“I wanted to surprise you,” she shrugged, “but you and Sadie can be the first people to see it.”
Juniper stood beside me as we waited for Olivia to change. “I’m glad you’re back.”
Glancing at her, I beamed. “Me too. How are things with you and Mark? I didn’t get to ask last night since it was so hectic.”
She held up her ring finger, showing a large diamond cluster and simple band. “We got married over a year ago.”
“Oh my gosh!” I hugged her. “Congratulations!”
She laughed. “Thanks. We’re really happy.”
“I’m happy for you,” I told her, meaning it. “What about your family? Did you ever tell them what happened?”
Juniper was a human when I met her, but she was killed in an encounter with an evil sorcerer. My grandmother, Scott, and I worked hard to bring her spirit back to her body, but she came back immortal.
“I did,” she started. “They didn’t take me dying very well, but after a while, they were more open to it.”
“Good.”
She shifted her weight between her feet. “Are you scared?”
“Of what?” I questioned.
Exhaling loudly, she said, “Seeing Aiden.”
Before I could answer, Olivia opened the bathroom door and stepped out. We both gasped when she looked up. The gown was long and poofy, like a ballgown, and strapless. It was adorned with tiny diamond crystals, a sheer netting housing them over the skirt. She had her hair pinned back with a clip with matching gems. She smiled shyly, and spun slowly.
“Is it ok?”
I nodded, not quite finding the right words. Juniper did, however.
“You look like a princess,” she said. “So gorgeous. Scott may pass out when he sees you.”
Olivia giggled and smoothed the fabric. “I love it.”
“Then it’s the perfect dress for you,” I said.
She smiled, then waved her hand, switching back into her regular clothing. She pointed, doing the same for us, and waved all three dresses to the closet.
Laughing, I asked, “Why put it on without magic but take it off with?”
“It’s a pain to take off.” She shrugged.
Juniper shook her head at her and flopped on the bed. “So, Sadie, you didn’t answer.”
“Answer what?” Olivia asked.
“If she’s scared to see Aiden,” Juniper answered.
“Oh,” Olivia said. “Yeah, that’s gonna be hard.”
Sighing, I threw myself on the bed beside Juniper. “I don’t know. I mean, he won’t know who I am right away. How am I going to do that?”
Liv perched on the end bed frame. “He won’t know any of us.”
“Do we pretend to not know him?” Juniper questioned.
“I don’t know,” Liv replied. “Maybe not since we’re supposed to provoke his memories.”
Juniper turned to me. “Maybe he’ll take one look at you and remember how much he loves you.”
I snorted very unladylike. “Aiden didn’t love me.”
“Yes he did,” they said in unison.
I shook my head. “No.”
“You can’t tell me he didn’t after that kiss he gave you before Harlow sent him off,” Liv teased.
Remembering the kiss, I couldn’t help the hope flittering through me. He’d kissed me with such passion, longing, and desire I’d dreamed about it for months. Sometimes it still came to me at night. His hands in my hair while his lips, so soft and demanding, on mine as we let our feelings for one another free in our last seconds together. Would he remember me?
They giggled, drawing me from my memories. “What?” I demanded.
“You were thinking about it,” Juniper teased.
Rolling my eyes, I tried to deny it but couldn’t. They’d caught me. “Ok, so I liked him. Happy?”
Liv threw her hands up in the air. “Ladies and gentleman, Sadie Tabors finally admits she liked Aiden Rivers! It only took five years!”
Grabbing the closest pillow, I threw it at her. “Shut up.”
Juniper joined in the taunting. “It’s true. You fought it so hard, but girl, we all knew! The way y’all looked at each other with sparks shooting from your eyes.”
“What?” I snorted again. This had to stop before Aiden showed up.
“What happened in the kitchen? You never did tell us,” Liv inquired. “Tell us.”
“Uhhh….”
“Come on!” Juniper yelled.
“Fine,” I growled. Sitting up, I drew my knees to my chest. “He was in the kitchen getting water one night, without a shirt on, and when I ran into him…I kind of reached out and ran my hands down his chest. And we almost kissed.”
They squealed and squeaked like it was the most exciting news they’d heard in years. I sat awkwardly as they reacted, not sure what to do or say. Sharing wasn’t something I was used to. I kept to myself.
“Wait,” Juniper said finally. “Why didn’t you kiss?”
Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I gritted my teeth and answered. “Because I ran away.”
“Why?” Liv screamed.
Juniper stared at her. “Are you serious?”
“What?”
