The Second Sister (The Amendyr Series)

by Magdon, Rae D.

  A little less than an hour later, Belle found me scrubbing dishes in the kitchen. The chores of Baxstresse waited for no one. She walked up behind me so quietly that my breath caught when she finally spoke. “Put that down. I need to speak with you.”

  I obeyed and put down the plate, still holding the limp drying cloth in my hand. “Is there anything to speak about?” I said softly, afraid that Belle would confirm what I had already been thinking—there was no way to stop Luciana.

  “The messenger was from the palace. We have been invited to a ball.”

  “You mean you and Luciana have been invited to a ball.” Like Jessith, I disliked speaking Luciana's name. It made my mouth feel sour.

  “No, all three of us. Everyone outside of Baxstresse only thinks you are sick. The invitation was sent out of politeness.”

  “What does an invitation to a ball have to do with protecting ourselves?” I was irritated with Belle for wandering from the topic I wanted to discuss. How could she think of anything but the disgusting way Luciana had looked at us?

  “This is not an ordinary ball. It is Prince Brendan's twenty-first birthday ball. His parents are tired of him gallivanting about the Forest Pass and slaying monsters along the Amendyrri border. They want him to pick a girl to marry. Luciana wants to be that girl.”

  My heart stopped in my chest. Luciana wanted to be queen? Prince Brendan could not make a worse choice. Having a sadistic, power-hungry demon on the throne would tear the kingdom apart. I did not dare think about what Luciana would do if her plan succeeded. “How do you know?”

  “She told me. The snake wants me to watch her at the ball, powerless to stop her, while she seduces him. She thinks I am too much of a coward to interfere.” Belle's thin eyebrows furrowed, her lips peeling back in a snarl as she glared at her hands. “But she is wrong. I will not stand by and let her evil go unpunished, not this time. It has to be that chain, the one you felt burning. I am sure it is a sorcerer's chain. We have to find a way to break it.”

  CHAPTER 8

  IN THE DAYS THAT followed, Belladonna spent most of her time reading magical texts in the library. I discussed Luciana's plan with Cate, Mam, Matthew, and even Sarah. I left out the parts about the burning chain and Luciana's attempts at blackmail. Instead, I told them that Luciana wanted to drag a marriage proposal out of Prince Brendan. The possibility that Luciana might become Queen of Seria horrified them, and they were more than willing to help.

  “I will ask Miss Belladonna if I can go to the ball with her,” I told Cate and Sarah as we were discussing ways of stopping Luciana. “I was invited, after all.”

  “Do you honestly think Miss Belladonna will say yes? I mean, maybe I should ask her,” Sarah suggested. “I know her better than you do.”

  I swallowed to free the tightness in my throat, staring down at my lap. I did not want to be reminded of how well Sarah had known my lover. “I will do the asking. Belladonna does not want Luciana to be queen. We are friendly enough.” More than friendly, but how could Sarah know? “I could follow in a carriage behind them. I can't let Luciana know I am going. Matthew will lend me a horse.”

  Cate nodded. “One of you should distract Prince Brendan and the other can try and keep Luciana away from him.”

  I jerked my head up in surprise at Cate's simple idea. “Of course. Luciana will think I am at Baxstresse, so that leaves me to watch the prince while Belle watches her.” I hoped that no one noticed the accidental endearment. Sarah was too distracted to care, and if Cate thought anything of it, she was too shy to say. She did give me a contemplative look, however.

  Sarah nearly swooned at the mention of the prince, her face turning bright red and her brown eyes shining with moisture. She looked positively ridiculous, but I probably looked just as silly when I was thinking about Belle. “Oh, I would love to dance with Prince Brendan for a night! I saw him once, you know, when I was about ten years old. He was so handsome!”

  “If it was when you were ten, then he was only twelve. He could not have been that handsome,” I pointed out.

  “He was! He had wavy brown hair and the clearest blue eyes I have ever seen.” I thought about another pair of blue eyes, more beautiful than Brendan's, and my face grew hot.

  “I don't care what his eyes look like as long as he doesn't marry Luciana. Any other idiot would be fine, just not her.”

