The Prodigy Slave, Book One: Journey to Winter Garden: (Revised Edition 2020)

by Londyn Skye

  “C’mon, Lily! You know me!”

  “Do I?!” she fired back. “’Cause the James I thought I knew was kind and gentle! He didn’t go ’round beatin’ folks up! A-and tellin’ lies! Or-or gettin’ arrested!” she scoffed. “So, it sure as hell feels like I don’t know who the hell you are anymore!” She then abruptly turned back toward the fireplace when she felt her tears stirring.

  “Yes, you do!” James said, taking her by the arm and spinning her back toward him.

  “No! I don’t!” Lily screamed. “The James I knew was the only person who eva’ made me feel like I’s free wheneva’ we’s togetha’!” She yanked her arm from his grip. “THE JAMES I KNEW WAS MY BEST FRIEND!” she erupted, suddenly breaking down into heavy sobs. “H-he was my only fr-friend,” she whispered, through a sea of now falling tears. “He w-was all I h-had … Y-you were all I had, James. But before y-you left all them y-years ago, you treated m-me like I’s n-nothin’! And then y-you just … you just abandoned m-me like I ain’t eva’ m-mean a damn th-thing to you!” she wept, her sorrowful words broken by pain. “A-and all this w-week, I-I’s afraid y-you’d abandoned m-me again.”

  Lily’s volatile verbal attack cut James so deep that his eyes began to well with tears. He fought hard to hold them back, but her eruption of repressed pain made such a fight impossible to win. Tears were quickly greeting his eyes as he watched hers continue to pour. He wanted the verbal punishment, but he was not yet ready to hear an explosive tirade about what his past betrayal had done to her, betrayal that he was now seeing had completely devastated her. James knew that he would have to address the things about their past at some point, but he had hoped that it would be on his terms, when he had emotionally prepared himself. This was certainly not that time, and his response to her outpouring undoubtedly reflected that fact. “What was I s’pposed to do back then, huh!?” he fired back. “I had nothin’! I had no money! No job! Nothin’! Whateva’ could I have done for you?!” He gave a sarcastic laugh, running his hands through his loose locks. “As ironic and as twisted as it may sound, my fatha’ could offa’ you a betta’ life than I could at that time,” he sarcastically laughed again at such a notion. “If anything, I left home to go and make somethin’ of myself, to come back with two strong legs and two strong arms to carry you outta that prison my fatha’ had you in! So, despite what it seems Lily, I didn’t abandon you!”

  “I ain’t mean abandon in the physical sense,” she replied in a much softer tone, as she wiped the remaining tears from her face. “Emotionally, though, that’s sho’ what it felt like to me.”

  “I’m sorry I made you feel that way and for the way I left everything. And Lord knows, I could neva’ be more sorry for the way I treated you all those years. If I could take it all back, I swear I would. But please trust that I neva’ behaved that way to hurt you. As difficult as it may be to believe, the things I did were for a good reason.”

  “Good reason?!” Lily scoffed. “Talkin’ mean to me, lookin’ at me like I disgusted you, makin’ me feel that you hated me was for a good reason?” she asked, looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

  “I was tryna protect you! In the best way I knew how!”

  “I didn’t want no damn protection! I wanted my friend!”

  “Trust me! You needed it!”

  “Needed it for what, huh?! ’Cause the only person I felt like I suddenly needed protectin’ from at the time was you!”

  James glossed over Lily’s question, not ever willing to give her the ugly reality of that answer. But the true reasons instantly made him recall the horrific memories and graphic nightmares they had created since then. “You have no idea the things I was goin’ through back then, Lily! I was young and foolish, and I admit that I didn’t know how to handle it. I know I could’ve done things betta’, but…”

  “Whateva’ it was, we could’ve figured things out togetha’, the way we always did,” she interrupted, “We were a team! You know you could’ve told me what was goin’ on.”

  “No! Not this!”

  “But we used to tell each otha’ everything!”

  “You mean like the way you told me about the fact that you played piano?”

  “That ain’t fair!” Lily yelled, fire returning to her tone. “You can’t possibly compare the two!”

