The Cindy Chronicles: The Complete Set

by RaShelle Workman

  “It’s a group of elves,” Gabe began, running a hand through his hair. They took over a small town in Wyoming, kicking out any human that wouldn’t accept their elf leader as their ruler. The humans tried to explain the government and city officials, but the elves wouldn’t have it. Several humans were killed.”

  “What?” Snow seemed genuinely shocked.

  “It’s true. The magical creatures believe Earth is theirs and that they are the rightful heirs to it, so they’re taking what they want without thinking of the consequences. They don’t get that the world outside this realm has changed.”

  Snow snorted. “They aren’t wrong. The Earth does belong to them. It isn’t their fault Sharra condemned them to this prison for thousands of years.”

  Gabe’s face was incredulous. “You think that makes it okay to kill people—innocent people?”

  “No. No, of course not,” Snow muttered and turned away.

  I wondered if she meant that. Now that her position had changed her loyalties weren’t to the human race, but to the magical creatures.

  “If you don’t do something about them, reign them in, there’s going to be a war, the chayot against your creatures. It won’t end well for your kind.”

  “How dare you come into my house and threaten me?” Snow spun back around and glared at him.

  Dorian moved next to Snow, making it obvious where his loyalties were. Whatever Dorian was, he supported his wife.

  Gabe’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry, Snow. I never wanted to be put in this position.” His eyes became pleading. “Just as you’re the Vampire Queen, I am the leader of the chayot. I have no choice but to be here. Protecting humans is who I am. It’s in my blood, just as Vampire is in yours.”

  Snow nodded. “I know.” They seemed to be at an impasse. Finally Snow said, “I’ll think about it. Imprisoning them here is not the answer, but maybe there’s another way.”

  “As soon as you figure that out, please let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.” He turned away and I wondered if he intended to leave.

  I could only hope.

  Sadly, I wasn’t that lucky.

  Reveal

  Gabe turned back and his eyes bore into mine. When our eyes met I couldn’t help but recall a memory: he and I spent a hot summer weekend together. He’d taken me to a small town in Louisiana, rented a small boat, and we’d puttered down the bayou. We’d been sticky with heat and wore little clothing, but it was such a fond memory because, for those two days, it’d been just him and me. No job, no worries. He’d been fun and playful, the boy I’d crushed so hard on in high school.

  Of course it didn’t last. As soon as we returned to Salem he’d changed back to the surly, serious man who led the chayot. I tried not to blame him. I knew it wasn’t his fault. He was in charge. He had to be that way. Knowing that didn’t change the intense loneliness I felt.

  “You’re married,” he whispered.

  I couldn’t move.

  Dorian took Snow by the arm. “Let’s give them a minute.”

  They walked out. A part of me wanted to go after them, beg them to stay. I didn’t want to do this.

  Leo wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I instinctively rested against him.

  Gabe noticed. He snorted. “She’s good like that. At first. Makes you feel like you’re the only man in the world.” He threw his hands in the air. “But don’t expect it to last. At the first sign of difficulty, she’ll abandon you.” Each word was like a slap in the face, and I flinched.

  I felt Leo stiffen next to me.

  Shit, I thought, but had no idea what to do. I couldn’t believe Gabe was talking about me like that. It was extremely cruel. Not like him at all. It was like seeing him for the first time, with new eyes. I didn’t like it. And I wanted to smash my fist in the jerk’s face.

  “Apologize to her. Now,” Leo said quietly. His body felt like a coil, ready to spring.

  Gabe’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “Did she tell you how she cried out when we made love? She likes it—” His words seemed to freeze. He touched his throat and tried to talk. Instead it sounded like he was choking.

  I looked over at Leo and realized he was doing something to Gabe. I put a hand on his arm. Hurting Gabe wouldn’t change the fact that he was right.

