The world started to spin as he staggered to his mother’s bed. A tunnel of black encircled him, and then he heard movement. He saw Wisteria standing in the doorway, watching him. There was a look of shock on her face.
“Why?” he croaked, rage causing tears to form in his eyes. “Mother, what have you done?”
She put a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes momentarily before removing the scarlet cape from her head. She went to his side. “Oh, my son!” she uttered, touching his shoulder.
“Do not touch me!” he yelled, his eyes blazing.
Wisteria put a shaky hand to her forehead and sat down in the nearby chair. She began clenching and unclenching her hands. “My dearest, Rushton, I know this looks bad, but you must listen to me.”
“Cinderella was right! She told me that you sent her to the marketplace … convinced her to get engaged to Edward. I did not want to believe her because those accusations are so terrible.” He held up the pouch, hurt radiating from his eyes. “But to think that my own mother allowed me to get taken by the dragon—a dragon that killed an entire company of men! Good men! Men with families!”
“Rushton, I prithee, listen to me! I did not realize that Griselda was going to kill those men! I never would have allowed it if I had known.”
He shook his head. “Allowed it? You allowed your own son to get taken by the dragon!” His jaw trembled with fury. “I have dreams of the dragon, Mother—dark dreams that are too ghastly to speak of.” His voice went hoarse as a tormented look settled into his eyes. “I feel a burning fire so intense that it incinerates everything in its path. Sharp talons that rip men to pieces, and a screeching so hideous that I wake up with a silent scream in my throat, drenched in sweat, the pain so terrible that I can hardly breathe.”
“I had no idea,” she said quietly.
He gave her a hard look. “And if that weren’t terrible enough. You have taken away the one I love the most—Cinderella.” His face crumbled. “Why?”
Her eyes flashed. “She will destroy thee. You love her too much! ‘Tis unwise to give that much control to another person.”
“Like you did to King Aalexander?”
“Aye!” A haunted look came over her.
“Mother, thou art a bitter woman! Thy hatred has diseased thy mind and cankered thy soul! Cinderella is not evil! Thy bitterness has destroyed my life!”
“Nay, I have saved thee, Rushton. I have saved thee from a fate worse than death.” She put a balled fist to her chest. “No one should have to suffer as I.”
He grunted in disgust. “Always the martyr. I am sorry for thy troubles, Mother, but I am not King Aalexander, and Cinderella is not you!”
“I know you are hurting, my son, but this will pass. One day you will thank me for what I have done.”
“I think not!” he said hotly. He gave her a scornful smirk. “I hate you for what you have done!”
She rocked back, her eyes burning. “Do not speak things you do not mean.”
He leaned forward, his jaw tightening. “I meant every word!”
Tears formed in her eyes, but she jutted her chin out defiantly. “I did what was best for thee. I will hold to that.”
“Then I suppose that is all there is to say.” He stood, and as he moved to walk past her, she grabbed his cloak.
“Do not leave like this, I prithee. I love you, Son. Everything I did, I did for thy benefit.”
He thrust the pouch at her and then jerked his cloak out of her grasp. “Listen well, Mother,” he seethed. “As long as I live, I will never forgive you for that which you have done.”
* * *
Long after Rushton left, Wisteria sat in the chair, staring into the empty space. Admittedly, she had made a few mistakes—the largest mistake being not hiding the pouch in a more secure place. Rushton was understandably angry, but that would pass. His heart would heal, and he would thank her someday. From the moment he was born, Wisteria had felt a fierce need to protect her son. She wanted to protect him from all of the hurt and turmoil she had experienced at Aalexander’s hand. Yea, she would spend the rest of her life protecting him—even if that meant protecting him from himself. She sighed deeply and stood, feeling weary and spent. The pouch slipped from her lap, and she caught it, but not before the stone tumbled out and fell to the floor. She bent over and picked it up, holding it in the palm of her hand. The bloodstone had betrayed her in the end. Perhaps that is why Griselda had given it back to her. Perhaps she had known that Rushton would come looking for it.
To be such an ordinary looking stone, it was extraordinarily powerful. It was forged from the most powerful force imaginable—true love. A love that she once shared with Aalexander. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she clutched the stone in her hand. “Oh, Aalexander,” she breathed, “how did we let things get this far out of control?” She muttered the incantation that would cause the stone to glow blood red. While Rushton needed to be at the stone face in order to make the stone work, she—the inventor—could summon its power at will. Not only did the stone wield great power, but it also contained remembrances of the love she and Aalexander once shared. She vowed that she would never resurrect those memories again, but in this moment, she craved the warm comfort of how true love had felt—even if it were only a memory. The stone remained cold in her palm. She clutched it tighter and repeated the incantation. Nothing. She opened her palm and inspected the stone. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. This stone was a fake! Griselda had kept the real bloodstone. Griselda was toying with her. The question was—why?