  “Maybe not, but the point is that I’m not the only guilty party here! We both had our secrets, for whateva’ our own good reasons. And as for me, I can certainly say that none ‘a those reasons had anything to do with me intentionally tryna abandon you emotionally, or in any otha’ way for that matta’. Nor was I tryna make you feel small!”

  “You really expect me to believe that afta’ you’s so hell-bent on remindin’ everybody on that stage tonight what I am to you!”

  “And just what is that?!”

  “Nothin’ but your damn property!”

  “GODDAMN IT LILY, YOU’RE EVERYTHING TO ME!”

  The ferocity in his voice immediately shot Lily’s verbal assault down. She stood there frozen. The crackling of the fire was the only sound in the room for a moment.

  “Absolutely everything,” James added softly. “Can’t you see that?”

  Despite the conviction in his tone, Lily struggled to find the words to respond.

  “Lily, I swear to you, it wasn’t my intent to make you feel that way in front ‘a everybody on that stage tonight. It’s just that I couldn’t handle it anymore!”

  “Handle what?!” she asked, looking confused.

  “ELIJAH!” James erupted again.

  “Elijah?!” Lily repeated, once again looking thoroughly perplexed. “What in the hell does he have to do with anything?!”

  “Everything! Seein’ you in that man’s arms tonight damn near drove me mad!” James fired back through gritted teeth. “Watchin’ him with his arms all ova’ you!” he added, a look of disgust overcoming his expressions as the images returned to his mind. “I hated it! Makes me sick on the inside! The way he looks at you! The way he touches you! The way he talks to you! The way he smiles at you! I don’t like any of it!” He balled his fists up, wishing now that he had hit him when he had the opportunity. “He’s been cravin’ you from the very second he laid his eyes on you. And I’m tellin’ you, I just couldn’t handle it anymore!”

  Lily put her hands on her hips again and her mouth fell open. She furrowed her eyebrows and scolded James with her eyes. She tilted her head and looked at him like he was an immature little boy who was in the midst of a tantrum. “So, all this is about you bein’ jealous?!” she asked, disbelief in her tone.

  “NO! THIS!” he said, pointing his finger toward the ground, “is about the fact that no matta’ how fast I try to run, or how many damn excuses I make, or-or where I try to hide, and no matta’ how many lies I’ve told myself, I can’t get this-this feelin’ to go away!” He pointed to his chest. “I just … I can’t make it quit,” he admitted, sounding frustrated. “This! is about admittin’ to myself that I don’t want you in no otha’ man’s arms … goddamn it, I want you in mine! ’Cause no matta’ what I do, Lily, I swear to God, I can’t get myself to quit lovin’ you!”

  The wounding words that Lily had locked and loaded suddenly faded away, along with the angry expression on her face. She took a moment to search her racing mind to express the truth about how his words initially made her feel, but her thoughts simply spiraled out of control. “Y-you don’t mean that,” she finally said, taking a step backward as if she wanted to get away from his words. “You don’t mean it,” she insisted again, truly not wanting to accept anything he had to say.

  “You just don’t wanna believe that I mean it. You wanna deny it. I know all too well about that. It’ll get ya’ nowhere … Trust me,” James said, as he began to walk toward Lily, never once taking his eyes off of her.

  “NO! You’re a liar! Th-this is just some damn illusion you tryna create to get me to keep doin’ what you want!” she said, thinking of Elijah’s story and the contents of th
e newspaper article. She continued her retreat while staring James up and down, as if he were a stranger with ill intent.

  “Lily, I would neva’ lie to you about somethin’ like this,” James calmly assured her. Like she was his prey, he continued to stalk toward her, the look in his eyes giving away the fact that there was nothing she could do or say that would stop him from approaching her. He preyed on her until he had backed her into a corner. “But go on,” he said calmly, standing so close to her now that she could feel the heat of his breath. “Go on and unleash whateva’ you have to. Don’t shut down and shut me out anymore. Yell at me, hit me, let it out. All your anga’, all your frustrations … just let it all go, right here, right now. I know I deserve it. Go on and finish openin’ up all the old wounds I caused you, and then give me the chance to heal ’em right this time.”