  But Leo stepped away from me and walked over to Gabe. “I get that you’re upset, probably even hurting, though I sense it’s mostly your pride.” His words were sharp, like the edge of a knife. They cut into Gabe. “That gives you no right to speak of her disrespectfully, and I won’t have it.”

  Gabe was turning a strange shade of purple. I hadn’t thought Gabe could be hurt. Maybe Leo’s magic was having an effect, because it wasn’t magic from Earth but from another world. I didn’t know, but if Leo didn’t let up, he’d kill Gabe.

  “Are you ready to apologize?”

  Gabe nodded slightly.

  Leo released him. “Do it.”

  Gabe leaned over a moment, seemingly shocked over what’d just happened.

  “Hurry up, chayot.”

  “Cin, I’m sorry.” He straightened up. His demeanor was changed. It was hardened, clear of any emotion. “It’s obvious you belong with him.” He shot into the air and disappeared through the hole in the ceiling before I could say anything.

  Clearing

  I backed myself into a chair and sat. Never in a million years would I have believed something like what just happened would happen. I felt bad for Gabe. I did. But Leo had stood up for me. The feeling was unlike anything I ever experienced. If I hadn’t already had feelings for Leo I would now. Not that I didn’t believe I could stand up for myself. Of course I could. I had—many times.

  This was different, and my heart soared. Maybe Leo wouldn’t care about my past.

  He turned to me, saw I was sitting, and rushed over. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  He took my hand and knelt in front of me. “You sure?”

  I gazed into his eyes, almost plain compared to Gabe’s bright green, but so much more gorgeous than any I’d ever seen. I couldn’t explain his feelings or my feelings, but they were there and they were strong.

  “Yes.” I put both hands on his perfect face, my thumbs stroking his cheeks.

  “Want to get out of here?” he asked, his eyes shining.

  He didn’t seem the least bit fazed, but I had to be sure. “Are you okay?”

  Leo pulled me to my feet. “I’ve never been better. Come on.” He pulled me into his arms and whispered the word that would allow us to travel like ghosts.

  Sharra was a beautiful land. There was no denying that. It was a land created and sustained by magic, as was Polonias. My world was also bigger than Sharra. The difference between the two was that Sharra was a part of Earth. It needed Earth to survive. Polonias was its own world, its own entity.

  And it might still be dying, I thought, a new urgency filling me. As much as I didn’t want to deal with the King and his son, Lawson, I needed to figure out how to defeat them and Mizrabel to make Polonias safe and viable for all its inhabitants once again.

  Unless our marriage and almost kiss had fixed everything. I needed to find out.

  “Leo,” I whispered.

  He pressed his cheek against mine. “Cinderella, your friend Snow is kind of scary, but she’s incredible.” He was making small talk. So sweet.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s true.” I giggled, remembering all of the jokes people in school used to make up about her.

  “What?” he asked.

  “She used to be such a klutz. Like, she’d trip over nothing. The kids in school used to make up some pretty dumb jokes about her. The thing is, she was almost always good natured about it.”

  Leo’s soft eyes found mine. “Let’s hear one.”

  I thought a moment. “Why’d the chicken cross the road?”

  He didn’t say anything and I nudged him. “Why?” he
asked.

  “Because he was afraid Snow would fall on him.” I started laughing.

  Leo joined in. “I can’t believe the poised woman I met was ever anything but what she is.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “It’s as though she was born to be what she is, who she is.” I thought back over our lives together. Growing up, the different childhood upbringings we had. Life was hard on Snow. Even though she kept to herself about it, she struggled. She missed her father, and her stepmother wasn’t ever really a mother at all, not to her. The bitch was usually kinder to me. Looking back, I wished I could’ve been more understanding, kinder and more supportive of her.

  But then, if she’d been raised any other way than the way she was, maybe she would’ve turned out differently. Who knew?

  “And her husband seems to adore her. There’s something different about him.”

  “Yes to both,” I answered, smiling. “Dorian is her champion. He literally saved her life and, in the process, became something different… she isn’t sure what yet.”