  “There can't possibly be anyone worse,” Cate agreed.

  “I would be a wonderful queen.” Sarah waved her hand regally in the air. I rolled my eyes, but Cate smiled, distracting me from my sour mood.

  “What would be your first royal decree?” I asked, playing along.

  “I...” Sarah paused dramatically. “Would order Luciana to be thrown in the dungeon.”

  “Or executed,” I suggested.

  “Or thrown in the dungeon, tortured, and then executed.” Both of us stared at Cate, surprised at the venom behind her words. We knew how much she hated Luciana. She had more cause than any of us to despise her, but we had not expected our shy friend to speak so viciously. “It would serve her right.”

  Without speaking, Sarah and I both put a hand on one of Cate's shoulders in silent comfort. Even though I had not endured as much pain as Cate, I understood her a little better now. Luciana's threat to take me to bed had shaken me. Belle and I did not want to think about the possibility, but both of us were afraid.

  The conversation drifted after that. All of us were too stunned by Cate's words to plot anymore, and I could tell that Cate had surprised even herself. I saw it as a good sign. Perhaps Cate's inner strength was beginning to return.

  ***

  That evening, I went to Belladonna's rooms, unable to fall asleep beside Cate. We had not made love since Luciana's interruption, although I had spent two nights sleeping in her bed. Both of us were awkward with each other, consumed by our worries and afraid of intimacy. Part of me longed to know my lover's body again, but Belle had shown no interest in being with me and I was too afraid of upsetting her to be the aggressor.

  Belle's door was unlocked, as I knew it would be. I did not bother knocking and let myself in as quietly as I could in case my lover was asleep. She was reading a thick, yellowed volume, shadows bobbing over the skin of her bare upper body. Her legs and hips were wrapped in the bed sheets. I could not help staring at her breasts, longing to stroke the hard tips with my thumbs. Instead, I stripped, folding my dress and leaving it at the bottom of the bed.

  Belle shut her book, not allowing me to catch a glimpse of the title before she set it on her wooden nightstand. She held out a long hand to me, and I took it, climbing next to her on the bed and wrapping my arms around her warm body. “I love you,” she said suddenly, pulling me closer against her side.

  “I love you, too. And I will love you until the stars fall into the sea.” I blushed, surprised by my sudden burst of inspired poetry, and more than a little embarrassed.

  Belle only smiled, resting a cool hand against the side of my neck. I knew she could feel my heartbeat pounding beneath my skin. “That was very prettily phrased, Ellie. Have you ever thought of trying your hand at poetry?”

  I looked at Belladonna uneasily, unsure whether she was joking with me. “Oh, no, I really don't think…”

  “Why not? You would probably enjoy it.”

  “I'm not sure.” I blushed bright red to the roots of my hair. “You're a real poet, Belle. I don't understand why someone with such a gift wouldn't share —”

  Belle interrupted me again. “But I have shared, just not under my real name. I'm sure that you have read, or at least heard of, Lord Erato's poetry? Probably only heard of...you don't strike me as worldly enough to indulge in such vile, disgusting literature.”

  “Well yes, I have heard of Erato, but those poems are all about...oh. Of course they are about loving women.”

  “Not all of “his” poetry is that base, of course. He has written…I have written…about heroes, betrayal, loss...Stuffy society ladies just seem to
draw attention to the ones about lovemaking. It's not my fault they are dirty old hags. You and I are the only old ladies I want to imagine in any kind of intimate situation.”

  The mental image that my lover had given me made me smile. The thought of growing old with Belle made me feel comfortable and happy. “I like picturing us together when we are old. I will still think you are the most handsome creature I have ever seen.”

  Belle smiled back at me. Although I could still see the exhaustion and worry behind her eyes, her brief expression of happiness was genuine. “And I will still think you are the prettiest woman in the world, sweet girl.”

  I gave Belle's form an appreciative glance, although my body was so entwined with hers that it was difficult to see all of her. I was unwilling to let her go. “If you end up looking nearly as good as your mother does, you have nothing to worry about.”

  A brief look of sadness darkened Belle's eyes. “You have been looking at my mother? That is disgusting,” Belle said. Her teasing sounded forced and I pulled myself tighter against her, gazing into her eyes.