“She was terrified. Don’t you remember?” she chuckled. “She ran from her feelings like a mouse from a cat.”
“Are you calling me a mouse?” I asked.
“Nah,” Juniper said, shaking her head. “I said like.”
Pursing my lips, I glared at her.
“Why were you scared?” Liv asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“Is he why you left?”
Exhaling heavily, I nodded slowly. “Partly.”
“It killed me seeing you so hurt, Sadie. The changes in you. I really hope he gets his memories back.”
“He may not want me,” I said, my voice breaking slightly.
Juniper took my hand and Liv patted my foot. “He will,” they reassured me.
But would he? It’d been years, and he went back to his family to live a life far away from me, with no memories of me. Was there any hope at all for any sort of repair to our almost relationship?
###
The rest of the day was spent decorating and redecorating according to Olivia and Scott’s specifications. Santos and I were put to work outside my parents’ house, while my parents worked on the reception inside. Grandma was with us for the next three days, totally free of council duties. We were just waiting for her to arrive.
I couldn’t wait to spend some time with her…if we ever got finished, that was.
As we worked to get everything ready for the outside ceremony, I couldn’t stop my mind from being freaked out about my brother getting married. Weren’t we children just a day ago? Playing in the sandbox now covered in grass, running around Grandma’s yard as she tended to her garden, and enjoying life to the fullest. Somewhere along the way we’d grown up, changed, and all discovered lives of our own.
Things were going to be different. Being around my loved ones showed me how much I’d missed out on and I vowed to not run from my problems again. Not if it meant losing those who meant the most to me.
When we finally finished, the backyard looked like something straight out of a wedding magazine. An arch adorned with yellow roses stood in the middle, with an aisle created from the porch to it. White chairs draped in netting were on either side. A table set up for registering was on the far side of the house. We gathered inside just as Grandma arrived.
She headed straight for me, enveloping me tightly in her arms. “I’m so glad I didn’t have to come back for you.”
Chuckling, I embraced her back. “Me, too.”
“We’ll talk later,” she whispered, then greeted the rest of the family.
Liv’s mom, Megan, and brother, Kyle, were now a part of the group. Kyle was also an unbound, his vampire half more dominant than sorcerer. He and Olivia came unbound first, Olivia and then him following a few months later, and they we
re the only beings that split down the middle. All others shared the powers of the two mixes, but not the Whiteheads. Their mom was a full vampire and their dad had been sorcerer before she turned him. I was assuming neither had gained any new abilities, since no one had mentioned it.
“Sadie!” Kyle greeted. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too,” I said with a polite smile. Aiden and I were the two to find him when he came unbound and terrorized a couple in the park a few miles from my grandma’s house. The weeks that followed involved him being magically locked in a basement, mad with bloodlust.
It hadn’t been pretty.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Doing good. How is the whole chasing unbound thing going?”
He grinned. “It’s awesome! I get to travel for free, and some exciting things have happened.”
“Oh, yeah?” Before I could ask what, Grandma walked up.
“Sadie, walk with me?”
I nodded. “We’ll talk later,” I promised Kyle.
We walked outside, the rush of cool air dancing on my skin. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth and started down the stairs. The sun was setting, giving the sky an orange red glow as night settled in.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said too quickly.
“Your father told me you got upset with them,” she continued.
“I did.”
“Care to tell me what happened?”
Exhaling, I moved my arms and stuck my hands in my pockets. “They were asking a bunch of questions and being completely overprotective like I was a small child. I’m not.”
“I know you aren’t,” she said. “But you have to remember you were still a teenager when you left.”
“I know.”
She stopped, holding her arm out to grab mine. “Your father, well, you know how he is. Give him time and he’ll get over it. He’s happy you’re here.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I could tell.”
She smiled. “You’re as stubborn as he is.”
I said nothing. We walked on, the sound of cicadas and crickets the only thing we heard. Around the block we went, and when we were almost back, Grandma started her interrogation.
“Did they tell you Aiden is coming to the graduation and wedding?”
I nodded.
“Are you ok with how we’re going to get his memories back? It could take a few months.”
“A few months?” I asked. “He’s not going to stay for a few months!”
She smirked. “He will. Are you prepared to help?”
“Two weeks, Grandma.”
“Will you stay if he does?”
Sighing, I shook my head. “My friends are expecting me back. I can’t abandon them. They’ll go after the evil of the world and end up dead.”
“Do you love him still?” she asked quietly as we stopped in front of the house.
“Why does everyone keep saying I loved him?”
She stared at me, raising one brow.
