Captivate

by Vanessa Garden

  ‘She’s beautiful,’ I said. My eyes studied every intricate curve of her gleaming body before they skipped over the snow-white buildings and the carefully cut water channels surrounding us. ‘I wonder how she and her people built this place.’

  ‘My grandfather spent his entire life trying to figure it out, but died trying,’ Marko said, still staring at the statue. He squeezed my hand. ‘Maybe we can unearth the facts together.’

  I smiled and glanced back at Robbie. He was staring off into space and looking like it was physically painful for him to be in my and Marko’s company.

  We passed through the streets, and a travelling crowd slowly formed on either side of us. People smiled and waved, and I noticed that most were dressed in outfits from different eras that had each been altered to resemble designer clothes. There was a hint of glamour and clever artistry to the clothing. Some of the women wore trousers and fitted tops, but lots of them wore off-the-shoulder dresses and large, bold, clunky pearl jewellery. Their hair was styled elegantly, and they all appeared healthy. Pale, yes, but not in a sickly way; just in a creamy, porcelain-skinned way.

  It was hard not to trip over my own feet as their eyes ate me up from head to toe.

  Some of the younger ones, in their early twenties perhaps, stepped forward and made small talk, offered their hands to shake—one, a stunning young Indian woman, kissed me on the mouth before laughing at my shocked expression. Marko drew me in closer after that, as though jealous.

  The older women came forward to hug me to their chests like I was a child. It was weird. Several of the younger men came to say hello, too, their eyes flicking from Marko to me uneasily, while most of the older men smiled kindly at me, as if I could be their daughter or granddaughter.

  I began to relax. The people of Marin weren’t as scary or as dangerous as I had thought.

  We moved deeper into the belly of the city, past row upon row of houses that remind me of the little white homes in the pictures of the Greek Islands that I had seen hanging up on the walls of restaurants.

  I sighed. The more I saw of Marin, the more breathtaking it became. And yet, despite all its beauty, the absence of children left an empty hollow throughout the city that gave me the shivers. That need hung in the air above the city like a suffocating grey cloud, and reminded me of what was expected of me.

  ‘What were you thinking of just now?’ Marko asked over the noisy hum of the crowds surrounding us.

  ‘It’s sad,’ I said, watching the water channels where the gondolas glided gracefully along the smooth satin water, ‘that there are no children here.’

  ‘It is,’ said Marko, a sad smile on his lips, while he led me towards the banks. I slid my hand down and took his in mine. ‘Do you like children?’ he asked.

  I shrugged. In truth, I had planned to never have children. Why would I want to risk ruining the lives of more innocents, after my track record? But I couldn’t exactly tell him that right now.

  He paused, mid-step, staring at me intently, before gently tugging me towards a waiting gondola.

  We left the stone pavement to step onto a wooden jetty, and when I looked back I saw that the guards had meshed in with the crowd so that they were less noticeable. I relaxed my shoulders and turned back to the gondola, secretly wishing I could give everyone the flick, just for an hour or two, and steal away on the little boat to explore the city on my own.

  I sighed. That was never going to happen, so instead I decided to just relax in Marko’s company and enjoy myself. I looked up at his handsome face, his cheeks tinted from the walk, and realised that it wouldn’t be difficult to do that at all.

  ‘Robbie,’ Marko called over his shoulder, and I turned around to see Robbie visibly tense up. ‘You can steer us.’

  Robbie said nothing, and I watched him from the corner of my eye as he untied the gondola and crouched to hold it in place while Marko stepped past him into the boat and then extended a hand out to me.

  I stepped over Robbie’s arm and, when I wobbled unsteadily, he clutched my thigh and held me until Marko took my hand and pulled me down into the boat.

  Marko led me to the middle of the boat while he gripped the jetty so that Robbie could board.

  ‘What’s the matter, Rob?’ Marko asked, staring up at Robbie as he climbed in.

  ‘Nothing,’ Robbie said, before seizing a tall pole and digging it into the water, propelling us away from the jetty.

  Marko sat beside me, his thigh brushing mine.

