Displaced (The Birthright Series Book 1)

by Bridget E. Baker

  “I go home for summer and holidays,” he says. “And people come visit me here. My family is huge. Don’t pity me, princess. I’m happy.”

  “Princess?” I glance at Logan to see whether he mentioned anything. If Noah knows who I really am, I want to know it.

  Logan shakes his head imperceptibly.

  “It fits you.” Noah shrugs. “I don’t know why. Does it bother you?”

  “No,” I say. “Whatever.”

  “Well if you two are done making up pet names for each other,” Logan says, “there’s a new poker game starting over there.”

  I demur. “I don’t gamble recreationally.”

  “Recreationally?” Logan smirks. “So, what? You’re strictly a professional?”

  I roll my eyes. “Of course not. I just meant, I never gamble for fun.”

  “I know what recreational means,” Logan says.

  Surely Logan comprehends that my entire life is a series of gambles right now. So much for him smoothing my way with humans.

  “Oh come on,” Noah says. “A few hands won’t hurt.”

  It wouldn’t be fair for me to play against these kids, even Logan. My mom’s been teaching me to read people since practically the day I was born. “Sorry, hard and fast rule. But don’t let me stop you.”

  “Wow Noah, I think your girlfriend’s worried she’d destroy us,” Logan says.

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” Noah says. Under his breath he mutters, “Not yet.”

  “Better for Noah that you sit it out,” Logan says. “He sucks. In fact, he owes me like three thousand bucks.”

  Noah quirks one eyebrow. “Nice try.”

  Logan sighs heavily. “It might be the other way around. But if we don’t play, how will I ever win my money back?”

  A short kid with dark framed glasses and shaggy brown hair shuffles a deck of cards at one of the patio tables. “So are we playing, or what?”

  “What do you play for?” I ask, curious. “Cash?”

  Noah nods. “What else?”

  “I don’t need money.” I shrug. “Not interested.”

  We’re attracting more attention now, and a half a dozen new kids have gathered around. Noah rubs his hands together. “If you don’t need money, then let’s change the stakes. What do you need?”

  I like seeing what makes people tick. “How about we change the game entirely. Have you guys ever played truth or dare?”

  He looks into my eyes and I can tell he’s weighing something, but I don’t know what. “Sure, why not?”

  Noah introduces me to a dozen or so kids who have gathered around. I notice several hands of cards are strewn on the coffee table, as well as a few stacks of cash. Noah grabs one and stuffs it into his pocket and a few other kids do the same.

  “So we’re done with poker?” Logan asks. “That’s not cool. I’m way behind.”

  Noah laughs. “I’m doing you a favor, man.”

  Logan punches his arm. “You usually don’t destroy me that bad. Who were you trying to impress?” Logan looks at me and grins.

  “If you have to guess, you’re an idiot,” Noah says softly enough that I doubt any humans present could hear.

  “Can anyone play?” a girl with light brown hair cut into a bob asks.

  “Princess, this is Frances, the editor of the school newspaper. And sure.” Noah raises his voice. “We’re going to play a game of truth and dare if anyone wants to join us.”

  Raven and two of her friends I’ve met, Alyssa and Faith, walk our way. Logan, Lark, Frances, and ten other kids I meet one at a time all drag the chairs scattered around the back porch in and around the existing patio furniture to form a loose approximation of a circle. As we prepare, more kids crowd around. Noah points and some guys drag lounge chairs from the area around Noah’s olympic size swimming pool to round out the circle.

  Noah sits down on the empty side of the sofa and pats the spot next to him. I sit there, and then Frances squeezes into a non-existent space on his other side. Frances’ co-editor, a guy named Sven, sits down on the arm of a lounge chair directly across from her.

  Logan sighs melodramatically, but he runs his hand through his hair and sits in a chair across from me. “This should be interesting.”

  The captain of the swim team, Todd, straddles one of the patio chairs backward. “I think you meant fun. This will be fun.”

  “So who goes first?” Frances asks.

  “Why don’t you go first?” I suggest.

  “Sure, I guess. How does this work?” Frances asks.