“I cared, and yes, maybe I might still care,” I fumbled out. “But it doesn’t matter.”
She took my hand. “It does. And it will. We’ll talk more after you’ve had time to think and the wedding is complete.”
She left me standing there, slipping in the front door as I thought of her words. Would it matter?
The folded chairs set up for the graduation ceremony were hard and uncomfortable. I sat bouncing my leg as a countless number of graduates crossed the stage. Switching legs, I smoothed my dress and patted my boots to ensure my dagger was still secure.
Didn’t go anywhere without it.
The graduation lasted four hours, and while I was happy for Olivia, I spent most of my time wondering if Aiden was there and what I would do when I saw him. When it was over, we waited away from the crowd for Olivia and Scott to find us.
“Sadie, stop,” Juniper whispered. “You look like you have to pee.”
“Huh?” I looked down, noticing I was bouncing my weight from leg to leg like a two year old needing a bathroom break. “Oh.”
She patted my arm. “It’ll be ok.
I felt like they were all humoring me, walking on eggshells so I wouldn’t freak out, and it was pissing me off. Wandering off alone, I faced away from them all and inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm my nerves. Getting myself all worked up over a boy wasn’t like me, especially one that wouldn’t remember me and may not even show up.
Lifting the necklace from my chest, I brought it to my lips and moved it over them as I thought. The bouncing and uneasiness came back, so I dropped the necklace and lifted my arms above my head to stretch.
“Sadie,” Olivia said from somewhere behind me.
“What?” I called, not turning.
“Sadie,” she said again, more urgently.
Groaning, I dropped my arms suddenly and spun. “What?”
Before I could move, I saw him. He was taller, by at least a few inches, and his hair was shorter. He was scruffy, his face housing a little more than a five o’clock shadow. Looking delicious in his trousers and buttoned shirt. I swayed on my feet. My heart clenched and my stomach turned. Was I going to puke or pass out? Either way, it would be embarrassing.
Breathe, Sadie, breathe.
“Sadie, this is Aiden,” she said pointedly. They moved toward me when it was obvious I wouldn’t, well, couldn’t, come over there.
He held out his hand, “Hey, Sade.” Sade. My gosh, did he remember? My chest tightened even more, making breathing nearly impossible. His eyes, so calming and seductive, studied me. His voice was the same, smooth and deep, rumbling through me with each word.
His voice saying my nickname was almost too much.
“You remember?” I choked out hopefully. Fingers clutched the necklace while I hesitantly reached for his hand.
“I read your necklace. That’s a cool nickname,” he said, grabbing my palm.
Heat flowed through me, my body remembering him and reacting. I limply shook his hand, though he was kind about it and adjusted his own shake. I’d been so sure he remembered…and now my heart was in my feet.
“It’s,” I started, my words jumbling as they fought to escape my mouth. “Nice to meet you, Aiden, was it?”
He dropped my hand, instantly leaving an empty feeling coursing through my soul. “Yeah, Aiden. You look so familiar. Have you been to California?”
I shook my head no.
“You must have one of those faces,” he said.
“Must,” I said awkwardly.
How in the hell was I supposed to act around him?
Olivia watched me, smiling and nodding occasionally as Aiden rambled about his own college experience. Scott soon joined us, standing next to me to hold me upright.
“So, you want to come hang out for a little while, Aiden? You can stay at my Grandma’s house tonight if you’d like.”
He nodded. “That’d be great. I have someone with me. Is that ok?”
Scott agreed. Olivia led Aiden away, turning back to check on us as Scott worked on making my legs move again.
“He called me Sade,” I whispered.
He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed. “We’ll help him remember, sis. I promise.”
###
Juniper and Mark offered to drive me back, to save me from more awkward embarrassment with Aiden.
“It’s understandable,” Juniper said, attempting to reassure me once more I didn’t make a fool of myself.
“I asked him if he remembered.”
“He called you Sade, a name he came up with for you. I would have thought the same thing,” she said.
Burying my head in my hands, I couldn’t believe Scott invited him to Grandma’s. No way could I stay there with him in the house. I would have to go to my parents’ for the night.
“We’re here,” Mark said. He turned, smiling at me. “Sadie, I don’t get all this girl stuff, but I do know Aiden cared for you. You gotta give it time. We’ll fix what Harl
ow messed up.”
Everyone kept saying that, but no one knew for sure he would get his memory back. Their words were simply for my comfort.
Scornful Sadie (Dark Sorceress Trilogy Book 1) Page 5