  ‘Try to relax and enjoy the sights,’ he said. ‘The first time you see Marin should be special.’

  In a bid to not think about Robbie’s or Marko’s feelings for me, I concentrated on the water ahead and noticed a pale mist hovering above it. The mist combined with the light crystals embedded into the stone banks gave an ethereal, magical feeling to the place.

  ‘It is beautiful here,’ I said, shaking my head with wonder.

  Marko tilted his head and peered down at my face.

  ‘Something tells me you’re beginning to really like it,’ he said. ‘Am I right?’

  Disturbingly, he was right.

  I spied a large white circular building like a giant football arena in the distance, and before I could ask Marko told me what it was.

  ‘The Colosseum,’ he said, shaking his head gravely. ‘But we won’t be going there today. It’s much too close to the underworld, and we don’t have all our guards.’ I thought about Damir, picturing a masculine version of Sylvia, and shuddered, but secretly wished that I could see the Colosseum. Not because I wanted to see where people suffered their deaths, but because it was a piece of architecture Dad would have loved.

  ‘You’ll see it one day, soon, at Philippe’s sentencing. Just not today,’ he said, kissing the top of my head.

  I sat forward and drew cool air into my lungs.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Marko asked.

  ‘Just seeing all of this makes me think of my family. I wish they could see all of this,’ I said, my voice suddenly cracking.

  Robbie stopped paddling the water.

  I brought my hands up to my face and took a deep, haggard breath. ‘Sorry,’ I muttered, wiping at my face and my running nose with my hand.

  ‘Don’t be,’ Marko said, rubbing my back and drawing me in close. ‘But if it’s any consolation, it usually takes only a couple of months for the homesickness to wane. My grandfather kept journals about the phenomenal pull of the city. It seems to engage roughly six to eight weeks after an individual’s arrival. After that amount of time, everybody stops wanting to go home and is happy to remain in Marin.’

  I looked up at him, wondering how true this was. If it was true, then I was seriously screwed. Because, according to his grandfather’s studies, the time for me to forget was coming sooner than I would have liked it to.

  ‘It’s something to do with the light crystals. I think there’s an irresistible energy or power inside them,’ he continued in a soft voice.

  Robbie stabbed at the water with the long pole, his breathing loud and rough from the exertion.

  Marko squeezed my shoulder and I looked across the water to the banks, where people were gathering, talking and laughing amongst themselves, some pointing at me. I felt like a monkey in a zoo.

  ‘Perhaps I should have brought you here during the week when the city’s not as crowded. We can return to the castle,’ he said, anxiously, adding, ‘If you feel this is too much.’

  ‘No.’ Alarmed at the idea of being locked up in my room again, I shook my head and pointed to a well-lit place that appeared to be a sort of restaurant. It was crowded with people eating and drinking merrily.

  ‘Let’s stop here and eat,’ I said to Marko, wanting to be in a noisy room, to feel the heat of many human beings.

  ‘Done,’ Marko said, relief relaxing his mouth into a gorgeous smile.

  We moored at the closest jetty. When Robbie helped me off the boat I tried to meet his gaze, but he kept his eyes averted. Had Sylvia threatened
him in some way? Was that why he was so edgy?

  We were given a table nestled in a tropical garden area out the back of the restaurant.

  My eyes scanned for Robbie inside the restaurant, to no avail, but I noticed some of the other guards scattered throughout the crowds, some seated, some standing by the bar like ordinary customers.

  I ordered an orange juice or, as they had it written on the menu, ‘Glass of Sunshine’—the most expensive item on the drinks’ list.

  Marko ordered two wines: one for himself and one for Robbie, who materialised from the crowds to take the drink before moving straight to the bar beside us, where he talked to an attractive girl with red hair. She whispered something to him and he laughed, his eyes lighting up. I quickly turned my attentions back to Marko.

  ‘Are you having a good time?’ Marko asked, smiling, and I had to admit that his eagerness to make me happy kind of touched me. When he was warm like this, I imagined it wouldn’t be so hard for a girl to fall in love with him.

  ‘Yes. I am.’ Music played in another room—a drum and a saxophone.

