Endless Magic (16 page)

“I mean how angry he gets, he doesn't mean that,” Sebastian insisted, putting an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a half-hug. “He's a prince, and a spoiled one at that, and he's used to having everything handed to him. You know for a minute I thought you two were falling in love again.”

“Ha!” I let out a scathing bark of laughter; but that insistent look on Kiran's face, the decision I watched him make blazed in my memory. Before I had held my breath in fear, before my eyes became wild and afraid. “Oh my goodness, is everyone in your family delusional?” I asked sarcastically, shaking those thoughts from my mind.

“Yes, I'm afraid so,” he conceded laughingly.

I looked up at Sebastian from his shoulder, his golden brown hair lay perfectly styled on his handsome head and his golden brown eyes sparkled at me with the constant amusement he seemed to live with. Objectively he was almost as good-looking as Kiran and had the same pompous air of royalty. Only, I liked Sebastian.

“Did Amory really bring Kiran here?” I ventured. I didn't want to think good of Kiran, and I certainly didn't want to link him with memories of my grandfather, but I couldn't get Ileana's words out of my head. They rang with resounding curiosity that Amory could have been closer with Kiran than he was with me. The thought made my stomach churn from violent recollection that Kiran was responsible for Amory's death. At the same time, I couldn't completely dispel the notion that if Kiran held some childish hero-worship for Amory than he would be as heartbroken as I was.

“Amory brought us all here,” Sebastian confessed, sighing despondently remembering the grief. “He would come to the Citadel just to spend time with Kiran, just to take him away from the castle. Now that I'm older, I realize he was taking Kiran away from his father too. Amory loved Kiran, and Talbott and even me. I suppose Amory felt like he failed at making Lucan a better man, so he was determined to try again with Kiran.”

“Too bad he failed there too,” I sighed, wishing Amory had spent more time with me growing up than the man eventually responsible for his death.

“Did he fail, though?” Sebastian asked carefully. “He obviously approved of your relationship, so he must have believed he did something right.”

“Something right? He got himself killed.” I spat bitterly.

“Don't forget, Eden, it was Lucan that took Amory's life, not Kiran.” Sebastian stepped away from me as if that opinion of mine were disgusting.

Kiran appeared then, with Talbott by his side. Talbott still had half a smile on his face; he clearly enjoyed the evening. But Kiran's eyes were dark with anger and his jaw twitched with impatience.

“Talbott will take you back to the castle, Eden. Sebastian and I have business to attend to,” Kiran declared.

The two of them turned away from me and I got the distinct impression that neither one of them could stand me right now. I likewise turned away from them and followed Talbott back to the motorcycles wanting very much to jump on one of the abandoned bikes and get the hell out of here. My magic ached with the impulse to flee, but I repressed the desire.

I was utterly determined to win this war and save as many Immortals as I could. If I left tonight, Lucan would murder everyone he could tomorrow morning. I had no choice but to stay. No other option. And if being held against my will by threat of extreme genocide wasn't enough, my engagement party was tomorrow night.

More gowns. More silk. More stilettos. More makeup. More. More. More.

The thought of changing into my engagement gown and putting on a happy, adoring, in-love face in front of hundreds of Immortals I didn't even know made my skin crawl. I was a puppet. A plastic mannequin that was put on display for Lucan's own sinister plot to manipulate the kingdom. I faced the elegant black evening dress with a halter top, and a pencil thin racer back that met the waistline at the lowest possible point on my back before it became indecent. The soft silk shimmered in the light and the full skirt flowed effortlessly on the hanger.

How dare he dress me up like a doll to show off to company and flatter his son's arm!

Still what choice did I have?

Kiran would be here in a half an hour to escort me to our party, our
engagement
party where everyone important in the kingdom would toast to our happiness and congratulate our endless love. I shivered at the thought, at the fake smile I needed to plaster on my face and at the puppy-dog eyes I needed to follow Kiran with until we both threw up from the audacity of it.