  “I’m your champion, Cinderella. I hope you know that. I’ll do anything for you.” Leo stopped and I looked around. We were standing on a ridge at the top of a mountain. The castle was down below. Stars twinkled above. The night was cool, but not chilly enough for a coat.

  “I know you will,” I agreed, letting the warmth of his words comfort me.

  Date

  “I’ve got an idea.” Leo pointed to a small cottage hidden within the forest. A fast rushing stream ran along the back of it. “There,” he said tenderly. He lifted me into his arms and carried me as we moved like a soft wind down the side of the mountain, through the trees, past a family of deer, and to the cottage.

  “Do you think anyone lives there?” I asked. There weren’t any lights on. No smoke came from the chimney. “Should we knock?”

  Leo walked up the front steps. He placed a hand on the door. “Eroxis.” The wooden door took on a yellow glow. I stood behind him, watching. “No one is inside,” he said after a few moments, “though someone does live here.” He pushed the door open. “It’s been a while.”

  “I don’t know that this is a good idea. On Earth this is considered breaking and entering.”

  Leo smiled. “What if we leave something as payment for the homeowner’s generosity?”

  “That might work,” I said. “But what?”

  He smiled wider. “The necklace around your neck. The one you haven’t taken off in days. What about that?”

  I wrapped my hand around the pendant. It was a gift. “I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Okay, something else then.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and seemed to remember we weren’t on Polonias and he wasn’t wearing his own pants. He had nothing here. No money. No jewels. Nothing of monetary value.

  “Fine, I’ll leave the necklace.” It was a gift, but not one I couldn’t live without. I could always come back another time and trade something else for it.

  “You sure?” he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and rubbing the bare flesh at the back of my neck.

  I shivered and unhooked the necklace. “Where should I put it?”

  Leo shrugged. “Perhaps on the table.”

  “Yeah.” I laid it on the table. Leo came up and pressed his lips tenderly to my neck. I trembled. “What are you doing?” I asked, knowing perfectly well what he was doing and silently begging that he wouldn’t stop.

  He smiled against my skin as he trailed kisses along the collar of my gown. “Kissing you,” he said. “It’s about time I gave you a proper kiss.” He turned me in his arms and touched my face with the back of his fingers.

  I looked up into his handsome, kind face, the one I’d come to adore in a very short time. Some would say it was love at first sight. I believed it was love at first touch.

  My heart raced. I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Leo, this is so strange, the way I feel about you.” I shook my head. Leo cupped my face in his hands but didn’t say anything. “This is probably nothing new to you, but to me, what I feel, it’s real and it’s strong and it’s the best, most wonderful thing I’ve ever imagined.” Tears filled my eyes. “I-I lo—”

  Leo leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. They were soft, firm and… wonderful.

  Kiss

  I tugged him close, running my hands under his jacket. He pushed my lips open and deepened the kiss, sending a whole group of butterflies aflutter low in my belly. His hands wound their way through my hair. I raked my arm up and down his back. Every second our lips touched, my need for him grew. He was my husband and I wanted everything that title meant.

  Leo seemed to know I wanted him.

  As our lips tangled in an erotic dance, I sent out feelers for his emotions. When I caught hold of them I gasped against his mouth. His need for me was just as strong as mine for him.

  “Leo,” I whispered.

  He bit my bottom lip lightly, pulled the bow holding my dress on, and loosened the laces. I pushed off his coat and let it fall to the ground. We were doing this. My brain was freaking out, but my heart was desperate to feel him close to me, so close we’d become one.

  He kissed my chin and along my jaw down to my neck. I lifted my chin, giving him easier access to wherever it was he wanted. I worked to undo his buttons, one by one. I pushed his shirt open, revealing his taut chest beneath. When the last button was free I ran my hands over his naked skin down to the waistband of his pants. I pulled his shirt from his pants and pushed it off his shoulders, exposing sculpted muscle. He was well defined, and I stood on tiptoes to kiss his collarbones. He smelled so good, like the sky after a heavy rain. I breathed him in.

