by KB Anne
“Now, isn’t that much better? Don’t you feel the thrum of power by sitting in a throne?” She said in a quiet voice.
They might make me sit, but no one could make me talk.
She rested her hand over my arm. Her claws pricked into me. “Eventually you will accept your destiny.”
Nausea swept through me as I considered the implications of her statement. Her declaration eliminated the need for further conversation.
The overhead lights flashed indicating for the rest of the congregation to take their seats.
My gaze shifted to the stage less than fifteen feet away from us. They clustered together three red velvet chairs together with several long rows of metal seats behind them. A middle aged man with a potbelly walked across the stage to the podium. Without muttering a word, the congregation fell silent.
“The moment you’ve been waiting for, Reverend Jerry White and his wife, Mrs. Jerry White, and his son, Jerry Jr.”
The masses went wild as the trio walked across the stage. I had blocked out how loud the “Hallelujahs” and “Praise be Jerry” screams were when I was up in the nose bleed section. Front and center, I was bombarded by them with no means of escape. Mrs. White and Jerry Jr. hurried to their seats. They knew their place in their relationship with the beloved Jerry White.
Grandfather stiffened as White took center stage. I didn’t pretend to begin to understand the power dynamic going on between them, but I suspected that some of it had to do with the adoration White managed to elicit from the masses. That type of herd mentality meant power, and unless Grandfather could force people to support him via magically bribery, Jerry White would remain a threat to Lord and Lady Silverlain’s power.
“Jerry Jr is looking up at you,” Grandmother whispered in my ear.
Without meaning too, my eyes rose and met White’s son. Indeed he was looking at me, but not for reasons Grandmother believed. He rolled his eyes as if to say, “It’s a joke, isn’t it?” Then his gaze settled over my shoulder to my guards. I didn’t know where anyone stood, but I suspected Jerry Jr was paying close attention to Thomas and Jude rather than Sami and Jovie. That gave me tremendous satisfaction. Without the prospect of forced romance, perhaps I could find an ally in Jerry Jr, especially if I hooked him up with Jude or Thomas. Jude made his feelings on homosexuality very clear, but a girl, or in this case, a boy could always dream.
I’ll have Willingsbee pick up extra small men’s Speedos for our boat trip. After all, I was nothing but charitable when it came to love.
“Today is a glorious day,” White began. He glanced over at me, and my stomach roiled. Thank the gods, I didn’t eat breakfast.
“The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and my flock has come home once again.”
Roars of agreement erupted from the crowd. Cries of “We love you, Jerry White” and “Praise be Jerry” rippled through the audience. Jerry raised his hands. The place immediately fell quiet.
“Today is a special day. One of our founding members has reunited with their long lost granddaughter.”
Oh shit, did he really just say that?
I watched the overhead screen as the camera panned cross the stage and fell on me. My grandparents and I negotiated a contract that demanded I acted in a manner befitting of my stature and it was magically binding, but nowhere in the contract was I instructed to wave and smile pretty for the camera.
“Ohs” and “Aws” filled the stadium.
“Is she not a beauty? An absolute divine creature. We are truly blessed that she’s been brought home, and our flock is reunited.”
His tongue shot out and dragged across his lips as he watched me. The people below me had no idea how lucky they were that I arrived with an empty stomach. I needed to get through the service and then disappear through the crowds as we left. Magically binding contract or not.
I studied my fingers nails as I blocked out whatever drivel the Great White was preaching, and I definitely didn’t look up at the stage. I stood when I was required to by following my grandparents’ lead. Twice my grandmother pricked me with her claws to remind me to stand. The rest of the time my mind wandered as I thought up all the different ways to bring OneTruth to its knees and attach iron crosses to all their backs.
When a particularly nasty idea came to me, the stadium went black. I sprang up and lunged away from my throne seat. I’d forgotten this part of the service and didn’t want to miss my chance, but I didn’t plan my exit. Shame on me.
I couldn’t remember if the door was straight behind me or on either side of the balcony. I could jump the balcony but it was much too high. I’d probably break a leg, and that wouldn’t help me escape. I bolted to the right. A hand caught my arm. The lights flipped back on, and I found Jude standing beside me.
He raised his eyebrows, not in the hot way Christian did but in a Got-You-Right-Where-I-Want-You manner. It made me hate him more.
“It’s time for your big surprise,” Grandmother said, rubbing her hands together unfazed that Jude was holding my arm after my escape attempt.
Kenneth approached us, and Jude dropped his hold on me. Brawny smoothly shifted me away from my guards who were now standing at attention and guided me over to my grandfather who apparently would be escorting me to my “surprise.” Oh, goodie.
I hooked my arm in Grandfather’s, and we glided down the hallway. As Silver Fae royalty it was impossible to just walk. He led me toward the entrance Jessalyn Silverlain wing. I could see the balloons and the giant, “Welcome Home Jessalyn” sign from here.
Grandfather groaned but didn’t utter a word. The pomp and circumstance of this occasion was beyond his tastes as well. Too mundane probably. Grandmother grabbed my free hand when we got to the entrance, and the three of us glided in together.
