by Carli Castle
“Which one?” he asked. “They’re both amazing in their own right. All of you are.”
She welcomed the compliment with a smile.
His hair, which was the color of golden straw, was slicked back, and the eyes, his best feature, turned the golden color of good whiskey when he was content. She’d seen them change from that same color to blue and green, but she’d never been able to figure out what each color meant regarding his mood.
“And you are far too smooth with your words,” she said, resisting the urge to look back at Lucas.
“A single man has to be, though I do not see you swooning at my charm.”
She laughed.
“It won’t take long, I assure you.”
“It doesn’t work on everyone, unfortunately.” He twirled her around, then brought her close to him again.
“I highly doubt that.”
It was almost imperceptible, maybe it would have been to someone not paying attention to him, but his gaze very quickly darted to Harper where she was dancing with Prince Noren. His eyes went just a little bit darker before they turned back to the same whiskey hue as before.
She decided not to tease him about it, because Prince David’s jaw tightened a little when Harper and Prince Noren danced past them.
Interesting.
When the song ended, Prince David stepped back and bowed gallantly.
“Thank you for the dance, Princess Eleanore.”
“My pleasure, Prince David.”
He walked her back to her chair, his hand on her arm the entire time.
“And it’s Ash to my friends,” he murmured when she turned to him.
“And Elle to mine.” She offered her hand and he took it, giving her a kiss on the back of it.
“I will be sure to remember that,” he said before he walked away and she watched Aiessa make a beeline for Lucas, who smiled at her dreamily, the same look most men got when her sister came around them, and Elle was sure—she was sure—Aiessa was using her pheromone powers on him. Now, why would Aiessa be using her powers on him again? she wondered as she took her seat, something in her chest twisting. A little voice inside told her she didn’t know for sure that Aiessa was, in fact, using her pheromones on Lucas, but the irrational part of her wanted to continue believing that.
She was not jealous that Lucas was dancing with her beautiful sister. She was just annoyed, that was all. Because Aiessa had no business using her power on Lucas. It was rude and inappropriate that her sister would manipulate someone that blatantly.
She was indignant. That was it, indignant.
But, you don’t even know if she is, calm down, she told herself when someone asked her for a dance. She put her hand in his without looking at who it was, and ordered herself to remain calm.
***
He’d been watching her dancing with Ash, arguing with himself that he wasn’t jealous as she laughed at something the man said. When Ash had walked her to her chair, kissing her hand before he walked away, Lucas had been about to stand to go to her, to ask her for that dance she had promised him. Of course, he didn’t get the chance to do it, because her sister came up to him, that intoxicating perfume of hers filling his every sense.
He didn’t even notice when Caleb slipped away from his chair and walked out.
All he cared about at the moment was dancing with Aiessa, even as something inside his chest pulled his gaze toward Elle, who was looking straight at him as she got pulled into another dance. When he looked down at Aiessa, she had a knowing smile on her lips. Pink, shiny lips.
What he wouldn’t give to…
“Maybe this will make her take notice.” Her silky voice interrupted his train of thought.
He looked down at her. Her beautiful, nearly black hair was swept up off her slender neck and her face, pinned in a mass of curls at the top of her head.
What was it about her eyes that pulled at his heartstrings? There was something underneath the shimmering violet. Something he couldn’t decipher.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he mumbled and her smile widened.
“You’ve been staring at her. Maybe you should be a little more inconspicuous.”
He was very aware of his hands on her small waist as they swayed to the slow ballad that talked of falling in love. It didn’t seem right to be dancing to it with her. It made him feel like he was doing something wrong.
He attributed his jumbled thoughts to the champagne as he looked down at her lips. He shook his head to clear it. The song was just dragging on and on.
“How are you faring after what’s been happening around here,” she asked with a half-smile, successfully getting his attention again.
“I’m fine,” he said, though to him this was not the kind of conversation he should be having a birthday party.
“I’m sure you are, and I am glad to hear it,” she said, smiling.
“Thank you,” he said, and breathed in through his mouth to avoid getting another whiff of her scent. It was too strong, like she had sprayed on too much perfume. But even then, he felt it go straight to his head. What was it about her? Why did he want to lean down and take her lips? He shook his head and the thoughts scattered away. He shouldn’t be thinking of her that way. Guilt gripped at his throat as he looked over at Elle, who was smiling at the man with whom she was dancing.
“Maybe it’s not a big deal,” she whispered and he looked down at Aiessa, whose face was serious now, though that glint was still in her eyes.
“What’s not a big deal.” He was utterly confused.
“That you want us both,” she responded. He stepped back at the same moment the song ended.
“Why would you think that?” Lucas asked her, annoyed.
She just shrugged a milky shoulder and smiled again.
“Thank you for the dance,” she said and walked away, throwing him a look of pure seduction over her shoulder. It was a lot like Elle had done just a few minutes before, but it didn’t have the same effect. Elle’s gesture had almost turned him into a puddle, while Aiessa’s made something inside him twist in an uncomfortable way.