  The sad smile returned to Marko’s face. Perhaps he could see through me, after all. But why the sadness? Surely he knew I couldn’t truly be happy about staying here.

  A waitress set our table and she gave Marko seductive eyes, but he ignored her. She set my plate down a little harder than necessary and sauntered away.

  ‘Are you hungry? Do I even need to ask?’ He grinned. The dim restaurant lighting complemented his grey-blue eyes and the graceful slope of his cheekbones and the full curve of his lips. A deep sigh escaped my lips.

  ‘You don’t need to ask,’ I said, holding his intense gaze for a short moment before dropping mine to the table. It embarrassed me, the affect he had on me.

  Cool fingers brushed the curtain of my hair away from my face. ‘You’re perplexing, Miranda,’ Marko said, sighing. ‘One minute I feel as if you hate me; then I get the feeling, when you look at me like you just did, that there’s a possibility that you might actually like me.’

  ‘You’re the same,’ I said. ‘One minute you behave like it’s your right to keep me here, and then you act all gentle and caring and look at me with sad eyes as though you feel sorry for me.’

  He eyed me thoughtfully. ‘But can our love for each other overcome all of this?’ he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. I wanted to shake him into seriousness.

  The waitress returned and set down a large platter of a steaming grilled fish and squid on a layer of crispy roasted potato slices.

  ‘This looks amazing,’ I exclaimed, eager to change the subject, and was surprised at the hunger stirring in my stomach. Marko plated up the food and I was so excited that I shook. I’d always been this way with food. Lauren forever moaned about how shameful it was to eat in public with me.

  Taking my cutlery into my hands, I, as elegantly as possible, speared a golden piece of grilled squid with my fork and brought it to my mouth. I closed my eyes while I chewed, the delicate flavours of parsley and olive oil bursting against my tongue.

  When I opened my eyes again I saw Marko, head propped up against a bent arm, not eating, just watching me.

  I blushed deeper and my eyes skipped over to the bar, where Robbie continued to share a conversation with the redhead. But his eyes were fixed on me. He was being way too obvious. I frowned and looked back to my plate.

  ‘Don’t you like Robbie?’ Marko asked suddenly, reaching for his wine and taking a swill. He was drinking white today.

  I gripped my glass of sunshine and tried to form an evasive sentence.

  ‘He’s nice. But I don’t really know him well,’ I lied, before taking a huge gulp of the juice. It was sweet and tangy, and I wanted to demolish the glass in one sitting so that I wouldn’t have to speak.

  ‘Robbie’s like my brother, Miranda. He’s a good man, and I hope you understand that he only took you from the sea under my orders—well, Sylvia’s orders, in fact.’

  Marko’s obliviousness to my and Robbie’s involvement in escape plans made me feel oddly guilty. I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. But he set down his wine and looked at me.

  ‘Don’t hate him for bringing you here. Be angry at me, not Robbie,’ Marko said, making me feel even worse, which was sort of ridiculous seeing as I was the one who’d been wronged.

  My nails bit into my palms.

  ‘Miranda, what’s wrong? Are you alright?’ he asked.

  I pushed my plate aside.

  ‘Sorry, but I’m not feeling very well,’ I said, and a flood of weepy hormones swept through my veins and flooded my eyes with tears. I laughed shakily and wiped at my face. I’d never cried so much in my life since coming to Marin. Lauren was the one who could usually summon tears at the drop of a hat, not me.

  ‘Can we go, please?’ I stood up shakily, my entire body trembling. Marko sprung to his feet, as did all the guards— including Robbie, who was at my side within seconds.

  We moved silently and quickly towards the gondola, the guards disappearing along the bank as Marko, Robbie and I climbed into the slender little boat.

  Robbie steered mutely, and I cocooned myself in Marko’s arms, my eyes shut, wishing to be in my room, for once, so that I could be alone. Be alone to think, to mull over my situation, or even to forget it, to block it out entirely and numb myself to this twisted confusion that was knotting my brain and my heart.

  * * *

  Sometime later, Marko eased me onto my bed and checked my temperature by resting his palm against my forehead.

