Endless Magic (13 page)

“Oh, but those days are behind her! Let's not hold it against her any longer!” Sebastian spoke for the first time all lunch and when he did it was with such obvious good humor that even Lucan smiled.

“Is that true?” Bianca asked. Her eyes narrowed into scrutinizing slits of distrust and I decided to try startling her into moving her conversation beyond me.

“Absolutely,” I answered, lifting my free hand to the table and dropping it loudly on to the rosewood, my cut-in-half handcuff pulled roughly against the delicate lace tablecloth and immediately removed any lasting of doubt about why those days were behind me.

Lucan gave a strained but patient smile from across the table. I drew my hand underneath, remembering Lucan's warnings to me and I exhaled the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Kiran's hand relaxed on my shoulder just a bit and Sebastian finished moving the bite that lay idle on his fork and hung awkwardly in-between the plate and his mouth.

“Now, that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, Bianca, please tell me where my favorite niece is!” Lucan demanded in the most polished and sincere way possible, but this time the impatience flickering in his eyes was not so carefully concealed.

“Yes, Aunt Bianca, I was looking forward to catching up with Mimi, why didn't she travel with you?” Kiran agreed with his father congenially, smoothing the tense moment as Bianca tried to recover from her brother's barely concealed frustration.

“There was a special opening at the Louvre over this weekend and she decided that she simply could not miss it,” Bianca explained candidly. “That girl and her art, really, it's rather a nuisance, but dear brother, I am trying to encourage her with her talents and interests like you suggested.”

Something in Bianca's veiled way of speaking alerted my senses that she was trying desperately to keep something from her brother, but unfortunately he sensed it as well and his eyes shifted from vain concern to deathly panic and then to firm resolve in the matter of a second. Lucan's face was a storm of heavy, masculine indecision and I pressed closer to Kiran, afraid of his father's anger, but more so of his manipulation.

“Is she planning on joining us at all during the festival?” Lucan pressed. His face was calm tranquility but he sliced through his sandwich with frustrated force.

“No, I'm afraid not,” Bianca continued, turning her own attention back to her food. “Actually, if I can confide in you, dearest brother, I think she is more than interested in the Louvre, I think she is a bit sick at the idea of leaving home for the first time to attend school here.”

“Nonsense,” Lucan grumbled, although his blue eyes turned dark, “just not that long ago she was telling us how she couldn't wait to join Sebastian and Kiran at school. Isn't that right, Kiran? And this isn't half as far as Kingsley.”

“Yes, Aunt Bianca, when we were in India last December it sounded as if she couldn’t wait to join us, although now that the reality of leaving home has finally hit her, she might be less excited than she originally was. I'm sure she is nervous,” Kiran spoke pleasantly and easily appeased both sides of the argument with his casual observation. I glanced up at him in surprise, and he looked back at me, questioning my expression with his eyes. “Really, Aunt B,” Kiran continued, turning his gaze reluctantly back to his father's guests, “you're probably more hysterical about the idea of her leaving than she is!”

“Oh, I'm sure you're right,” Bianca conceded, smiling at him with genuine graciousness. “Besides, she will have you and Bastian and I suppose a mother could not ask for better spies.” She smiled then, a radiant smile that lit up her face and softened her eyes. She looked like a mother in that moment, not a princess, or a Kendrick by birth, but a mother that loved her children and wanted only what was best for them.

“And she'll have Eden,” Sebastian put in. “Mimi loves Eden. I know she is absolutely ecstatic to spend time with her.”

“Oh, I'm flattered,” I gushed, truly hoping Sebastian's words were true and that Amelia wanted to spend time with me and this wasn't just an effort to cover my aggressive personality during lunch. “Another girl will make all the difference!”

“Yes, I'm sure you'll get quite close to Amelia,” Kiran agreed, although his voice was tainted with mischief and when I turned toward him, determined to get to the bottom of it, he just shook his head and made an “I’ll tell you later” face.

“Will you bring her back personally?” Lucan addressed Bianca again. I noticed with a sort of deranged amusement that both of the spouses were conveniently ignored during a group discussion. Both Analisa and Jean Cartier sat staring off into space knowing their opinion would not be welcome no matter what the topic of conversation.

“No, I don't think so. I'll be too busy with plans for the bridal shower.” At the mention of an event that obviously revolved around me, she turned to me with a humble smile playing at her lips and I returned it gracefully, although the fear of that far off event had already made roots in the pit of my stomach. “I'll send Silviu with her.”

