I fell asleep on a sigh and drifted into blissful oblivion until being shaken awake.
“Aerith!”
A pair of bright green eyes peered into mine from two inches away, red hair hanging over her shoulders like thick wavy curtains. As soon as Mel saw me awake, words avalanched from her mouth.
“When did you get back? What happened at the ball? I can’t believe I fell asleep. Why didn’t you wake me?” She sat up and bounced in place on the mattress.
I groaned and tried to bury my head back in my pillow.
Light fingers shook me by the shoulders. “Aerith, don’t keep me in suspense.”
I rolled onto my back and threw my arm over my eyes.
Mel huffed impatiently.
Slowly, I uncovered my face, a grin stretching up my cheeks.
Mel’s eyes widened as she anticipated the goods about to be delivered.
I propped myself up on my elbows and described the bedazzled evening to her in detail, from the enchanted castle to the mysterious host. I told her about Dec and his colleague, Imperia. Mel’s eyes lit up when I mentioned meeting a jaguar shifter.
“Not just any jaguar shifter,” I noted, “the alpha of one of the biggest packs in the mortal realm.”
Mel’s lips formed an “O” that mirrored her rounded eyes. “What else? Did anyone shift at the ball?”
“No.”
“Were any sacrifices made?”
“No.”
“Did any vampires try to suck your blood?” Her eyes scanned my neck.
“No.” I laughed.
Mel’s mouth and eyelids relaxed to normal, not-so-impressed size. She still wanted every last detail. It wasn’t enough to tell her a glowing blue light had guided me into a tunnel when entering the castle. Mel wanted to know the exact hue of blue. Light? Dark? Shimmery like the ocean? Faint like the sky? Or deep like my eyes? She wanted to know about the mysterious proprietor. Who was she? What was she? I didn’t even know her name! How could I not introduce myself to the being behind the enchantments?
I chuckled again. At this rate, we wouldn’t make it downstairs until lunch. Fine by me. I was in no rush for more questioning from my father.
“Did you dance?” Mel next asked, waltzing into hazardous territory.
This was one part of the story I didn’t want to share too many details of. “Yes.”
A second avalanche of questions cascaded from her lips, running together and knocking into one another. “With the jaguar shifter? No, wait. Was it Dec? No, he was bartending—unless he took a break. Did he take a break? Or maybe Imperia. You said she was a succubus. Oh my gosh, did she seduce you into dancing with her?”
“Mel,” I said, throwing up my arms.
At this point, she was practically hyperventilating with excitement.
“I danced with Jhaeros.”
“Jhaeros Keasandoral?” Mel’s eyebrows pinched in confusion. “He was at the ball?”
“I was surprised too.”
“And you danced…with Jhaeros?”
“Yep.” Danced, that was all Mel needed to know.
“Uh, okay. Not really exciting news there, Aerith. Who else did you dance with?”
“Just Jhaeros.”
Mel wrinkled her nose. “Why?”
“We bumped into one another at the ball, got to talking, and spent the rest of the evening together.”
Mel yanked her red hair back and huffed. “Talk about a buzzkill.”
I narrowed my eyes and frowned.
“What?” Mel demanded. “Jhaeros is a bore. I can’t believe he was invited to the Monster Ball, let alone attended. And you don’t even like each other.”
“Well, we do now,” I said firmly, as though scolding a child. I still couldn’t believe I felt defensive on Jhaeros’s behalf. A day ago, I would have heartily agreed with Mel and been all too ready to cast stones on his character right alongside her. He’d always appeared arrogant and proud, except, of course, when he’d doted on Shalendra.
How could I explain what had transpired between us at the ball? Jhaeros wasn’t used to being challenged or teased—or kissing it turned out. Though he’d been exceptionally skilled at the latter. Before the kissing, he’d put more effort into getting to know me than winning the game. I’d never seen such open desire nor felt such heat in a male’s gaze. It had been unnerving. Dizzying. Intoxicating. Only to come crashing down when bitter memories from my past came pelting down like the pits leftover from cherries picked apart by blue jays. But Jhaeros had shown genuine concern. He’d cheered me up and made me feel safe. I never would have believed him capable of such tenderness and passion, not until the Monster Ball.
