Decadence (Tree of Life Series Book 1)

by Nichole Austin

  She helps me into my dressing gown, and I’m carried back to my room. Once I’m settled in my bed, Alizon doesn’t take long to make herself comfortable. She wants answers, and she’s taking advantage of my weakness.

  Grabbing hold of my hand, she squeezes it. “Rosalyn, I think it’s about time you tell me what’s going on between you and Lawrence. It’s not just me with questions. Mother has them, too. The last thing you want is her digging around in his head to get the answers.”

  A cold sweat breaks out on my skin. I’ve heard about my mom doing that and how painful it can be. The last thing I want is for Lawrence to go through that. My private life is now under investigation, and I absolutely detest it. I’m realizing the foundation that was once mine and Alizon’s relationship is chipping away. I’ll give her the answers she wants, but knowing she’s going to run off and tell my mother doesn’t sit well with me.

  My nails bite into my palms as I sigh. “Alizon, I’m confused at what we are. Your guess is as good as mine.”

  Allie lets go of my hand and plays with the ends of her hair. She regards me like she doesn’t believe me. “What do you mean you’re confused, Rosalyn? You should know you’re in a relationship with him.”

  She says it so bluntly that my cheeks heat. She’s lucky I’m weak. “Like I said, Allie, it’s hard to know what you are when you haven’t had that conversation. We’re friends, and it hasn’t gone farther than that. He knows that Xavier has my heart, and he doesn’t want to have a relationship with me when I feel that way.” My voice cracks at the end, and I’m so ashamed I can’t pick between two men that I refuse to look at her.

  She quickly leans over me with her teeth bared, a ferocious look on her face. “I can’t believe you. After everything Xavier’s done, he still has your heart. Walk away from him before he leaves you wanting nothing to do with men. You don’t want to be like me when you get older.” Standing up, she walks to the door and opens it. She looks over her shoulder as she walks out and narrows her eyes at me. Right before the door slams, I realize the two people I need the most are furious with me.

  I’ve screwed up so much, and I don’t know how to fix it. Curling up into a ball, I let myself fall apart as tears make a steady trek down my cheeks.

  Go to sleep, Rosalyn. You’ll feel better and be able to think clearly when you aren’t so exhausted. I feel Alaric’s calming presence, and my eyes close.

  When I’m almost asleep, I hear my door open, and my eyes open just as a hand reaches toward me. I startle awake and sit up fast. Oh shit! What is Scarlett doing in my chamber?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rosalyn

  Lawrence, help! Panic courses through the tone of my voice. Calling out to my sister will get Scarlett killed, and I’d rather die than have that happen. I watch as she flies across the room, which takes what little strength I have. There won’t be much time for Lawrence to get here because I’m about to collapse. Suddenly, some power flows through me. You aren’t dying today, sweetheart, Alaric’s voice states strongly.

  As I look across the room at Scarlett, her eyes go wide when I push her firmly against the wall. Beads of sweat dampen my hair even though Alaric shared some of his strength through our connection. I know Lawrence has only a little time to get here before I exhaust myself. All I can do is stall. Bluntly, I ask, “What are you doing in my chamber, Scarlett? You do realize it’s a crime to try to assassinate the princess, right?”

  Her cheeks are damp from the tears streaming down her face. “Please, Rosalyn, don’t do this. I promise I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” she says in fear, her eyes pleading with me to believe her.

  My breathing becomes labored, and I feel another jolt of Alaric’s strength. I arch a brow as I cock my head to the side. You’d have to be stupid to not hear the disbelief ringing in my voice. “Really, Scarlett? Your hands were coming at me.”

  She shakes her head, and there’s a definite quiver in her voice. “I was just going to wake you up. I didn’t want to hurt you. I almost died from what your mother did to me.”

  Wiping my damp palms on my bedspread, I take a deep breath. “Why should I believe you? The last time we were in a room together, you tried to kill me.” My eyes narrow at her as I grind my teeth together.

  “I don’t want you dead, Rosalyn,” she says in a rush. “I need your help. I want you to get me away from here.”

