Blossom and the Beast (The Alder Tales Book 1)

by RS McCoy

  But not Kaide. They had no such family bond. He appreciated her for who she was, and nothing more. When next she saw him, she’d kiss him until her lips fell off.

  Raene’s arm appeared across her shoulders, and Blossom could feel the beaming smile she wore. “See?” she gloated again.

  Blossom buried her face in her hands, sure her cheeks were flaming red, giving away every turn of her emotions.

  “Oh, come on. It’s not that bad. He likes you. Look at him. There are a thousand Pyro girls who would trade you in a heartbeat.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, grinning ear to ear.

  “Why? Because he’s rich?” Blossom couldn’t help but ask.

  “And handsome and powerful and not at all interested in any girls. It’s like a challenge now. Which girl can earn the interests of the stone-cold Vice Syndicate.” Raene tugged at Blossom’s shoulder. “Let’s get something to eat. And then you can tell me what really happened.”

  True to her word, Raene collected a pair of plates from the kitchen, both piled high with the steaming legs of some sort of bird—another duck maybe. Then she walked with Blossom to the hallway of guest rooms where apparently she’d stayed on and off for years.

  On the outside, it looked like another guest room, the door the same as all the others. Inside, it was the picture of Pyro elegance. The bed was larger. The furniture was polished alder wood. The floor was a shimmering black stone like they’d seen at the portals, and over it, a plush rug with the image of a tiger peeking between bits of exotic greenery. The lights were all covered in pieces of red or blue or green fabric, casting the room in all sorts of festive colors.

  Raene fell to her stomach on the bed and began to pick at her food with her fingers. “I want to know everything.”

  Hoop

  BLOSSOM AND RAENE stayed up well into the early hours of morning, chatting and telling stories like Blossom had never had cause to do before. Everyone in the clan already knew all her stories. They all knew each other’s stories. Even Gemini couldn’t manufacture enough gossip to last more than a few hours into the night. With Raene, everything was new.

  And despite her initial reservations, Blossom found she rather liked the esteemed niece of the Vice Syndicate. She had a tendency to bat her eyes and swish her hair if she thought that might get her what she wanted, but she also had a vibrant ferocity to her. The tiger’s blood in her, Blossom guessed.

  But Blossom bristled when she didn’t know how to answer half Raene’s questions. She skirted around anything related to Kaide’s trade with Da, afraid to be the one to tell her she was part of the deal. Nor did she discuss anything that happened with Kaide the night before he left. It had happened between the two of them, and that’s where it would stay.

  On the floor in Raene’s room, she slept better than usual, the plush rug enough to keep her bones from pressing into the stone floor, but not so soft as to be uncomfortable. Blossom surprised herself and slept well into the afternoon.

  Just as Blossom started to stir, Raene peeked her head around the doorframe and smiled as bright as the sun. “Good afternoon!”

  Blossom ran her hands through the lush carpet and stretched wide, feeling a new wave excitement rush through her. Today was the day. He was finally coming home. She could finally ask him the questions that nagged at her like splinters. No more waiting.

  “You’re up already?” Blossom asked as she sat up.

  “I had to go finish up the last few things in town. I figured you would rather sleep. Oh my goodness, I should have asked!” Raene covered her mouth with her hands and offered a worried look, but Blossom knew it hadn’t been an accident.

  “It’s fine.” She was about to ask if Kaide was home yet, but Raene already guessed and shook her head in reply.

  “Paloma sent over your dress. Want to see it?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Norsa made you breakfast,” she offered.

  Given the choice between a dress and food, Blossom would always pick the latter. She followed Raene to the kitchen where they both pulled their stools up to the counter and let Norsa fill the space with trays of various fruits.

  “Make sure you eat up, little bird. Don’t want to be spilling food on that dress tonight.” Norsa shot her a knowing glare.

  “Let me guess, I’m not allowed to eat in it?” Blossom rolled her eyes. It didn’t really matter, she wouldn’t be hungry for hours after this meal. But it bothered her nonetheless that anyone would care to monitor her that way.

