by MJ Prince
The guy from the beach, who also happens to be the most beautiful guy I think I’ve ever seen, looks back at me, those vivid blue eyes locking onto mine. His expression is cool, assessing, and just like on the beach, I can feel my skin burn under that gaze. But other than that, his face is as closed off as when I saw it last.
He stops when he reaches the empty spot beside the model-perfect blonde girl and stands beside her. I don’t miss the way she loops her arm around his, although I’m not sure why I’m surprised or why I care. Of course. The laws of science and of the universe itself dictate that these two perfect specimens would be drawn to each other. Nothing would make sense otherwise.
I snap to attention as Magnus begins calling up each heir to the platform.
The girl with the short black hair is first and Magnus announces her as Keller Aspen, heir to the Aspen Dynasty. Next is the heir to the Aldebran Dynasty, Baron Aldebran, who is the dark haired guy with the aquamarine eyes. The second guy with the reddish brown hair is Lance Oaknorth, heir to the Oaknorth Dynasty. The girl with the light brown waves and impeccable make-up is Ivy Hemlock, heir to the Hemlock Dynasty.
I suffer through it all with a smile which is as rehearsed as the one I paint on for the patrons of Rodeo Ricky’s but far, far more difficult to maintain. Because although each heir dutifully bows in greeting, they each make it subtly clear that I’m not welcome. Not here on this planet, not here in their royal world of riches and privilege. I didn’t expect them to go as far as rolling out the welcome wagon, but their clear disapproval is surprising. Not least because I don’t even know these people, and they sure as hell don’t know me.
The perfect blonde is the most scathing of them all. I didn’t think it was even possible to smile courteously at someone and make them feel like you want to scratch out their eyes at the same time. But Layla Delphine, heir to the Delphine Dynasty, manages it perfectly.
The guy from the beach is as courteous as the rest, when it’s his turn to greet me, but those vivid blue eyes are like glaciers as they regard me. Much like the rest of his icy demeanor. When Magnus announces his name, I think it’s ironic that the heir to the sovereign Dynasty that lords over the sun and daylight, is in fact, colder than the harshest winter night. Raphael St. Tristan, heir to the sovereign St. Tristan Dynasty, and if Magnus was correct earlier, next in line to the throne of Eden.
I’m grateful when it’s all over, although not so grateful when Magnus carts me around to meet countless other ‘nobles,’ as he calls them, during the evening reception which follows the ceremony.
“The Dynasties have always kept our houses small in order to preserve the potency of our bloodlines,” Magus explains to me as he maneuvers around the groups of nobles littered throughout the vast hall.
“There is only ever one heir of each Dynasty in each generation, this is to prevent infighting within a Dynasty and it is why the heirs to each Dynasty are so important.”
I roll my eyes at that. No wonder those over privileged brats act like they’re so damn special. Any doubt left in me as to whether I should get the hell out of this place as soon as I possibly can, is obliterated by the thought that these spoiled pricks will one day rule this entire goddamn planet. No, this is not the place for me. Not at all.
“Within the Evenstar Dynasty, as I said before, you are the last and only heir. My wife, your grandmother, died in childbirth and your father was my only child. You do have distant relatives within the Evenstar Dynasty, though.”
With that, he proceeds to introduce me to some of those distant relatives. It feels so alien to me—going from having no family whatsoever, to being introduced to a whole host of supposed distant relatives, who seem to know all about me, although I have no idea who the hell they are.
He moves on to introduce me to other nobles outside the Evenstar Dynasty and I can’t keep up with all of the names and faces. But I don’t miss the way that they all look at me—like I’m a new species of insect that’s just been discovered. Interesting, but beneath them all the same.
A few people express their condolences at the death of my father, which I find bizarre, because they must all know that I didn’t even know him. I also get the feeling that although the words seem sincere enough, they are not entirely genuine. There’s a hint of something like disgrace hidden in the words, because although I’ve only just walked into this world, even I can gather that a king who commits suicide must be a pretty scandalous thing. For about the hundredth time since I was hauled onto this planet, I wonder what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.
I manage to slip away when Magnus gets called over by one of the other Dynasty heads who I recognize from the ceremony as the head of the Aspen Dynasty. I can see where the scowling girl gets her looks from, because her mother is equally striking.
My steps are hurried and I keep my head down, as I make my way to the nearest exit, until I find myself standing on one of the large balconies which flank the vast hall. I tilt my face up to the night sky for a moment. The blanket of starlight twinkles against the midnight blue sky and the crescent moon reflects off the equally dark waters. I’m grateful for the cool night air, and the stillness of the night. As always, it has a calming effect on me.
The calm doesn’t last long though, as I sense someone approach. I turn away from the peaceful night scene and find myself face to face with the guy who can only be described as the personification of daylight. Even in the darkness, he glows with some ethereal light. As if he carries the sun with him wherever he goes.
