Ante up, p.18
Ante Up,
p.18
“Yes?”
“He’s been working on a project, a history of Iwapkuti.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“Yeah. He’ll want to interview both of us eventually so he can include us.”
Ante smiled at the notion of being inscribed as a part of something. “I would like to be involved.”
Peter gave him a quick over-the-shoulder smile. “Me too. But Kon’s already done most of the research on Iwapkuti’s early days. And on the elf who founded the place.” Peter was silent for a minute or two, and Ante waited. Living with Peter had proven a wonderful way to exercise his patience.
Finally Peter spoke. “Kon told me something interesting.” Another pause. “This founding elf—um, shit, I forget their name. Anyway, Kon’s figured out that they probably came here somewhere in the fifteenth century.”
“This is an old village, then. But not as old as my hometown.”
“Yeah, yeah. Not my point.” Peter turned around completely to look at him. “Ante, Kon knows exactly when the elf died. The elf’s buried in the cemetery, and there’s a stone.” Peter pointed vaguely in the direction of the small graveyard that lay farther down the valley.
He paused again, and Ante, who knew this conversation was leading somewhere important, managed not to strangle him. “When did they die?” he asked at last.
“In 1781.”
“Seventeen….” Ante trailed off as the significance of the number sank in. “So when they died, they were at least three hundred years old?”
“Apparently elves are not immortal. They just age really, really slowly.”
“And half-elves?” Ante whispered.
“That remains to be seen.”
Quickly Ante was up and folding Peter into his arms, spoon and sticky apron and all. Ante had come to terms with his past, but their future together had remained an unspoken sorrow, an ache deep within him. He would not get older, and unless accident, attack, or misfortune overtook him, he would survive. But Peter…. Well, now he knew that Peter perhaps faced a long existence as well.
“You’re squishing me,” Peter complained, but he sounded a bit tearful and didn’t try to get away.
“Maybe we’re not forever. But we can have….”
“Long enough for me to drive you nuts.” Peter sniffled.
“Long enough.”
“So you know what that means? We have to get married.”
“Why?” asked Ante, who had obviously missed the logical leap.
“’Cause there’s that ’til death do us part part. That kind of weirded me out since you, well….”
“Already dead.”
“But pretty lively for a dead man. And I didn’t want to think about leaving you, because that would suck. And not in the good way. But now it sounds like it’s way less of an issue. And I want official. I want rings. I want dearly beloved and do you take this man and all that jazz.”
“You just want a cake,” Ante teased, smoothing Peter’s hair out of his face.
“I totally do. We can have a blood fountain for you. And I’m thinking maybe we can do some digging around first, see if we can find my father. ’Cause he might still be kicking around. And he could come to our wedding. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course.” Ante realized that Peter had been harboring this vision for a long time but had never before possessed enough hope to say it out loud. “I would very much like to meet him.”
“So will you marry me?”
“I will. But your strawberries are burning.”
Peter squawked, and Ante let him go but didn’t step away. Instead he stood close, watching the remarkable man who’d somehow become his. Ante smiled. He felt warm and good and happy and… complete.
No doubt about it—he was the luckiest vampire on Earth.
KIM FIELDING is very pleased every time someone calls her eclectic. Her books have won Rainbow Awards and span a variety of genres. She has migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States and currently lives in California, where she long ago ran out of bookshelf space. She’s a university professor who dreams of being able to travel and write full-time. She also dreams of having two perfectly behaved children, a husband who isn’t obsessed with football, and a house that cleans itself. Some dreams are more easily obtained than others.
Blogs: kfieldingwrites.com
and www.goodreads.com/author/show/4105707.Kim_Fielding/blog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KFieldingWrites
Email: kim@kfieldingwrites.com
Twitter: @KFieldingWrites
Coming in December 2017
Dreamspun Beyond #9
Fangs and Catnip by Julia Talbot
A romance worth fighting for—tooth and claw.
Solitary vampire Fallon Underwood gets all the social interaction he needs being the silent partner at the Dead and Breakfast B&B high in the Colorado mountains. Change is hard for Fallon, so when his business partner Tanner suggests hiring a new manager for the inn, he’s adamant that they don’t need help, especially not in the form of bouncy werecat Carter Hughes.
Carter is a happy-go-lucky kitty, and he loves the hospitality industry, so the D&B ought to be a great place for him. He falls for Fallon as soon as he picks up one of Fallon’s novels and begins to woo the vamp with gifts. When Fallon finally succumbs to Carter’s feline charms, the results are unexpected to say the least. Their mating will have irreversible consequences—for their bodies and their hearts.
Dreamspun Beyond #10
The Gryphon King’s Consort by Jenn Burke
Love takes flight.
The sudden death of the Gryphon King throws the kingdom of Mythos into uncertainty. Luca, the Crown Prince, rushes both his coronation and an arranged marriage to a man he’s never met. Eirian is young and idealistic, and while both of them want what’s best for their people, their philosophies couldn’t be more opposite. While Luca believes in honoring tradition, Eirian is determined to infuse modern values into their kingdom of magical creatures. When given the choice between his crusade and loyalty to his husband, Eirian makes a decision that might ruin any hope of the marriage succeeding.
Still, Luca is committed to making their union work, and that means forgiving his brash consort. But when Eirian becomes the target of a conspiracy that puts his life in danger, Luca must act fast—or lose the chance to explore their burgeoning love forever.
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Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Ante Up
© 2017 Kim Fielding.
Cover Art
© 2017 Aaron Anderson.
aaronbydesign55@gmail.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63533-947-5
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-948-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017910303
Published November 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Kim Fielding, Ante Up
