by Brenda Drake
One chance to save Reese.
She pushed the thought from her mind and focused on the plan. Slipping between Reese and Jan, she gave Reese an air-kiss as she did. His mask rested on his forehead, his eyes a sparkly blue, and her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met. He immediately shot down her attempt at flirting with him, which meant he had no idea she was the girl behind the jester’s mask.
The signal set, she watched as Leah rushed to the guys and handed Reese the note. Aster hurried across the ballroom, down one of the halls, and through a door leading outside. Her heels clunked over the stones leading to the garden. She made it to the table Mrs. Van Buren had had the staff set up for her.
The Aster decoy stood there, patiently waiting. The girl was a staffer, paid a good amount of money for her discretion.
“Okay, he should arrive soon,” Aster informed her. “Meet him at the garden’s entrance and bring him here. You remember the script, right?”
She nodded. “Ja.”
“Great.”
The girl didn’t move.
Obviously one of them clearly didn’t get the urgency of the situation. “Um, you should go now,” Aster urged, managing a forced smile.
The girl gave her a dull one in return before traipsing over the grass and up the stone walkway, too slow for Aster’s patience.
Aster wanted to scream at the girl, to tell her that Reese’s life depended on things going right. “Jeesh. Where did Mrs. Van Buren get her?”
She surveyed the table. Her tarot cards sat on it in a neat pile, a few candles gathered to one side. Three inches of copper grounding rod stuck out of the tabletop. The rest of the eight-foot rod went down into the earth. Lanterns hung from a nearby tree, spilling soft yellow light over everything. A chilly breeze rose and fell, making the light dance across the garden.
Her memories of Reese distracted her while she waited—his shocked expression when they’d first met, when she’d gone all “à la mode” on his shirt, his cocky grin as he questioned her during the balloon popping game, his playful smirk as she schooled him in the bumper car rink, and his seriously sexy smile as they cuddled in his bed. All were expressions she wanted more of, and she held them in her heart to give her courage.
She needed every bit of courage she could muster.
You can do this, Aster. What’s the worst that could happen? Frying to death. If it turned out badly, she hoped it would be quick and instantly stop their hearts.
Her dress poofed around her as she sat at the table. She traced the design on the back of the tarot card with a shaky finger. The green vines looked strikingly vibrant against the purple background. The wind rustled the leaves, and she jumped a little in her seat.
What’s taking them so long?
An incoming text chimed on her phone, startling her.
She tugged her phone out of the bodice of her dress. It was from Leah, informing her that Reese was on his way. Henry had stopped him on his way to the gardens. Jan ran interception, saying a girl had inquired about him. Being a typical horndog, Henry eagerly went with Jan to meet the mythical girl.
In the distance, Aster could hear voices. She recognized Reese’s smooth, dark voice, and excitement surged through her body.
Game on.
This has to work. It has to.
The girl cooed something in Dutch and Reese responded in the language. The exchange sounded flirtatious, and the girl giggled. Though Aster knew the script, it bugged her that she couldn’t understand a word of their conversation.
The girl was to flirt with Reese and get him to go for a walk with her in the gardens, where they would come across Aster posing as one of the hired tarot readers. It seemed to Aster the girl was going off script.
What the hell? She’s going to ruin everything.
Aster started to stand, but the sound of their footsteps and their voices growing closer caused her to plop back down.
They came through the trees and the girl exclaimed something in Dutch.
Oh, a tarot reader, Aster replayed the script in her mind. Shall we have a reading?
Reese looked from Aster to the girl. He wore his mask like a headband on his head. “Een andere keer.”
He must’ve refused, because the girl pouted, and Aster had to admit, she looked just like Aster doing it.
“All right,” Reese said, ditching the Dutch. He pulled the mask from his head and tossed it in a nearby bush.
“You first.” Apparently, the girl understood and spoke English, too.
Reese looked at Aster. “I know you.”
Aster tensed. He recognizes me.
“From the lounge. You blew me a kiss.” He sat in front of her.
She relaxed and passed a card across the table to him. I was born without a tongue and cannot speak was written on it.
“Of course,” Reese said. “Why not? This entire evening has been complete madness.”
Aster smirked.
“I’m glad I amuse you.” He scratched his head. “You might as well know my reading is always the same.”
She slid another card across the table that said, Trust me.
He raised a brow at her and then looked at her look-alike. “All right, let’s get it over with.”
Aster shuffled the cards several times and fanned them out on the table. She stared at Reese and tapped the table just below the cards.
“You want me to draw a card? All right.”
Before he could pull a card from the deck, Henry and Lars approached them. “You are as elusive as a virgin bride on her arranged wedding night,” Henry said. “And you’re holding out on us. Two beauties, all for yourself. I have taught you well, mate.”
Reese pushed away from the table and stood.
Panic struck Aster.
But the girl was on cue, wrapping her arms around Reese and whispering in his ear seductively, “Where are you going? We have many plans together tonight.”
“We do?” he answered, just as surprised as Aster at her boldness.
Aster didn’t like the lust in his voice.
