Текст книги "Reckless Magic"
Автор книги: Rachel Higginson
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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 24 страниц)
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Good morning, Eden,” Aunt Syl sat at the kitchen island sipping a cup of coffee in her white pajamas. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing her glasses; it was such a comfortable feeling. I loved having breakfast with her in the morning; it was something we rarely got to do. “I’m surprised to see you up so early. Isn’t today Saturday?” she turned to look at the clock, and I knew her question was sincere.
“Yes, today’s Saturday. I don’t know, I had the strangest dream and then I couldn’t fall back asleep,” I rubbed my eyes feeling like I had had no sleep at all last night. “Have you been at the hospital?”
“Yes, since sometime yesterday…. or the day before. I can’t really remember anymore,” she yawned big, causing a chain reaction, and I yawned in response. “The days are starting to run together. Do you want a cup of coffee?”
I nodded my reply and she stood up to get a big black coffee cup from the cabinet. I sat down next to her seat and inhaled the aroma of the strong Columbian coffee she was pouring into my cup.
“Did you want me to make you something for breakfast?” she asked while handing me the hot cup and taking her seat next to me.
“No thank you, this is fine,” I smiled and looked over her shoulder at the newspaper she had been reading. While she may have been an expert surgeon, pancakes were a little out of her league.
“Hey, how are you doing with the whole Immortal thing?” she looked up from the business section of the Saturday morning World Herald and gave me a concerned look.
“I’m fine; I mean.… I’m coping,” I gave her a reassuring smile and contemplated my feelings. I hadn’t really thought things through; I’d just accepted everything at face value. I knew there were lots of things I needed to learn and sort through, but at the moment, all I could do was accept who I was and what I was capable of.
“Well, if you ever need to talk about it, I’m here,” she patted my back and kissed the top of my head. She was the reason I never felt the need to think about my parents until now.
“It doesn’t freak you out?” I asked, taking a nice long sip of the steaming hot coffee.
“Oh no, not at all. Amory and I have been friends for years, long before you came along,” she gave me a wink and I didn’t think I wanted to ask her any more questions about that.
“But you didn’t know my parents?” I wondered out loud.
“No, I never met them. Amory and I were—” she was interrupted by the doorbell. We both looked at each other and rolled our eyes; mentally calculating which one of us was dressed enough to answer the door. The familiar tingling of electricity pricked the back of my neck and a feeling of anxiety washed over me.
“I’ll get it,” I groaned, standing up and regretfully setting my coffee down. I made my way through the large chef’s kitchen to the front room; my slippers made a padding sound as I walked over the hardwood floors.
Not bothering to look at who it was first, I threw the door open, and sent a rush of cool air into the house. I didn’t know who I expected to see on the front porch, but Talbott Angelo was probably the last person I wanted to see. He stood in front of me, dark hair combed, green eyes blazing, holding a bouquet of pink chrysanthemums. My mouth dropped open.
“Hello Eden,” he said calmly, accenting each syllable to clean up his accent. I tried to mouth something in reply, but couldn’t make a sound. What was he doing here? “May I come in?”
I moved out of the way silently and allowed him to pass; this was so strange. I instantly regretted not asking Aunt Syl to answer the door instead.
He walked casually by me and then turned around to face me again in the foyer. I glanced through the door one more time, looking for Kiran or the mailman or anyone else to rescue me from what I expected was going to be a very awkward conversation.
“I am sure you are wondering what I am doing here at such an early hour. I apologize for not giving you advanced warning. I didn’t have much warning myself,” he smiled apologetically and I subconsciously covered my stomach with my arms, wishing I had a sweatshirt nearby to throw on.
“Prince Kiran sent me over this morning insisting that I made sure you were unharmed. I see that you are,” he cleared his throat and glanced back at the front door as if wanting to escape through it. I wished he would and wondered why he didn’t.
“What? Why? What is Prince Kiran so worried about? And why didn’t he just call?” Surely there was a student directory he could use to get my phone number. I flashed back to my dream and found it strange that after such a vivid dream of him, he would send someone to check on me.
“Prince Kiran was worried about your safety. When he woke up this morning he demanded that I personally check to make sure you were alright; he seemed to think you were in some sort of danger,” he shook his head a little, as if annoyed. “And I don’t know why, but he said it was urgent. However, I can see you are just fine,” Talbott continued to stand there awkwardly holding the flowers. Despite Talbott’s efforts to be nice, I saw glimpses of the side of him that hated me. I was reminded of how rude he was to me at Kiran’s club.
“Yes, I am fine,” I said sounding more defensive than I had intended. “I still don’t understand why he didn’t just call.”
“Prince Kiran has been forbidden from talking with you. He sends his apologies,” I couldn’t help myself and let out a small laugh. I could deal with the whole Immortal thing, but all of these royal rules and standards of conduct were an entirely different matter. Talbott shot me a confused look, but I didn’t have an explanation for him and so I stayed silent. “Do you have a message you would like me to relay to him?”
“Is this because of Seraphina?” I blurted out.
“Well yes in part, I tried to warn you,” he shook his head again.
“What’s the other part?” I asked, ignoring his ‘I told you so.’
“His father. You are a Witch, isn’t that right?” I nodded my head yes, feeling odd to have this conversation with someone other than Principal Saint or Avalon. “Kiran is not allowed to marry a Witch; he must marry a Medium by royal edict,” he said this with finality; I decided not to indulge Talbott by asking any more questions.
“Who said anything about marriage?” I grumbled under my breath.
“Eden, you must understand that Kiran has responsibilities; responsibilities that he has so far failed to take care of. He will one day become King and that requires discipline; you are only a distraction to him.”
I flinched from his words, and then instantly regretted looking weak in front of him. I was surprised by his boldness however; not many people were very open and honest with me. Despite my malicious feelings for Talbott, I could at least appreciate his honesty.
I noticed that Talbott felt bad for his harsh words and could no longer look me in the eye. He didn’t offer an apology and I half wondered if he was waiting for me to give him one.
“That is beside the point,” he cleared his throat and offered me the flowers. I didn’t take them right away, but glared at their pretty petals instead. “Eden will you please go to the Fall Equinox Dance with me tonight?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I held back my laughter and eventually took the flowers from him, not knowing what else to do.
“I wish I was; please understand that this is Kiran’s idea…. no, Kiran’s order. I have been ordered to make sure you are protected this evening,” he clasped his hands behind his back and I saw a hint of his military training.
“Protected from what? No thank you, I will be just fine…. here…. alone,” this was ridiculous.
“Please go to the dance with me,” he softened his voice, but hardened his tone. “Kiran has ordered me to stay with you; but I am afraid that he is the one in danger. I need to be near him tonight,” Talbott looked down at the ground.
“You’re right, you do need to be near him, and you’re definitely not staying here with me. And I am definitely not going to that stupid dance,” the man in black passed through my mind again and a feeling of uneasy started to grow in the bottom of my stomach.
“Eden, you don’t have a choice,” Talbott said exasperated. “He’s the Crown Prince; you have to do what he says.”
“You are kidding me,” this was ridiculous. I was almost too angry for words.
“No, I’m not. Please be ready by seven,” he walked passed me and opened the door.
“What is going to happen to Lilly?” I called after him, fuming.
“I don’t know,” he replied softly.
“Well, aren’t you going to do something?” I accused, tired of being told what to do.
“Lilly Mason lied to me, and she lied to the Crown Prince, she is on her own. I cannot help her…. no one can help her,” he nearly growled the words before closing the door behind him.
I stood in the foyer, flowers in hand, staring at the door. I was so angry I could spit.
“He’s right dear; you do have to do what Kiran asks,” I turned to see my aunt standing in the door-frame leading to the kitchen, arms folded, with a concerned look on her face.
“Ahhh!” I let out a small scream of frustration, threw the flowers on the floor and stormed up to my bedroom. If I was going to be treated like a child, then I was going to act like one.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I rummaged through my closet, throwing piece after piece of clothing into a pile on my bedroom floor. I couldn’t decide what to wear, against my will, to the dance. My nice clothes seemed too dressy and my casual clothes seemed too dumpy. I contemplated wearing the Kingsley uniform just to spite Talbott, but decided that he wouldn’t care and I would look like an idiot.
I’d never been to a dance before and I didn’t know what to expect. My high school experience had thus far been a disaster and the last thing I wanted to add to my long list of high school embarrassing moments was an opportunity to willfully show off what lack of dance moves I had. The only thing, in fact, that could get me to go to the dance was a royal decree, which was apparently what I was up against.
I was not sure if I even took the whole Monarchy thing seriously yet. It didn’t seem real and the truth was I had a hard time believing there was a King out there that actually had authority over me. It was even harder to believe that one day that King would be Kiran.
I rolled my eyes and began to rummage through another section of clothes. I paused on a black strapless dress I had worn to a funeral for one of Aunt Syl’s coworkers. The dress was tight-fitting, but had a ruffle that started mid-thigh and ended at the knee. To the funeral I wore a black, cardigan to cover up my shoulders, but I could go without one for the dance. I stomped my foot, frustrated, realizing that this date was the last thing I wanted to do tonight.
I found it hard to believe that Kiran was doing this with my best interest in mind. It seemed more like a way to torment me more than anything else. A date with Talbott, who completely lacked personality and didn’t like me anyway, all while watching Seraphina Van Curen throw herself at Kiran sounded more like torture than a high school rite of passage.
“How are you doing sweetie?” Aunt Syl peeked her head in the door and talked softly, soothingly. She had probably heard me stomping my foot and grumbling for the last couple of hours to know that I was just a little upset.
“I have nothing to wear,” I pulled my head out of the closet and glanced at the clock: 6:30. At least I had already showered.
“This came for you,” she said tentatively and stepped all the way into my room, pushing the door aside with a large white box, wrapped in a soft pink ribbon.
When I didn’t respond, she walked over to the bed and laid the box on top of my rumpled covers. I could see her watching me out of the corner of her eye, while she opened the box and revealed soft pink silk wrapped in silver tissue paper.
Since I didn’t move to examine the contents of the box, Aunt Syl did the honors by slowly unwrapping the tissue paper and pulling out the garment. She held it up, with a soft gasp. The dress was absolutely stunning; the material completely pink silk, with gold embroidery at the hem. The top cut into a deep v in the front and in the back with wide cap sleeves, while the bottom flowed out into an a-line skirt with detailed pleating. Left in the box I could see a pair of gold strappy stilettos.
“Who’s it from?” I asked, although I could probably assume.
“Oh here, this came with it,” she handed me a piece of ivory cardstock, embellished with an elaborate snake circling around to eat its own tail; surrounding the snake were dainty lilies and intertwining with the snake was an ornate golden crown. I realized I had seen a lot of snakes recently and pondered their meaning as I grudgingly read the hand written note.
I wanted to be the one to take you tonight.
Know that I’ll be thinking of only you.
“What a bunch of bull-sh—“
“Eden,” my aunt cut me off sharply. “It is a nice gesture, and a beautiful gown,” she held it closer and sighed softly. The dress was beautiful. I stepped closer to examine it and rubbed the soft silk between my fingers. I couldn’t find a label and wondered what designer was responsible for this magnificent creation.
“No. I am not going to play these games,” I said firmly, letting the material drop from my hands. I walked back over to my closet and ripped the black funeral dress from the hanger.
“Absolutely not,” my aunt shook her head. “Come with me if you’re going to be stubborn.”
Aunt Syl laid the pink dress very carefully onto my bed, laying it out perfectly. She touched it one more time and gave another soft sigh, before turning on her heel and beckoning me to follow. We walked down the hall into her bedroom.
The master bedroom was gigantic and looked like a page directly out of pottery barn. Her bed always perfectly made, was adorned with a lavish comforter and probably fifteen pillows. I imagined that it was also gathering dust since she was never here to sleep in it. We walked past her settee and 52” flat screen TV and entered her bathroom.
The bathroom itself looked like a spa, but the real treasure was in the back…. her walk-in closet. Aunt Syl’s only vice was clothing. She loved shopping and had a closet full of clothes to testify. Aunt Syl was really quite the bombshell. Her thin frame and trendy sense of style made it easy for us to share and swap, so I was excited to see what she had in mind.