* * *
Elle felt Huntsden’s eyes on her as she walked down the hall to her locker. When she scowled, he laughed softly and made a show of brazenly looking her up and down. She hurried past him, feeling like a cornered rabbit. It irked her that the punk took such great delight in tormenting her. She was relieved to see Edward standing at the locker.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey.” A feeling of warmth settled over her. After the fiasco with Rush, it felt good to be appreciated for once.
He gave her a tentative look. “So, are we on for tonight?”
“Tonight?” She searched her brain, trying to remember what he was talking about. “Um, what’s going on tonight?”
He retrieved her English book and handed it to her. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Really?”
He flashed a mysterious smile. “Really.”
“But I have to work.”
“I know. I’ll pick you up at The Chocolate Fountain at 8:30.” He caught her arm. “We need this, Elle,” he finished gently.
Edward was such a good guy and so thoughtful. To think, she’d intended to choose Rush over him. If Edward knew, he would be so furious he would probably never speak to her again. She looked up into those golden eyes that held a wealth of possibility. There was a hopeful expression on his handsome face as he waited for her to make up her mind. Why was she even wasting her time on Rush when Edward was right here, trying his best to win her back? “Okay, you talked me into it.”
“That’s great.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. When she went still, he looked disappointed for a split second, but then he shrugged it off with a smile. He grabbed his English book and closed the locker. “Let’s get to class.”
When they stepped into the classroom, Edward glanced in the direction of the area where Elle and Rush sat. “You know, you can sit in the back with me.”
Elle glanced in the back of the room to where Huntsden and some of the other football players were sitting. “No!” she blurted and then saw his confused expression. “Thanks,” she added, trying to soften the blow, “but I can concentrate more where I am. I’ll see you tonight.” Before he could argue, she quickly walked to her normal seat and sat down. Thankfully, Rush wasn’t there yet.
Edward hesitated and then walked to the back and took his seat.
A minute later, Lynessa sauntered into the room. Elle was surprised when she walked past he
r normal seat in the front to where Elle was. She stood beside Elle’s desk.
Elle arched an eyebrow. “Is there something that you need?”
A crafty smile curved Lynessa’s lips. “Under the circumstances, I was thinking that you might want to switch seats with me.”
Elle’s blood began to boil. She leveled a death glare at Lynessa. “Oh, and exactly what circumstance are you referring to?”
“You know, the circumstance where Rush and I are dating.” Triumph glittered in her dark eyes.
It took every ounce of control she could muster to stop herself from jumping up and clawing that smug expression off Lynessa’s perfect face.
The moron sitting across from her put his hands to his mouth like a megaphone and began hooting. “Catfight!”
“Shut up, you bumbling buffoon!” Lynessa snapped.
For once in his life, the moron was speechless.
Lynessa turned back to Elle. “Well?”
There was so much she could’ve said to this demon diva who thought the clouds were supposed to part at her feet, but it wasn’t worth her breath. She had the hysterical urge to laugh. Instead, she collected her things. “You know what? If you want the seat, you can have it.” She stood, facing Lynessa. “You and Rush deserve each other!”
“Thank you,” Lynessa said with a satisfied smile.
Elle was stomping to the front to sit in Lynessa’s former seat when Rush entered the room. A look of surprise flickered over his face when he saw Lynessa sitting in the desk in front of his. He gave Elle a questioning look, and she scowled.
Five minutes later, Elle was still steaming when Mrs. Porter walked into the room. “Good morning, class. Sorry I’m a few minutes late.” She sat down in her desk and then picked up the roster to call roll. When she saw Elle sitting in the front, she stopped. Her eyes then touched on Lynessa and Rush before zeroing in on Elle. “Why are you in Lynessa’s seat?”
“Lynessa approached me before class and asked if we could switch seats. Evidently, she wanted to sit next to her boyfriend.” The words cut like razors from her mouth.
This brought chortles of laughter from around the room.
Wisteria lifted an eyebrow. “And you let her?” She made a clucking sound with her tongue. “How disappointing.”
What was going on here? One minute, Wisteria was warning her to stay away from her son, and the next, she was worried about her not sitting in front of him. Before Elle could formulate a response, Wisteria turned her attention to Lynessa. “Is this true?”
“Yes,” Lynessa admitted, her eyes wide.
Wisteria looked past her. “Rush? What do you have to say about this?”
“Not a dang thing,” he fired back.
“I see.” Her lips formed a hard line as she eyed the students. “Let’s get one thing straight. There will be no switching seats unless I say so, is that clear?”
“Yes,” they murmured from around the room.
She motioned. “Switch back. Now!”
Elle reluctantly stood and gathered up her things for the second time. The stricken look on Lynessa’s face as they exchanged places was priceless. Elle had to bite back a smile. As much as she disliked Mrs. Porter, she had to hand it to her. She’d put Lynessa in her place.
Elle was keenly aware of Rush’s presence behind her. This hyper awareness thing she had for him was driving her crazy! She wished she could make it stop! She had to force herself to concentrate on the English lesson, which had been going on for a good twenty minutes, and she’d not heard a word of it.