I must have been staring off dreamily because Mel released a horrified gasp.
“Oh my sky, do you love him?” Mel asked, her mouth opening wide.
Did she have to be so—adolescent? I pressed my lips together.
“You do!” she accused, launching herself out of my bed. She stood on the side, arms folded, glowering. “You’re going to leave me again, aren’t you?”
I slipped out of bed and faced Mel. “Of course not. Jhaeros said you could live with us.”
The temperature increased in an instant, emitting heat like a furnace about to roast everything inside my chamber. I swung my head around in confusion, warmth blazing down my cheeks to my neck. I didn’t realize Mel was the source until flames erupted from her open palms and threaded up her arms.
“Mel,” I cried, taking a step toward her, afraid the fire would burn her up.
“Don’t come any closer!” she shrieked. Her eyes widened, and it took me a moment to realize her fear wasn’t for herself but for me.
I halted and watched in wonder as the thin thread of flame circled her wrists like bracelets.
Our mother had possessed frost powers. It had looked as though none of her magic had been passed down, until now. It usually appeared after an elf’s seventeenth year. I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised that someone as high energy as Mel had been the one blessed with abilities.
“When did you come into your elemental powers?” I asked, marveling at the flames, which glowed over Mel’s skin without burning her.
Suddenly, they were gone, and Mel’s head and shoulders drooped. “While you were in Faerie, when I turned seventeen,” she said, sounding as though all the fire and spark had gone out of her.
I’d only missed her birthday by a few months, but it had killed me to miss it at all.
“Why didn’t you tell me as soon as I returned?” I couldn’t believe she hadn’t mentioned it first thing. Elemental magic was a rare and precious gift among elves.
“Father ordered me to hide it.”
I saw flames again, but these were inside my head. Elemental magic wasn’t something to suppress or shove away in a cupboard. It required development with an elemental master to help Mel nurture and control her powers.
“Mel, you are fire blessed,” I said, awe in my voice. She should be proud of her gift. I feared father’s reaction had made her ashamed. I started toward her to show I wasn’t afraid—not even the tiniest bit. Mel could never hurt me. “I’ll make sure to find you the best elemental master once we move back to Pinemist.”
Mel scowled and backed away from me as I advanced, as though I was the one who might burn her. “You mean after you move in with Jhaeros, you’ll send me away for training. How perfect,” she spit out. “Well, don’t bother. I can take care of myself. I did while you were gone, didn’t I?” She spun around and stormed out of my chamber, slamming the door closed behind her.
I rocked back, feeling stunned, hurt, and confused.
Clearly this wasn’t a great time to move forward with Jhaeros. But I did need to get Mel and me out of Sweetbell and away from Father. Hopefully she’d settle down once we were in Pinemist. I’d find an elemental master to work with her and prove to my youngest sister that I was truly back for good and not about to ditch her for a male.
My shoulders slumped. I shuff
led over to my discarded dress and picked it up off the floor. I wished Mel hadn’t been so harsh on Jhaeros. But this was only the beginning. Just wait until Shalendra found out. And Father. Jhaeros was rich, but not that rich. Not the illustrious suitor Father needed me to marry to keep the wine flowing and good times rolling at the Sweetbell estate.
Father had sold me once. I wouldn’t let him again.
I tossed my yellow ballgown on my bed then went to my wardrobe and selected a light blue empire-waist gown.
Father, not knowing any better, sent Penelo in after lunch to do my hair up before my suitor arrived. She arranged it much in the same fashion as she had for the ball—not that it had stayed up the whole time. My blonde locks were piled loosely on my head with wisps of hair framing my cheeks.
Once all the pins were in place, Penelo swept over to my vanity and opened a large carved wooden jewelry box. She selected a pair of opal teardrop earrings, which I approved with a nod. When she lifted a large garnet necklace circled in tiny diamonds, I shook my head. Penelo set it back down, closed the lid, and sighed.
“Such a waste holding on to such stunning necklaces you’ll never wear.”