I realize that I had been hoping that the image of perfection that I’d seen on the beach would turn out to be too good to be true. That up close, I’d see that he isn’t, in fact, the most beautiful person I’ve ever laid my eyes on. But I’m sorely disappointed, because this guy is just as beautiful up close as he was from afar, even more so. He’s the kind of guy that could break hearts with just one look. I notice the little details that make his perfect face even more devastating—the sexy indent on his top lip, the even sexier dimple on his chin and his impossibly long golden lashes, so thick, that it’s sinful. I find myself thinking again that he looks exactly like an angel might.
But when he opens his mouth to speak, that image is quickly banished.
“You don’t belong here.” His harsh tone is as cutting as his words.
My initial surprise quickly fades and I return his icy glare with one of my own.
“Oh, yeah? Says who?” I say, although in the back of my mind, I’m sure that I agree with him. I don’t belong here. I knew it from the first moment I stepped foot on this planet and the less than welcoming ceremony only reinforced that fact.
“Says me.”
I didn’t pick up on his arrogance earlier, but I don’t know how I could’ve missed it now. Everything about him screams privilege and wealth and the way he carries himself makes it clear that he is well aware of it. This guy has an entire world at his feet, and when he speaks, it’s with the authority of a crown that’s his by birthright.
Because I know it’ll infuriate an arrogant prick like him, I say, “And sorry, who are you again?” I’m pleased with the cool disinterest in my tone.
Those sensuous lips twist in a mocking smile as he takes a step closer, disrupting the air around me.
“Oh, I think you know who I am, Jaz.”
“Jazmine,” I correct him.
He pretends to think something over.
“Naah. Too many syllables for someone so insignificant. It’s a waste of breath. I think I’ll call you Jaz.”
The insult stings and I can feel the swell of indignation in response.
“And I think I’ll call you a fucking bastard.”
I see the surprise flare in those piercing blue eyes. I expect him to be offended but he seems … oddly fascinated instead. He’s probably never been insulted before in his life. Probably used to girls just throwing themselves at his feet and is expecting me to follow suit. Well, he has another think coming.
He co
cks his head to the side as he regards me.
“No. that would be you—you’re the bastard here, remember?”
The indignation turns into white hot rage at his words. This guy may have the face of an angel, but he has the mouth of the fucking devil. It figures that someone so hot would be such an asshole. It only makes perfect sense. I guess I hadn’t been wrong about what I hoped I’d find up close after all—because his face may be even more beautiful up close, but his personality certainly isn’t. This guy is the biggest asshole I’ve ever met in my entire life. Some part of me is glad. Because if he hadn’t turned out to be such a bastard, I’m pretty sure that I’d be in trouble.
“Fuck you, asshole,” I hiss, giving him a look that could kill birds in mid-flight.
His eyes travel the length of me and I’m suddenly aware of his closeness. His scent engulfs me, making me think of citrus and cool winter mornings. My traitorous body responds to him on an almost primal level, which surprises the hell out of me, because I haven’t even so much as looked twice at a guy before, regardless of how good looking.
But there is something about this guy that makes me feel like my body has a mind of its own, something about him that makes me feel like the whole room, hell, the entire universe disappears in his presence, leaving only me and him in the vastness of time and space.
The smirk on that impossibly beautiful face tells me that he is well aware of the effect that he has on me.
“Are you offering to fuck me, Jaz?”
I think my jaw hits the floor at the outrageous question. Then I throw my head back and let out a harsh laugh. Is he being serious?
When I turn back to him, he looks far from amused. In fact, he looks pissed.
“I’d rather swallow glass than go anywhere near you.”
His gaze rests on my neck where my pulse is fluttering just beneath the surface, and he flashes me another arrogant smirk.
“You sure about that, Jaz?”
“Hmmm. Let me think.” I tilt my head to the side, and narrow my eyes before looking at him straight on.
“Yeah, pretty damn sure.” I meet his gaze unflinchingly, although it’s a struggle to keep eye contact when those impossibly blue eyes make me feel like I’m falling through the sky if I let myself look into them for too long.
“I think you’re a liar.”
“And I think you’re delusional.”
“Because you’re new here, I’ll let you insult me this one time. Once. But let me get one thing straight, Jaz—around here, I run shit. One word from me and I can make your life a living hell. This is my planet, my world—and you don’t belong here.”
His words are like a slap to the face, but I school my expression into staying blank.
“And let me get one thing straight, you spoiled prick—I don’t give a shit who you are, I’ll talk to you however I want. I didn’t choose to come here. I was kidnapped and now I have no other choice but to stay. But just because I have to be here, doesn’t mean I’m going to put up with threats from a spoiled asshole like you. You have no idea what I’ve been through or who I am. You want to make my life a living hell? Go ahead. I’ve been there, done that.”
Something flickers in the depths of those vivid blue eyes just then, and his gaze seems to falter for a moment. But he recovers quickly, flashing me a cold smile.
“Watch yourself, Jaz, you’re not in the trailer park anymore.”
I’m not sure how the hell he knows about foster home number ten, and I don’t even want to think about what else he knows. I make sure that my expression betrays nothing.
“Wow. So, not only are you a total dickhead, you’re stalking me, too.”
He bares his teeth in what would be a smile, if it didn’t look so menacing.
“Don’t flatter yourself, baby.”
I almost gag in response.