He frowned, moving to the sidelines, glad to be away from her. He didn’t like people playing with him, and as his head cleared, he realized that’s what she had done. She’d used pheromones on him, exactly like that day in the garden, under the auroras. He couldn’t stop the frown as he looked up at her. She was being whisked into the dance floor again, this time by a love struck young man. Or maybe it was just another poor idiot that fell into her powers.
His gaze went to Elle, who was sitting on her chair, this time talking with some guy. He watched her for a while, but she didn’t look at him once.
Chapter Thirteen
Later that night, when every last guest was bid farewell, Elle sat on her bed with the box open in front of her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the flowers Lucas had given to her, which glittered even more in the light of her bedroom. She couldn’t stop the rush of emotion they brought her.
She was also trying really hard not to throw them in the trash. She wouldn’t do that, of course, because she wasn’t that crazy. She was just mad.
How was it that he could put such moves on her that made her weak in the knees, and then go after her sister like a puppy dog?
Oh, she knew Aiessa had used her stupid pheromone powers on him, but they didn’t work if the person wasn’t receptive to them. And he obviously was, because she’d been successful in using them on him more than once. She stood, leaving the box with the flowers on the bed and walked into her closet, intent on changing her clothes.
Before she actually even looked for her sleep clothes, she went back to the room and looked again at the fragile crystals. They switched colors ever few seconds, just like their real counterparts, and as they caught the light of the bedside lamp, they sent a rainbow of colors shooting to the ceiling.
They were the most beautiful gift she’d ever received, she admitted, even as she wanted to take them back to him
and tell him right where he could put them.
She stalked back to the closet, pulling the dress off and sliding her legs into a pair of black sweats and a white t-shirt.
She realized she was being irrational, because Aiessa had been the one using her powers on him. Regardless if he welcomed it or not, it had not been his choice for her to use them. Aiessa just liked the attention.
Still, she remembered how twitchy and bothered he’d gotten her after that amazing kiss in the garden, and then his eyes glazing over with Aiessa, and she couldn’t help but shake in the heat the reared its ugly head in her gut.
Aiessa had always known she was prettier; she got the most attention from men. From everyone, actually. And still she felt like she had to use her power to get whatever it was she wanted from them. What that was, Elle had no idea, but it was extremely rude.
Now, as she sat on the bed, she would wait. She would go to his place, but not for what he might be thinking. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. Oh yes, she would, she thought leaning back on the pillows.
She closed her eyes, remembering the look in his eyes when he’d kissed her under the fairy lights. No one had ever looked at her like that, like she was the only person left on the planet. A flutter went through her belly. It was not excitement, she told herself. It was anger.
There was a soft knock on her door, and Aiessa poked her head in before she entered the bedroom. Elle’s annoyance grew.
“When you knock, you wait for a response, not just barge in, Aiessa,” she said, but Aiessa only smiled, setting Elle’s teeth on edge. She had on her pajamas already, covered by a silk robe with tiny flowers printed all over it. Her hair was braided all down her back, like she always did it before bed, but she still had her makeup on.
Her glossy, pink lips were open wide, her eyes starting at the crystal flowers on the bedside.
“Who gave you those?” She stood and walked to the bed, ran her slim finger delicately over one of the flowers.
Elle wanted to tell her who they were from, just to see her reaction, but she didn’t want to get Lucas into trouble, despite her annoyance.
She lifted a shoulder in what she hoped was a dismissive manner.
“Some guy.” Something in her chest wanted to feel a little guilty that she’d suggested it was from no one of importance, but she was too irritated to let it reach full bloom.
“That sounds like it has smitten written all over it,” Aiessa said. “Spill it.”
“I have nothing to spill.” Elle ordered herself to stay sitting on the bed instead of standing up and coming too close to her sister and her smug face.
“Is it some sort of secret?” Aiessa raised a brow. Elle had the urge to slap her.
“If it was a secret, I’d have denied it was a guy, wouldn’t I,” she said, meaning every word. “How about you tell me what you want?”
“I can’t come visit my sister and spend some time with her on her birthday?”
Elle narrowed her eyes at Aiessa.
“Knowing you, there’s something you want from me,” Elle said, getting a surprised laugh from Aiessa. “Spill it,” she echoed.
“There is nothing.” Aiessa lifted her hands, palms forward. “I promise.”
“Oh stop, I don’t have time for this.” Elle stood.
Aiessa tossed her braid. “Oh, you’re in a mood.”
Elle walked toward the window, as far away from Aiessa as she could.
Aiessa rolled her eyes. “Oh honey, you’re so transparent.”
Elle whirled around to look at Aiessa. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re jealous,” Aiessa simply said with an even bigger smile. She looked like a satisfied cat to Elle, and her chest burned. “You should probably be a little more cautious, you know,” Aiessa continued as she walked toward the bookshelf, running her finger over the books before she picked one. Opening the book, she looked back at Elle, her eyes narrowed, like a cat waiting for a mouse to peek out of a hole on the wall. “Both of you.”
