Promises (Book One of The Syrenka Series) (10 page)

I took a nap to help pass the time
between my breakfast and when Brendan would pick me up. We
certainly had a lot to discuss. Since my parents said that today
was my free day, I didn’t ask if I could go out with Brendan. When
he arrived outside I simply waved goodbye and told them I’d be back
for dinner. Closing the door as fast as I could, I didn’t even give
them an opportunity to yell after me. Brendan laughed when I jumped
in his car and told him to take off like I’d just robbed a
bank.

We picked up milkshakes at a nearby
drive through and parked under the deck of his second story
apartment. His roommate was at work, and since we usually met
someplace where we could swim together, I realized that I hadn’t
been to his place in a while. It was still messy and stinky, and I
made a mental note that I might have to set some cleaning rules
when we move in together. That thought made my heart
flutter.

I followed him to his bedroom. He
plopped down on the bed, which was nicely made up, and patted a
spot next to him. We had been together for years, and although
we’ve played around, our relationship had not moved to that next
and final level yet. So I knew that his was a gesture of comfort,
not necessarily of need. Putting my milkshake on the bedside table,
I sat down and snuggled up against Brendan’s warm, tall body. We
stayed like that for several minutes before he broke the
silence.

“
So what’s going to happen
now that Kain is the heir?” he asked. I explained what I knew of
the appointment ceremonies and what I thought that my role would
be. And then I told him that they moved up the wedding date and
waited anxiously for his response. Considering that his girlfriend
needed to continue to play fiancée for the rest of the week,
Brendan was surprisingly supportive and unaffected.

“
Don’t worry about the
wedding,” he said while smoothing my hair as I nestled my head
against his stomach. “We are leaving Saturday night.” My reaction
got a chuckle out of him before he continued. “I can see that
you’re excited.”

I was smiling from ear to ear and the
relief momentarily trumped the guilt I felt over abandoning Kain on
our wedding day. But I didn’t have a choice. I was meant to be with
Brendan. “Yes, I’m excited!” I leaned over and kissed him. “Is
everything arranged?”

“
Yes. We’re going to
Maryland. I’ve been able to line up a temporary job and I closed my
accounts yesterday in preparation. We’ll have to stay at a hotel
for the first few weeks, but I think as soon as you’re eighteen,
you will be able to find a job too.” He squeezed me in a tight
embrace. “We’re going to make this work.”

“
We are, aren’t we?” I
asked and he laughed again.

“
Just pack one bag and
collect any of your savings that you can without arousing
suspicion. I’m going to work extra shifts the rest of the week, so
I don’t know if we’ll see each other again until Saturday. We will
leave in the middle of the night.”

I turned my body so that I could look
at him. He was so confident and he’d come up with a plan like he
promised. I truly loved him and I knew that as long as he was
around, my life would be good. We spent the rest of the afternoon
together lying on his bed looking at maps and plotting our routes.
We would need to stay off the beaten path, so to speak, until I was
eighteen and my parents had no claim over me anymore. That would
only be for about the first twenty-four hours of our escape, and by
then we planned to be in Kansas.

We were heading to the Maryland coast
where Brendan had made a contact at a college research laboratory
and got himself a paid internship. I was happy to see that he found
something that he would enjoy. Although he made decent money
bartending, he loved biology and at least he could finally put his
college degree to good use. It was a popular summer destination, so
he didn’t think that it would be too hard for me to pick up a
waitressing or hostess position. He showed me all of the private
coastal parks where we could swim freely and with very little
notice. By the time my stomach reminded me that it was close to
dinner, I was having a hard time believing that I could get through
the next few days. We were really going to do this, and I just
wanted our life together to begin now.

Before I got out of the car, Brendan
reminded me that I needed to act more somber and belligerent. After
all, I didn’t want to tip the parents to our impending plan. I
punched him for the belligerent comment and then tried to wipe the
smile off of my face as he drove away. Just a few more days and we
could be together forever.

Although I was excited, it really
didn’t take much for me to realize what this was going to mean for
Kain. That thought brought me back into a guilt-ridden, depressed
teenager. A perfect cover.

I walked into my house and prepared to
play the role for a few more days. Trying to push my feelings about
Kain’s friendship aside, I vowed to be there for him during his
appointment and if I could find a way to warn him about the
wedding, I would. It was the least I could do.

Eight

The memorial service on Friday was
packed and I was pleasantly surprised to see that our friends from
Cotillion had made it to the event. Throughout the ceremony, I was
able to steal a few fleeting glances at Daniel, Lily, and Carissa
who were interspersed amongst their clans throughout the back of
the room. Vance and Brinsley had more freedom than the first year
syrenkas, so they were able to catch a few moments of our time for
conversation. It was much like the other million exchanges I
watched Kain go through. Everyone was sorry and they all wanted to
know that they were available to help in any way. Some were much
more sincere than others. Considering Kain’s new elevated status in
our society, it was more difficult to determine who was really on
your side and who just wanted to get into his good
graces.

I stood next to Kain as he stepped
into his father’s role that day. His mother was stoic, yet quiet,
allowing her son to represent their family with the grace and
dignity that she was straining to hold on to through her grief. She
was an admirable woman and her total faith in Kain allowed me to
see him in another light. Strong, confident, and capable; Kain had
become an adult overnight.

The Matthews did not stay at our
house. I was secretly thankful for that but tried not to let my
emotions show. Just one more day to endure and then Brendan and I
would be able to start our new life together. Although Kain and I
had acted as a couple most of the day on Friday, we really hadn’t
had much of a chance to talk. So I was surprised when he knocked
lightly on my open door just a few minutes before his appointment
ceremony was slated to begin downstairs.

“
May I come in?” he asked
bashfully. Always such a gentleman.