  Lily refused to respond. Instead, she drew her arms up to her chest as if that would somehow stop him from attempting to remove the bricks from her imaginary protective emotional wall.

  Her defensive movement did nothing to stop James, though. He took her arms and gently moved them back down to her sides. “Do what you need to, to flush it all outta your soul and make room for me to be close to you. Let me in again, Lily … Please,” he begged.

  Lily’s continued silence and her attempt at defending her barrier was futile. James pressed on with verbally tearing it down. He refused to be derailed in any way, praying silently that this time around, instead of a wall, his words would encourage her to rebuild the unique bond between them. “I know you feel like I don’t deserve it anymore, but I’ll do anything to be worthy of bein’ called your best friend again. ’Cause, even afta’ everything that’s happened, I ain’t neva’ once stop considerin’ you as mine,” he confessed.

  Not able to handle the intensity of his proximity or his words, Lily began to tremble. She had to look away after no longer being able to face the sea of blue that was trained on her. But yet again, despite her continued emotional retreat, James was undeterred in using his words to draw her in, feeling as though it was now his turn to release what he had held onto for years. “You’re the only reason I eva’ set foot back on my fatha’s farm again,” he confessed. “I hate that place. I hate everything it stands for. But you … I’ve always loved you. Loved you from the very first day I eva’ met you. Since then, you’ve always been the center of my world, Lily. Everything I say, everything I do, my thoughts, my decisions all revolve around you. I would’ve died first before I let you live out the rest ‘a your days in that hell there with my fatha’.”

  Lily still lacked the willpower to return James’s gaze. Her eyes remained fixed on the floor as she blinked away the few tears that his bold confession had ignited. “I wish you would’ve told me these things back then,” she finally said, not an ounce of fight left in her voice. “It would’ve left me with so much hope … instead ‘a so much pain. You crushed my world, James. And I hated you for it,” she admitted, as another tear trickled down the side of her face.

  “I know,” James replied, after the sting of her words subsided. “But I swear to you…” He gently lifted her face toward him. “There wasn’t a day that went by all them years that every part ‘a me didn’t hurt without you too, Lily.” The sudden rush of emotions caused his voice to crack. “Felt like I’s dyin’ on the inside without you,” he admitted, slowly running the back of his fingers down the side of her face.

  James had yet to shed his waiting tears, but Lily could hear weeping in the sound of his voice as he spoke. His touch and his sentimental tone triggered a flurry of butterflies in her stomach and ignited a surge of warmth all over her body.

  “Tell me that you’ve neva’ felt it…” James continued, his lips so close to Lily they grazed her skin. “How much I loved you back then…” he whispered, unable to resist the intense desire to gently kiss her forehead. “How much I still love you.”

  “Don’t … please, don’t,” Lily replied, instinctively wanting to protect her fragile emotions. Simultaneously, though, she could not find the power to pull herself away from the intoxicating feeling of his touch.

  “Tell me that you’ve neva’ felt anything for me.” James placed his hands on either side of Lily’s face, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “Go on,” he dared her, their eyes now locked on each other. “Lie to me.” He could feel Lily trembling and hear that her breathing had deepened, but she refused to acknowledge him. “Go on,” he prompted her again, running the back of his hand down the side of her face to calm her, then tracing his finger along the outer ridge of her lips. “Lie to me … tell me that you don’t love me.” He paused and waited, but once again Lily remained silent. “Tell me,” he demanded, continuing to gently trace the outline of her lips. “Tell me right here and right now, and I’ll walk away and neva’ look back,” he promised, caressing her face, his eyes still locked on hers as he waited patiently for her response.

  “I … I-I’m scared,” was all Lily could bring herself to say while she searched for comfort in the sea of blue that were gazing so lovingly at her, a gaze that exponentially drove the warmth inside her to a level she had never felt in times past.

  “I know,” James acknowledged, still caressing her cheek. “But I wanna take all your fears away and make you feel whole again. I wanna heal you, heal us … I wanna make you feel free with me again,” he whispered.