  “Why are you sad, lover? Is Lady Kingsclere worse?”

  “About the same,” Belle confessed. “At first, I thought it was shock, but now, I'm sure she's tied up in whatever Luciana is doing. On good days, she recognizes me. She tells me about the past, stories I have already heard. I don't think she realizes what time she's in or that my father is dead. On her bad days she won't talk at all, or she screams and tears at her hair, telling something to leave her alone, to stop hurting her.”

  I could not think of any words to say, so I wrapped my arms around Belle and held her tight. I hoped that the comfort I wanted to give would pass through me and into her. Somehow, my embrace turned into a caress and our lips found each other in the half darkness. I let Belle lead, and her mouth moved to stroke my eyelids, my cheeks, my chin. She kissed along the line of my jaw and I felt her teeth nip at the soft skin behind my ear.

  I lifted my eyes, wanting to see my lover's face. The naked expression of need staring back at me made my heart stutter. Belle grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head, settling her body on top of mine, her thigh pushing between my legs and rubbing against me. I was overwhelmed by Belle's tall, sleek figure, feeling small and vulnerable, but also undeniably safe. My skin flushed and I felt tears rise in my eyes. Making love with Belle touched some deep part of my soul that often made me cry with joy.

  The places where Belle's naked skin touched mine burned. She kissed my breath away until I was sure I would drown in her. I lifted one of my hands, weaving the fingers through her dark hair. She recoiled, flinching away from my hand like a nervous animal. “Don't, Ellie. Stop.”

  I could see the brightness in her eyes, the blood rushing beneath her skin. Her entire body trembled with energy, need, and—fear? I could not imagine this powerful, elemental woman being afraid of anything. Belle's aura radiated strength and control. I knew that she needed me. Why was she frightened?

  “Belle,” I whispered, reaching for her hair again. “Please. I want to feel you.” She held her shoulders stiff, body trembling, fists tight. She allowed me to take her in my arms, and I pressed my face into her shoulder, feeling her heart pound along the curve of her throat. Wanting to calm her, I smoothed my hands over the bunched, chorded muscles of her back. Sometimes, Belle made me feel like I was holding a tiger in my arms instead of a woman. She was all tensed, smooth strength and barely contained energy. But she was also my protector, and I trusted her with everything.

  In the safe darkness that was Belle, I found words. “Please. Don't you want to be inside me? Feeling me around your fingers, full and tight and warm?”

  She lifted my face from her shoulder, tipping my chin so I was looking into her eyes. A glassy texture clouded them and I blushed, hardly believing what had passed between my lips.

  “I was going to take you,” she admitted haltingly, her face a strange picture of desire and panic. “I just wanted to slide inside of you, hard. Fill all of you. Make you stop breathing from feeling so much at once. I didn't even ask. I could have hurt you. Just like—”

  I cut her off. “You are not your sister. My body is yours. You never have to ask to touch me. I belong to you. You won't hurt me.”

  Belle hesitated. “But—”

  I took her trembling hand and shyly placed it between my legs, holding it against me. “You won't hurt me,” I repeated. Her breath shook as she finally gave in, scattering kisses across my chest as she pushed her fingers forward, splitting me open. Her touch was not gentle, but I craved this overpowering connection as much as she did.

  She found the spot inside of me that always made me see stars and drove against it again and again. I trembled and shook, spreading my legs wider in order to take more of her. Her thumb rolled over me in hard, wet circles as her other fingers kept thrusting, filling me until everything but her faded away. It burned, even hurt a little, but it was so wonderful that I knew I would not be able to bear it if she stopped.

  I whispered words of pleasure in her ear, reminding her that I loved her, that I loved this, to ease her conscience. I could not bear to let my lover feel ashamed of something so sacred.

  I tried to reach down once, to give her the same pleasure that she was giving me, but she bit the vulnerable skin of my neck hard enough to leave a large purple bruise. I kept my hands where they were, leaving myself helpless and exposed for her. We completed each other, joining our two souls. A miracle older than we could imagine, but that seemed new and wonderful to us.

