Nanny For The Dark Elf King

NANNY FOR THE DARK ELF KING CELESTE KING PROTHEKA PUBLISHING Copyright © 2023 by Celeste King All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Sign up for Celeste King Newsletter Join my Facebook group here! DEDICATION This book is dedicated to Kaylee, Emily, Taylor, Jordon, Melanie, Jamie, Jennifer, Hannah, Donna and the whole “Project Protheka” family. Thanks for believing in the world. CONTENTS Books in The World of Protheka The World of Protheka 1. Grymlok 2. Rory 3. Grymlok 4. Rory 5. Grymlok 6. Grymlok 7. Rory 8. Grymlok 9. Rory 10. Grymlok 11. Rory 12. Grymlok 13. Rory 14. Grymlok 15. Rory 16. Grymlok 17. Rory 18. Grymlok 19. Rory 20. Grymlok 21. Rory 22. Grymlok 23. Rory 24. Rory 25. Grymlok 26. Rory 27. Grymlok 28. Rory 29. Grymlok 30. Rory 31. Grymlok 32. Grymlok Preview of Mated to the Dark Elf 33. Raziel 34. Selene 35. Raziel BOOKS IN THE WORLD OF PROTHEKA Orc Warriors of Protheka Series Mates of the Burning Sun Clan Series Dark Elves of Protheka Series Thoruk’s Prize: A Monster Romance Naga’s of Protheka Series Minotaur’s of Protheka Series Demon’s of Protheka Series Vampires of Protheka Gargoyles of Protheka THE WORLD OF PROTHEKA 1 GRYMLOK “That’s rather harsh, no?” My eyes flick up to the elf across from me. The infamous Archduke of Vhoig, the one whose frozen heart was thawed by the human. Bright platinum hair and even sharper eyes make his features look fierce – and he once was infamous for that exactly. Some think Amelie made him go soft. But I know my brother is even more dangerous now that he has something to protect, to fight for. “Kral, you are not blind to what the masses seem to think of the royal family.” He arches a brow, and I scoff as I lean back in my seat. My fingers are still curved around a letter I have yet to open, my mind distracted as it usually is when my brother comes to my office. Not that I mind. “They do not see the strength in aligning ourselves with humans.” His nostrils flare. “My marriage is not an alliance–” I hold up my hand, both to stop him and absorb the crackling magic that has been unleashed with his emotions. He’s known as the most powerful elf on the continent, and while I do not doubt his powers – so strong that his emotions had to be sealed away when he was a child – people seem to forget that I am his older brother. I am no less dangerous. “Control yourself, brother.” I cluck my tongue. “Don’t go ruining my home over something I did not say.” He snorts, already relaxed. He knows I mean no harm toward him or his wife. I was the first Sorcerer-King to allow human-elf magic – the cross-breed supporter, they called me. Which is what led to this exact story. “Who would guess that the infamous King Ishiraya would have such a penchant for keeping an orderly home? Most would assume your zagfer would maintain your careful organization.” I narrow my eyes at him and he chuckles. He knows as well as I that my dark elf servants are no longer allowed in my office. They move too many things out of place, and I am nothing if not neat. I have to keep my space in order. Chaos around me will lead to chaos of the mind, and I would not be a fit King for a third of the largest continent if that was the case. “Would you care to lose your kneecaps as well?” I ask. Kral’s smirk deepens. “I can assure you that the Duke that dared to refer to your child as a cross-breed did not care for such a punishment.” At that, his mouth twists angrily. I sink back in my chair with a self-satisfied smile. “Or was it rather harsh?” “I thought you were a benevolent King,” he teases. “That’s what they say about you.” My smile drops. “We both know that’s not what they say about me. They say that you went soft, and that I must always have been weak in order to allow such a thing to happen. They find me so weak that the lesser nobility thought it wise to gossip about me within earshot.” I lean forward, palms on my desk as I wrestle with my own magic. Our bloodline is arguably the most potent, and that makes our magic difficult to control at best and deadly at worst. Kral does nothing to help absorb the magic threatening to burst through me, and I have a feeling he wants to watch me lose my temper and leave my office in shreds. I’m practiced enough to force the magic down. I do have to release a few tendrils with harmless spells – an adjustment in temperature, a flicker of the lights I power, the extinguishing and relighting of the candles I burn purely for the scent. Once I’m calm, I turn my attention back to him. “I have been squashing such accusations, starting with Duke Shomra. The entire theater watched as I appeared before him, telling him that not only was it not appropriate to gossip about the King–” I grin, rather proud of this moment. “But it was also traitorous not to bow in his presence.” Kral howls with laughter now that I have fully explained the situation. While ripping apart a man’s tendons and cartilage sounds harsh, to know I made his kneecaps vanish so he was forced to fall to the ground before me because of the way he talked about my family is quite amusing. I might be level-headed, but I am still a force to be reckoned with. And it’s been