I dug my heels in. “Deacon,” I hissed.
“Miss Emersyn?” Stedman placed his hand on my back just hard enough to let me know he was standing there and talking to me.
I wanted to snap at the butler to back away from me, but he wasn’t doing anything wrong. It was just his job. But he was the only person in the room who was required to obey orders. Sebastien’s friendly face was now a mask of indifference, though he was watching his son and not me. In fact, none of them were looking at me. Amelia was beaming up at Deacon. Heather – Mrs. English – might as well have had lasers in her eyes for the look she gave him.
“Deacon?” I said between clenched teeth.
Finally, he looked over at me. “Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”
You better be. Or I won’t.
Chapter Ten
EMERSYN
“…is she pregnant?”
I froze on the top step of the staircase. Stedman walked ahead, leaving me alone. He either didn’t realize I wasn’t behind him, or he was intentionally letting me listen. I hadn’t planned on eavesdropping. Everyone knew those who listened never heard good things. But is she pregnant? It was a spy-worthy comment. I knew I didn’t look pregnant, which meant either Deacon having a child was that likely – or she found me that unworthy of him.
I wasn’t sure which was worse.
“Goddess, almighty, mother!” Deacon groaned. “Do you hear yourself?”
My heart felt like it was beating super fast and not at all at the same time.
“Well what do you expect us to think, Deacon?” His mother snapped. I couldn’t see her but I could picture her uptight face. “You haven’t called home in months then show up with a girlfriend we’ve never heard of.”
“Right, because the first logical explanation is that she’s pregnant.” The wood floors creaked, as if he was walking out of the room. “Thanks for thinking so highly of me, mother. Unbelievable. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
“And who’s fault is that, son?” Sebastien’s voice was harder and rougher than I’d heard it mere moments ago. “You tell us nothing for months then come home with her.”
“Her, Deacon? Really?” She scoffed. Her Louboutin heels clicked over the wood floors. “Why not Scarlett or Olivia. At least Carrie lives on Park —”
“Carrie is a human for Goddess’ sake!” Deacon yelled back. “My girlfriend, my choice!”
“Miss Emersyn?”
I jumped and leapt up the top step before I even registered who’d spoken to me. It was Stedman. I looked up at him but didn’t try to speak. I didn’t trust my mouth.
He gestured down the hall. “Your room is the second door on the left, I have left it open for you.” He nodded then sped down the stairs and out of sight.
I charged to my guest room and it took everything inside me not to slam it shut. I wanted to scream. I wanted to twirl my wrists and feel my fire on my fingertips. I wanted to go home and pretend this never happened. This was a mistake. A horrible nightmare. Deacon was my soulmate and I cared for him more than I knew how to put into words…but not these people. I owed them nothing.
No screaming or torching, but I can go home. Tegan would come back for me. She wouldn’t hesitate. In fact, she’d love the chance to come here and tell them all off. A huge part of my wanted to, so much so that my phone was already in my hand. Except I was better than that. They may have seen me as a worthless little peasant, but I knew I was better than them. I would never treat people like that. Ever.
“Screw this,” I mumbled to myself and stormed over to the open closet with my clothes hanging inside. “Who goes through someone’s bag without asking? I’m stupid rich so I can do whatever I want. Jerks.”
It took me a second to find my duffle bag folded up and tucked under the bed, but I managed to locate it without asking for help and furthering embarrass myself. If I could just get all of my clothes packed away I could call Tegan and get the hell out of there before Deacon even came looking for me. I marched over and yanked a few of my nicer tops off the hangers and the rage inside me fueled.
“Oh, let me guess, cotton is against rich people law?” I shoved it into my bag then turned to grab some more. “Stupid me for not owning silk or wool or tailored suits.”
In my peripheral vision I saw the bedroom door open but I didn’t stop what I was doing. In fact, I purposely shoved my faux-silk skirt into the far corner of the bag.
Deacon gasped. “Em, what are you doing?”
“Going home,” I snapped and stuffed my makeup bag in the duffel. “Where I never should’ve left.”