Cameras snapped my reaction from every angle imaginable.
“Jessalyn, you must check out the cake. It is lovely,” Grandmother said. The three of us approached the long table with a towering cake.
Ribbons of silver icing trimmed a five tier white frosted cake. Each tier had a picture of me beginning at birth and ending with a recent picture I didn’t pose for. Creepy and alarming didn’t begin to cover it.
She beamed at me. “What do you think?”
My grandmother was impossible to figure out. At times I thought she was the one in charge. After all she was the one who possessed no qualms threatening me. Other times she acted completely indifferent to her granddaughter’s presence. And then there were times like this one where she was positively giddy over something as ordinary as a cake.
My lips curled in distaste as I took in the gaudy monstrosity. I bet it wasn’t even chocolate. I mean, why would it be? I only ate every last piece of Silverlain chocolate in the house when I was little. I always left the rest of the candy unopened and untouched. Silverlain chocolate bars were the best, but I doubted Grandmother remembered my chocolate stained lips.
“It’s something.” Something that should be tossed in the garbage.
“Attention everyone, attention please,” someone shouted.
Chapter Thirteen
Di
* * *
Coda, Ben, and Rebecca left the van in complete confidence that our plan would go off without a hitch. I was nowhere near as confident. If the past few weeks had taught me anything, it was to expect the unexpected, but no one else was as worried as me. Even Frank, with his gunshot wound serving as a constant reminder of how drastically off-course plans could go was calmer than I was.
I clutched his hand as I watched our three friends enter into enemy territory, because make no mistake, OneTruth was enemy territory.
“Di, breathe,” Frank whispered into my ear. “Just breathe.”
I followed his advice, but it didn’t help. Not by a long shot. I wasn’t going to be calm until my three friends returned to the van and a not a moment before.
“Wasn’t this your idea?”
I twitched my head. “Yes. No. I don’t know, but if it
was, it was a terrible idea.”
“It’s smart. No one will expect us entering into their den.”
I reached for the door handle. “So you do agree with me? That’s it. I’m calling it off. Time to regroup.”
He clasped my hand in his. “Di, no.”
“But…”
An explosion of light followed by loud cries brought our attention to the side window.
“What the…?”
I moved to get a better view, but crowds blocked the van window’s line of sight. “Did that come from Starr’s limo? I can’t see anything.”
I yanked at the door handle and swung it open.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Frank said pulling it shut. “I’ve got it on livestream.”
He held up his phone for me.
Starr stood on the red carpet but not the Starr we knew and loved, Starr with her glamour removed. Her porcelain skin glittered in the morning sun. Her lips resembled ripe strawberries. Her eyes, a brilliant silver blue. The camera slowly trailed down to heels that would give me a nose bleed. Her legs were a mile long, and her figure, positively scrumptious. Her dress neckline dipped low enough to hint at full breasts but completely “church” appropriate for Jessalyn Silverlain. A white fur stole was draped over her shoulders—I didn’t want to think what animal that was from.
“She looks like an angel,” someone screamed on the video.
“She does,” Frank whispered.
I had to agree with them. She did look like an angel.
“Why isn’t her glamour up?”
He zoomed in on her. “Every aspect of her Fae nature is revealed except her ears, claws, and fangs.”
A flicker of movement caught my attention. “Zoom in next to her.”
Frank zoomed out and then back in.
A silver-white haired older woman with a matching white fur stole stood off to the side. Her chin lifted with a knowing smile.
“I bet you her grandmother did it,” I said.
“To what end?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, but look at the way she’s watching Starr. She’s eating this shit up.”
Frank pulled the phone closer to our faces. “Is that Starr’s grandfather next to her?”
We watched as a man with silver peppered black hair, jutted out his elbow in offering to Starr. She swallowed hard and looped her arm through his. He led her through the crowds of people, but that was because Jude, the traitor and another guy swept open a wide path.
“I would love to beat the shit out of that guy,” Frank said through clenched teeth.
“Stand in line, because I’ve got first dibs. Is that Sami and Jovie?” I pointed at two people trailing behind Starr.
“Zoom in again.”
Frank brought the two blurry faces into focus. “Son of a… that is Sami and Jovie. We’ve got to go rescue her.”
He jerked the door open, and it was my turn to stop him.
“Frank, we can’t.”
His concern reflected my own. “But Starr’s in danger. Why would Treadwell or her grandparents let Sami and Jovie act as bodyguards to her?”
“I don’t know, but there must be a reason. Let’s keep watching. I have a feeling every camera in the place is going to be trained on Starr.”
“She’s hating every minute of this. She hates being put on display. She hates people ogling her,” he growled.
I rested my hand on his. He stiffened. My touch only added to his fight mode until he realized it was me and immediately softened. “I know she does, but if we want to help her, we have to keep a clear head,” I said in a low, calm voice.
His nostrils flared in and out. “Look who’s keeping a clear head now. A few minutes ago, you were ready to storm the crowds.”