Lars cleared his throat. “We should leave them alone.”
“Not until I have my cards read.” Henry sat in the seat Reese had just vacated. “Go ahead,” he directed Aster.
There was no way Aster could give him a reading. If she spoke, Reese would know it was her and wouldn’t let her change his fate.
“She can’t speak,” the girl said.
“Then how was she going to do Reese’s fortune?” he countered.
“That’s what the blank cards and pen are for. She writes it out.”
Henry frowned at Aster. “That won’t do. It’ll take too long. There’s better readers inside.”
“May I?” the look-alike asked, indicating the cards. “I’d love to do a reading for you.”
“You’re a reader?” Reese asked the question Aster wanted to ask.
“I am.” Her arm was still around Reese. “You wait right here for me, won’t you?” She leaned in and kissed his lips. Aster suddenly stood up, startling the girl. She gave Aster a devious smile as she sat in Aster’s chair.
Well, that explains where Reese’s mother found her. In the tarot reader pool. If she doesn’t watch out, I’ll scratch those seductive eyes out.
The girl shuffled the cards, and Henry chose ten. She arranged the cards in the Celtic cross formation and began giving him a reading. Luck was in Henry’s cards; not one was bad. How someone like Henry could be rewarded and someone like Reese be cursed was so unfair. She didn’t wish any physical harm on Henry; just a few broken hearts and disappointments would do.
“Pardon me,” Reese said. “I must visit the men’s room.” And with that, he marched off to the castle.
Aster felt like she had just been sucker punched. She’d lost him. There was no way she could get him back in time to undo his curse. She paced.
Henry’s eyes followed her. “What’s wrong with the mute?”
Aster spun around to face him. “What’s w
rong with me? You’re a fucking idiot.”
Both Henry’s and Lars’s eyes bugged out.
But Aster wasn’t finished. “Do you realize he’s cursed? He only has hours to live. Hours. And you’ve ruined everything. EVERYTHING.”
Lars stumbled back. “The Van Buren curse?”
“You know about it?” Aster asked.
“Everyone has heard of the tale,” Lars said. “A jilted lover placed a curse on their family.”
Aster fisted her hands. “Reese is a Van Buren. He’s a firstborn son. It’s the eighteenth year of his birth. In an hour, he will die.”
Henry popped up from the chair. “This is foolish, and you’re an insane woman.”
“You don’t believe me?” Aster went over to where her look-alike sat. “Sit down,” she ordered Lars before sitting in the seat the girl had quickly abandoned.
I’ll show him.
She shuffled the cards and slapped them on the table, fanning them out again. “Pick one.”
Lars looked confused. “Just one? Why?”
“I only need one to predict your fate.”
He cautiously pulled a card from the deck.
“Place it on the table above the others.”
He did as she said.
She couldn’t explain it, but she knew Lars would have a bad fate, and her thirst for revenge scared her.
Aster glanced at the card. “The seven of wands reversed.” In her mind’s eye, she pictured Lars always acting inferior to Henry. Never strong enough to win the girl. He was timid whenever facing competition. She liked Lars. He cared for people, just like Reese did. But Reese had all the confidence in the world, while Lars had none.
She touched the card and it instantly shot up in the air doing its pyrotechnic magic. Lars, Henry, and Aster’s look-alike watched with mouths open. When the card landed back on the table, Aster got up and walked over to Henry.
“This is for all the hearts you’ve broken.” She touched him and he jumped back from her.
Henry rubbed his shoulder. “Ouch, you shocked me.”
“And you’ve shocked me many times with your arrogant attitude and disregard for women,” Aster said, turning to Lars. “Do you believe me now?”
Lars nodded. “What was that?”
“I changed your fate, Lars. You will now have confidence and be lucky with the ladies. And your friend here…” She glanced smugly at Henry. “Not so much.”
“You’re bloody crazy,” Henry snapped, backing away before turning and running in the direction of the castle.
“Let’s see how you like a little humble pie,” she whispered to herself, her eyes following Henry’s retreat. She knew the fate was only for the immediate future. It would go back to normal, but not before Henry had learned a lesson and Lars had gained some balls. “Lars, can you help me get Reese back here?”
“Yes, I can try.” He started to leave, but paused. “You know, I felt it. The magic. Thank you, for what you did.”
“We need more nice guys like you in the world, Lars,” she said. “Don’t misuse the power.”
He nodded and disappeared around the trees.
“Bravo,” the look-alike said, now standing beside her. “I always wanted to meet a fate changer.”
“Kiss my guy again, and I’ll do worse to you,” Aster said without looking at the girl, her eyes focused on the castle.
“The changer has venom. Be careful, I’ve heard of the dark magic seducing changers. It isn’t pretty.” She sauntered away, saying over her shoulder, “Don’t you worry. I’ll bring your man back to you.”
The girl’s words played in Aster’s head. What did she mean? Wasn’t fate changing already dark? Because what had happened to Aster’s family had definitely been directed by evil. She was worrying for nothing. After she saved Reese, she’d never touch another tarot card again. She just hoped she could change his fate before time ran out.