  ‘Do you feel ill, Miranda?’ he asked, and when I said nothing he exhaled hard and seemed to panic. ‘If you are sick then I’ll fetch Robbie. He’s as good as a doctor.’ He got up and paced the floors.

  I shook my head. ‘No, no. I just feel tired, that’s all. The city was dazzling, but maybe too much excitement all at once.’

  ‘I should have known it would be too much.’

  ‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘I loved it.’

  ‘I’ve arranged for a small banquet tonight, in the dining hall, twelve of us. I thought it might be nice for you to spend some quality time with Robbie and Sylvia and a few of my close friends. Get to know them better.’ He shook his head. ‘But I’ll cancel and have some food sent to my room. We can dine there, just the two of us.’

  I pictured sitting at a table with Marko and Robbie, Sylvia’s hawk eyes on us the entire time.

  ‘Just the two of us sounds fine, thanks. I might get some rest now. I’m a bit tired,’ I said, yawning.

  ‘I’ll be back around six.’ He smiled down at me with such affection then that I stopped breathing. His growing feelings for me could only mean one of two things: that he might care enough to set me free; or that he might keep me here forever. Maybe it was time to tell him the truth before it was too late.

  After grazing his lips against my forehead, Marko exited my room and, surprisingly, after all the chaos of the city, I was asleep within minutes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  AT SIX PM SHARP, Marko arrived at my door. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt with swirly black embroidery trailing down from the collar and along the front lapels, fitted black pants and long black boots with daggers strapped to the insides. He looked me over and grinned.

  ‘You look stunning.’

  I looked down at the blue dress that I wore and shrugged. ‘It’s the dress.’

  Marko laughed at me.

  ‘It’s not the dress, Miranda; it’s you.’

  I blushed. ‘Aren’t we going to dinner?’ I asked, changing the subject, and he laughed again before taking my arm and drawing me in close.

  ‘Not until you say, “I’m Miranda and I’m beautiful.’”

  I rolled my eyes at him, trying to ignore the way his hard body felt against mine. ‘You’ll be waiting all of your life, then.’

  Marko’s expression turned stern. He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘We’re not going anywhere until you say it, Mir
anda.’

  Was he serious? My cheeks began to burn, from humiliation and anger combined.

  ‘Is this your idea of a cruel joke? Taunt the fat kid?’

  Marko groaned and shook his head. ‘It’s called a voluptuous body, Miranda.’ He leaned in close, his fingers lightly tracing my waist, and muttered, ‘My favourite kind of body.’

  Now he was just being mean. I was sick of our games.

  ‘I’m going back to my room,’ I said, heading for the door, but Marko caught my arm and spun me around.

  ‘Why can’t you accept the fact that I find you attractive, and beautiful and compelling?’ he said, his breathing ragged, his eyes full of tenderness and none of the usual amusement.

  ‘Because it’s not true,’ I said, my voice coming out strangled because of the impending tears that tightened my throat. ‘Nobody likes me in that way. They always like Lauren. If she was here you would choose her.’

  ‘No, I wouldn’t. I’d choose you because I like you for who you are.’ His lips softened into a gentle smile and he shook his head. ‘Your beauty is an added bonus. But it’s you in there,’ he pointed to my heart, then to my head, ‘and in there, that has me so captivated.’

  I shook my head, even though a tiny part of me was starting to believe him. ‘No, you don’t like me. It must be pheromones or something. I smell different to the women here. Robbie said that’s why it’s dangerous for me to go near other guards.’

  He laughed and let me go. ‘Then explain to me why I’ve spent the past few nights, since our engagement, awake in bed, thinking about you while you’re on the other side of the castle—too far away for pheromones to do anything.’

  I swallowed back my tears. He had me there.

  ‘I think you’re beautiful inside and out, Miranda, and it’s about time you stepped out of your sister’s shadow and accepted the fact.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ve tried to have relationships in the past, but failed each time. The women, all beautiful, practically threw themselves at me, and yet I never connected with any of them. And in the back of my mind I always questioned their interest—did they want me for me or my crown?’