by J. E. Taylor
Chapter 2
“What were you doing running around in the iron city with that little tramp?” Samantha Mallory bellowed at Jaden.
“First of all, Star is not a tramp, and second, I dragged her with me because I couldn’t stand the thought of interviewing your picks for a wife. I want to make the choice, not have you shove it down my throat!”
I hid in the hall, eavesdropping, with the aggravation of the Regent’s words swirling in my stomach.
“You have no sense of how important a legacy witch is,” the Regent snapped. “Besides, you are not the best judge of what is important to this sector. After all, look who you choose to fill your time with. A plain servant girl.”
“At least she gives a damn about me, which is more than I can say for you.” Jaden’s footsteps resounded on the floorboards, coming closer to my perch beyond the cracked door.
“Jaden, do you know what is at stake?”
“Your precious legacy,” he said in a mocking and bitter tone that accompanied an eye roll.
I didn’t ever remember him being this derogatory with his mother. Of course, I didn’t eavesdrop very often, either.
“I will choose a suitable wife,” the Regent announced. “And you will abide by my decision.”
“I would rather offer myself to the ravagers,” he growled and I winced.
“That can be arranged,” his mother hissed back.
His footsteps resumed, coming closer, and I quickly looked for a hiding place.
“Send that spying misfit in when you leave,” she snarled.
He halted. “No. Star is not to be punished for my behavior.”
I caught a glimpse of him in the mirror across from me in the hallway. He was close enough to see my reflection as well. The hardness in his features was as foreign as his tone with his mother, and I didn’t know if his glare was aimed at me or not. I gulped the sudden lump in my throat, and it burned all the way to my stomach. The last thing I wanted to do was alienate Jaden. I slid out of hearing range.
He stepped out in the hall a few minutes later, and his gaze landed on me. There was a clear warning in his eyes and the tight set of his jaw.
“She wants to see you,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Are you mad at me?” I whispered and waved towards the now open door.
He inhaled enough air to puff out his chest and looked past me before blowing the stream out. “You shouldn’t have been listening,” he said, returning his gaze to me.
Shamed heat filled my cheeks, and if I could fold into myself and disappear, I would have. I gave him a meek nod and slid by him.
His hand on my arm stopped my progression. “Be careful,” he said.
The concern in his eyes gave me pause. It was more like the Jaden I knew, and not the angry, bitter man fighting with his mother moments before.
I nodded and he released me, but now my stomach fluttered with a symphony of nerves. My life had always been in the hands of the Regent, and in a moment of rage, she could snuff me out on a whim. The moment I stepped into the room, I knew that fear was warranted.
Samantha Mallory was every bit as gorgeous as her son on first look. Her long flowing ebony hair matched his short locks, and her green eyes pierced through me with accusation. The tight set of her lips indicated trouble, and when she spoke, the words were clipped and nasty.
“What lies are you filling my son’s head with?”
My mouth dropped open, and I stared at her. “I’m...I’m sorry, your regency. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
She stalked over to where I stood and towered over me in that intimidating manner that made me want to shrink into the floor. Thankfully, my inner rebel held fast as an indignant burn churned in my belly. I swallowed what little spit I had and forced myself to meet her angry gaze.
“You are filling his head with fantasies of love,” she snarled.
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing, right in her face. “I did no such thing,” I said, feeling stronger with the laugh in my throat.
Her eyes narrowed. “You will get that thought out of his head, you understand?”
“How?” The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“I don’t care how, and for a little incentive, if you don’t get him to accept my choice, then you can watch your mother torn to pieces by the ravagers.”
My eyelids fluttered as I stared into her sharp emerald eyes. This wasn’t a bluff. It was an ultimatum and one I couldn’t dismiss. I gave her a slight nod, accepting the directive even though I planned on making it impossible for the union to last beyond that first kiss at the altar.
“Now that we have an understanding, I need you to replace all the flowers in the mansion before the sun rises.”
It was one of her favorite punishments because she knew it was nearly impossible for me to find fresh flowers at this hour, which gave her a chance to practice her sadistic spells on a human when I failed the task. I had survived those torture sessions for years, and I knew I’d have to endure one more because my night hours were not going to be spent finding flowers.
“As you wish, my Regent,” I said and curtseyed before taking my leave.
Chapter 3
I walked the darkened streets mulling over ways I could do both my tasks successfully. I wondered how much the Regent would freak if I cut up her prized rose bushes, but that would more than likely get me killed.
I sighed and refocused on the royal gardens. What I needed was fairly easy to find. Apples, apricots, lemons, rosemary, and basil—all ingredients that I could buy at the market, and all ingredients used in cooking. However, I did not want a record of my purchase, because if the spell I had in mind worked, Samantha Mallory would be on the warpath.
Pillaging the royal greenhouse was a risk as well, but at least I had a cover. I could explain away my basket, especially if my supplies were hidden by fresh picked flowers. As luck would have it, tonight the garden patrol had just completed their rounds when I snuck by the office. The two guards were engrossed in an intense game of cards.