  Those last words instantly caused another sea of intense tears to come spilling from Lily’s eyes. James was convinced that her tears were confessing that her desires were mutual. Watching her purge her true feelings drove the way in which he wanted to comfort her to another level, a level that would no longer leave the lines between them blurred. With that desire intensely burning, James descended on Lily. After years of wanting, he finally tasted the sweetness of her lips as she continued to weep. Lily did not dare to pull away. She offered no resistance whatsoever. Instead, she parted her lips to allow him further inside as a passionate sign of acceptance. James moaned after she granted him access to delve deeper. He caressed her tongue gently and slowly with his, taking his time to savor a meaningful moment that he had envisioned for over a decade.

  After reveling the sweet taste of Lily’s mouth, James reluctantly pulled back, feeling the need to study her facial expressions for any signs of fear, hurt, or disapproval of his actions. He wanted to be sure that the mutuality of the moment was not just his imagination running away with him. He did not want to take more from Lily than she wanted; he would take his own life before violating her in such a way. But such a thing was not necessary. Much to James’s delight, he wiped away Lily’s remaining tears and was happy to find that the sadness in her eyes had been replaced with want.

  James had certainly read Lily well. The outpouring of his decade-old secrets, his patience, and even his jealousy, had affected her deeply. But it was ultimately the undeniable love she felt in the passion of his kiss that had her reciprocating his gaze with mutual want. Sharing his genuine emotions had finally broken through her wall and left her completely vulnerable. But the loving way he now gazed at her left her convinced that she need not fear such vulnerability.

  “There you are,” James smiled. He gently caressed Lily’s face again after seeing that the veil of fear shrouding her had suddenly been lifted, revealing the look of innocence in her features that he adored so much. “Beautiful Lily,” he whispered, still softly caressing her skin.

  Lily closed her eyes and reveled in James’s touch, the sound of his voice, and the sentiment of his words. It all led her desires to begin guiding her actions. She leaned toward him, seeking that connection with him again, that feeling of contentment when his lips were pressed against hers. She was like an instant addict, searching for the instantaneous high she had felt the first time he touched her in such an extraordinarily pleasurable manner.

  Lily’s actions were the finality that James had been patiently awaiting. The simple motion of her lips closing in on his was reassurance that they ind
eed possessed a mutual wanting for one another. It all allowed James to completely relax and turn his attention back to the sweetness of lips he had waited years to taste. He now felt free to proceed with expressing his feelings for Lily without the worry of potential guilt or regret.

  It was Lily this time who moaned when James invaded her mouth. This time, their kiss was drawn out. It was slow and deep, filled with passion and the indisputable love that Lily had felt there the time before. After a while, James pulled back slightly to suckle on Lily’s swollen lips, gently taking them one-by-one into his mouth before diving deep to dance yet again with her tongue. The long overdue passionate exchange sent every fantasy Lily ever had about James crashing to the forefront of her mind, inflaming her body with desire. The dark abyss between her thighs began pulsating with want, quickly moistening her pleasure passageway in preparation for an already much-needed eruption.

  James’s mind and body were unanimously in sync with Lily’s. Only seconds in and the feel of her soft skin, her touch, her embrace, the way her lips moved, and the look of lust on her face left a certain part of his body aching for explosive satisfaction.

  As difficult as it was for James, he stopped kissing Lily, took her by the hand, and guided her back across the room near the warmth of the fireplace. The light enhanced the flawlessness of her features, making James just want to smile at her for a moment. He then placed both hands on either side of her face and kissed her forehead again. He trailed his lips down to her ear and carried on kissing southward down the side of her neck. With every kiss, goosebumps were rising on Lily’s skin from the pleasurable sensation rippling through her overstimulated body.

  While James continued to delight Lily’s skin, he reached behind her and began unbuttoning her dress, but felt her body tense when the buttons were all undone. He stopped altogether after sensing the change in Lily’s disposition. James pulled back to look at her, wanting to be sure that he was not forcing her to go any further than she felt comfortable going. “You okay?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern.