by J. E. Taylor
Your eyes are a portal into ethereal light,
Especially when your smile shines,
And your silky hair blows in strands darker than night.
You are a magic I get lost in whenever your gaze finds mine.
Every night I see you in my dreams...
Finding solace in the softness of your lips,
I fall into your warm embrace,
Reaching ecstasy in the sensuous sway of your hips.
You are a magic I get lost in when rapture paints your face.
Every evening I wish upon a shooting star...
That the beauty I spend my days with will end up in my arms.
You are a magic I get lost in. Marry me, Star.
I stared at the note for what seemed like forever, and my mind drifted back to my birthday.
My mother had gotten the night off and invited a few of my friends to the pub in town for a celebration.
I had been laughing and dancing with Alex, one of the other servants who was my age, when Jaden walked in the pub. Our gazes met, and for a moment I thought I saw a flash of something dark glide across his features. I chalked it up to the lighting because a moment later, his easy smile surfaced, and he gave me a nod.
The backpack had been over his shoulder that night, and now I realized what that dark look was. Whatever he had planned had changed the moment he saw me swaying in Alex’s arms. He hadn’t given me my gift that night, either. If I recalled, he gave me a simple charm bracelet the next day.
I dumped the contents of the backpack on the blanket. What tumbled out shook the very foundation I sat on. I stared at the simple diamond silhouette sitting on top of the money Jaden had left in the bag for me.
With a shaking hand, I picked up the jewel and studied it, looking between the note and the ring in utter shock. The sheet of paper dropped from my left hand as I straightened out my fingers. The ring slid easily onto my ring finger, sitting snug enough to be considered a perfect fit. A lump formed in my throat, and my chest pounded with the level of pain gripping me.
Now I understood.
My life went off the rails the moment I insisted he marry another.
Chapter 8
With the money Jaden left me and a protection spell cast on my new space, I headed back into the heart of sector eleven.
The ring sparkled in the sun, but I needed something else—a dress for the celebration. For the wedding that should have been mine. As soon as I stepped into the marketplace, hushed whispers followed me, along with blatantly hostile stares and snide remarks that put me on edge.
By the time I ducked into the only formal dress shop in town, I was ready to tear my hair out or someone’s face off. It was kind of a tossup. When I turned from the door, the entire place went silent. Wide eyes stared at me. A moment later when the door opened and a pixie witch stepped out in a wedding gown, I understood.
A saleslady hurried over, but it wasn’t to greet me.
Her face was a mask of indignant disgust. “Please leave,” she ordered loud enough for everyone in the place to hear.
I gawked at her and then ignored the sales woman, to cross to within a few feet of the witch Samantha had insisted on for her son. She was a few inches shorter than I was. By the narrowing of her eyes, she knew exactly who I was.
The saleswoman reached for me, but Eleanor put her hand up.
“Give us a moment,” she said in the most annoyingly nasal voice I had ever heard.
When the staff and attendants stepped away, she moved closer, glaring up at me.
“The Regent warned all of us that you would try to somehow ruin this occasion. If you don’t leave now, I will make sure you suffer until I choose to end your life.”
I raised an eyebrow and crowded her, embracing my warrior persona. “I am not afraid of you,” I snarled and glanced at her naked fingers. I smiled when I looked back at her scrunched face.
“You should be,” she growled. “I’m a powerful witch,” she added, puffing her chest like that should make me quake in my boots.
I kept my tongue about my heritage and leaned a little closer. “I heard you had some tainted blood in your gene pool.”
The shocked blink confirmed my suspicion. There weren’t many pure lineages left beyond the Mallory line and mine. My mother had once told me who in the sector came from pure blood, and this little deranged pixie wasn’t on the list. I was surprised Samantha had chosen her to take over the Regency. Money and power seemed to be the deciding factor more so than the pure lineage bullshit, though.
“Who told you that?” she hissed.