Elle didn’t say anything, because her heart was suddenly at her throat.
“You’re lousy at keeping things hidden, little sister.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Elle tried to look nonchalant, but she was sure she was not succeeding.
“Oh please, like I didn’t see the looks you and Lucas Ferrin were throwing at each other. He was positively glowering when you were dancing with Prince David. And when you both disappeared right after you came into the ballroom…”
“And yet you used your powers on him,” Elle shot back, ignoring the flutter in her chest. Aiessa had seen, so surely other people had noticed. How could she have been so stupid? What if her father had seen too?
Aiessa continued to smile and Elle just wanted to get a rise out of her. She was primed for a fight.
“Isn’t that just like you, Aiessa,” Elle said and watched Aiessa’s smile falter just a little.
“Now it’s my turn to ask what you mean.” Aiessa closed the book with a snap.
“Oh stop.” Elle went to Aiessa and taking the book from her, she put it back where it belonged. “You know exactly what I mean.”
“Is everything all right here?” Harper was at the door, and Elle wasn’t surprised she hadn’t even heard her arrive.
“No, everything is not all right,” Aiessa told their oldest sister. “Our little sister here is jealous her love interest preferred to dance with me tonight.”
Elle let out a laugh, even though it was the last thing she felt like doing. “Do you think he would have gone with you if you wouldn’t have used your power on him?”
Aiessa only threw her a look, but Harper stepped between them anyway.
“I think the conversation needs to change directions,” Harper said, extending her hand toward the door and locking it.
“No, I don’t need to change the direction of the conversation. Aiessa just has to get the hell out of my room.” Elle snapped. She wanted them both out of there.
“I don’t need to use powers to get what I want.” Aiessa’s voice was silky.
“You had to use them with Lucas.”
“No one can be persuaded into anything they don’t really want. I didn’t see him complaining to be under my spell.”
“All right, that’s enough,” Harper said when Elle would have cursed at Aiessa in the most vicious manner she could. “There is no need for you two to be arguing about this.”
“Maybe Aiessa should keep her nose out of my business with Lucas.”
“And maybe you should be a little nicer to me,” Aiessa said. “I came here to spend some time with you, and here we are arguing, like always. It gets old, you know.”
Elle looked at Aiessa for a moment, seeing the sincerity in her expression, and she immediately felt guilty. Aiessa shifted a little. Elle was not used to see her in any kind of vulnerable position. Not for a very long time.
“I’m sorry I meddled,” Aiessa mumbled.
“I’m sorry I attacked you,” Elle responded. “And thank you for my gift.”
“I haven’t given you a gift.” Aiessa said, puzzled.
“I know, I’m still waiting.” She walked back to the bed and began putting the crystal flowers in the vase on the nightstand.
“It’s almost ready, I promise,” Aiessa said, sitting at the edge of the bed. Harper sat on the other side, her back to the headboard.
“See? It isn’t so hard to get along,” Harper said. “By the way, my gift to you is in my room, I have forgotten to give it to you.”
“You forgot to do something,” Aiessa asked, incredulous. “That’s very hard to grasp.”
“I know, the notion of it is baffling,” Elle said as she finished with the flowers and put the box away.
“I just forgot to put it with the other gifts. I didn’t think it was necessary to do that since we live together.”
To Elle, Harper seemed a little bit sad, though she was trying hard to be cheerful. And Ell
e would not ask her either, because Harper wouldn’t say anything anyway. It was unhealthy the way she just kept things in.
Elle didn’t know if she wanted to be there when the dam finally broke.
They talked for a little while longer, the subject of Lucas not coming up again. It was just as well, because Elle didn’t want to have any more arguments with her sisters. It was actually nice to be with both of them, talking about unimportant things, getting along, for once in a very long time.
After, when they had left for bed, Elle paced, biding her time until she could leave to see Lucas. And after what seemed like an eternity, she walked to the door and opened it to peer outside to the hallway. It was completely deserted, no signs of anyone roaming about.
She closed the door again, and lifted her hand toward it. The door glowed a faint yellow, indicating it was locked. She was going to go see Lucas, and she wouldn’t wait a moment longer.
She turned off the lights, closed the curtains, and stepped onto the balcony. She only had to make it to the ground level and she would be able to teleport. The same way she did every night when she went to the healing house.
***
He was sitting at his desk, trying to draw the way she’d looked tonight from memory. He was restless, a little jittery even. Maybe it was the drinks he had at the party.
That was why he never drank alcohol. It took away every semblance of control away from a man. And if there was something he hated with fervor, it was that. He had enough of that with his wayward powers.
He had a lot of the drawing done, and thought maybe he could leave it until the next morning, when he wasn’t feeling so weird and foggy.
His pulse was shaky, uneven.
He pushed back from his desk and went to the living room, sat on a chair, then stood again and went to the window, considering going for a run on the beach.
He was about to open the door when there was a knock, and there she was. Her dress was gone, but her hair was still done the same it had been at the party, her makeup still in place. She was smiling when he stepped aside to let her in, but there was an edge to it.
