by Juniper Hart
“Thanks for taking me to the party,” Gia interjected quickly, trying to smile through the grimace of sadness on her mouth. She quickly turned away.
“Gia?” Allegra called out to her. “Will you still take the job at the real estate office?”
In all the excitement of the evening, Gia had forgotten about it.
If you take the job, she told herself, you’ll be in the palace every day. You’ll be surrounded by reminders of tonight everywhere you look. Even the name of the agency is Parker. You won’t be able to escape the memory of him.
“Gia?” Allegra asked again.
With a determined nod of her head, Gia looked at Allegra over her shoulder. “Yes. I’ll be there.”
All night, Gia tossed and turned on her lumpy mattress, the stench of the Trenches wafting through her open window. It was a humid night, but she knew that was not the reason for her restlessness.
Every time she closed her eyes, she could feel Lennox’s lips against her skin, as if he was in the room with her.
Yeah, right, she scoffed to herself. Like the ruler of the Hollows would ever step inside a rat-infested apartment in the Trenches. He’s probably never even been inside the ghetto.
Had Lennox wondered where she had gone off to? Or had he forgotten about her the minute she walked away? Had he just replaced her with someone else?
Even though Gia knew she was being unreasonably emotional about the entire thing, she grew more desolate as the night dragged on.
Allegra had no reason to lie to her. She gained nothing by ruining Gia’s happiness, not to mention that she had proven herself to be a better friend to Gia than anyone else she had ever known. Still, Gia felt like she should get Lennox’s side of the story before dismissing him on the word of a friend.
Her alarm went off, and Gia growled in annoyance as she reached for her cell to silence the exasperating tone. When she looked at the screen, she realized she had two missed calls, both from a private number. Whoever had called her had apparently left a voicemail.
Gia dialed her message center.
“You have one new message. First message,” the automated voice intoned. Gia slipped out of bed, cracking her back slightly as she moved, the cell pressed to her ear.
“Hey, Gia, it’s Lennox.”
Gia froze in her tracks. Lennox's voice kept spouting words into her ear, but she was too stunned to hear any of them. How had Lennox gotten her number? When had he called her?
In her shock, the cell dropped from her hand and hit the floor. Gia let out a horrified yelp, and she quickly leaned down to retrieve it. To her great relief, the cell was perfectly fine, and Gia pressed it back to her ear, firmly holding it in her palm.
“Anyway, call me back if you can,” said Lenox’s voice through the device. “Thanks.”
A beeping tone told Gia that was the end of his voicemail. She impatiently pressed four on the keypad to listen to it again.
“Hey, Gia, it’s Lennox. Listen, I know you’re probably wondering what happened to me last night, but I just wanted to let you know I didn’t disappear on purpose. I… I had some business to take care of. Listen, I need to talk to you about something. Until we do, can you do me a favor and keep what happened between us… well, between us for a bit? I’ll explain why when we talk, but for now, it’s really important that you not tell anyone else. Don’t worry, I know you already spoke to Allegra about us, and that’s fine. I’m just asking you to tell her to please stay quiet as well. Like I said, it’ll only be for a bit. Anyway, call me back if you can. Thanks.”
A lump formed in Gia’s throat, and her chin quivered slightly. That settled it—it was more than enough confirmation of what Allegra had told her: that she was just another notch in Lennox’s belt.
She deleted the message, forcing herself to keep her chin up. She wasn’t going to let this ruin her life. She had made a stupid decision; she wasn’t the first nor the last to do that. Now she had to forget about it and move on.
Gia’s eyes were woeful as she stared back at her reflection, but she was determined not to let her unhappiness follow her to work, much less on her first day. She still had Lilith and Trojan’s judgment to deal with, and she only had enough strength to fight one of her adversaries at a time.
I may not be able to forget about Lennox, she thought, spinning away from the mirror. But I will find a way to distract myself from him. In no time, I will be over my wounded ego and back to my pitiful life as it was.
9
Lennox threw the file down on his desk and shook his head in disbelief. Indeed, there were bylaws instilling a morality clause that dictated he couldn’t fraternize with palace staff, whether they were employed commercially or in the household.
Dumbest rule ever, he decided. I’ll have to change that immediately.
But first, he needed to find Gia and explain the ridiculousness of what had happened. She had yet to return his phone call, and Lennox assumed she was angry that he had disappeared from the party after they had agreed to meet.
He picked up his cell and tried her again, but the call went directly to voicemail. Lennox grunted slightly, hanging up. While he didn’t want to bombard her with messages, he wanted to hear her voice.
Wracking his brain, he tried to recall where she had said she worked. That had been half the issue right there; even though he suspected she didn’t work in the palace, he had no way of knowing for sure.
This is humiliating, he thought. I met my mate and I don’t know where she lives or works. I had to find her phone number on a cellular look-up website.
He vowed that when he found her again, he would take her on a proper date and learn every single detail about her, even if it took a week to learn. Of course, it might have to be a very quiet and remote date until he had the ridiculous bylaw repealed.
This is all so stupid, he scoffed to himself. I can’t believe I have to deal with this. I’m the damned ruler of the Hollows! I can do what I want! That’s what my wish entitles me to!
Though his thoughts were brave, Lennox could not help remembering the seemingly sinister conversation he’d had with Owen the previous night. He better not risk it. If Owen’s words had been any indication, his brothers would relish the fall of the great ruler over semantics. They wouldn’t get rid of him that easily.
Lennox rose from his desk and strode toward the double doors. He might not know where to find Gia at that moment, but he did know where to find Allegra.
She was sitting behind the counter of her boutique, thumbing through a magazine when he entered. Her head moved upward to smile as he approached. When she saw who it was, though, the smile froze on her mouth.
“Your Highness,” she said coolly.
“It’s still Lennox,” he reminded her, pausing to look at a collection of scarves on a rack. That one would look sensational on Gia, he thought, plucking a teal and silver silk one from its spot.
“You have good taste,” Allegra commented, but there was little warmth in her voice. “Can I help you with anything else today?”
“Where is Gia?” Lennox asked, not wanting to beat around the bush. He’d wasted enough time being apart from her.
“I’m sorry?” Allegra drawled. Lennox could see she was stalling for time.
“Gia Cirone,” he clarified. “Where is she?”
“Oh.” She seemed to think it over. “Um…”
“Allegra, I don’t know what she told you—”
“She told me nothing, Your Highness,” Allegra interjected, her brow furrowing into a glare. “I’m just trying to recall where she might be today. She has three jobs, you know.”
Lennox had not known, and the idea that Gia might be working herself like a dog made his gut twist with regret.
“Doing what?” he demanded, his eyes clouding.
“She’s a waitress in Columbus, Mississippi in the Americas,” Allegra answered. “Actually, she works in two college bars as a waitress there. And she works at a call center from a dingy room in a board
ing house in New Hope.”
Each word filled Lennox with more disgust. He loathed imagining the delicate fairy serving beer to unruly patrons or being yelled at by rude customers. It had never occurred to him that she was struggling financially, and he hated himself at that moment for not asking her more about herself.
“Where does she live?” he asked. “Sunside?”
“No,” Allegra replied, her face puckering into a look of sourness as she eyed him with naked disgust. “She lives in the Trenches.”
Lennox’s mouth almost hit the floor. There were few places worse to live in the Hollows. How could she not have said anything about her dire situation? No one would live in the Trenches unless they were starving, would they?
Of course, they had done so little talking, but still…
This is my fault, Lennox thought. I should have asked where she lived. I should have asked everything about her, not just taken for granted that she would be waking up beside me.
“Any idea where she is now?” Lennox asked insistently. “It’s important that I find her.”
Allegra shrugged, refusing to meet his eyes. Lennox felt she was lying to him, but he did not want to alienate her before he found Gia. Besides, he didn’t blame her for looking at him the way she had. As far as she knew, he had slept with her friend and then disappeared.
“Allegra,” he began, “I know you don’t think highly of me, but I promise you that I’m not out to hurt Gia. Something happened last night—”
“It’s really none of my business, Your Highness,” Allegra cut him off.
“Then you’ll help me find her?”
She shrugged again and gave him a sheepish smile. “Like I said, Your Highness, she has so many jobs.”
Not after he found her. Lennox vowed to himself that Gia would never know poverty again if there was anything he could do about it.
“Fine,” he sighed. “Where in the Trenches does she live?”
Allegra hummed, pretending to think. “I can’t say I recall.”
A familiar stab of annoyance slithered through Lennox, and he scowled at the priestess.
“You may have your personal feelings about me, Allegra, but I am still the ruler of the Hollows,” he snapped, his back tensing at the blatant lie. “If I ask you a question, I expect an answer.”
Her mouth curved into a sardonic smile.
“You are the ruler,” she agreed, her mouth curving into a sardonic smile, “aren’t you?”
Lennox suddenly regretted playing the power card with her.
“Allegra, I just want to talk to her,” he pleaded, changing his tone to appease her.
“You said so yourself, Your Highness,” Allegra replied. “You’re the great ruler of the Hollows. You should have no problem tracking down a lowly fairy. Why don’t you employ some of your humble minions in your search? Or is there a reason you’re not doing that?”
Lennox’s jaw tightened, and before he could stop himself, he reached over the counter, his green eyes boring into Allegra’s. She didn’t flinch outwardly, but he could see she was taken aback by his movement.
“She is not a lowly fairy,” he growled. “Don’t ever talk about her that way.” Allegra stared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly, like she couldn’t believe what he’d just said. Lennox lowered himself back to his feet. “How much do I owe you for the scarf?”
“Oh, for the mighty ruler?” She smirked. “It is free, Your Highness.”
The sarcasm grated on Lennox’s nerves, but he didn’t respond, spinning to leave the boutique with the scarf in his hands. He hoped Gia would like it.
It’s just the first gift of many, he thought, a slow smile forming on his lips as he walked out of the commercial area of the palace. Since she didn’t work at the palace, the morals clause didn’t apply to her, which meant that she and Lennox wouldn’t have to hide their relationship.