Her indignant squeak pulled a chuckle from my throat. I had never been this nasty before, and a part of me cringed at the way I was treating this woman.
“Does it matter?” I asked, cocking my head in a challenge. “Besides, you don’t really expect me to believe you love the Regent’s son.”
“I don’t need to. Once I become Regent, he will be obsolete until I need to produce an heir.” The arrogant bitch lifted her nose at me. “And then I’ll have him jerk off in a cup.”
I took a step back, unprepared for her candor or her spite. “What makes you think he will stick around?”
“I’ll have his dick cut off if he lays a finger on another woman. And then I’ll have the pleasure of feeding him to the ravagers myself.” She flipped her hair back and pointed a finger at me. “And as for you, I lay the curse of the ages on you. May you...”
She didn’t get the words out. Instead, my fist connected with her front teeth, knocking her on her ass. Blood dripped from her split lip, sprinkling onto the white of her dress. I grinned at my accomplishment. Eleanor would be getting married without her front teeth.
When her wail brought the staff running, I turned and bolted, but not before the witch issued the rest of her curse. Fortunately, I crafted a stronger protection spell before I left the skyscraper so I wouldn’t be vulnerable to the Regent if I ran across her.
However, even with my protective barrier, the impact of Eleanor’s spell nearly knocked me on my face. I stumbled, catching my footing before I continued running. I wondered if the curse bounced, or if it dispelled on contact. If it bounced, some poor soul would be the recipient of Eleanor’s wrath.
I took the corner two blocks away and ran smack into someone coming out of a shop, knocking them over. I mumbled an apology and glanced up. Right into Jaden’s amused green eyes. He was trying his best not to laugh and maintain composure, but the twitch of his lips gave him away. It was enough to jumpstart my heart, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
He pushed me off like I was diseased and climbed to his feet. “Get the hell away from me.” The glare he sent me set my teeth on edge.
“Fuck you, Jaden,” I muttered as he turned away. I flipped my middle finger of my left hand at the back of his head.
He glanced over his shoulder and froze in place when his gaze landed on the ring. His eyes widened and snapped back to mine before they narrowed, and his lips tightened. This time there was rage accompanying his glare.
In that fraction of a second, I knew he didn’t realize what had been in the backpack.
I didn’t wait for a response. I turned and broke out in a sprint with my heart slamming my ribcage. My brain ran faster than my feet, trying to read exactly what his expression meant. Was he upset that I was wearing the engagement ring? Did he even recognize it as the ring he got me? Or did he think I was betrothed to another?
Too many unanswered questions fluttered through my mind, and I had no idea how to answer them. I waited until I saw the procession of Eleanor and her staff head back towards the mansion before I snuck back to the dress shop to see what I could buy with the money burning a hole in my pocket.
The bell rang, and the reception I received was even chillier than before.
“I need a dress,” I said despite the glares.
“You will not find one at this shop,” the saleswoman closest to me spit out and crossed her arms.
&
nbsp; “I have money,” I argued.
“Your money is no good here. As a matter of fact, I would think your money is no good anywhere in this sector,” another sales woman snapped and pointed to the door.
My gaze crossed each and every face in the shop, and every single saleswoman held the same defiant disgust. Instead of holding my ground and insisting they let me buy something, I turned and left the bridal salon.
There were a few other stores that had dresses, but not ones for formal occasions like this one. Each store I entered had the same response. I grossly underestimated what being denounced by the Regency meant, and now the burn of the entire situation flushed my skin.
Chapter 9
The room in the tower seemed much less desolate now that I knew what my future held. A life of glares and being shunned lay ahead of me. I slumped on my paper bed, staring at the ceiling in the fading light from under the door.
I welcomed the dark, the solitude to get my head around everything that had happened.
But my solitude didn’t last.
Jaden burst through the door, out of breath and as agitated as I had ever seen him.