And then, she had to pee, which was very inconvenient with the dress she wore, not to mention the timer ticking down to Reese’s demise. But she had no choice. It was either go right there on the grass or find a restroom.
After texting Leah to go to the garden in case Reese got there before she returned, Aster made a mad dash for the castle. She found the women’s room on the second floor. It took an act Houdini would have been proud of to keep the dress lifted as she went. Feeling clammy and overheated from the exertion, Aster stepped out onto a nearby balcony to cool off.
She could see the garden from where she stood. Leah paced the grass, nervously picking at her cuticles. Feeling claustrophobic, Aster took off her mask. She removed the itchy wig and scratched under the cap securing her hair. The cool air felt refreshing on her skin.
“Oh, Reese, please come back to the garden,” she said, as if he could hear her.
After taking several deep breaths, she put the mask and wig back on and turned to leave. At hearing what she thought was her name, faint and seemingly carried on the wind, she paused in the middle of the doorway to listen. Nothing.
I’m hearing things. She didn’t have time to investigate. Taking a breather had already wasted enough minutes, and she had to get back outside. Hiking up her dress, she bounded down the stairs and out the door to the gardens.
The glow from the lamps on the tree by the table welcomed her. Leah, on the other hand, was frowning, her arms crossed over her chest.
“What happened?” she asked.
“How the hell did Reese get lost?”
Aster tried to catch her breath. “He’s lost?”
“We can’t find him. Jan and Lars, oh, and that double of yours are searching for him.” Sympathy crossed her face. “I’m sorry. We still have about an hour, right?”
Aster plopped down on a chair, then buried her face in her hands.
Leah rubbed her back. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”
But would they? Aster wasn’t too sure. It seemed like fate didn’t want them together. It mercilessly put them together for only the briefest of moments in their lives, just to rip him away from her. She could imagine what Juliet had felt when she found her Romeo dead beside her. How could anyone want to go on without his or her love? How would she survive losing Reese?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Reese
The night had been anything but what Reese had expected. What he’d thought would be a drunken night of partying to forget his impending death had turned into one crazy encounter after another. It seemed like the entire world had gone mad. Or at least, everyone in his immediate proximity.
It felt good to be outside in the crisp air to gather his thoughts. Reese thought he would be more afraid as the hours turned to minutes, but he wasn’t. He wanted to find a quiet place to be alone with nature. The things he loved most about the castle were the grounds and the gardens. When he was young, he’d get lost for hours in the mazes of various flowers and bushes.
He could picture getting lost there with Aster. The memory of her dislike of flowers hit him, and he felt a smile push against his cheeks. Surely she only hated cut flowers arranged in vases to impress lovers or express sympathy. Not ones growing in vibrant green fields.
A sigh sounded from above him, and he glanced up. The mute reader from the garden stood on the balcony, looking out on the grounds. She removed her mask, then her wig.
“Aster?” He blinked and looked again. Was it really her or simply an illusion? Was death playing another evil trick on him?
Scratching at her head, she muttered, “Oh Reese, where are you?”
Taking several deep breaths, she put her mask on, tugged her wig over her capped head, and then she went back inside.
She didn’t see me. Reese darted for the balcony. “Aster!” he called.
He waited, but she didn’t come back. With long strides, he made it to the door and yanked it open. Bounding up the stairs, he felt weak and had to sit on a step. Could this be it? Was he dying? His breath felt labored. He watched a pair of men’s dress shoes pound up the
steps to him.
“Reese, are you all right?” Lars asked, squatting on the step in front of him.
“I don’t feel well. Can you help me to the garden? To Aster?”
Lars grabbed Reese’s arm and guided him to his feet. “That girl isn’t Aster. She’s only dressed to look like her to get you to—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “The real Aster is the mute reader.”
“How did you find out?” Lars opened the door leading outside.
“I spotted her on a balcony. She took off her mask and wig.”
The light coming from the lamps on the tree teased Reese’s eyes. He was almost there. The one wish he’d wanted for his birthday was to have one last good-bye with Aster. And there she was, standing beside Leah, wringing her hands, not able to see him with the dark shadows of the trees covering him.
When he stepped into the light, she instantly ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Here, get him to the table,” she said, helping Lars guide him to a seat.
“I thought death would just snap its fingers and take me,” Reese said, smiling with effort. “Guess it will be many agonizing minutes of torture before I go.”
Aster knelt beside him and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. “You’re not going anywhere. I found a way to undo the curse without baby Nathan dying.”
“How?” Hope, mixed with confusion, pulsed through him. He pulled her mask away from her face and pushed her wig off her head with what little energy he had.
She yanked off the cap, and her auburn hair fell down her back. “An ancestor of mine discovered the way. She did it with a crystal. She pulled the curse out of a firstborn son, but…”
She was hiding something from him. “But what?” he pressed.
“It’s painful.”
“More painful than this?” A sharp pain shot through his stomach and he grunted. “I can handle it.”
“Good,” she said. “But you’ve got to remember—no matter how excruciating the pain is, you can’t let go. Not even if I’m in pain, too.”