  “Wait until you see the dress,” Raene cooed as she leaned her head onto Blossom’s shoulder.

  She didn’t see what such a fuss was about. She was fine with her Pyro clothes—the ones she’d only recently managed to figure out. She’d be just as happy to have dinner in the manor with Kaide, tucked into his quiet dining room before retiring to his personal collection of books.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard his voice. From the other side of the house, it was so quiet she couldn’t decipher the words, but it was him. She’d recognize that deep voice anywhere.

  She was on her feet and running through the guest wing a moment later. Behind her, Raene called out, “No, Blossom! Wait!”

  But she didn’t want to wait. She’d been waiting. She was ready to see him. Blossom followed the curve of the hallway until it led her to the manor’s entryway.

  And there he was, tall and sharp in his customary black cloak. His well-trimmed beard and dark-blue eyes and everything she’d been waiting for.

  Beside him stood a woman in a gleaming white cloak that hugged her narrow frame in all the right places. Sleek walnut-brown hair cascaded down one side of her head, the other side shaved to the scalp. She had caramel eyes and a metal piercing on the side of her nose. Her lips were deep red, the crimson color of blood, and her smile was as warm as summer sun.

  Behind her was a man not as tall as Kaide, but with the same waving hair, though his was ultra-light blond and pulled taut behind his head. His eyes were the lightest blue Blossom had ever seen, almost white. He, too, smiled when she appeared, the movement tugging at the pair of metal studs embedded in the corner of his lower lip.

  But Blossom didn’t care about either of them. Her eyes moved to Kaide, and there she saw the deepest of frowns, a grimace so severe even his beard couldn’t hide it. He stood up taller and squared his shoulders. His cloak was a smooth, shimmering black velvet that looked even more luscious than usual.

  His searing glare stopped Blossom dead in her tracks.

  She stopped so fast Raene almost ran into her. But Kaide’s niece was exceedingly elegant, moving around in front of Blossom and bowing deep. “Vice Syndicate Mercer, and your esteemed husband, what an honor to welcome you to our home.” Raene’s decorum was well-received, the guests both nodding their heads and maintaining their warm expressions all the while.

  “Thank you for having us,” the woman answered. The Vice Syndicate. The Aero Vice Syndicate.

  “We’ll be leaving for the capital within the hour,” Kaide said, his voice smooth and even but with the cold edge of a formality. He was angry. From the tension in his jaw to the rippling tendons in his neck, he was saturated in it.

  Blossom’s mouth fell open in confusion as Raene bowed again. “Yes, my lord. She will be ready.”

  Feeling hollow and limp, Blossom let Raene lead her back into the guest wing. Behind her, she heard Kaide inviting his guests into the sitting room, heard the pouring of wine, before the bedroom door slammed shut behind her.

  “What are you thinking? You’re not even dressed!” Raene fussed, the first time Blossom had seen her riled.

  Blossom didn’t have an answer. She wanted to hit him and cry and scream her frustrations in his face all at once. Instead, she stood frozen in place as Raene worked at the straps of her shirt. In a matter of seconds, she peeled Blossom’s clothes off of her and left her standing in the nude.

  Even fully exposed, Blossom could only think of that look on his face. He was an
gry, unhappy to see her. She’d spent her days waiting, wondering what he was thinking, and now she knew. He regretted taking her to his bed that night. He regretted having her here. She was only an embarrassment in front of his high-class political friends.

  Blossom didn’t belong here. She felt the pull to go home more than ever.

  A moment later, Valenta and Norsa slipped through the door. Raene pulled a garment bag from a hook in the washroom and laid it across the bed. “Valenta, can you see to her hair? Up off her neck, but keep her curls. Norsa, the bandage on her hand. As small as you can, please.”

  The women set to their appointed tasks as if Kaide himself had given the instruction. “Close your eyes,” Raene said to Blossom, kinder than she’d been before.

  Blossom pressed her eyes shut and willed her tears not to fall. She didn’t want them to see her upset, so derailed seconds after he arrived. Kaide had undone her with a single look.