  The broken girl against the wall is no longer the conceited, detestable girl she was. All I see is a shell of who she once was. I’m pretty sure my mother broke her, but I don’t trust her.

  “Scarlett, I don’t trust you, so tell me why I should help you.”

  She starts to cry in earnest as her hands cover her face. “Please, Rosalyn,” Her words are muffled by her fingers. “I won’t survive if I stay here. If your mother doesn’t kill me, Xavier will. I have to get away from here.”

  My strength finally wanes, and I can no longer hold her up with my powers, so I let her go. She falls to the ground sobbing, her cries echoing through my chamber. It’s still a shock to see her short choppy hair when it used to be so long and beautiful. My chest tightens. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t said anything?

  If I wasn’t so weak, I would go to her and try to calm her down, but my voice is all I have. “Hey. Stop crying. Please look at me, Scarlett.”

  It takes her a while to settle down. When she’s no longer hyperventilating, she looks up and her eyes are almost swollen shut.

  I pat my mattress softly. “Come sit over here so we can talk,” my tone is even to put her at ease.

  She makes her way to my bed and takes a seat. I can tell it’s still painful for her to sit. It’s been awhile since she was in the dungeons, and, in my mind, I’m screaming because I have no clue what my mom did to her. I know we have healers, and I don’t understand why they haven’t healed her completely.

  To put her at ease, I briefly smile at her. “Why does it still pain you to sit? We have healers.”

  She laughs bitterly. “Those healers are under your mother’s control, and I learned just how brutal she can be. If you wrong her in any way, she’ll torture you. When she’s done, she heals you just enough so you don’t die.”

  Taking a sharp breath, I look at her in horror. “What do you mean she only heals you ‘just enough’?”

  Scarlett looks down at her hands and twists them sharply. “She wants to leave scars, so every time you look in the mirror you’re reminded not to cross her again.”

  No. No, this woman raised me. She’s my mother, but could she be so cruel? The wool over my eyes rips even further away. Over the past few months, I’ve learned there’s a side to her I never knew. Pieces of my heart are continuing to be torn off by the very people I love. How much can a heart handle? I know mine is breaking. My eyes sting as I take in a shaky breath. So many people have suffered at the hands of the woman who calls herself my mother.

  As a tear spills over, I quietly ask, “Is this why you want to leave?”

  She nods. She lowers her voice and whispers, “I want to go to Lapshire and petition for amnesty. It’s the only place I know I’ll be safe.”

  My shoulders tense because what she said is treason. Lowering my voice as well, I whisper, “How am I supposed to help you, Scarlett?”

  “If you can just get me to the edge of the forest,” she pleads. “I promise I can get to Lapshire from there.”

  Wiping a tear from my cheek, I hear Alaric’s confident voice in my head. Get her to the edge of the forest. If she can get deep enough, I’ll get her the rest of the way. She’ll have amnesty, Rosalyn. That’s why our kingdom was created. My jaw loosens, completely stunned.

  I pull myself together quickly and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’ll help you, but you need to give me time because this plan won’t be easy to put together,” I say, quietly giving her the answer she was hoping for.

  She looks up quickly with a huge smile. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Rosalyn. You’ll let me know when?�
� Scarlett quickly asks.

  “Yes. I’ll come find you as soon as I have a plan.”

  She gets up and makes her way to the door before stopping. “I’m sorry for what I did,” she says regretfully before quickly leaving my chamber.

  Sometimes I hate my soft heart because I have no clue if I just made a huge mistake. You just have to trust she’s telling the truth. We’ll deal with the fallout if and when it happens. I’m too tired to argue with him, so I take a deep breath and get comfortable, my energy completely depleted.

  Lawrence rushes into my room, and I can’t help but think that his gorgeous body would wake anyone up on their deathbed. A growl fills my head. Can’t he just fall over and die? My eyes roll to the ceiling. This man will be the death of me.

  Lawrence moves quickly toward me. “What’s wrong? When you called, it sounded like an emergency,” he says, panic-stricken. His eyes scan my chamber before finally landing on me.

