had always amazed Ribbon at how fast and efficient her parents were at Christmas crafts. They could do nearly everything they put their minds to and they always worked together. They hadn’t ever divulged the secret to their success, but included Ribbon nonetheless.

  One of the strangest things she’d ever watched was the bizarre ritual of eggnog. The drink was like a magical elixir of some kind to her parents. They not only couldn’t get enough, but on Christmas eve, they’d pour it into a bell ornament, sprinkle some strange dust over the top, and both sip at it until it disappeared, while making goo-goo eyes at each other. Ribbon never had the dusted eggnog.

  They let her watch the strange tradition once she turned sixteen, not that she hadn’t snuck peeks over the years. The dust seemed to appear out of nowhere and she told herself she just hadn’t seen where it actually came from.

  While Ribbon knew it held importance for her parents, it just didn’t hold much for her, besides a healthy dose of curiosity. Even though she’d moved into her own apartment and was twenty-four, they still wouldn’t allow her to drink from the bell. Ribbon didn’t really mind them not letting her try any of the dusted nog. Sure, she was curious, but she figured in time she’d know about it, or it could be some special love thing between the two of them, and she did not intend to intrude on love.

  Ribbon restocked a box with Christmas titles from different piles out of the exchange bins and hauled them out of the back room. She’d managed to grab a few erotic blaze books and sneak them on top so she could put them on the holiday shelf before either parent noticed. One of the covers had a near-naked man covering
his nether regions with a red Santa hat and his head looked as though it had been cut from the cover.

  Most of the really hot books she’d read left the hunk’s face off. She figured the better to picture him in her own mind. Ribbon was considering picking it up for herself when she walked into something solid. The box fell from her grasp, clamoring to the floor with a soft thud, and books spread all over the small area between her and the unyielding mass.

  “Excuse you.” The haughty words rumbled out of a very masculine form. Her eyes slid over tight blue jeans, flexed abs straining under a white tank top, and solid arms crossed over a broad chest. His shoulders could block her entire hallway at the apartment.

  Sweet silver bells! He’d walked right out of her imagination. Flutters took over her stomach. She bit her lip as her eyes raised, like a slow motion camera taking in the expanse of a scenic route.

  “I said, ‘excuse you.’” His bright blue eyes bore into her and Ribbon averted her gaze to the small black braids hiding on either side of his neck, mixed in with long loose strands. “Are you deaf or something?” His skin wasn’t the tan of Florida, but his presence kept her attention regardless.

  Ribbon ran her hands through her hair, trying to brush off her initial shock. She wasn’t deaf, just not accustomed to bumping into rude, hot men. She cleared her throat. “Terribly sorry.” Her gaze locked onto his and she was sure he’d swallow her whole. Everything fell away around her. The silence expanded between them and she blinked, killing the moment and coming back to her senses. “Please continue shopping. Let me know if you need anything.” She clenched her teeth to keep from smarting off to a potential customer. As her brain flew back into her head she had to control the irritation of his remarks.

  His eyes darted to her left ear and back to her face. Crap, she’d forgotten her pointy ears. She quickly pulled her hair over the offending tip and dropped down to pick up the books. Please don’t let him notice, please don’t—

  “Let me help you with that.” The man bent down and put the box upright. He picked up the Santa hat book, looked over to Ribbon, and grinned. “I see what you want for Christmas.” His eyes seemed to undress her.

  Ribbon’s face heated. He must have horrible mood swings—rude one second, then coming down to help her the next. She glanced as nonchalantly as she possibly could at his firm ass. She could just squeeze it and— don’t go there, Ribbon. Get a hold of yourself. She snagged the book from his large hand and pushed it to the bottom of the box. “I’m stocking the seasonal shelf.” She put the rest of the books over the top of the Santa hat one and lifted the box up into her arms as she stood. Not that she needed to defend herself; she just wanted it clear, to a customer and all.

  “I’m sure.” He nodded. “My name’s Draven. Sorry about being a jerk. I’ve just been working this really tough case.” He stood with her and produced a grin. The kind that turned a woman’s head twice.

  “I’m Ribbon. Uh...good luck with your case. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” She pushed past him and headed to the front of the shop, hiding her abrupt desire to jump his bones. What in the world was wrong with her? She’d never had to actually force herself not to jump into a guy’s arms. No way would she be looking back, no matter how hard her head tried to turn.

  Chapter Two

  Draven walked out of the bookstore into the Florida heat, something he’d never get used to. Sweat poured down the middle of his back and his tank top clung to him. He preferred the chill of the North Pole, the icicles glistening, the snow falling in slow motion around Mr. Claus’s shop. A sigh tore through him. He longed to see the cool whiteness of the North. Instead, the sun beat down in his eyes and he put a hand up as he headed to his hotel.

  He’d found what he’d been looking for, but hadn’t expected it to be a her. His cock twitched in his jeans. Damn thing had more of a mind of its own than the stubborn reindeer. Jaw clenched, Draven thought of anything besides the perfect tip of her ear, the slender tanned neck, or Santa forbid, those deep chestnut eyes glaring at him over a book. The woman had fire, and for some forsaken reason he wanted to see it again. Wanted to bring the pink up into her cheeks, but not over a piece of fiction. No, he wanted to see her under him, squirming, pleading for him to give her release.