“Who the hell are you engaged to?” he huffed and slammed the door behind him, engulfing us in the dark.
I flipped on the flashlight and shined it right in his eyes. I wasn’t in the mood for his angry accusations or the hostility written in the set of his tight lips. So I reached into the bag and tossed him the folded note.
His eyes narrowed until he unfolded the paper. Even in the semi-darkness, his handwriting was hard to mistake for someone else’s. He mopped his face with his free hand and leaned against the door.
“Holy mother,” he whispered and closed his eyes. “You weren’t supposed to...”
“To what?” I said when he didn’t continue. “You want the goddamned ring back?” I yanked it from my finger and pitched it at him.
The note fluttered from his hand as he tried to intercept the flying jewelry, but it hit his chest and bounced onto the floor between us.
“Star,” he whispered.
“Do you have any idea what today was like for me?” I snapped, ignoring the plea in his eyes.
“I didn’t have a choice,” he said with a little more strength.
“No. Don’t you dare give me that absolute bullshit. You and that bitch of a mother of yours have made it impossible for me to survive in this sector. No one will let me buy clothing, whether it be fancy or regular. I wasn’t allowed in any of the restaurants, and all the grocers turned me away. I had to eat a moldy piece of cheese out of a garbage can.” Anger welled up inside, flashing over faster than I could control. Outside, thunder rumbled.
Jaden slowly slid down the wall until he folded into a sitting position on the floor. He crossed his arms on his knees and buried his face in the crook of his elbow.
I breathed, concentrating on not letting the winding fury take over my entire form. Each breath corralled the burning need to destroy everything around me, but when he looked up, that quizzical crease between his eyes nearly set me off.
“Why were you trying to buy a fancy dress?”
“I can’t exactly show up at your wedding in this,” I said, waving to my dirty clothes.
He picked up the note and the diamond ring in the center of the floor before he returned his gaze to mine. “You aren’t welcome at the wedding.”
“Then I might as well walk into a pack of ravagers,” I growled at him.
He winced. “Don’t...” His hands suddenly curled into fists, crumpling the note in one hand and palming the ring in the other. He looked up at the ceiling, taking slow breaths as if his own demons were getting the best of him, then he stood.
I climbed to my feet as well, bringing his attention to me. “Fuck you, Jaden. You’ve made it so I will not have any semblance of life. I will not know happiness or joy. I will never know love.” My voice cracked, and I squeezed my eyes closed against the burn. “Congratulations. Your mother has won. She has destroyed my life.”
He moved and before I knew it, he had me against the wall with his lips on mine and his entire body pressed into me. Electricity crackled between us, lighting up the room. It sparked from deep within my core, wrapping around us like a wild storm.
I didn’t push him away. Even though the part that still had a sliver of dignity screamed not to let him in, I was helpless. This was all I’d ever have of Jaden. This moment, this intensity, this adoration in his eyes as he nearly ripped the clothes off me. My hands moved greedily of their own accord, stripping him of his coat, his shirt, his pants, until he laid me on my sad excuse for a bed.
He stared into my eyes, waiting for the rejection. Waiting for me to stop him from doing what he wanted. When I pulled him back to my lips, the kiss slowed into a sensual dream. His hands caressed my skin, and then his lips followed their path, from my breasts to my core. He tenderly explored every inch of me, creating a burning heat in the center of my soul.
I tilted into his teasing mouth, his name exhaling in a satisfied moan.
Jaden kissed his way up my body, positioning himself between my legs. His eyes met mine, and he paused as if he was studying my very soul. The pulse between my legs nearly drove me mad. I wanted him. I didn’t want this moment to be lost.
He must have read the need filling my body and soul because he slid inside with a slow thrust. I stiffened underneath him, my eyes widening at the sudden girth filling me, along with a flash of pain, breaking the last of my innocence.
He moved in a sinuously slow rhythm, driving away the pain with each stroke and replacing it with pleasure.