  Starting at her feet, Raene slipped the soft fabric of the gown up her legs, maneuvering it a bit to get it over her hips, and at last, slid it onto her shoulders. Little by little, Raene tightened one side or attached a strap somewhere, until every bit of her torso was so compressed it was hard to breathe. The considerable weight of it told her the dress was large, so much more fabric than she was used to carrying on her small frame. Blossom could feel something brush against her cheek, but she didn’t open her eyes to look.

  She didn’t care really. She didn’t care about any of it.

  Valenta stood behind her and tugged at her hair, and as Raene had instructed, it was pulled up and off her neck. What must have been dozens of pins were pressed into the mass of hair, so many she thought she’d never get them all out. To her right, Norsa pulled the soiled bandage from her palm and worked to clean her wounded hand, though several days after the initial injury, it didn’t hurt like it did before.

  Something cool fell around her neck, and someone pulled flat shoes onto her feet. Something circled her wrist and another clasped on the top of her ear. A few more touches, and Raene finally said, “Done. Open your eyes.”

  When she did, her eyes fell down to the dress she wore, a luscious juniper green. Looking closer, she realized it was fine black lace layered over a moss-green gown, fitted through her waist and hips and flaring out above the knee into a pleasant trumpet shape. A collar rose up nearly as high as her ears and accentuated the neckline of the bodice that cut lower than anything she’d ever worn. Across one shoulder, a series of thin straps spiraled out from her collarbone, elegant and lovely. Bits of metal shimmered—a bracelet at her wrist, a necklace pulled high across her throat, a cuff on her ear. If she weren’t so angry, she might have thought she looked nice.

  “Oh, don’t forget the hood.” With delicate hands, Raene adjusted the dark fabric hood over her head without dislodging a single hair, casting most of her face in shadow.

  “You look lovely, child,” Norsa whispered, a hand over her mouth as if she hadn’t thought it was possible.

  Valenta stared, her mouth open wide and eyes glistening with unshed tears. Only Raene kept her composure. “It brings out the green in your eyes. Want to see it?” She tugged Blossom toward the darkened window-wall, but she kept her feet firmly on the floor where she stood.

  “I’m ready. Thank you for everything.” With that, Blossom turned toward the bedroom door and, after spending a moment navigating the skirt through the doorway, she emerged into the hallway and headed for the formal sitting room. There she found Kaide and his guests seated, drinking wine and talking, though given their low voices and solemn tones, they didn’t seem to be swapping childhood stories.

  Sitting across the room, Kaide’s eyes found her first. He set his glass on the table and stood in one fluid motion. His features were as blank as stone, but he didn’t take his eyes off her. He scanned every inch of her figure, as if to measure her worth. Blossom ducked, concealing her face in the shadow of her hood, and looked away, her mouth tightening with anger she refused to release in front of them.

  The Aero Vice Syndicate and her husband rose and turned to Blossom. “You look ravishing!” she purred, rounding the chair to squeeze Blossom’s hands in hers. “What a lovely gown. You’ll be the talk of the festival, I’m sure of it.” Her blood-red lips curled into a pleasant grin, and Blossom couldn’t help but smile back, if only a little.

  “We should get going,” Kaide announced without apology. “The transport is waiting.” The sound of his voice loomed over her like a dark cloud, soaking up everything but her foul mood. Blossom watched as the Vice Syndicate’s husband extended his arm to his wife, kissing her hand as they strolled toward the entryway.

  Kaide was a block of ice by comparison. He extended his elbow to her, but she refused, maneuvering her skirt through the doorway and following the couple as they walked to the transport.

  “Blossom, please.” His voice was quiet, so low no one else could have heard, but she turned to glare at him. He stood in the manor’s front doorway, eyes dark and full of something, she didn’t quite know.

  She wanted to hear him out, but the image of him standing in the entryway, frowning when he saw her for the first time since that night, was more than she could bear. That image alone was reason enough to turn away and walk to the transport on her own.

  Blossom climbed in and claimed the seat across from the couple who sat smiling and speaking low against each other’s cheeks. When they noticed her arrival, they pulled apart a little, but not much.