  Geez, you’d think a bunch of humans would know how to play this game. I saw it on one of their television shows. “You’re first, so you pick whether you want to tell the truth, or accept a dare,” I say.

  “But who asks the question or poses the dare?” Frances asks reasonably.

  I hadn’t thought of that.

  “Pick someone,” Raven says, “since you’re going first, but then after you go, you can pick who goes next, and you get to issue their dare or question. So once you’ve gone, you get to pass along the misery.”

  Sounds reasonable.

  “I don’t want to go first. How about if I just pick someone and I can issue their dare or expose their truth?” Frances asks.

  I barely know her, but I’ve already formed an opinion. Frances is annoying.

  “Whatever,” Noah says. “Just start already.”

  Frances sighs. “Alright then, I choose you.”

  Big surprise.

  Noah leans back on the sofa, tossing one arm behind me and leaning back so he can look Francis in the eye. “Fine. I choose dare.”

  “I dare you to... Hmm, what if I can’t think of anything?” Frances asks.

  I could strangle her. “Then you aren’t very creative,” I say. “Think of something he might be reticent to do, and then dare him to do exactly that. Like eat a worm you dig out of the flower bed, or parade around in his underwear, using his pants as a crown.”

  “Uh, don’t ask me to do either of those things,” Noah says. “You have a strange, quirky mind, princess.”

  “Okay, then,” Frances says, eyes gleaming. “I dare you to kiss me.”

  Logan laughs out loud and Sven looks ill. Todd was right; this is fun.

  Noah grins. “Sure,” he says. “Why not?” He leans down over Frances and kisses her right on the lips. He doesn’t linger, but it’s more than a peck.

  Frances’ heart practically races right out of her chest. Interestingly, Noah’s hasn’t changed pace, not even a tiny bit.

  “My turn,” Noah says. “I choose you, princess.” He smiles at me and the laugh dies in my chest. He wouldn’t possibly be so ridiculous as to repeat Frances’ dare. Right?

  Either way, I can’t pick truth. Not if I want to really experience this dumb game. Plus, there are too many things I couldn’t possibly answer. But the thought of him asking me to kiss him spikes my pulse. I meet Noah’s gaze and force the word out. “Dare.”

  “Audacious,” he says. “I like it.”

  “Get on with it,” Logan says. “And no kissing.”

  “Where were your rules a few minutes ago?” Noah raises both eyebrows. “You didn’t say a word when Frances forced me to risk a case of mononucleosis.”

  “Oh please,” Logan says.

  “Seriously, I don’t think you can make up rules after the game begins,” Noah says.

  “It’s in the actual rules.” Logan holds up his phone and shows it to the people on either side of him. “I got tired of you people yammering and pulled them up online. They don’t proscribe kissing, but it specifically says you can’t repeat someone else’s dare.”

  “Come on,” Noah says. “I was never going to dare the princess here to kiss me. If my only hope of kissing her is daring her in a game, well, that’s sad.”

  Frances squeaks and runs off. She brought that one on herself, but I still feel bad about it.

  “Nice, Noah.” Sven stands up and glares at us before jogging off a
fter her. Maybe Lisa was right. Noah isn’t such a nice guy all the time.

  “Whoops,” Noah says. Every face turns toward him, all of us happy for a distraction. “Well I handled that badly, but don’t worry. We’ll get this back on track. In fact, to keep things interesting, let’s make it a double dare.”

  “What does that mean?” Raven asks.

  Everyone looks at Logan. He glances down at his phone for a moment before he says, “It means if Rebecca refuses she owes him a forfeit, but if she does whatever he proposes, he owes her a forfeit.”

  “What’s the forfeit?” I ask.

  “A forfeit is like a gift or a favor,” Raven’s redheaded friend Faith says. I’m surprised because for some reason I didn’t expect her to be very smart.

  “I know that,” I say. “I meant, what is the forfeit if I pass?”

  “I get to choose something.” Noah smiles.

  “What’s your dare, then?” If it’s not too bad, I could use an undefined favor from someone whose dad owns vast regions of China.

  “I could dare you to jump in the pool, but that would be dumb since it’s heated. The river, on the other hand, will be freezing right about now. So how about that? I dare you to jump in the river.”

