“Yes, she always falls asleep in the aerocar.”
It was immediately evident that Felicia adored children. I couldn’t say the same about the lady who wrinkled her pretty nose with displeasure at the sight of me and my daughter.
“Is this the wedding planner?” I noticed the bitchy notes in her voice.
“Yes, this is the Sonorina Lei I’ve told you about. Elenia, this is Sibyl, my older sister. Our youngest sister, Oli, will arrive sometime around dinner.”
“Nice to meet you, Sonorina Solt,” I said, casting a glance at the sleek hand of the rich heiress and not seeing a wedding ring on it.
Sibyl only nodded restrainedly in response, showing with her entire appearance that she certainly didn’t share my feelings.
“Snake.” Xanor coughed, and I bit my lip, trying to hold back a laugh.
Garanor came up to us last.
“Sonorina Lei, I’m glad you accepted my brother’s invitation,” he said as if my presence gave him at least a headache and a toothache combined. I recalled what Xanor had told me on our way here.
To be honest, I didn’t want to answer him at all. I just nodded and looked at Felicia. She and Xanor were the ones I had to look at, think about, and pay attention to. And I didn’t care what all the Sibyls and Garanors thought of me. As Jamie would say, let them shove their conceit and their status up their asses.
A fairy would never say that, but no one forbade her to think so...
“I suggest that we all rest before dinner,” Felicia said and beckoned me to follow her. “Come, Elenia, a servant will show you to your rooms. Was you trip okay? Xanor didn’t bother you much?”
At that moment, he stopped me, touching my elbow. Leaning over to me, he whispered in my ear: “It was a pleasure to fly with you, Elenia. I hope other things will be a pleasure, too.”
I was sure my cheeks went crimson from this subtle hint. I felt Garanor’s heavy gaze on me, which made me blush even more.
By some miracle, I pulled myself together, got up on my tiptoes to get even closer to Xanor, and whispered to him: “We can play the piano together. I’m very good at it.” With a slight movement, I shook off his hand from my elbow and returned to Felicia. “Sorry, Sonorina Solt, I got distracted. What were you saying?”
***
The interior of the house was just as luxurious, although perhaps this word alone wasn’t enough to describe its beauty and opulence. Dark marble staircases lining the spacious hallway led to the second floor. The wrought iron railings reflected in the polished floors, and I even managed to catch my slightly dazed reflection in them.
The stroller floated through the air, and Dina seemed to be flying as well. She walked almost on tiptoe, trying not to make a sound. Felicia took me by the arm, as if we were old friends, and led me to the stairs.
“Today, there’ll be a small family dinner, nothing special. Only Solts and quite a few of Horoses.” She laughed. “And tomorrow, we’re invited to a reception at Quinto Gallardo’s, have you heard of him?”
I nodded, drawing in my mind the image of another Dark One, a little older than Garanor. The Gallardos’ owned oil companies scattered all over the world, and they could easily measure to both the Solts and the Horoses in capitals, and maybe even surpass them.
“You’re invited, too, Elenia.” Felicia, meanwhile, dumbfounded me. “I made inquiries about you and I know that you were the best employee of Felicidad, but... you’ve never moved in our circles. Gallardo’s reception will be a great example of what people and Dark Ones like us expect from such events.”
“I’ve had a chance to organize weddings for wealthy families,” I stuttered, hoping to get away from such an unwanted invitation.
“But not for people like me and Garanor,” she said with a condescending smile.
I bit my lip and swore in my mind. Gallardo’s reception was likely to have journalists present. I also didn’t have an evening dress. The one that I ordered this morning, and didn’t even bother to try on, would do for a modest family evening, but not for a pretentious hangout of the very crème de la crème of Grassor society.
Felicia seemed to read my thoughts and hurried to calm me down.
“Don’t worry, Quinto’s wife loves to throw unusual parties, and this time it’s a costume one. I think you’ll be calmer with a mask, feel less embarrassed and all.”
“But I don’t have a mask.”
Nor a dress.
“That’s not a problem at all. Alicantar is full of shops, tomorrow we’ll definitely find something for you,” Felicia promised.
I can’t even imagine how much things cost here...
“This’ll be my gift for a good beginning of our project.” Felicia must’ve read my mind, and I again wanted to fall through these expensive floors.
“I don’t think I can accept it...”
“Elenia, are you trying to offend me?” She stopped and looked into my eyes.
“I’d never do such a thing. It’s just too generous of a gift.”
“Yours will be much more generous — my dream wedding.”
“I’m grateful for your attention, but I’m able to afford a new dress.”
Felicia sighed heavily.
“Okay, we’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
I decided to just return to the topic of the wedding.
“About tomorrow... Could we fly out to La Molita? In the sixties of the previous century, Princess Isabella III was married at this castle. I thought we could consider it as one of the options for the venue. It’d bring that retro feeling we’re looking for.”
Felicia’s eyes lit up, which, coupled with a gentle smile, made her look even more charming.
“What a wonderful idea, Elenia! We’ll definitely go take a look. In the meantime, rest, no one will disturb you before dinner. We’re expecting you downstairs at eight.”
She left me in the care of a maid who appeared out of nowhere and took Dina and me to our rooms. They were connected by a small hallway and were just as outrageously luxurious as everything else in this house.
I’d never seen four-poster beds, except in really old movies, and now I’d spend two nights in one of them. And the view was spectacular.
There was very little time left before dinner, so we decided to postpone the walk along the beach until tomorrow. The maid brought food for Lita and Dina, and together we tried to feed this little tornado, which rushed from one bedroom to another, now and then ran up to the windows and, jumping up and down, repeated: “Mine, mine!”
“We’ll go to the beach tomorrow, and today, you and Dina will walk through the garden, and then you’ll read fairy tales.”
The Solt garden was definitely something to admire.
Dina managed to catch Lita running past us and picked her up.
“Then we’re gonna go for a walk, and you stay here to get ready. I hope that that rude lady will turn green with envy at the sight of you.”
“Haha!” I chuckled, and Dina shrugged.
“I didn’t like the way she looked at you. As well as that... Garanor guy.”
“And how did he look at me?” I froze with an empty plate in my hands, which I was going to put on a tray.
“Well...” Dina coughed softly. “In the way that an almost married man shouldn’t.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned and Dina rolled her eyes.
“Lenny, sometimes you are so... so... Oblivious. Let’s hope the others won’t notice either,” she muttered and walked off with Lita, leaving me completely at a loss.
She had a wild imagination!
Nonsense!
Fortunately, I picked the right size, and the dress I had ordered fit like a glove, hugging my waist and hips. Moderately modest, moderately elegant, cool gray with black lace accents. Great contrast for my shiny blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
I glanced at the clock. It was five minutes to eight. Putting my shoes on, I left the room. It was better to show up earlier than to keep the hosts waiting.
A voice in which I heard invariable assertive and from which a cold shiver ran through my skin.
“Sonorina Lei, hold up.” Putting a half-empty glass on the table, he looked up at me. “And don’t look at me like that. I don’t bite.”
Tell that to my nanny.
“Close the door behind you,” he ordered.
I, of course, did as instructed, although I wasn’t happy about it. Not happy to be alone with him again. It would’ve been better with Xanor. Or even Sibyl. Anything was better than Garanor standing just a few feet away from me.
He approached me so quickly that I felt at a loss for what to do. I was standing there completely silent, staring at him. The pungent bitterness of a cigar, the smell of alcohol... And his scent, which made me flush...
Gods, what’s up with me!?
“You wanted to ask me something?” I broke the silence. His eyes were drilling into me.
“I do... I did.” For some reason, he corrected himself and returned to his glass.
“Would you like a drink, Sonorina Lei?”
A glass of something strong would help me to relax (without alcohol, relaxing around him was impossible), but at this rate, I’d turn into an alcoholic by the end of the year.
“No thanks.”
He didn’t insist. Approaching the bottles, he poured amber liquid into his glass.
“How was your day?”
“Busy.”
Reflections of light played on the edges of the glass. I stared at it, avoiding meeting his gaze, but now and then my eyes treacherously slid to his strong fingers which were squeezing the fragile glass with such force that I was surprised it hadn’t cracked yet.
“Is Marisel feeling well?”
Is he really interested in my daughter?
“Yes, thank you. She’s been in a good mood since this morning and full of energy.”
“Excellent.” He nodded.
I nodded too. Why — I didn’t know.
“How are things with my brother? How are you getting along?” He emptied the glass and came up to me again.
And again I was both cold and hot at the same time, and this strange, completely incomprehensible feeling made my heart beat faster.
“We arranged to go for a walk along the beach and to take some classes together,” somehow controlling my pulse, I reported to my employer.
“To do what exactly?” he asked sharply.
“Sonor Horos didn’t specify.”
“But you won’t immediately jump into bed with him?” he asked unexpectedly, which made me feel even more lost.
“You told me to be compliant with him. I think you have read my resume and you know that I’m an obedient and efficient employee.”
“Efficient?” He squinted.
“Highly.”
“Yesterday, you told me that I was clueless about relationships and that you yourself would decide what you’d do with my brother.”
“Well, I decided.”
“To be compliant?”
I nodded and noticed how the muscles on his face tensed.
I didn’t understand why I was telling him all this. I felt that with every second and every answer, he got angrier and more irritated, and I was angry with him, too. Because of the way he looked at me this afternoon. It had nothing to do with the way he was looking at me now, sliding his eyes over my lips, freezing on them, burning me, and...
“Am I interrupting something?” someone asked behind me.
I stepped back so quickly that I almost twisted my ankle. I was perfectly capable of walking and even running in heels, but when someone suddenly appeared behind my back, interrupting... But what exactly was she interrupting? We were just talking about diligence and obedience.
But I was still trembling...
The stress, the worrying...
Garanor turned his gaze to Sibyl. I’d be frozen by that gaze, but she was completely relaxed. She walked into the library, moving like a cat.
“What are you whispering about?” she asked calmly.
“About Sonorina Lei’s resume,” he answered nonchalantly.