I realized in that moment how important I was to Lucan. He put up with my tempestuous defiance and the embarrassment of scorning Seraphina not once, but twice. My grandfather had been an important member of this community, a pillar that existed in this realm before anything else. And I was Amory Saint’s granddaughter.

The next Oracle.

Surely more people than just the Resistance and Lucan knew that; there must be people who might believe it to be true, but were afraid of the consequences of what it meant. Still, Lucan had paired me with his son as though I might provide a true immortal bloodline for the Kendrick name and save Kiran from the death Lucan had eluded, because of the murder of my own grandfather.

I took a step forward, toward the gown and pulled it from the hanger. Avalon remained a rumor. His presence as Lucan's prisoner kept somewhat of a secret and for those that heard the whispers about Lucan's magicless prisoner they were afraid to believe the truth of where his magic had gone.

But they knew who I was.

One look at me and doubt would vanish. I was a replica of my mother: my dark, tangled hair, my onyx eyes, too big for my face, every part of me, down to my defiance of everything royal.

I was Delia's daughter. Amory's granddaughter. And I stood on Kiran's arm as the future queen of our kingdom.

Lucan planned on showing me off as his next conquest, the next jewel in his bloodstained crown. But his pride was his downfall.

His pride
would be
his downfall.

I tipped my chin up and pulled the dress down with determination. Twenty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom looking every bit as glamorous as Lucan could have hoped for. My hair braided in a loose fish-tail braid with stray curls framing my face, casually hiding my tattoo. I kept my makeup simple and fresh, afraid the black of the dress and the black of my eyes would overpower my face. I stepped into tall black stilettos and admired myself in the mirror.

The knock at the door signaled Kiran had arrived to pick me up; I opened the door for him and stepped back so that he could admire my work tonight. He stood there for a moment, frozen in the doorway, but he didn't say anything. He just looked.

“Are you ready?” I asked awkwardly, feeling as though he should be the one asking me.

“Uh, almost,” he grunted, sweeping past me in a crisp gray suit with a royal blue shirt, that brought out the ever-changing color of his eyes, open at the collar. “I have something for you. Actually, a couple of things for you.”

I gave him a look of curiosity but then noticed two black velvet boxes in his hand. Before revealing what was in either one, he took a tiny key from his pocket and nodded to my handcuffs.

“Oh, thank God,” I sighed, happy I wouldn't have to try to make clunky silver half-handcuffs look fashionable tonight.

“Listen, Eden,” Kiran began. He took a step forward and my outstretched hand into his to unfasten the handcuff, “I wanted to apologize for last night. We were having a fantastic time and I picked a fight with you. I'm sorry for that.”

I looked up, surprised by the sincerity in his voice and relaxed a little. “I forgive you,” I conceded with the tone of a true diplomat. “I also apologize, for letting you antagonize me. I really should know better.”

“You really should,” he mumbled, trying to hide his amusement. He took my other hand in his and unlocked that handcuff as well.

I rubbed at my wrists, thinking they should be raw or tired, but thankful to find neither true. Kiran reached for the first velvet box he had set on the bed and opened it for me. Inside was a gorgeous bracelet, twelve rows wide, of tiny black diamond studs that glimmered in the light.

Kiran showed it to me in the box, before taking it out and offering it for my hand. I let him clasp it around my wrist, wondering at its shimmering beauty and exorbitant price tag. I had never worn anything that expensive in my life.

“It's stunning,” I gasped, holding up my hand to better light.

“Eden, it's full of the same magic that those handcuffs have, so at least try to pretend that it bothers you around my father,” Kiran chided. I whirled on him, expecting him to be angry or that I would need to defend myself, but he was already reaching for the other box trying to hide traces of laughter from his face.

“I'll try.” I gritted my teeth in irritation, although I couldn't be sure if I was irritated with his flippant attitude or Lucan's ugly, manipulative schemes to hide the fact that I was a prisoner.