She took in a big breath as if paying homage to the closet gods and let her fingers slide across the racks of clothes until she reached the back. I saw her slowly, and carefully, picking her way through the many formal dresses she had accumulated. Her fingers brushed softly, almost reverently over their various materials, moving them out of the way gently. Finally, she came to rest on one. She pulled the hanger down and turned around to face me.
I smiled. This was one of her favorite purchases. She picked it up in the middle of the summer and hadn’t had a chance to wear it yet. The emerald green dress was strapless and short, with a curving bodice. Small black and gold beading covered the front, giving it the look of a corset, while the waist was cinched even smaller with an oversized black belt. At least it would give me curves.
I took the dress from her and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. I turned to head back to my room, but not before I grabbed a pair of killer black heels. Once in my room I dressed in seconds, maneuvering my body in ways I didn’t think possible to get the zipper all the way up in the back. I slipped on the heels and pulled my black waves into an unruly bun at the base of my neck. It was messy, but it would have to do.
I headed to the bathroom, where my makeup awaited. I was in the middle of painting on a quick retouch of bright pink fingernail polish when I heard the doorbell ring. They were just going to have to wait. I smudged my black eyeliner on, while Aunt Syl answered the door. A little bit of mascara and some bright pink lip gloss and I was ready to go.
I grabbed a beaded black clutch and stuffed it with the essentials, and made my descent down the staircase. I always imagined the walk down the tall, wooden staircase, to be somewhat magical on my first date when I was a little girl. Unfortunately, I never imagined my first date to be with someone who despised me, to a dance where I was sure to make a fool of myself, by orders from a Royal Prince who likes me but has been forbidden to talk to me; but I never had much of an imagination.
Talbott waited at the foot of the stairs, more pink chrysanthemums in hand; well, they used to be my favorite flowers. As my heels clicked on the staircase, Talbott looked up to take a look at me. The moment his eyes took me in, they nearly bugged out of his big head. His mouth dropped open and I could see that he was struggling for words. I would have taken it as a compliment except the look on his face made me more self-conscious than anything.
“Y-y-y-you can’t wear that,” Talbott stammered out.
“Why not?” I asked defensively and finished my descent down the stairs.
“Because, you can’t,” he said simply, not really giving me a reason.
“Yes, I can,” I argued back with attitude.
“Where is the dress Prince Kiran sent you? You have to wear that one,” Talbott took a step forward and I thought for a moment he was going to push me back up the staircase.
“No, I don’t have to wear that one. I don’t have to do anything. You’re lucky I’m even going to this stupid dance,” I brushed passed him and out the door, leaving him to stare after me completely unsure what to do.
“Eden, behave tonight,” Aunt Syl called after me, fidgeting with a camera she never got to turn on, as I made my way hurriedly towards Talbott’s retro limousine.
The chauffer tried to get out of the driver’s side quickly, but I beat him to it, leaving him just as confused as Talbott. I yanked open the door and threw myself in to the back seat, landing on something soft, but not quite a car seat. I looked up and saw Kiran looking down at me, confused and surprised.
“Excuse me,” I said irritably, and maneuvered quickly, and as lady-like as possible in my short skirt off of Kiran’s lap.
“You’re excused,” Kiran replied slowly and somewhat befuddled.
“I didn’t expect anyone to be in here. I mean, I thought it would just be Talbott and me,” I tried to explain, and crossed my legs self-consciously. Suddenly, I was rethinking my choice of evening attire.
“It’s a double,” Kiran cleared his throat, never taking his eyes off of me. Talbott finally began to make his way down the walk and towards the limo. “Didn’t you like the dress I sent you?” his smirk was suddenly there and I watched his eyes appraise me.
“No,” I replied simply.
“I think I like this one better too,” Kiran cleared his throat again and I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or annoyed. “Thank you, for coming tonight,” he said sincerely.
“I didn’t think I had a choice,” I looked out of the window, hoping for a distraction. Kiran was dressed in a nicely tailored black tuxedo, shiny shoes to match. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back away from his face, accentuating his strong facial features. I had never seen him look so handsome; it was distracting me, and making me forget how mad I was.