  Sighing, I look down at my hands in regret. I don’t want to lie to him. “Scarlett was in here.”

  Lawrence’s voice is sharp when he asks, “What did she want?”

  “She wanted to talk to me. She didn’t do anything to harm me. I’m fine.” Breathing hard through my nose, I finally look at Lawrence. Took you long enough to get mad at him, but sweetheart, I think he realized she didn’t hurt you since you’re breathing. So, you can stop with the dramatics. It’s unflattering.

  Errr . . . Go to hell!

  “Amare,” Lawrence says as he sits by my hip, “tell me what she said.”

  It takes all my remaining strength to shake my head at him. It just flops to the side twice. “She told me something in confidence. I’m not going to break that to tell you. I’m sorry.”

  He clucks his tongue at me and then turns his head to the side. “You were supposed to be sleeping and recovering from using your powers, not using them again. You need to go to sleep,” he says like a father chastising their child.

  “I don’t want to sleep alone. I keep picturing everything that happened. Please don’t make me,” I plead with him as I try to reach for his hand.

  He grabs my hand because I can barely lift mine off the bed. “How about I go get Alizon, okay? Just sit tight until we get back.”

  When I nod my head sluggishly, he lets go and walks away. “Lawrence,” I call out. He stops and turns to look at me. “I’m sorry for what I said. You’re a strong Witch, and I should have never said what I did.”

  He jogs back to the bed. “It’s forgiven.” Leaning down, he kisses my forehead, and then his heavenly, soft lips brush my cheek. With the last ounce of strength I have, I catch his lips when he goes to kiss my other cheek. His eyes widen, but then his hands lightly grab my cheeks, and he lightly kisses my lips three times before kissing my other cheek. “I’ll be right back, Princess.”

  Watching him walk away, I realize that Lawrence has invaded my life and started putting together all the broken pieces Xavier left behind. That little kiss was well worth the wait. You do realize that our kiss will be even more powerful, right? Alaric tries to reason. I ignore him and wait for Alizon and Lawrence.

  My eyes slowly close again just as my door flies open. My breathing comes out in harsh pants. Does everyone have to be here right now? Looking up, Xavier saunters into my room. Is this a dream? Everything inside me hopes so, especially after Lawrence kissing me. If Xavier sees him here, that’ll turn into a fight. I don’t have the energy stores to fight, and I can’t lose Lawrence.

  As he prowls closer to me, I ask, “What are you doing here, Xavier?”

  His smile slowly builds into one of pure malice. “I thought you’d be happy to see me, Addy.” My heart races as he stalks closer to my bed, and if I was strong enough, I’d be running from this room.

  Looking him dead in the eye, I burst out laughing. “After what you pulled last night, you thought I would be happy to see you? Happy is the farthest thing from what I feel right now. You literally lost your mind last night, and I drained my powers trying to fight you.” My eyes turn hard. “Leave now, Xavier.”

  He rubs his hands together and laughs. “I’m not going anywhere, Rosalyn. How many times do I have to say that you and I are meant to be? Play around all you want with Lawrence, but know in the end you’ll be with me. You were promised to me a long time ago, and I won’t lose you to some has-been Witch.” He gets to my bedside and leans down, trying to kiss my lips, but I turn my face so he gets my cheek. He growls.

  My lips are pursed, and my eyebrows draw together when I turn back to him. Through clenched teeth, I growl, “Don’t you dare try to claim me, because I’m no one’s to claim. I’m my own person. What you just said made me want you even less. After last night, don’t even think of trying to kiss me. You lost any right to my lips and my body when I saw how you treat other people. I’ll never be yours, and I’ll never belong to anyone. Get that through your bloated head.”

  His lips pull back, baring his teeth as a guttural roar bursts from his body. He quickly straddles me and holds my shoulders down. “You’re mine, Rosalyn. Maybe it’s time I teach you that lesson.” His face comes closer to mine.

  My whole body shakes as tears fall down the sides of my face. “No, Xavier. Please don’t. I’m begging you.” My voice quivers as I shake my head back and forth. Xavier’s hand pulls my nightgown . . .