“Wait, wait, no. Please, Em.” He reached out and took my hands in his. “Don’t go. Just let me —”
“Defend me?” I smacked his hands away and stormed to the closet. “Yeah, I’ve been waiting for that to start.”
“Emersyn—”
I jumped back out of the closet and tossed a shoe at him. “They called me an inbreeding hillbilly at school, Deacon. Inbreeder. That means incest. The bullies in my high school said that and yet I’ve never been more belittled in my life.”
“Emersyn, please. I’m sorry.”
I marched right up to his face. “Is she pregnant? REALLY?”
His face paled. “You heard that?”
“Wish I hadn’t.” I shoved him hard enough to make him take a step back. “Where was my defense, Deacon? I don’t need a knight in shining armor but for Goddess’s sake I need a partner to have my back. Why didn’t you defend me?”
He sighed and tugged at his hair. “You’re right. I should have…it’s just, this isn’t about you.”
“To hell it isn’t!”
“This is about me,” he groaned. “This is about her.”
“Why didn’t you tell them I’m your soulmate?” I leaned closer to meet his gaze. “Huh? Why not, Deacon? I am your soulmate, not just some girlfriend! Why didn’t you tell them?”
“Because they don’t deserve to know!” He yelled back, his cheeks flushed pink. He cursed and shook his head. “I know we’re not from the same worlds, Em. Look at this house, of course I know that. I want them to like you for you. For who you are, not because you’re my soulmate.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Because you don’t know her yet,” Deacon whispered. He put his hands on my elbows and squeezed, not aggressively but nicely. I hated how much it calmed me, too. He met my stare with wide violet eyes, pleading for me to listen. “If she knew you were my soulmate she wouldn’t try to get to know the real you because she’d just focus all of her time and energy on making you one of us. Just look at what she’s doing with Amelia.”
I opened my mouth then closed it again.
“I just want them to see what I see. You are perfect the way you are, I don’t want anyone trying to change that.” He pressed his forehead against mine and rubbed little circles on my arms with his thumbs. “I want them to see how amazingly wonderful you are.”
“Then why am I borrowing clothes from some other girl?”
Someone knocked on the door.
“Yes?” Deacon yelled and pulled back. “Come in.”
The door opened to reveal Stedman. He bowed slightly. “Miss Caroline is here in the foyer awaiting Miss Emersyn.”
Deacon nodded. “Thank you, Steds. She’ll be right down.”
Once he was out of sight I turned back to my boyfriend. “Who is this Caroline?”
“One of my oldest friends.” He continued to rub circles on my arms. “The places we eat dinner have dress codes. I’ve been away too long, I guess, I didn’t think of it. Mom must think you don’t have what you need for tonight.”
It was my turn to groan. “I don’t know about this Deacon.”
“My family isn’t like yours, Em. We don’t have that warm, cozy feeling. We don’t do picnic dinners or pizza movie nights.” He stepped back and shrugged. “Please, give them a chance to come to their senses. Please, for me?”
/>
That was why I came in the first place. I’d told myself Deacon deserved better than the way I’d treated him. I’d told myself I’d see his side of the world. I didn’t want to stay, but what kind of selfish coward would I be if I left?
I sighed and dropped my arms. “Fine. For you, and only for you.”
“Thank you.” He cupped my face and smiled then pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Now let’s go meet Caroline.”
By the time we made it back down to the entrance foyer I was a giant disaster. A ball of conflicting emotions. All I wanted to do was bail. I wanted to text Tegan an SOS message and get the hell out of there. But I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. I had to stick it out longer.
The second I spotted the girl in the foyer all the fear and panic inside me were burned out by raging hot fire. My body turned into a furnace. It was like that night at our school dance when I watched Tegan do that sexy tango with Deacon. Except this time I knew what I was feeling. Jealousy. Raw, hot, jealousy. The girl stood in the center of the foyer acting like she owned the place as she laughed and joked with Stedman. Good news, she hadn’t seen us yet so I had time to scope her out. Bad news, she was gorgeous.