That didn’t mean Lennox wasn’t dismissing the stupid caveat, anyway, but there was no urgency now. He was going to be ruler for eternity, and Gia was his fated mate. Even when he changed the regulation, it was not an issue that was apt to come up again.
Once again, Lennox’s good mood resurfaced, and he was back to feeling confident again. Even if it might take him all day to find her, he would, and when he did, he would whisk her off to live with him in the palace. Never again would she be forced to live in squalor or scrounge for food. She would have everything her heart desired.
Humming to himself, Lennox exited the palace through the north doors, his eyes focused straight ahead.
If he had bothered to look to his right, he would have seen Gia sitting at a reception desk, answering telephones on her first day at the real estate office.
The feeling of relief that had followed Lennox out of the palace had completely melted away into anger when he returned.
It had taken him half a day to find which bars Gia worked at and another two hours to fly from the Hollows to Columbus. He had been dismayed to learn that Mississippi was just as smoldering as Louisiana had been, and after hours of trudging through the college town, looking for Gia, Lennox was more miserable than he could ever remember.
“Gia? She quit. Yesterday was her last day,” said an impossibly large man—whose name was Egan—behind the bar. “I miss her sweet little face, but I hope she found something better suited to her personality than serving.”
A bizarre, uncomfortable sense jolted through Lennox as he read the affection in the man’s intense brown eyes. It took him almost a full minute to realize it was jealousy.
“What do you mean?” Lennox heard himself asking. “She wasn’t a good server?”
“No, she was great at serving drinks,” Egan said, “but she just couldn’t stand up for herself, you know? I hauled out so many little boys for being handsy, I lost count. Not that I minded. It was just hard keeping an eye on her all the time. I’m relieved she found something else.”
Lennox desperately shoved aside the idea of men pawing at Gia, making her uncomfortable or afraid. It enraged him.
“What the hell kind of place is this,” he snapped, “that your servers are being touched?”
Egan’s eyes narrowed. “No,” he corrected tightly. “No one touches the girls. This isn’t a brothel. I just said I’ve had to bounce out dozens of kids because they can’t make the distinction. It’s an occupational hazard of working in a college town.”
Having had no luck, Lennox returned to the Hollows to try the Trenches again. The only problem was that looking for a single person in the Trenches was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were no leases in the Trenches, no management offices to contact. The poor lived on top of one another in twelve crime-addled blocks, like they were stacked in cages.
Thinking of Gia spending one more night there caused Lennox’s stomach to shift dangerously.
When he went back to Allegra, he was disappointed to find that she had already closed the boutique, and all the other businesses were also empty for the night.
Allegra is going to tell me everything she knows tomorrow, Lennox thought. I don’t care how much she kicks and screams about it.
Reluctantly, he shuffled through the wide halls, heading back toward his suite on the north side of the building. The silence of the commercial side after hours was almost eerie, though it also had a peace about it.
There was a time when Lennox would have run through the halls, his wings fanning clear across the halls with room to spare as he dipped through the atrium, bowing his dark blue head. Never was he alone. There had always been at least one other brother with him, jesting and taunting him to race faster, fly higher, until inevitably, one of them would crash headlong into a pillar and shake the very foundation of the palace. They would laugh hysterically until they shifted back into their mortal shapes and tears poured from their eyes.
How long has it been since we’ve last had a race? Lennox wasn’t certain he could remember that far back.
“Lennox?”
He whirle
d immediately, his heart thumping wildly at the familiar voice who had called him. Gia stood a few feet away from him, her expression unreadable.
“Gia!” Lennox cried, rushing toward her. “I’ve searched both worlds in their entirety today! Where have you been?”
Her brow knitted. “You’ve been looking for me? Why?”
He reached out to embrace her, and she seemed to tense slightly at the movement. She was clearly mad at him. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be in a minute.
“Because I want to talk to you,” Lennox answered, deciding to keep his arms to himself. “Obviously, you want to talk to me, too.”
“What do you mean, obviously?” Gia demanded, frowning.
He mirrored her expression. “Didn’t… didn’t you come to see me?”
“No,” Gia said with a shake of her head, her cheeks turning red. “I was just finishing work.”
“Where do you work?” Lennox asked. “I just spent a day melting in Columbus, looking for you everywhere. Your friend Evan wishes you well.”
“Egan?” she breathed, her eyes widening in shock. “You went to Mississippi to look for me?”
“Yes, Gia! That’s what I’m trying to tell you! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Gia glanced down at the ground, almost in embarrassment, before she looked up at him again.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I just got a new job. Allegra helped me find something better.”
“She did?” Lennox asked brightly. “That sounds great! Where is it?”
“Right here in the palace!” Gia said, a smile breaking out over her sweet face. “I’m a receptionist at Parker Realty.”
His mouth tightened. “What?”
“Yeah. It’s a lot better pay than all my other jobs put together,” she continued excitedly. “I don’t know if I told you before, but I was working a bunch of jobs, and they could all be… difficult sometimes. At least here I have consistent hours and good pay!”
“You’re… working for the palace,” Lennox said. The statement was flat and void of emotion, and Gia seemed to catch it right away. Her excitement faltered slightly.