I knew she thought I was being greedy, like a dragon guarding her treasure. There were plenty of pendants Shalendra would happily wear around her neck—not that she was lacking in jewelry. But the fact that I held on to these glittery pieces did not pass without comment by my middle sister, her faithful maid, and Father.
Little did they know I meant to buy my freedom with these jewels. I would secure my own little cottage with Mel in Pinemist and sell off jewels to keep us going for as long as we needed.
There was only one necklace I’d wear around my neck—the blue filigreed pendant my mother had gifted me before passing.
A vision of Jhaeros fastening Shalendra's pendant around her neck with that stupid adoring gaze of his flitted across my memory. Old feelings flooded in like lemonade without the sugar, leaving behind a sour aftertaste.
“A shawl will do,” I said crisply to Penelo.
She stomped over to my armoire, yanked out a wispy white one, and returned to me, holding it out, not quite close enough for me to reach. I approved of the shawl she’d selected but not the method of delivery.
Standing my ground, I lifted my chin regally. “Do not forget who really pays your salary, Penelo.”
The maid flushed and stumbled forward, placing the shawl in my arms. “Will there be anything else?” she asked, not quite meeting my eye.
“No,” I said.
She couldn’t get out of my room fast enough. I smiled to myself then sat in the brocade chair beside my bed and waited for Jhaeros to arrive. I heard the sturdy knock when it came. After it stopped, I counted steadily in my head until . . .
“Aerith!” Father bellowed. “You have a visitor.”
He did not sound one bit pleased.
CHAPTER NINE
Aerith
From the landing of the stairs, I was able to look down on the foyer and survey the shocked and angry faces of my father and Shalendra. Stationed at the center bottom of the stairs was Jhaeros holding a thick bouquet of sunflowers tied in a gold ribbon. He was dressed in stiff-looking slacks and a starched white shirt—not as formal as the tux he’d worn at the ball but close.
For several seconds, my feet wouldn’t move.
Being together at the ball had been one thing, a night off from the pressure put on by my father. An escape from prying eyes and judgments, including my own preconceived ideas of Jhaeros’s character. Now that he was here, I felt awkward and unsure.
Maybe we’d made a mistake. Did we really belong together? Should we have said our goodbyes after the ball and left it at that?
I chewed on my bottom lip, unable to move.
Then Jhaeros looked up at me. His eyes devoured mine as his hungry gaze raked over me.
My knees went weak, and all my doubts were chased away by his open adoration.
He once looked at Shalendra that way too, a nasty little voice reminded me.
I straightened my body, lifted my chest, and took the stairs down slowly. Shalendra had her arms folded beneath her bosom and scowled at me every step of the way. Father’s face had turned entirely red, and one eye twitched. Jhaeros’s lips parted slightly as he watched every step of my progress.
When I was halfway down the stairs, the butler came forward to take the flowers. Jhaeros looked from me to the butler before handing them off.
“I will put these in a vase and have them sent to Princess Elmray’s room,” the butler assured him.
Jhaeros nodded slightly, gaze back on me, a soft smile on his lips—lips that had been on mine mere hours earlier.
When I reached the foyer, Jhaeros still stared but from much closer. His body twitched as though he wanted to rush to me, but propriety forced him back. I took a step toward him, letting my shawl slip from my shoulders and fall to the ground.
Jhaeros rushed forward, practically diving to the floor to grab my shawl. While his head was bent, I met Shalendra’s eyes and smirked. Her mouth, which hung ajar as Jhaeros threw himself at my feet, snapped shut into a severe frown.
I’d never acted catty toward her, no matter how snippy she behaved, but fifteen months in Faerie had changed me. I was no longer the obedient floor mat I’d once been. Still, I worried I’d pushed it too far. Cruelty wasn’t in my nature.
When Jhaeros stood and offered me my shawl, I smiled brightly as I took the light fabric and draped it around my arms.
“Thank you, Jhaeros.”
His gaze fastened to my lips before he dragged them back up to meet my eyes. “You look lovely, Aerith. You arrived home safely from the ball?”