  “Wake up, Rosalyn. You’re having a bad dream.”

  Hands are shaking me hard, and I feel a sudden shock when a hand smacks my face. Gasping, my hands come up to my face, and I feel tears. It was only a nightmare, and hopefully something I’ll never have to experience. Opening my eyes slowly, I see that both Lawrence and Alizon are in the room, looking at me for an answer to what is going on. Sweetheart, if you tell Lawrence, he’ll probably kill Xavier. I’m all for it, but your queen will probably kill him in return. Most of the time, I hate Alaric being inside of my head, but at moments like these, I’m happy he’s there. He knows what to do when I can’t think straight.

  Alizon sits on my bed and caresses my face. “You’re okay, Addy. Do you want to talk about it?” she asks tenderly, like a mom who’s worried about her daughter.

  “Would you give Lawrence and me some time alone before we talk?” Nodding my head, I pull her in for a hug. No matter how much she may upset me, she’s my sister.

  Alizon gets up, and Lawrence takes her place on the bed when she leaves the room. He brushes the hair out of my face and leans down, tenderly kissing my lips. “Do you want to tell me what that was about, amare?”

  I smile up at him. “I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Are you staying here tonight?”

  “Not right now.” His eyes narrow in on my lips, and he draws his thumb across them. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, but if you’re feeling up to it, we can do some training tomorrow.”

  Looking up at his body, my imagination runs wild as I think about all the positions that we could get into while we’re training. My face comes up, and I peer at him with a smile on my face. “I like the sound of that.”

  His eyebrow shoots up, and he gets that smile at the corner of his lips that’s becoming one of my favorites. “Whatever ideas are playing around in your head, amare, they aren’t happening. Now, tell me what happened in your dream.”

  My body shakes as I remember Xavier on top of me. If that had actually happened, I can’t even imagine the repercussions it would have brought on. Our relationship is crumbling, and that would have ruined every memory I have of him.

  Lawrence crushes me to his body, and I mumble into his shoulder. “I’ll talk about it when I’m ready. For right now, just let me be.”

  He pulls back and stares at me, and when I avert my eyes to look down, he barks, “Look at me, Rosalyn.” I flinch but look at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I don’t want you to look away from me when I say this.”

  I quirk my head to the side in question. He sighs, “I wish you’d tell me, but I’ll stop pushing you.”

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nbsp; There is a knock at the door, and it quietly opens while Lawrence lets go of me, gently laying me down.

  Alizon’s high-pitched voice sounds from behind Lawrence. “Did you two have a good talk?”

  Closing my heavy eyes, I softly answer, “Yes.”

  Soft lips touch the corner of my mouth and my cheek. “I’m going to head out, amare,” Lawrence says in a breathy whisper.

  Alizon pulls back the covers on the other side of the bed, and the bed dips beneath her weight. “So, it looks like you two are getting close.” Her face lights up with a teasing smile.

  All I do is shrug at her and burrow deeper into the blankets. “Alizon, I’m just seeing where it goes. Stop for right now, okay?”

  She lets out a breath and leans toward me. “Tell me what happened, Rosalyn,” she says softly.

  Pulling the blankets over my head, I answer her. “It was a nightmare about Xavier, and I’m not ready to talk about it yet. So please don’t harass me.”

  Alizon joins me under the blankets and pulls me over to her. She kisses my hairline. “You don’t have to talk about it. I’m just worried about you. Go to sleep, and I’ll be here if things get bad. Love you.”

  Putting my arms around her, I hug her tight. “I love you, Allie.”

  Nodding off, I realize I may not have everything, but I do have a sister who would lay down her life for me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Alaric

  Brailyn steps in front of me as I walk down the corridor, her curly light brown hair flowing freely down her back.

  “Are you through being mad at me?” she pouts. “This has gone on long enough, Alaric.” She crosses her arms over her chest while regarding me in a motherly way.

  Looking down at her, I mirror her stance. “Considering you almost killed Jacque, no, I’m not through being mad at you. Now move, Brailyn.” My tone is so cold, it could freeze the corridor we’re in.