“I’m sure Elenia is a very gifted girl, otherwise you wouldn’t have chosen her to organize your wedding.”
“What do you want, Sibyl?” Garanor went straight to the point.
She winced for a moment, but immediately pulled herself together and smiled. Felicia’s were bright and gentle, but the smiles of her older sister were vicious.
“Everyone has already gathered and they are just waiting for you. For you, too.” She looked sideways at me. “Or should I tell them that you’ll be joining us later?”
If it was possible to kill with a glance, Sibyl wouldn’t have made it to the family dinner.
“No, we’re done here,” Garanor said and left.
“Well, Elenia, are you coming?” Sibyl asked me, and when I found myself next to her, she whispered softly in my ear: “This brother’s already taken. You can try your luck with the younger one. They say he likes cute fairies. He’ll be at your disposal. For a couple of nights, at least.”
Chapter 11
A couple of hours earlier
Garanor
“I like Feli’s choice.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to concentrate on the report that Camila just gave me, but instead, for some reason (the devil only knew for which time today), my thoughts wandered to the fairy.
I’ve lived to see myself like this... For the third day in a row, I kept thinking about her. The fairy. I was disgusted with myself. I didn’t want to become like Xanor and drag literally anyone into bed. Fairy-escorts were his thing.
Elenia, of course, wasn’t one (although she wasn’t a virgin for a long time), but she was a fairy, and that was enough. She shouldn’t have come here at all. She should’ve stayed with Xanor in Kadris, to babysit and keep him in check.
“I’m talking about our fairy,” he said. Xanor sat sprawled in an armchair, swirling a nearly empty glass of whiskey in his hand. “A hot little thing, although she tries to pretend to be a reserved and shy girl. But I know such people. At first, they’re ice-cold, but when they start to melt... I’m sure someone like Lenny knows how to please a man. Guess we’ll find out today.”
A picture appeared before my eyes — tight whips of darkness forming around Xanor’s neck and strangling him until he turned blue.
It’d be a sight for sore eyes.
“Leave the girl alone.” Barely stopping myself from fulfilling this fantasy, I returned to the report.
“Why would I?” Xanor grinned. “It’s not every day I get to meet girls like her.”
“You’ll distract her from work. Felicia needs her, not you. You don’t want to upset your future sister-in-law, do you?” I lifted my head and stared at Xanor.
He frowned but remained silent.
Back in the day, father wanted him and Feli to get married. He had made many different plans. For example, about me and Sibyl. In Gaspar Horos’ sick fantasies, his older son married the Solts’ eldest daughter, while the idiot got the middle one.
I made a different decision, however. There was no way that I could live with that poisonous serpent, Sibyl — what was I, my own enemy? Felicia was another matter. She’d be the perfect first Sonorina of Grassor, the perfect life partner, and the perfect mother. She was perfect, and Xanor didn’t care about that. Before Feli and I started dating, he didn’t pay attention to her. But as soon as we officially announced that we were together, all hell broke loose. He a
lso had plans for Felicia and fulfilling our father’s last wish suddenly became a sacred duty. But he was in no hurry to do it before and continued to fuck everything that came into his vicinity. Every more or less pretty girl, ready to do anything in order to spend a night with a Dark One.
And today he was going to do the same with Elenia.
“I only want her at night. During the day, she’s at your fiancée’s disposal.”
The desire to strangle him became even stronger.
“By the way, it wouldn’t hurt you to relax a bit, too.” Putting down his glass, Xanor got up and cracked his neck. “Sibyl almost licks her lips at the sight of you. And things would probably be hotter with her than with Felicia.”
The prospect of relaxing with Sibyl distressed me.
“As usual, you give shitty advice.”
“And you, as usual, are boring as hell. It’s a good thing that I’ve decided not to settle down so I could fully enjoy life.” Xanor grinned again. “And beautiful fairies. I wonder what her wings look like? I have to see them today.”
I remembered her wings well. As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw her, with her hands on her shoulders. Bright, almost transparent wings fluttered, making her even more delicate, and when she folded them, they enveloped her fragile body in a silvery veil.
This memory made me loosen my tie because the air in the office suddenly felt too stuffy.
“You work too much, bro.” Xanor’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “With this election campaign, you’ve become completely lost. It’s a pity to watch. Go sleep, or something, since you really don’t want to have fun with Sybil. I think I’ll go take a nap as well. Because I’ll hardly manage to get any sleep tonight.”
He left, continuing to make plans for Elenia, and I leaned back in my chair and turned off all of my devices, realizing that I definitely wouldn’t get any work done today.
***
I spent the next hour with Felicia’s parents. Beltran was interested in the election campaign and Priscilla wanted to know more about the wedding.
“Are you sure you made the right choice?” she asked worriedly, pursing her thin lips, made slightly more visible with red lipstick. “This girl, Elenia, is very young. How old is she? Eighteen? I’m afraid she just won’t be able to handle it, and you know how important this wedding is for us. I suggested another wedding agency to Felicia, a wonderful girl works there...”
A Deal with the Dark Fae: Enemies-to-Lovers Standalone (Cruel Intentions Book 1) Page 9