“Don’t be so grumpy Eden,” Kiran scolded playfully, before half standing to sit next to me on the seat that was facing him. Talbott burst through the door of the limousine and I noticed for the first time that he was wearing a tuxedo as well. Apparently this was not just an ordinary high school dance.
“Wouldn’t you prefer to sit over here Sir?” Talbott had not yet recovered from my dress and was still awkward as he took a seat across from us.
“I will Talbott, stop worrying so much,” Kiran scooted closer to me as if to spite Talbott before turning towards my face and wrapping his arm around me.
My heart began to beat wildly and my magic was barely under control. Kiran’s touch brought an electrical storm through my blood and I felt it begin to boil just below the surface of my skin. I saw Kiran smirk once again before leaning his lips close to my neck, breathing softly on my neck.
“You look beautiful tonight, Eden,” Kiran whispered delicately in my ear, his breath tickling my throat gently. I felt dizzy from with him so close. “Will you save a dance for me?” I was flooded with overwhelming magic, making me forget how angry I was. I would have said yes to anything he asked, until….
“Driver, to Ms. Van Curen’s, please,” Talbott instructed the driver with authority. I suddenly remembered why this night was so preposterous and snapped out of my hypnosis.
“I don’t think so,” I said, half standing up as quickly as I could, moving across the limo and onto the seat next to Talbott. I folded my arms stubbornly and stared out the window, vowing to ignore Kiran Kendrick completely. He was not taking both Seraphina and me on a date; clearly he needed to be reminded.
To my irritation however, he only laughed, as if my rejection of him were somehow entertaining. I fumed silently; the blood that was boiling from desire now boiled from fury. I could feel the magic radiating off me as if putting up a guard that no man could cross.
Any and all hints I tried to throw Kiran’s direction apparently flew right over his head because he purposefully scooted over in his seat and sat directly across from me. He casually slid his feet next to mine, our ankles touching in the smallest of ways. I tried to maneuver my feet away from his, but the space in the limo was too confined and anywhere I moved my feet, he simply stretched his longer legs to accommodate. I saw the smile on his lips and realized this was just another one of his games. Talbott sat next to me, head in hands, afraid to watch.
The driver came to a stop in front of an elaborate mansion on the northwest side of Omaha. The house was gigantic, with immaculate detailing. The walk up to the house itself was a good 50 yards. The entry way, surrounded by tall white columns, was large enough to accommodate an elephant.
Kiran stepped out of the car and walked the long way alone. I breathed a sigh of relief and stretched my legs from out of their cramped position. Only a few minutes went by before Kiran returned with Seraphina, whom he opened the door for and helped into the seat across from Talbott. I expect her to scoot down and across from me so that Kiran could also climb in the car, but to my disappointment he walked around to the other side of the car and took his place, legs stretched out before him and all, across from me.
“You look nice,” Seraphina said sarcastically, after only seconds of entering the vehicle. Her eyes appraised me in a much less flattering way than Kiran did, and I once again felt self-conscious.
“So do you Seraphina,” I tried to return it sarcastically, but I knew the sincerity shined through, because she genuinely looked stunning. She only rolled her eyes and slipped her arm through Kiran’s as if marking her merchandise.
Kiran glanced at her approvingly before giving her a small peck on the cheek. I couldn’t blame him, although I wished I could, but she looked like a goddess tonight. Her long blonde hair was wrapped into an intricately woven side ponytail, her golden locks hanging curled and shining. She was dripping in diamonds from her earrings to her necklace to her bracelets. They complimented her floor length, bodice hugging, silver gown, and gave her the illusion that she was sparkling. Her silver gown accentuated every one of her curves and was low cut in the front, but maintained the class and sophistication my dress did not. The entire bodice was beaded and embellished and had almost a 1920’s look to it.
I understood now, why the pink gown was more appropriate. I once again was walking into an unknown situation looking like a tramp. I rolled my eyes and continued looking out the window, internally cringing. This dance felt less and less like a high school extra-curricular activity and more and more like a witch trial; unfortunately for me, it turned out I actually was the Witch.