The girl had long auburn red hair and rosy fair skin lightly dusted with reddish freckles. Her eyes were emerald green and sparkled like the gemstone themselves. She grinned and her perfect white teeth were highlighted by the boldness of her bright apple red lipstick. Her body was absolutely perfect. Long, lean, and covered by a skin-tight black knit dress that clung to her every curve like it was painted on.
There was no way I was admitting defeat in front of this girl. Nope not a chance. I had no idea what their past looked like but I sure as hell knew where his future lied and it wasn’t with her. Goddess, when did I become such a jealous person? I groaned and the girl’s eyes snapped over to us just as we hit the bottom step.
She smiled wide and moved toward us. “Deacon!”
“Hey, how are you?” He smiled back and gave her a quick hug. When he pulled back he gestured to me. “This is my girlfriend, Emersyn.”
The model-worthy girl held her thin hand out and a bracelet full of diamonds dangled from her wrist. “Hi! I’m Caroline Davenport.”
I cleared my throat and shook her hand. I’d never felt less pretty than I did in that moment standing in front of Caroline. Her dress had to have cost hundreds of dollars. Meanwhile my jeans and cotton blouse tallied in the low two digits.
“Hi. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She grinned then looked down at the Apple Watch on her wrist. “Well we don’t have much time to get you ready before dinner, so we better get moving.”
“Oh, umm…okay.” I glanced up to Deacon to say bye when the sound of her heels clicking across the floor echoed through the foyer. When I looked down my heart sank at the sight of crimson red soles.
“Deacon, I spoke with your mother. I’ll be delivering her to dinner in an hour.” The elevator door opened and she stepped inside then waved me on. “Come on, Emersyn. We can girl talk along the way.”
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
Chapter Eleven
EMERSYN
As I settled in to the black leather seats of Caroline’s Bentley I tried to remember what girl talk looked like. It’d been so long since I talked about normal things. It felt like another lifetime.
Caroline crossed one leg over the other then smoothed her dress. “Richard, home please.”
“Yes, Ms. Davenport,” the middle-aged man in the driver’s seat said as he pulled the sedan onto Fifth Avenue.
“So…” Caroline turned to me and grinned. She pushed massive black sunglasses higher up on her thin nose. “How do you like New York so far?”
“Um, I don’t know.” I glanced out my window at the herds of people walking down the sidewalk then looked back to my current host and shrugged. “I just got here like half an hour ago. Maybe.”
“Oh. Well, most people make up their mind right away.” Her smile was big and friendly looking, but something was off. I just couldn’t tell what. “You’ll know by tonight if you want to stay.”
I frowned. What’s that supposed to mean? But I didn’t ask that. I didn’t want to be suspicious of everyone, that was no way to live. “This is Deacon’s home, so I’m sure I’ll be here often.”
She raised both eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. “Are you two serious then? How long have you been together?”
A few days. But I wasn’t about to say that out loud. “Yes, we’re quite serious. It’s been almost three months.” It wasn’t technically a lie. He was my soulmate, so he was technically mine from the day we met. And there was nothing more serious than soulmates.
“Three months? That’s a long time for D with one girl.” She leaned in closer and slid her sunglasses down enough for me to see her eyes. Then she looked me up and down. “You must be as good as he is, then.”
“Excuse me?”
But she just giggled and winked. The car stopped and our doors were opened almost immediately. A man in a light gray suit reached in and gave Caroline his hand, helping her out of the car. Did she just insinuate that she’s been with him? I scowled and spun to climb out of the car…and my chin landed in some man’s palm.
I gasped and looked up, my cheeks blazing fire. “Oops. Sorry.”
The older man chuckled and shook his head. He pulled his hand back and stepped aside. “You’d be surprised how often that happens.”
For the first time since I arrived in New York I smiled genuinely. I took his hand and let him lift me gracefully from the car and to my feet. “Thank you, and sorry?”
“No worries, my dear. Have a lovely evening.” He bowed then moved away.
I shook my head and turned to find Caroline standing beside a grand doorway, chuckling. I cleared my throat and scurried over to her. “Sorry.”
She shook her head. “So the tales are true, country folk really are friendly to everyone?”
My jaw dropped. Not that she noticed. She’d turned and glided through the automatic doors. Her hips swung side to side like some bombshell in a movie. I didn’t think real people actually walked like that. I wonder if her hips hurt.
Despite the fact I was in flats and she in heels, I still had to practically run to catch up to her. As we approached the elevator bank she turned and headed to the one on the far right with silvery doors. They opened as soon as we got there. Inside, there was only one button – emergency. Caroline didn’t push anything or speak to anyone, the elevator car just lifted up on its own.
“Whoa…” I heard myself whisper before I could slam my mouth shut.
Caroline giggled. “Magic, Emersyn. You are a witch, aren’t you dear?”
“I am, I’m just…not like this.”
“And that is why Heather sent for me.” Caroline smiled and it seemed genuine. “These restaurants are rather particular. I’m sure your clothes were just fine, but Heather and Sebastien are the Majors and Minors of New York so appearance is everything. And since my father is the other Major in town she knew I’d know how to dress you.”
Heather, not Mrs. English.
I see where I stand.
Wait. There’s that word again. Major. I frowned. “What is a Major? Minor?”
Caroline’s eyes widened. “Really?”
I shrugged. “I grew up human.”
Her shoulders dropped. “OH. Oh, I see. I apologize, I didn’t know that. How rude of me. Majors and Minor are like the witch governors and mayors of each major city or region. Basically, Deacon’s parents rule New York. My father a close second. They oversee all the witches and supernatural creatures that live here and make sure everyone is behaving themselves. The Coven can’t be everywhere at once, so they set up the Majors, Minors, and Aces centuries ago.”
Something about the way she said The Coven suggested she had no idea I was a Card. I wasn’t sure why that had been left out, unless Deacon’s parents somehow didn’t know. But how coul
d they not, seeing as he was a Coven-member. Either way, I wasn’t letting on to that detail just yet. I glanced down at my left arm to make sure my long sleeves covered my Mark.
I nodded. “So they’re like the people in charge of all witches here? And your father?”
The elevator stopped and the doors parted. “Yup, cool huh? Come on, let’s get you dressed for dinner.”
I didn’t like the way she kept saying that. Was dinner not just a meal up here? Did it have another meaning I wasn’t aware of? If it did, what the hell was I getting myself into? If it didn’t...then what the hell was I getting myself into?
Caroline walked out of the elevator with a little more pep to her step than I’d seen before. In fact, three feet inside the foyer and she stopped to take her heels off. She grinned at me and wagged her eyebrows. “When Heather English calls you to serve as fashion assistant you must arrive in Louboutin’s. Do you have a pair?”
I scoffed before I could stop myself. “Definitely not.”
“Ah, well, if you ever buy a pair make sure to find some with an easier pitch.” She wiggles her bare toes. “This pair is not on my recommendation list. Though I have several others that are totally comfortable.”
“Oh, but you walk so well in them...”
“Ha!” She flipped her red hair over her shoulder and waved me to follow. “I had my car drive me three blocks down, Emersyn. Or did you think I was showing off?”
My cheeks warmed. I shrugged and followed her. “Well...” That was only three blocks?
She paused in front of a set of double doors made of frosted glass with some intricate design etched into it. “I don’t need to show off, though I admit it was ridiculous even by my standards.” With a chuckle, she pushed the doors open and walked inside.
My heart sank. Of course. Just of course. Caroline Davenport was exactly the kind of girl Deacon’s mother wanted him with. She was poised and beautiful…and as filthy rich as he was. Her apartment might’ve even been more lavish than his. Where Deacon’s place was a crisp, clean palace of white, Caroline’s screamed of old money. When I tried to picture rich people of New York the Davenport residence was exactly what I saw.
The Fire Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 7) Page 5