  He took a deep breath and expelled it, trying to rid himself of the image he’d created. No attachments. His job didn’t involve making her smile, blush, or anything else his mind wished to conjure up. Draven shook Ribbon from his head. He had to maintain his professional distance. Mr. Claus had named him top spy after all, and he was nearly certain Ribbon’s family were the elfin kin that had snuck out of the Pole in order to rebel against the Christmas lifestyle. Draven didn’t know why, nor did he care to know why. His job consisted of two things—find them and bring them back. Searching for the better part of twenty-four years, he’d set his mind to bringing them home. And he would. Why they would ever bring an elf child to live as human aging as human was beyond comprehension.

  Most times he had to leave the safety of the Pole to venture into the human realm, where elves aged—not that they didn’t age at the Pole, but it remained a severely slowed process maintained by Christmas magic. Any of the Claus elves left in the human realm risked not only aging like a human, but losing their magic as well. Florida prevailed as the last place he wanted to stay for any extended period of time. He’d have to find a way to get the family back to the Pole before anything further happened. Their escapade had already cost the Claus elves and Santa too much.

  When he arrived at the hotel, he snapped his fingers. It made him invisible to the human eye. Without any money, procuring a room at the Holiday Inn required some stealth. He used a touch of his Christmas magic to make the workers think his room had been occupied by a tenant who’d already paid and not to worry about it. Of course, he’d have to unglamour them when he left. He didn’t want to stiff the hotel of human payment. He preferred to stay on Mr. Claus’s nice list.

  He took the stairs two at a time—there wasn’t an elf anywhere who could make him take an elevator. A death trap, he was sure of it, and he did not intend to be boxed in. Two flights up, he opened the stair door and slid into the corner room. The corner room basically kept him and his business out of the way of humans, more low key.

  His room’s temperature produced relief. The dramatic drop from heat, to cool, to the now-chilled room, made staying at this hotel almost pleasant. He picked up the file on the escaped family. Mrs. Winters had been pregnant at the time and stood in a bright green tunic that made her skin glow, and her protruding belly bubbled out of the material. Mr. Winters posed beside her, his face toward her with an adoring grin. They’d posed for the Silent Night photo shoot the elves held every Christmas. One family chosen based on a random drawing. Their picture would be shipped out to the human realm to use as happy tidings on human commercial products. Mr. Claus had a hand in everything, Holiday Inn included. He’d even suggested the name for the hotel.

  Draven closed the file. The Winters’ little elf had grown up, with perfect tipped ears, living in a human world, working at a bookstore. Ribbon’s image flooded him. The button at the top of her blouse was undone, showing a slight amount of cleavage when she’d bent down to pick up the fallen books. His mind drifted to what her skin might taste like in his mouth.

  He groaned as his cock pushed against his jeans. He’d have to cure himself of this reaction, sooner rather than later. But first, he needed to check in at the Pole. He snatched the red bulb ornament off the table and shook it. He let the magic word fall from his lips, “Fice.” The red coloring melted away to reveal Mr. Claus.

  “Draven North! I’d hoped to hear from you soon. What news?” Mr. Claus’s jolly face jiggled as he spoke. His snow-white beard moved up and down with his lips. Draven couldn’t see anything in the background.

  “Sir, I’ve found them.”

  “Thank heavens, Draven. I feared the worst had happened. Can you bring them back?” Mr. Claus shif
ted his gaze to the left, then right. “We need them soon.”

  “I know, sir. I’ll do my best.”

  Mr. Claus nodded and the ornament returned to the red coloring. Draven set it back on the table. Now to take care of his other problem. He slipped out of the hotel and used his magic to blink the long distance to the woodlands. Over lengthy miles, blinking had been his best friend. It took quite a bit of magic, but it made traveling take far less time than human transportation. No matter what city or state, there was always an elven woodland in a park or forest. Most of them were nature elves, but he knew he could count on their hospitality. It wouldn’t be his first visit to this particular woodland.

  “Draven! You sly holy knight. Sneaking up on a helpless Sylvan elf such as I. You know I’m an emotional creature. Where have you been?” Maple said the minute Draven materialized in her leaf hut. She was a strong survivalist, living among her clan, their independence serving as an attribute to their species. Despite many elven beliefs that Sylvans were a lower breed, they maintained a balance High elves couldn’t come close to understanding. The earth needed them. Maple’s golden hair contrasted with her tanned skin and defined feminine muscles. He recalled the last time those thigh muscles wrapped around him. It had been too long.

  “My dear Maple.” Draven bowed in apology for startling her. “Please forgive my intrusion. I’d hoped you’d like to see me as much as I’d like to see you. For my work keeps me busy, it’s hard to schedule a time to come. But here I am, at your service.”

  Maple’s hands pulled Draven upright. “I’ve missed you terribly.” Her light green eyes fluttered their lashes. He adored her bold antics, but knew she’d never be his true mate. Only a Claus elf could mate for life. She knew that too, but pretending was fair play in their coupling. Not that he ever intended to attach himself to any elfess.