I stared at him. I wasn’t threatened by Starr’s beauty. Not by a long shot. She always thought it a curse because people wanted to date her without actually knowing her and that was before the Fae glamour was lifted. I felt sorry for her. I would do anything in my power to rescue her. “When this service is over, we need to come up with a solid rescue plan.”
“Deal,” he said, holding up his phone so we could watch together.
“I wish we had popcorn,” I whispered.
He chuckled and wrapped his arm around me. “That’s my girl.”
I’d never been called that before. I always thought it sounded possessive and masochistic but tucked into Frank’s arm, it felt right. I rested my head against his chest, and together we watched the Starr Processional. Her head never lifted to look at the giant columns. Her eyes never shifted except once to take in the crowds. She held her shoulders back, but a sadness settled there. Neither Frank nor I mentioned our observations about Starr’s state of mind, but it furthered our resolve to rescue her.
He pointed to the corner of the screen. “Look, there’s Rebecca, Ben, and Coda. See you were worried about nothing.”
“They aren’t in the building yet,” I grumbled.
“Have some faith,” he said.
“I lost that a long time ago.”
He rubbed my arm. “I’m going make you a believer in me.”
If I let myself, I could fall for Frank hook, line, and cement block, but those beasts who took me without my permission stole more than my innocence. I was damaged goods, and in the end, Frank would realize that. For now, I’d savor what we had and not overthink tomorrow.
A cold chill rifted through me. Frank tugged me closer. My hands fisted his shirt. I let his warmth penetrate into my body. His heart beat faster with my closeness. Mine did too. He rested his nose against my hair and inhaled. His scent reminded me of cool waves on a hot summer day. The phone dropped lower as our attention drifted from the screen. I shifted my head toward his chest and pressed my lips against his shirt. He groaned. My hands began to wander along his chest.
The phone flopped against the seat. Soon his hands trailed along my chin and around my head. Heat traveled between us. His eyes fell to my lips. I pulled mine in to wet them. He did the same. Soon my mouth crashed against his or his crashed against mine. It didn’t matter who initiated the kiss, just that neither one of us was going to end it anytime soon.
His kiss awakened a hunger in me. I shifted my legs to straddle him. His hands wound their way up the back of my shirt. Mine slipped to the hem of his jeans. His skin radiated against my fingertips. A hot needy burn erupted in me.
Soon his shirt was off and there was nothing separating us but my thin t-shirt.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I shot off him. My heart leapt into my throat. What the hells?
“Someone’s at the window,” he murmured. He leaned between the seats to the driver side window and cranked down the window.
“Be careful,” I whispered. My hands remained on him to ensure his safety.
“Can I help you?” Frank drawled adopting a thick Southern accent.
“You alone in there?” A sharp, clipped male voice snapped.
I stiffened.
“A lady never tells,” he replied.
Oh shit, that wasn’t going to go over well especially since Frank wasn’t white and he was sitting in a van in the parking lot of a Southern church filled with white congregation members.
“Well,” the guy cleared his throat, “make sure to keep a window cracked. You’ll suffocate in there with this heat. See how all the glass is steamed up?”
I glanced around and indeed all the windows were steamed up.
“Will do. When the van’s a-rockin’ don’t come a-knockin’.”
He did not just say that.
“Right, sorry just wanted to make sure there wasn’t anyone locked inside. We were told to keep an eye out for suspicious activity.”
The Organization was on the hunt for us, and now Frank’s engaging the enemy in conversation. I dug my nails into his sides.
“Ain’t nothing suspicious going on in here. Welcome to join us if you’re curious.”
He just said that. What was he…
&nbs
p; “Oh…,” the guy said sounding further away, “I just… No.”
“You sure? There’s plenty of room.”
I wanted to smack his ass, but he’d probably like it the kinky bastard.
“No… I…,” there was definitely a long hesitation before he continued, “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thanks!” Frank said and sat back down.
I swatted at his arm. “Welcome to join us if you’re curious? There’s plenty of room? What the fuck were you trying to pull?”
He caught my hands and grinned at me. “I got rid of him, didn’t I?”
“I… “ I stopped fighting him. “I guess you did.”
“He’s not going to knock on any vans in the near future, and he’s definitely not going to report us to his superiors.”
I sunk into the seat, my pulse finally slowing. I looked at him with newfound respect.
He furrowed his brow. “What?”
“You are an evil genius.”
He winked. “In more ways than one baby.”
“I love the way your brain works.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “You haven’t witnessed how well my brain works.”
I smacked him. “Pervert.”
He clutched his heart as if hurt. “Pervert? I was talking about the way I complete crossword puzzles superfast.”
I threw my head back and cackled. “Right, sure you were.”
“Listen Di, I can’t help it if your mind jumps right between the silk sheets at the first opportunity.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Silk?”
“Well, probably Egyptian cotton but with a really high thread count.”
“You are fun-neee!” I drawled.
His face lit up. “RV! One of the best movies EVER! You remembered.”
Starr, Frank, and I watched RV starring Robin Williams more times than I can count. “Of course, I remember, and I’d like to remind you that we had popcorn every time we watched that movie. You’re slacking today.”