  I glance at the river. Dark and cold. But that’s nothing to a typical training session. I was worried he’d pick something truly hard. Even so, I need to sell this. May as well earn a decent forfeit.

  Noah grins. “You going to pass?”

  “What would you want from me?”

  Noah’s lips compress and he taps them. “Hmm.” His eyes light up. “I’ve always wanted a pony.”

  The thought of Noah on a pony curls my lip upward. “As badly as I want to see you riding one. . . I’m not losing.”

  “Right, your thing about never losing.” Noah grins. “I almost forgot about that.”

  I stand up and walk down toward the water. Most of the other kids who are gathered around stand up to follow.

  “Whoa,” Noah says. “You guys can carry on. Pick someone, princess. They can take over. There’s no reason they all have to watch us freeze our butts off.”

  “Wait, what do you mean ‘us’?” I ask.

  “I’m not such a jerk that I’d make you jump in alone. What if you drowned? I’d never forgive myself.”

  “Touching,” I say. “Who says chivalry is dead?”

  “I choose Raven.” I wink at her. “Logan can come up with a dare or a question for her in my place.”

  “Thanks, but. . .” Logan doesn’t sit down. “I’ll pass that honor to Todd. I’m coming with you two to make sure no one perishes.”

  Lark stands up and then next to her, Todd does too. At this rate, everyone may as well come.

  “If you’re worried about people drowning, I should come, as captain of the swim team.” Todd grins at Lark and she smiles back.

  “Chill guys. This isn’t dangerous, I swear. Just carry on.” Noah waves his hand and everyone sits down, including Lark. Logan, Noah, and I walk down to the water. I get right to the edge of the river and stop. There’s just a weedy patch and a two-foot drop between me and the freezing water. Judging by the sound, it’s moving fast.

  “We’re upriver from Conqueror, so even if we get dragged a bit, we can grab the pilings for the dock.” Noah touches my arm and drops his voice. “But you don’t have to do it at all if you really don’t want to. That’s why I didn’t want everyone following us. I don’t even need a boon, truly.”

  Noah spoke quietly, but Logan still heard of course. “You could give him, say, three thousand bucks or so,” Logan says. “And tell him it’s from me. If that makes you feel better.”

  I shrug my jacket off and pass it to Logan. “Sorry, but you’ll have to pay your own debts. Noah may not want a boon, but I do.” I slip my boots off, leaving my concealed dagger in its boot sheath, and then peel off my socks. Finally, I pull my t-shirt over my head.

  “Whoa,” Noah says. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m not jumping in fully clothed, obviously.” I slide my jeans down to my ankles and step out of them. At least it’s dark. I thought it would be better to do this without the twenty-five or so kids playing truth or dare standing watch, but standing in front of just Logan and Noah in a sports bra and boy short underwear feels bizarre. I’m tingling all over, and buzzing with the idea of doing something stupid and pointless for no reason at all. My skin pebbles up and I’m not even sure it’s from the cold. I remind myself that all the girls swimming in Noah’s heated pool are wearing less than I am right now.

  “I’m not waiting,” I say. “I’m jumping in now.”

  “Fine,” Noah says. “Let’s go.”

  Noah takes my hand as I step toward the edge. I let him, and we jump in together, crashing into the water in tandem.

  Noah didn’t lie.

  The water’s painfully cold, but when you’re spending half your day being hacked at by a sword, and the other half contemplating how to murder your sister or crying over your dead mother, a little cold water isn’t a big deal. I expect Noah to let go of my hand once we come back to the surface for air, but he doesn’t. We kick our feet and paddle with our free hands until we reach the shallowest part. I shudder when my bare feet reach the slimy, poky ruffage at the bottom of the East River.

  Noah squeezes my hand. “Almost there.”

  I’m sincerely grateful when Logan leans down and grabs my forearms, pulling me ashore. Logan’s shaking his head, but he peels off his jacket and drapes it around my shoulders. He picks up my clothes and boots, not commenting on the knife tucked into my boot sheath, and follows us back to the house. Alora was right. Logan is proving helpful.

  “The closest bathroom is here.” He points.

  I duck behind the door and lock it.

  A tap on the closed door just as the water finally heats up sets my teeth on edge.

  “You okay?” Edam whispers.

  “What are you doing in here?” I hiss. “I’m fine. I’m taking a shower. How will you explain hovering outside my door while I’m naked if they find you? Go back to the car.”

  “I’ll keep watch until you’re done,” he says.

  “Absolutely not. Go back. That’s an order.”

  “No one is going to see me, but you can’t defend yourself from anyone while you’re in there.” I can see him in my mind’s eye, his jaw set, his arms crossed over his chest. It makes me smile.

  I shower, dry off and wrap myself in a towel. Then I toss my wet underwear and sports bra in the trash and put on just my outer clothes. By the time I come out, I catch a whiff of Edam, but he’s already gone. At least he’s being discreet. My hair’s still wet, but I’m otherwise dry. I walk to the back door and peer through the glass. It looks like the game of truth and dare is still going strong, and it seems to have attracted a much larger audience, but Noah isn’t one of them.

  Noah’s whisper startles me badly enough that I practically climb the wall. “You warm enough?”

  I scowl. “How did you sneak up on me?”

  He grins. “I used to play this game with my sister. We’d see who could move the quietest. I always won.”

  “I bet you did.”

  He points toward the back of the house. “If you need to borrow clothes, I have some you can use.”

  “Uh, you have girl clothes?” I lift my eyebrows.

  He chuckles. “My parents don’t often visit, but my favorite sister flies out a few times a year.”

  Thank goodness he has a legitimate reason for having clothing in my size. “That’s a relief.”

  “You were worried I had a pit or something?” Noah whines in a creepy voice, “It puts the lotion on its skin...”

  I can’t help my grin. No one back home watches TV or movies at all, but he’s quoting Silence of the Lambs. I finish his line. “Or else it gets the hose again.” I smile. “Gross, no, I wasn’t thinking you were making a skin suit, but I’m glad to hear you have a sister. Maybe she can fix whatever’s
wrong with you.”

  “I doubt it.” Noah puts his hand on the doorframe above my head. “You want to head back out?”

  I shrug. “It’s late. I should probably go home soon.”

  “Already?” Noah grabs my hand and I let him. It feels nice, even when he interlaces our fingers. Maybe especially when he interlaces our fingers. I’ve never held a guy’s hand before now, unless you count jumping into the river a moment ago. He tugs me out the back porch door and I let him. Gusts of cold air batter my wet hair, but it doesn’t bother me. In fact, nearly all my attention is on where my hand meets his.

  Noah ignores the kids calling to him and steers us back down toward the river again.

  “Where are you going?” Logan asks.

  “Princess lost an earring,” Noah says.

  Evians don’t pierce our ears, because they’d just heal right back up. It’s pointless. But Logan doesn’t comment. And this time, he doesn’t follow us either.

  Noah steers me with nothing but a slight shift of his hand toward the edge of the dock. There were kids on the yacht earlier, but they’ve all moved back toward the house, so it’s quiet, peaceful even. The hissing of the water barreling past even muffles most of the sounds of the city. Noah’s so easy, so uncomplicated, and even though we’re probably the same age, he seems young, younger than me. He can’t want anything from me, because he doesn’t even know who I am. There are no politics with him, no history with my sister, and no offers to save me hanging over us.

  “So. What do you want from me?” Noah asks.

  A vague sense of unease grips me. I know he can’t read my mind, but it’s a strange thing to ask, and bizarre timing for him to ask it. “What do you mean?”

  “Your boon, duh. Tell me what you want, and I’ll try to give it to you. Truth or dare means something, you know.”

  I lift one eyebrow. “You didn’t even know the rules.”

  “Well, now I do. And I’m honorable, unlike you Americans.”

  “You offered to let me off the hook, so I can’t very well hold you to your promise.”

  “I was kidding. I’d definitely have made you buy me a pony.”

  I grin, not that he can see much of it in the dark. “Fine. Then I want to skip out on my life. Take me back with you to China. I’m not too big. I’d probably fit inside a checked bag.”