“As we move into The Great Gatsby, we will be doing group term papers,” Wisteria was saying.
This solicited groans from around the room.
Wisteria wrote the word trust on the board. “This is the topic for the papers. You will discuss the topic of trust in context with The Great Gatsby. You will do an analysis of the characters, discussing the trust or lack thereof that the characters had in one another. Furthermore, you will discuss whether or not that trust worked for their benefit or detriment. For example, Jay Gatsby was so hopelessly in love with Daisy that he resorted to criminal activity in order to amass the wealth that he hoped would win her back. He put his complete trust in Daisy, but was she worthy of that trust? Where did it leave Jay Gatsby in the end? You can also expound on the roaring twenties and how materialism and excess impacted the story. What overall level of trust did the characters have in society?” She waved her hand. “There are many avenues which you can take. Just make sure whatever avenue you choose centers on trust.” She reached for a clipboard. “I will be assigning partners.”
More groans.
“The papers will be due two weeks from today.”
She began reading names. All the while, Elle waited to hear whom her partner would be. Please let it be Edward, she prayed.
“Edward Kingsley and Lynessa Miles.”
Elle nearly protested out loud. Really? She was pairing Edward and Lynessa? Before turning her sights to Rush, Lynessa had been after Edward. Great! A fine day this was turning out to be!
“Rush Porter and Elle Worthington.”
Elle’s jaw dropped. Had she heard Mrs. Porter correctly? She couldn’t help but turn around and glance at Rush. His eyes met hers, and she could tell he was just as shocked. Elle quickly turned back around. Mrs. Porter kept going through the list, but Elle was oblivious. She would be forced to spend time with Rush. There was no escaping him. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Oh, one more thing,” Wisteria added. “For the last portion of the paper, I want you to focus inwardly. Discuss trust with your partner and how trust impacts everything we do. What is your level of trust in the human race … society? How well do you trust others? How well do you trust yourself? This will be an in-depth look into how you view the world. Any questions?”
Several students raised their hands, and Wisteria began answering them. Elle paid little attention until she heard a familiar voice.
“Mrs. Porter?”
“Yes, Edward.”
“Um, would it be possible for me to change partners? Nothing against Lynessa, but I think I might be better suited to work with someone else.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Lynessa said saucily.
“The partners cannot be changed. Part of this exercise is learning to trust your partner. I suggest you get used to the idea of working with Miss Miles,” Wisteria said crisply.
A warning bell went off in Elle’s head. Why did Edward not want to be paired with Lynessa? Was there something going on between them?
“Well, this ought to be interesting, partner,” Rush drawled in her ear, his warm breath sending ripples down her spine.
“Yes,” she agreed tartly, “very.”
Chapter Four
An Invitation to the Castle
The trill of a bugle sounded in the distance. Cinderella’s heart felt like it would flop out of her chest. She closed her eyes and took in a breath, trying to calm down. Seraphina ran to the window and pushed aside the heavy velvet drape. “They are coming.” She snapped her fingers at Josselyn. “Help Cinderella with her gown so that it will not trail across this filthy floor. She must look perfect for the prince.”
“Aye, Mother. Thy wish is my command,” Josselyn muttered.
Seraphina clapped her hands together impatiently. “Come! We must not keep the prince waiting.” She hurried out the door and down the stairs to the great hall to receive their guest properly.
As Josselyn stepped behind Cinderella and gathered up the fabric, Cinderella turned and touched her arm. “Thank you.”
A look of surprise washed over Josselyn. “For what?”
She offered her a tiny smile. “For simply being my sister. It means the world to me.”
Josselyn’s jaw went slack and something akin to tenderness touched her features. She coughed to hide her emotion. “For what it is worth, I am sorry that it has to end this way. I know how much ye love Squire Rushton.”
/> Cinderella nodded and looked away.
“Prince Edward is a good man. He will make thee happy.”
Cinderella searched Josselyn’s face to see if her words were sincere. She knew what it had cost her to say them. “At this point, my happiness does not have much bearing on the situation, does it?”
“Nay, I am afraid it does not.” She shrugged. “Perhaps it is not meant for either of us to get our happy endings.”
The truth of Josselyn’s words settled between them. “Come, we must not keep Prince Edward waiting,” Josselyn said as they hurried out the door.
Edward was standing beside the front door when Cinderella came down the steps. As he looked up at her, there was such a pure expression of undiluted adoration written on his face that her heart softened a fraction. He was holding her glass slipper in his hands, and there were two guards, dressed in royal finery, flanking his sides. The front door was standing wide open, and Cinderella caught sight of men on horses. The prince had traveled here in royal style. Cinderella wondered briefly if Rushton were just beyond the door, but then she squelched the dangerous thought. If she were to have a moment’s peace, she would have to learn to close off that part of her heart forever.
Seraphina was standing off to the side. There was a strained expression on her angular face. She caught Cinderella’s eye, silently willing her to stay the course that she had outlined.
Love Spell: Book 2 of The Grimm Laws Page 4