I went straight for the fruit trees, picking two apples, three apricots, and four lemons. The basil and rosemary were equally as easy to procure. I snuck to the adjoining greenhouse and clipped a dozen carnations, flowers I knew infuriated the Regent, and almost got out of the building without notice.
“Excuse me?” a deep voice called.
I froze in place. I took a deep breath and turned, meeting the guard’s terse stare. “Please don’t tell the Regent,” I blubbered, turning to show the basket of carnations I had plucked. “I need to find fresh flowers for the mansion before daybreak, and this is the only place I know of,” I added with an ounce of panic in my voice, praying the guard would take pity on me.
He crossed his arms, glaring at me.
“I could always go to the rose garden,” I whispered.
His arms slowly dropped along with the glare. “Run along. I won’t say a word. And my advice, stay away from the Regent’s roses,” he called after me as soon as I was through the door.
Now all I needed was salt from sea spray. That was a longer trek, so I stopped at home, hiding the fruit and herbs before grabbing a small, clean jar and heading to the shore with the basket in case, by some miracle, I found flowers budding in the middle of winter.
By the time I got back home, I had just enough time to store the sea salt away and grab the carnations before the sun broke the horizon. If I was able to function after being Regent Mallory’s lab-rat today, I would brew my potion tonight.
Knowing my punishment awaited, I took my time on the crisp walk to the mansion. The only bright spot was the thought of seeing Jaden, even if it was in passing while he went off to interview his mother’s list of suitors.
This day was going to suck. I closed my eyes and said a little prayer to the gods to protect me, because I had a sneaking suspicion this was going to be worse than any other punishment I’d endured. I opened the door, and my ga
ze landed on the bright floral arrangement donning the entry table. The flowers looked new and in even better shape than the ones lying in the basket I carried.
I blinked and turned my gaze to the top of the stairs. Jaden leaned on the railing with a sneaky smile on his lips. He sent me a wink and then disappeared down the hall. He must have found out that his mother tasked me with the fresh flower mandate, which was one of her famously unrealistic tasks she gave to those on her shit list.
Jaden just saved my ass from a serious beating.
With the carnations in hand, I strolled into the Regent’s office with my inauspicious offering. Samantha Mallory looked up from her desk with a cross expression that only worsened when she saw the bouquet in my hand.
“What the hell are those?” she asked, nearly spitting the words out.
“They are special for you,” I said with all the innocence I could muster.
The Regent pressed her lips into a slit and glared at me in such a way that I shifted, wondering if it was really prudent to poke the bear.
“You know I hate carnations!”
I let my face fall. “I thought you hated chrysanthemums.” I feigned horror, and it looked like she bought it. For the most part, Samantha Mallory did not know I had any common sense or the level of intellect that Jaden saw. I’d played the innocent fool for years, which was why she abhorred my friendship with Jaden. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. I’ll get these out of here right away.” I turned to leave.
“This is who Jaden needs to choose,” the Regent said, and I spun back.
She handed me a picture of a sprite little blonde with a thin aristocratic nose and sharp dark eyes that reminded me of a predator. I turned the photo over and read the woman’s dossier. There was no way this little pixie would be Jaden’s type. All her hobbies were sedentary and centered around magic and potions and spells. Chemist and bibliophile were not what Jaden was looking for. He needed someone who wasn’t afraid of adventure.
I gave Samantha a strained smile, feeling a little lightheaded for a moment before I nodded. “I’ll try,” I said, handing back the picture.
“You will make sure this is the woman he chooses, or I will exile your mother.”
I met her glare. “What is so special about this one?” I asked, trying to keep the snark out of my tone. I barely managed it.
Samantha cocked her head, studying me as if she picked up on my hesitation.
“She is suited for this position, and I will not let my son’s romantic ideas get in the way of what sector eleven needs.”
The venom and conviction in her voice sent a shiver down my spine. I gave her a nod and wandered out of the room. The daze I was in cleared as soon as I crossed the threshold, and I realized the Regent had tried to influence me with some sort of compliance spell.
I finally found Jaden in the study and closed the door behind me. His grumpy expression brightened at the sight of me.
I waggled my finger at him. “Do you have any idea what your mother would have done had she caught you filling the vases?”
His cockeyed grin surfaced. “I can only imagine what she would have done had they not been fresh.”
He didn’t know the half of it. My gait slowed, and I stopped in the middle of the room studying him. Did he know about the countless times I was her guinea pig? Had his attentions on me been as much as a ruse as what I portrayed to his mother?
Jaden’s smile faded, and he stood and closed the distance. “Star?” he asked with earnest concern.
I stared into him, trying to see any sort of manipulation on his part, but all that was there were his bright green eyes filled with worry. Without concrete knowledge, I decided to test him.
“What happens when someone disappoints your mother?” I asked, feigning the same wide-eyed innocence I had in front of Samantha.
He huffed and turned, crossing until he dumped himself in the seat. When he waved at the monitor in front of him, he said, “This.”