“Urgh, trust me, there is nothing flattering about the thought of an ass-wipe like you stalking me. In fact, the thought gives me nightmares.”
He narrows his eyes at the insult and I can feel the venom in his gaze. But there’s no way I’m going to let this asshole intimidate me.
“You don’t know what you’re messing with, Jaz. This world may seem beautiful, but you have no idea.”
“No—you have no idea. If you think you can just threaten me and bark orders at me, then expect me to roll over and obey, you’re in for a surprise, you royal asshole. I’m not sure how things work around here in Eden, but where I come from, you can’t just treat people like shit for no reason at all.”
“That’s because you come from the gutter,” he replies and I want to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face. The rage inside me builds to an almost frightening level.
But I force myself to calm. He’s goading me and for whatever reason, he wants me to lose it. But I won’t give him the satisfaction.
“Yeah? Well, I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it.” I’m impressed at the coldness in my own voice, although I have no idea why I’m even saying these words. I don’t have any other choice but to be here right now, but, it sure as hell doesn’t mean that I’ve permanently resigned myself to my fate. I don’t let any of that show, though, my face a perfect mask of stone.
“You can start by welcoming me to Eden,” I add sarcastically, mirroring his earlier arrogant smirk. Take that. Asshole.
My words seem to have the desired effect. His eyes blaze like twin flames. He thrusts his face close to mine, and I make to shove him away, but he grabs my hands to stop me. I don’t miss the way my skin burns under his touch, and it makes me even angrier.
“Just stay the hell out of my way, Jaz, or I swear to God, I’m gonna break you.” The words are less of a threat than they are a warning, a premonition. But they’re unnecessary, because I have no interest in going anywhere near this asshole.
He drops my hands, all but throwing them back at me and stalks off, leaving me to stare after him in utter shock.
I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. But the relief is short lived, as he stops in mid stride and turns back to look at me one more time.
“Oh and, Jaz?” he says, although not waiting for a response.
“Welcome to Eden.”
His eyes are as dark as the midnight blue sky above us, and what I see in them makes it clear that I’m far from welcome here.
6
“Hell. No.” I cross my arms over my chest as I glare at Magnus.
“You need to finish your senior year, Jazmine,” Magnus replies firmly. I’m starting to think that he has something to do with my own stubborn streak.
“And I’m all for that, but I’m not going to a boarding school.”
I don’t know what I surprises me more—the fact that they have boarding schools here in Eden, or the fact that Magnus is telling me that the educational system is practically identical and that my high school credits would count here. I can’t even begin to figure out how that works.
Magnus lets out an exasperated sigh. I kind of feel sorry for him—he’s clearly never had to deal with raising a teenage girl before. He’s going to have some hard lessons to learn. I automatically scold myself for the thought, because I’m not actually thinking about sticking around here, am I? Especially not after the welcome that I received last night from his royal prick highness.
“Like I said, the Dynasty heirs have always attended Regency Mount Academy. It is tradition. Your father went there, I went there and then my father before me and so on.
“It’s the most prestigious boarding school on the entire planet. You’ll get the best education there. They also have a first-rate art program, which is perfect for a talented artist like yourself.”
“I still don’t get it—so the subjects are just like a normal high school? No, I don’t know, spellcasting, potion making or levitation lessons?”
Magnus lets out a chuckle then.
“I think you watch too many films. There is no such thing as witches an
d warlocks, Jazmine.”
“Right. Of course. Because there are beings called the Seraph which exist in an alternative realm but it’s ridiculous of me to even consider that witches and warlocks exist.”
“And to answer your question, yes—the subjects are the same as what you’d expect to find in a normal high school on Earth. However, there are some differences. Most notably, elements class.”
“Elements class?” I ask, as I take a sip of my coffee. We’re having breakfast in one of the many palace gardens and I can’t get over how beautiful my surroundings are. The ornamental gardens, with the picture perfect rose bushes, the white and black marble terraces, even the fine china on the marble table and the butler serving us; it’s a scene right out of a fairy tale.
“Elements class is where students learn how to use their powers.”
That response makes me bolt upright in my chair.
“What? But I don’t have any powers—I told you this before.”
Magnus looks frustrated again.
“Yes, and I told you before that you do have them, you just don’t know how to use them yet. You’ll be behind at first, of course, but the teachers have been made aware and you’ll catch up in time, no doubt.”
I cover my face with my hands and groan, although I really feel like screaming.
That evening, I find myself in the back of a limousine being driven to what is going to be my new boarding school. Two things strike me as totally surreal in that sentence. The first is that I’m in an actual limousine—I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one in real life before, let alone been in one. Second, I’m going to be attending a boarding school.
All ten of the schools that I’d attended had been public. I can remember that there had been a prep school in the same town as foster home number eight, and the kids I’d seen around town who attended it were insufferable—rich brats who wore fancy clothes and drove around town in their even fancier cars. I have a feeling that this boarding school is going to be ten times worse.
But I don’t bother to argue anymore. Magnus made it clear around half an hour into the drive, that it isn’t going to make any difference. So, I sit in silence and stare out of the tinted window instead.