I was dressed in my gown and just
putting the final touches on my hair and makeup. Even though I was
to be a bride the next day, my dress tonight was much more elegant
than I would have ever dreamed that I could wear. The blue silk
fabric clung to my body like ocean waves wrapping me in an embrace.
It had a drop waist line that pointed down towards my feet where
layers upon layers of fabric fell stylishly to the floor to make it
look like I was floating. The top of the dress stretched over my
left shoulder and around my neck like a serpent. Gold highlights
were interlaced amongst the royal blue material and the matching
gold tiara with sapphire jewels only emphasized the elegance of the
design. I had fashioned my hair up into a twist, allowing a few
subtle curls to drape lightly around my face.

I stood as Kain asked his question.
“Yes, please come in.” Even though I was sure he had heard me, he
didn’t move. Almost a full minute passed before we said anything.
“Are you okay?” I finally asked.

Kain shook his head and smiled
apologetically. “You look really beautiful, Eviana.” I noticed that
he was dressed in the formal leadership attire in the colors of his
clan; royal blue and black. The jacket was custom designed and fit
his tall frame really well. The suit reminded me a bit of what a
member of a human royal court would have worn centuries ago. Still
admiring his presence, he stepped into the room and held out his
hand towards me. Not knowing what he wanted, I laid my palm in his
a little reluctantly. “I am a lucky guy,” he said and lifted my
hand to his mouth for a gentle and respectful kiss.

My stomach knotted up instantly and
the guilt seared through my veins. I pulled my hand away and
pretended to straighten out my dress. “Thanks,” I replied with my
head down to avoid his questioning look. “You clean up nicely
too.”

He chuckled at that and walked further
into the room, forcing me to take a few steps backwards. I quickly
glanced towards my closet where I had my bag packed and ready to
go. It was as though I worried that he could suddenly see through
the closed doors, but if he noticed my odd behavior, he didn’t
comment on it as we sat on the edge of my bed.

“
I need to ask something of
you,” he stated.

“
Sure. Anything,” I
replied, not quite knowing what to expect.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I
would like for you to be the one to pin the shield on me
tonight.”

“
What?” I was very
surprised. The shield was a small pin fashioned out of gold, black
pearl, and pink coral pieces that represented his leadership. Each
clan had their own individual design. It was somewhat equal to high
ranking military decorations, but the shield was only reserved for
clan leaders. Typically, the wife or husband would have the honor
of anointing the new leader by pinning on the shield. In his case,
I had assumed that Kain would ask his mother. But now, he sat here
requesting something very important of me.

“
We are to be married
tomorrow.” I shifted in my seat as he continued. “A few hours does
not matter to me. You will be my wife and our clans will be united.
There is some unrest amongst us, and I think that our show of unity
will let those naysayers know that we cannot be divided.” His
suddenly serious demeanor frightened me a little. I had not heard
of about any issues in the clans and not only did that make feel
uneasy, but I also felt inadequate. I feared that I didn’t know
because I was a still considered a child.

“
Won’t your mother be
upset?”

“
I’ve already talked to
her. She understands.” He looked at me and smiled. “She’s ready for
us to be married too.” I tried to return his grin but I’m sure that
it looked forced. He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I would be
honored if you would do this, Eviana.”

Well how could I say no now? “Of
course I’ll do it Kain.” And before I knew what was happening, his
lips were pressed against mine in a kiss. It wasn’t a quick peck on
the cheek; this was a full out passionate kiss. The warmth of his
mouth consumed me and I momentarily forgot who I was. I gently
placed my hands on his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around my back
to pull me closer. My stomach was fluttering and my heart felt like
it would climb out of my body. All of the stress Kain had felt over
the loss of his father seemed to pour into his movements; desperate
for an escape. The moment seemed to last for minutes, but it also
felt like we realized what was happening at the same time. I
suddenly tensed and Kain jumped away from me to walk to the other
side of the room. The abrupt end to our kiss stunned the both of
us.

“
I am so sorry. I…I
shouldn’t have done that,” Kain stuttered. His words were muffled
through both of his hands which were now covering his mouth like he
could wipe the kiss away. “Please forgive me.”

I didn’t really know what to say
because right now I was grappling with the feelings inside of me. I
wasn’t mad at him. In fact, I had enjoyed that kiss very much. Too
much. I walked over to him and grabbed his hands. “You have nothing
to apologize for.” I smiled up at his apprehensive face. “Like you
said, we are to be married tomorrow.”

He stepped away from me, however, not
before I saw the corner of his mouth curl up a little bit. “So it
was like a practice kiss?”

I still felt very uncomfortable, but I
didn’t want to make the situation any worse. So I laughed. “Yes,
that was the practice kiss.” He ran his hand through his hair and
blew out a deep breath.

“
I’ll meet you downstairs
then,” he said. “Thanks.” I heard his footsteps walking through the
hallway before I was able to move again. What had just happened?
What did we just do? Before I could analyze the situation anymore,
my phone beeped with a message. It was Brendan.

Tonight at 2am. Meet me at
the end of the drive. Love you Evs.
I
nearly started to cry. The kiss between Kain and I was wrong on so
many levels but most especially because of my relationship with
Brendan.

“
Eviana it’s time,” my
mother’s voice called up from the bottom of the stairs. It was time
to play the most important person in Kain’s life and time for me to
grow up. I brushed all of the anxious thoughts aside, threw my
shoulders back and lifted my chin. The tiara had tilted to the side
during our little make out session, so I adjusted the crown and
walked out of my room.

There was a special area in our house
built specifically for gatherings such as appointment ceremonies.
And weddings. My mother had added a raised dais at the far end of
the room to serve as a stage. There were no chairs up there, only a
lone microphone strategically placed in the center. I didn’t see
Kain yet, but I knew that we were to walk up there
together.