“Don't be angry when I open this next box,” Kiran warned. His jaw clenched and the look in his aquamarine eyes told me he was bracing himself for a fight. “I asked Sebastian to pass the word along to Titus, who in turn asked your brother, who then asked Sylvia if she could return the onyx necklace and your engagement ring. So, Sylvia passed the jewels along to Avalon who passed them along to Titus who recently found a way to smuggle them to Sebastian. That is how they got here, there is no reason for you to panic or accuse me of violating your trust or Sylvia's house and so forth and so on,” Kiran explained in a droll voice that demonstrated his distaste for my protective spirit over Aunt Syl and my family.

“If only I believed you,” I mumbled, even though I did.

I suspected Kiran called my bluff too because instead of arguing with me, he opened the box and removed the ring and necklace. He handed me the necklace and I slipped it over my head automatically, the dark pendant falling in between the low-cut neckline of my gown and matching perfectly with the soft silk of my bodice.

“If you don't mind....” Kiran stepped closer to me and I instinctively drew my hand behind my back. “It feels more believable if you let me put it on,” Kiran explained.

With mild hesitation, I offered my hand which he took into his own. A shaky, measured breath exhaled from him and he slipped the ring onto my finger. For a moment, I was taken back to the first time he gave me this ring, alone in his apartment, laying on the floor together, the perfect evening and all the love in the world.

A few hours later that memory turned into a cruel nightmare and I lost everything I loved.

Although I got some of what I loved back and even more if you count Jericho, Kiran's betrayal would never be forgotten. The pain of that night and the ensuing nights would never go away. Even through this humiliating charade tonight, I would not forget how Kiran used my love to manipulate and then betray me.

I tried to mask the contempt I felt for the large emerald glistening on my ring finger. It represented something far worse than handcuffs or a tracking necklace; this was something of emotional value that I let define my future. The ring defined
me
.

I cleared my throat and Kiran stepped away from me, dropping my hand that he had held so gently. He looked up at me, recognized the traces of disgust I desperately tried to hide, and smiled ruefully.

“Let's go so we can get this over with.” He held out his elbow to me and I hooked my arm with his, allowing him to lead me out of his room and down the winding staircase.

“Kiran, I know this might sound weird coming from me....” Kiran tensed next to me, waiting for whatever trivial thing I chose to argue with him about this time. “I just, I'm new to all of this, and I need to know if there are any like rules or mannerism things I need to know about. I don't want to embarrass you,” I finished sincerely, thinking of Lucan's much needed approval.

Kiran paused at the base of the staircase and looked at me like I had been abducted by aliens. “You don't want to embarrass me?”

“Come on, I'm taking this seriously! From this point on, I am the doting, adoring fiancé. You can trust me,” I whispered, already taking on the affectionate tone I used with him once upon a time.

Kiran hesitated. I watched him shift uncomfortably back and forth, unnerved by my dedication to the role. “Of course,” he agreed in a throaty voice. “I don't think there is much to know that you don't already know. Curtsy to my mother and father the first time you are presented to them, but after that there is no need to continue curtsying. Tonight is only an hors d'oeuvres reception so as far as food goes, just don't pick anything up with your hands. Always eat everything, no matter how small or inconvenient, in several bites with your knife and fork. Other than that, no one will bow or curtsy to you or anything and you are free to talk with anyone that is at the reception because they are all invited guests.”

“Sounds easy enough,” I agreed, feeling a small amount of the pressure of the night lift. “But you aren't going to leave me, right?”

My voice dropped and my face flushed with embarrassment, “You know.... because we're in love, how much kissing is, um, acceptable?”

“That depends,” Kiran answered shyly. “How often are you planning on kissing me?”

“We’d better practice,” I decided. I pulled Kiran into the nearest set of brass doors.

I had unknowingly picked the empty courtroom. The large room was perfectly still and quiet. I jumped when the doors thudded closed behind us and turned to Kiran who stared at me with a mixture of shock and pure amusement.