  My release surprised me. I threw my head to the side, screaming into the bed itself, and my entire body hummed with power and energy. Even though I had not touched her, Belladonna followed me over the edge seconds later, grinding herself just above my knee and covering me with wetness. She claimed my lips in a brutal kiss that made me flood her hand, and I lost control a second time.

  “I told you I was yours...” I whispered in between the kisses that I pressed to her forehead.

  “Mine,” Belle growled, curling her fingers inside of me and making me shiver. We were silent for several minutes. Before we fell asleep, still joined together, I heard Belle whisper something in my ear. “There isn't enough paper in the world to write all the poems you inspire in me.”

  CHAPTER 9

  “YOU ARE GOING TO need a dress.”

  I turned away from the fire where I was warming my hands and watched Sarah from over my shoulder. It was evening, and we were sitting in the kitchen after dinner, waiting for Cate. She had been gone for almost an hour, and I was worried that Luciana had caught her in some dark corner. “A dress?” I asked. “Why?”

  “A dress for the ball, of course. You can't go to Prince Brendan's ball without a dress and jewels.”

  I felt foolish. A dress and jewels? I had not even considered that. Of course I could not make an appearance at the palace unless I was dressed to out-dazzle the stars. That was what all of the other noblewomen would be doing. Even if I did not look or feel like a lady anymore, I was still one of them.

  “How am I supposed to get them?” I was irritated that I had forgotten about the dress. Most of my time had been spent thinking up ways to explain my presence at the ball to Belladonna.

  Sarah frowned at me. “You don't need to get angry. We just have to find a way to steal them.”

  “From who? Luciana and Belladonna are too tall. Their dresses would never fit me.” Sarah's thin smile was positively devious, and I shivered. She could be nosy and talk too much, but behind all that, she was sharp.

  “Who else is your size, Ellie?”

  “You are enjoying this too much. Stop it.”

  “Lady Kingsclere,” Sarah crowed, unable to hold it in. “She's much smaller than Miss Belladonna and Miss Luciana. Still bigger than you, but I should be able to alter one of her dresses. I know she will have something suitable. We just have to steal it.”

  One of my stool's three legs almost tipped out from under me as I shifted o
n the seat. I was too surprised to care. “Steal a dress from Lady Kingsclere? You've gone mad.”

  “Do you have a better idea? The ball is in six days. I need time to alter her dress if you want to go. It won't be that hard. All we have to do is go take her lunch up instead of Nancy. We can drug her wine. The woman's crazy anyway. She won't notice if one of her dresses is missing.”

  “I am not going to drug my stepmother. What if we give her an overdose and kill her? What if Nancy catches us? So many things could go wrong.”

  “Fine,” Sarah pouted, clearly miffed that I did not appreciate her brilliant plan. “Go to the ball stark naked for all I care. I was just trying to help.”

  “Trying to help send me to the madhouse,” I muttered.

  “Send who to the madhouse?” a voice called from behind us. Sarah and I stopped fighting and turned as Cate entered the kitchen. I gave her a quick up-and-down to check for bruises, but she did not seem to be in pain and had no visible injuries. Luciana had not been the reason for her late arrival.

  “Sarah,” I said, as Sarah answered, “Ellie.”

  “Should I send both of you there? It would be about time.” Cate's smile convinced me that she really was all right. Impulsively, I stood and gave her a tight hug. She returned it, and then Sarah wrapped her arms around both of us. When the embrace broke, I gave Sarah a shove and sat back down on my stool.

  “Sarah wants to steal one of Lady Kingsclere's dresses. She says I need something to wear to the ball.”

  Cate did not look surprised. “I knew she would suggest that. She's the only one close to your size. You really don't have any other choice, Ellie. Buying something so late would be impractical.”

  “All of the seamstresses are probably up to their necks in orders for the ball. You need something in less than a week,” Sarah added, encouraged by Cate's support.

  “Besides, where would we get the money?”

  I scowled. “And so I am supposed to drug my stepmother's drink without getting caught by guard dog Nancy, steal one of her dresses so that I can go to the ball, and stop my wicked stepsister from taking over the kingdom?” Not to mention confront my lover about my plan, I added privately.