His eyelids dropped to half-mast, like he had taken a sip of his favorite fruit concoction. Bliss resided in the soft smile stretching his lips. When he whispered “Star,” it was as if my name was the most precious word in the universe.
His rhythm increased, and energy pooled inside me, pulling from every cell, building until I arched my back and screamed his name as the wave hit. My fingers dug into his shoulders. Jaden’s mouth covered my breast, teasing the sensitive nub, before he captured my mouth in an insanely intense kiss. Our tongues twirled with the same speed and force of our hips until he groaned, slamming his full length inside me.
He stilled, but his muscles trembled as much as mine. He pulled away from my lips and stared into my eyes, giving me a hint of a smile. “Every night I’ll see you in my dreams... I’ll fall into the memory of your warm embrace, relishing the ecstasy of your sensuous sway. You are a magic I’ll get lost in every time I fall asleep,” he whispered, paraphrasing the poem before he dipped his head to my shoulder.
When he wrapped his arms around me, I stared at the ceiling through a veil of tears as my hands slowly caressed his back, trying to memorize the feel of his skin. When I drew in a breath, I closed my eyes and cataloged the sweet smell of his cologne mixed with sweat and sex. All memories I wanted to last, all moments I’d never have again.
He pulled away and took my left hand, sliding the ring back on. “In case you need a reminder of where my heart truly is,” he said and kissed my fingertips. He rolled off of me, and the sweetness of the moment soured.
I didn’t want to move, didn’t want to say goodbye. I pulled his dress shirt into my grasp, burying my nose in the fabric as he pulled his pants on. He turned to reach for it and stopped, raising an eyebrow.
I shrugged up at him. “I need a night shirt,” I said, unwilling to let it go.
He crouched next to me and ran the back of his fingers across my cheek. “I didn’t come here to...” He bit his lower lip and inhaled before he continued. “This was better than any dream. I now know what I’m missing, and it will kill me in the end.” He pulled his hand away. “But at least we both know what it feels like now.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never...?”
He chuckled and blushed bright red. “I’ve fucked before, if that’s what you’re asking, but that’s not what this was.” His fingers gently slid across my lips before he
stood and pulled his coat on over his bare chest. “I’ve never made love before. I never put my soul into it, until now, and it was as beautiful as you are.”
A lump formed in my throat, preventing me from responding.
He leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead. “I hope you don’t ever hate me,” he whispered and straightened. “But you just might before all this is over,” he added and turned, leaving me alone with the smell of him surrounding me.
Chapter 10
I woke in the middle of the night with darkness wrapped around me. Jaden’s scent still clung to the shirt. I curled into a ball, letting it penetrate my senses. If I didn’t have his shirt, I would have wondered if what had happened was real, or if it was just a vivid dream.
The slow realization that I was no longer a virgin also reared up through the fog. And the man responsible would be standing at the altar next to someone else in three days.
I had to find a suitable outfit because, despite what Jaden said, there was no way in hell I was going to miss the wedding. Not after what that witch said to me in the shop. I would relish seeing my protection spell in action.
I smiled in the black room, but it soon faded when I thought about trying to find a dress again. I had tried all the shops that only stocked new clothing. Now it was time to start looking at those second-hand shops that I always passed without another look.
With my plan of action in place, I huddled farther under my blanket and tried to catch a little more sleep before the day started in earnest.
* * *
The streets were crowded, so I tried to keep my head down to escape notice. I made it to one of the little shops on the edge of town without any interference. Inside, a dingy space held racks of clothing in a pattern I could not decipher. Men’s clothing was combined with women’s. I bit my nail, scanning for anything dressy.
In the far corner, I spied what I was looking for. As I crossed toward it, the curator came out of the back of the shop. Her flowing, floor length dress and her wild red hair, along with the flare with which she greeted me, categorized her as a free spirit, one who obviously hadn’t gotten the memo that I was to be shunned.