  “Have you ever been to the Syndicate?” the Aero Vice Syndicate asked, her eyelids shimmering the same color as her cloak.

  “Once before, but only long enough to visit the portal.” At the mention of her last trip across the realm, Blossom remembered her reaction, how she’d collapsed on the floor and retched up the contents of her stomach in front of Kaide and everyone else.

  Raene probably didn’t have that in mind when she picked out this ridiculous dress.

  “So you’ve never seen the private floors? Oh, you’ll love them. And for the festival, they’ve brought in finery from every branch. You’ll see. It’s quite the sight.” She leaned back against her husband’s shoulder with a nostalgic smile.

  Kaide crawled into the transport a moment later, ducking so he didn’t hit his head. He took the seat beside her, careful to avoid touching her, yet was still close enough to look like they were together—but they both knew better.

  “That sounds lovely, Vice Syndicate,” Blossom said, ignoring Kaide. Or at least pretending to. “I look forward to seeing it.”

  “Please, call me Audra. And this is my husband Jurra, since we haven’t been properly introduced.” She shot Kaide a playful smirk.

  Jurra nodded with a polite smile, but it was clear his attention was completely on his wife. He looked as smitten and in love with her as anyone she’d ever seen.

  Blossom’s hand lashed out for balance when the transport shot into the air, but all too soon she realized she had gripped Kaide’s upper thigh. She pulled away just as fast.

  The transport sailed through the sky and Blossom wanted nothing more than to return to the ground. With the Aero couple and her hood blocking her view, the familiar creep of motion sickness started to take hold of her stomach. As often as she could, she kept her eyes on the horizon, but more than once she had to swallow back a wave of nausea. She kept her hands busy in her lap in an attempt to distract herself, using a nail to tug at the edge of the thin, flesh-toned bandage that covered her palm.

  “I understand you’re from the Alderwood. You must find Pyrona quite exciting,” Audra continued, oblivious to her misery.

  “In some ways.” Blossom didn’t care to mention the whole warehouse incident, how Kaide had carried her up the side of the mountain to the manor after she had passed out from blood loss.

  In the few minutes it took to arrive at the Pyro Building, only Audra and Blossom spoke, though the conversation helped distract her a bit. Kaide sat like a stiff board next to her and Jur
ra nipped at his wife’s ear, as if he’d forgotten others were present. It made Blossom uncomfortable to watch them engage that way, flaunting their successful marriage, when she could hardly bear to sit beside the man who was supposed to become her husband.

  The transport touched down with a slight shudder, and the metal door slid open a moment later. The sickeningly happy couple murmured to each other as they rose from their seats and headed out. It took Blossom a few seconds to get off the seat with her gown spread around her, but she managed.

  But before she could get out, Kaide grabbed her by the arm, gripping his strong hand above her elbow. “Blossom—”

  “Let go of me,” she hissed through clenched teeth as she ripped her arm away from him. “You want me to dress up and look the part? Well, here I am. Doing exactly what you asked.” She harrumphed loudly and turned, her dress swishing as she walked out the door.

  The transport had deposited them steps away from the doors to the Pyro Building, towering toward the sky just as she remembered. Pretending she knew the way, Blossom rushed up the dark stone steps and into the wide lobby, huffing angrily. Her dress was too snug and weighed too heavy on her figure, and the only person she had in this city had abandoned her. Blossom was alone.

  There was no sign of the Aero Vice Syndicate or her husband. Blossom had no choice but to wait for Kaide, who entered behind her moments later. He was brooding even more than before, walking right past her and heading for the row of portal attendees. Blossom felt a bolt of satisfaction that she’d managed to return the favor and anger him as well.

  Kaide collected his copper coin from an attendee before walking to the door and waiting. He didn’t rush her—or say anything for that matter—he simply stood with his arms behind his back. Only when Blossom gave in and joined him did he pull open the door and reveal the hallway of portal rooms.

  Again, he picked door #413, and they entered the room, so narrow she had to press her back to the wall to keep from touching him.