“Yes, I appeared in the outer courtyard—the same place from which I was spirited away.”
Jhaeros moistened his lips. “And you are well?” His eyes drifted to my belly, eyebrows lifting in question.
It was too soon to know if there had been consequences to our coupling, but I felt certain our one time together would not result in a baby elf.
“Very well,” I assured him.
Having had enough of our idle chitchat, Father stepped forward, demanding, “What is the meaning of your visit, Jhaeros?”
The brown eyes that had gazed on me so softly now hardened as Jhaeros turned and flicked his gaze over to Father and said, “I mean to claim your eldest as my mate, Elred.”
Shalendra gasped then covered her mouth.
Father turned to me aghast. “Is Jhaeros the suitor of which you spoke?”
My eyelashes fluttered as I smiled demurely. “He is, Father.”
My father chewed on the inside of his cheek and regarded Jhaeros with a raised chin. “My daughter is in mourning,” he said, choosing his words with slow consideration.
I rolled my eyes, but no one was looking at me. Father’s focus was on Jhaeros, and Jhaeros stared back with slanted brows, while Shalendra gaped at him as though he’d grown a second head.
Even though Father was short and stocky and Jhaeros towered over him, he managed to look upon him like he was no more than a slug he’d like to crush beneath his buckled shoe.
“You must wait the appropriate six months before I will give you my consent to court her,” Father said.
“How long has it been?” Jhaeros asked through gritted teeth.
“Four months,” Father announced.
And I bet he planned to have me wed to a high elf's son within the next two.
I cleared my throat. “Cirrus told me that if he were to enter the sky realm earlier than expected, he did not wish for me to mourn him. Jhaeros may court me anytime. If he wishes, he can even get down on bended knee and—”
“What would folks say?” Father asked frantically before I could finish the last of my sentence. He softened his voice, addressing Jhaeros. “Surely you do not wish to harm Aerith’s reputation, do you, Jhaeros?”
Sure, appeal to the elf’s sense of honor.
Jhaeros’s jaw ti
ghtened as he looked between my father and me. I could picture his thoughts darting back and forth, determining his best move. Honor had brought him to my doorstep to begin with. He’d offered to make me his life mate after ravishing me at the ball. But now my father had gone and muddled his mind with propriety—something Jhaeros seemed to be a stickler for. But this wasn’t a game of campaigne. He wouldn’t find an acceptable move no matter which choice he made.
I decided to make it easier on him. “Fine, we won’t rush our claiming,” I said to my father. “Jhaeros will court me first.”
Both my father and Jhaeros looked relieved. Some of the tension eased from the room until Shalendra stomped out of the foyer into the sitting room. Guess I wouldn’t be inviting Jhaeros in there for tea or coffee, hold the sugar.
I offered Jhaeros a friendly smile. “It’s a little chilly to sit in the courtyard, but if you wait here, I’ll get my cloak and we can take a carriage to town square and walk around.”
“What was I just saying about your reputation?” Father scolded.
“If you're worried, then we’ll stay hidden inside the carriage,” I said nonchalantly. “It will be cozier that way, anyway.” I shrugged.
Jhaeros’s eyes turned hooded while Father’s cheeks reddened.
“Absolutely not, Aerith. Not without a chaperone. I will send Penelo with you.”
I wrinkled my nose. “No, thanks. At any rate, I don’t require a chaperone, being a widow.”
Father scowled.
“What if we took a short walk down the lane?” Jhaeros suggested.
“Excellent idea. I’ll get my cloak,” I said before Father could object.
I lifted my skirts and hastened up the stairs, not wanting to leave Jhaeros alone with my father for longer than necessary. I dived into my chamber and pawed through my cloaks, selecting a hooded dark gray one.
When I returned to the foyer, it didn’t appear as though my father and Jhaeros had spoken, so much as glared at one another, during my brief absence.
“Please, allow me,” Jhaeros said, taking my cloak to hold open and help me slip into.
Such a noble male. But I knew he had another side. One I wanted to see again to reassure myself I hadn’t only imagined it or undergone an otherworldly psychedelic experience at the ball.
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