  Leo pushed my dress off my shoulders and it fell in a pile around my legs. He lifted me into his arms.

  I found his eyes. They bore into me, but I knew and he knew I wanted this. I wanted to be with him. With my husband. And he wanted it too. Boy, did he ever.

  “Cinderella, I get what you’re saying. I’ve never felt like this, but it does make sense to me. You and I are meant to be together, just as the sun is meant to rise each morning.” He kissed me, filling me with hungry fire. “It isn’t love at first sight, but two halves of the same whole coming together. We found each other. We fit together perfectly. The past doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we’re finally together.”

  I searched his serious face, looking for a lie, a hesitation—but there wasn’t one. He meant every word. I could see the truth and feel it from him.

  “There is one thing you should know.” He gave me an intense look.

  “What?” I asked, unable to stop touching him.

  “When we make love, it won’t be like what you’re used to.” As he spoke he walked us over to the bed near the back of the room. The bed was small and had a patchwork quilt covering it. Cozy, was the word that came to mind. Just like the entire cottage.

  “It won’t?” I swallowed. A herd of worries ran through my mind. Would it be worse? Weird? And was he assuming I’d had sex, or had he read my emotions when I saw Gabe?

  Leo gently lay me down on the mattress. It was soft. I still wore my slip, underclothes, thigh highs, and shoes—way too much clothing. He stood over me. He was so incredibly handsome that for a moment I couldn’t breathe.

  He sat next to me and brushed his fingers across my lips. “No. It’ll be better.” He smiled, but it was more of a playful smirk. Merde, the man was freaking hot. “And stop worrying about your life before you and me. It’s okay. What you were before, what happened…” He shook his head. “I understand you lived among humans. You followed their culture, their customs, and you didn’t understand that your emotions, your needs were meant for me, a man from Polonias. The man born to love you until the end of time.” His eyes sparkled with love.

  My heart melted. I knew he meant it, every delicious, sappy, glorious, amazing word. And I wanted him to know I wouldn’t keep anything from him. Whatever he wanted to know, I’d tell him. No secrets.
/>   “Are you sure?” I leaned up on my elbows. “Because if there’s something you want to know, you can ask. I’ll tell you anything.”

  Leo leaned over and kissed me, a combination of hard and soft, desire and love. I sighed into him. Without a doubt I’d do anything for him. Anything at all.

  “Cinderella.” His gaze caught mine and held it. “I’m so grateful you found me. I love you. My soul yearns to be near you, with you, inside you.”

  I shivered at the intensity in his words. They were so strong I felt them with as much ferocity as I heard them.

  He continued, “We are tied together, bound in marriage, but it isn’t like the union of Earth. Not even death can break our bond.” His fingers found the ring on my finger. He twirled it slightly. “That means our hearts have become one. I’m sure you felt a tugging as Polly performed the ceremony.”

  I nodded. I remembered the strange pulling. My throat was dry. My insides were nervous with anticipation.

  “When we consummate our marriage you’ll be able to see me the way no one else can, and I will be able to see you that way. We’ll be entwined. Do you understand?”

  I wasn’t sure I did. “Not really.”

  His brows pushed together while he thought. He took off one of my shoes, then the other. Every place his fingers touched was like a flame touching kindling, setting my lower belly on fire with lust, with love, with the strongest need I’d ever felt. He pushed off my thigh highs, then he pulled my slip off my hips and slowly moved it down my thighs.

  I wore a powder blue bra and panties. His eyes roamed my body and paused at my belly button. Would he hate the belly button ring? Like it?

  He traced a circle and gently tapped the ring. I held my breath.

  “You’re beautiful, Cinderella.” His fingers lightly traced along my arms, from my shoulders to my wrists. Then he lightly tapped the place where my heart was. “And here.” He replaced his finger with his lips. I pushed into his lips, wrapped my hands in his hair.