I joined him behind the screen, and it shuffled from one girl to the next.
“Hours upon hours of this crap,” he mumbled. “Help me find someone, Star.”
I snorted and he glanced up at me.
“I need you to pick for me. You are one of the best judges of character that I know. If you think one of these vultures could fall in love with me, I’ll believe you.”
I stared at the screen and let the picture of that girl shuffle through a couple times before I reached over his shoulder and stopped on her. I hated myself for it. This was as wrong as the spell I had tucked away in my arsenal, but it was the reality of our situation. I had to suck it up. Otherwise, my mother’s fate would be the same as my father’s, and mine wouldn’t be far behind.
“That one might be worth the time to talk to,” I muttered under my breath and stepped away before he saw the disgust painted in my soul.
Jaden leaned forward, reading the same details I had in his mother’s office moments before. He wrinkled his nose and glanced back at me. “She seems a little too obsessed with magic.”
I shrugged. “She’s cute.” It was all I could muster.
“Seriously?” He gawked at me. “She looks like a deranged fairy.” He waved towards the screen.
“What’s the harm in talking to her,” I said, flustered at his unwillingness to take the bait.
He sighed. “I wish you were on the list,” he said under his breath as he turned towards the computer. The squeak of his chair almost drowned out his words, but not quite.
I wasn’t sure I heard him right anyway. I stood frozen, staring at his reflection in the monitor. His green eyes locked on my image, not the pixie on the computer.
He shut off the picture and the screen went dark, but he remained in place just staring at me. “You heard that, didn’t you?”
I let out a strained laugh and he turned, facing me. With his piercing green eyes on me, I was stunned into silence, but I managed a one-shoulder shrug. Heat layered on my cheeks, and I forced myself to not flee the room. My heart had already decided to play a twelve piece concerto at the prospect of him feeling remotely the way I did about him.
He stood and stepped close enough for my brain to fog. “When I get married, will you still be my friend?” he asked softly.
His eyes were so intense I almost leaned forward to catch a kiss off his pouting lips, until his words sunk in and my heart plummeted.
“Of course,” I said and swallowed the bitter tears lining my throat, willing them to stay hidden. I turned to leave, but his hand found my forearm.
“Star?”
I paused but couldn’t look at him, not with the bitter swirl in my stomach.
His finger hooked my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.
I tightened my jaw. “Can I do something else for you?” I asked, forcing my tone to stay on the chilly side.
He dropped his hand and shook his head, but there was something akin to hurt flooding his eyes.
I took leave, and instead of starting my daily chores like I usually did, I headed for my private quarters, knowing I would be paying for my insubordination dearly. But right now I didn’t care.
Lemon drifted from under my pillow. I almost pitched the ingredients across the room, but logic rang through my devastation. I could deal with this matchmaking ruse knowing he saw me as just a friend, but today he’d slipped, much the same way he had with his magic last night. If he felt the same, I couldn’t stand by and let him marry someone else.
Tears choked me, but the pillow muffled my sob.
Was it all a ploy to get me to reveal my secret? Or did he truly care?
And if he really cared, he had to know I would never agree to be his mistress.
The click of the door pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned, expecting my mother, but Jaden stood inside my room, his eyes wide at the sight of me crying.
I turned away, mortified. “Get out,” I said into the pillow.
Instead, he had the nerve to take a seat next to me on my simple
cot. His hand landed on my back, and I wanted to scream.
“Talk to me,” he said in that impossibly soft voice that made me want to tell him all my secrets.
“Please go away.”
“I can’t. Not until...” He let the silence fill the room, but his hand gently trailed over my back in slow strokes that lit my imagination.
I finally looked up at him. “If your mother finds you here, she will kill me.”
A small smile appeared with a huff. He glanced out the tiny window in my room. “She’d disown me,” he said and looked down at me. “Which doesn’t sound like such a bad idea at the moment.”
I swiped my wet cheek with the back of my hand and sniffled. “What are you babbling about?” I asked, trying to adopt the tough girl persona. The one that hid my true feelings for all these years.
He raised his eyebrows.
“Well?” I said, turning away from him and sitting up, hugging my knees so I had some barrier between us.
“Come here,” he whispered in that commanding tone.
I laughed. A crease appeared between his eyes, and suddenly I understood. Those soft commanding tones were in line with the same one he used yesterday to stop my fall.
His eyes narrowed. “How come you don’t obey?”
“What? You think because I’m your servant girl, I just have to comply with your every whim? Fuck you, Jaden. Now get out!”
I pointed at the door, but he grabbed my wrist, yanking me into his arms. His lips were on mine before I could contest.
I struggled in his tight grip.
“Damn it, Star, just kiss me,” he muttered against my lips.
The need dripping in his voice silenced my protest, so I stopped fighting him, allowing the kiss. My protection barrier crumbled under the intrusion, making my entire form tremble as his tongue mingled with mine.
I pulled away from the kiss, nearly jumping to the other side of the bed like I had been electrocuted. My hand flew to my mouth, and my heart slammed the walls of my chest.