“No, don't bother,” Lucan countered, “I'll send Alexander. It won't be any trouble and I'd feel better with my own Guard near her.”

Bianca opened her mouth to argue, but Sebastian cut her off before she could utter a sound, “Actually, Uncle Lucan, what if you let us go get her?”

“Please Father, we've made the trip hundreds of times and we will keep Amelia perfectly safe. You can even send the old car if you want, for discretion purposes of course,” Kiran insisted humbly, bravely staring his father in the eyes across the table, not faltering no matter how hard Lucan's gaze turned.

“And you'll want to take her?” Lucan accused his son carefully, his eyes drifting to mine in an unreadable cruel expression that made me skin crawl.

“I haven't decided yet,” Kiran replied carefully. He unwrapped his arm from around my shoulders and sat forward in his chair, pensively considering an accusation that Kiran had casually turned into an offer from his father to let Kiran decide.

“You haven't decided yet?” I asked with gentle caution, still amazed at the way Kiran manipulated his father. The servants appeared to clear our plates and replace them with a quaint sherbet with delicious red raspberries that sweated in the warming heat.

“No, I haven't,” Kiran leaned forward, his eyes teasing. “We'll see how this weekend goes,” he reprimanded me sternly, but I could tell it was for his father's sake more than anything else and then he leaned against my cheek, pretending to whisper sweet nothings into my ear that made me blush from his closeness, “and how you behave tonight when we go off campus.”

My heart soared at the idea of getting out of the Citadel and with thoughts about an adventurous night ahead of me I finished the luncheon with polite ease and a charming smile. I noticed Lucan's watchful eye on me and when we finally rose to retire into our own wings of the castle, he put a firm hand on Kiran's shoulder and squeezed it in a way that any proud father would.

“Eden, just pick something!” Sebastian sighed while pacing the room impatiently.

“It would help if I knew where we were going!” I retorted. I pushed hangers out of my way, sliding them roughly over the wooden bar that held a plethora of clothing designated for me. Or Seraphina. I still wasn’t sure who the closets full of clothes were for.

“Does it really matter? Just look at how I’m dressed, doesn’t that help you?” Sebastian offered.

“Shorts and a polo? Really inspired Sebastian... You're not helping! These clothes do not seem like Seraphina’s style at all, by the way,” I groaned. I settled on a long, navy blue maxi dress, deciding it was the girl's version of khaki shorts and a polo.

“But before the wedding, he didn’t know I
was
coming here,” I reminded him, turning around with the dress in my hand.

“Uh, he knew you would come,” Sebastian assured me.

“Then why was he so mad when I actually showed up?” I pressed. Kiran was furious when we came face to face and I interrupted his wedding. At first I thought it was because he wanted to marry Seraphina, but he told me later that Avalon and he had a plan and that I messed everything up.

“I didn’t say he
hoped
you would come. I said he
knew
you would come,” Sebastian clarified.

“Still if he knew, then why did he get so mad?” I turned indignantly for the bathroom to change into my clothes that apparently were handpicked for me.

“Are you serious?” Sebastian laughed. “Eden, he wanted you to
marry
him. Do you remember any of this? Not show up last minute in a last-ditch effort to save your brother because you were out of every other option! You not only hurt his pride, but you broke the poor guy’s heart!”

I didn’t dignify Sebastian with an answer, but turned on my heel and slammed the bathroom door behind me. I loved Sebastian as a friend, but if he kept fighting this non-existent battle for Kiran, I was going to end up smacking him. Kiran didn’t love me anymore and I didn’t love him anymore. And in some ironic sick twist of fate, we still had to prove to the rest of the kingdom we were madly in love until the Resistance could come crashing through the Citadel gates and change all that.

What is taking so long
? I demanded of Avalon, snapping him out of a phone call. He hung up his cell phone instinctively and turned his attention to me.

Are you Ok? Is something wrong?
Avalon sounded very concerned, and I suddenly felt bad for barging in on his consciousness.

No, nothing’s wrong....
I inwardly sighed and slumped down in a high-backed chair that sat against the wall of Kiran’s enormous bathroom.
Sometimes this place gets to be too much. How much longer before you think the Resistance is ready to storm the castle?

Before May, I promise.
Avalon assured me. I should have been thankful for his confidence, but his time-line felt forever away
.

So, then, not like tomorrow?
I joked, relaxing a little and deciding that I could and would do my part in this.

No, not tomorrow.
Avalon laughed.
Do you want to talk about whatever is bothering you?

I heard the door open in the bedroom and Kiran and Talbott walk in.
No, not now. We’re leaving the castle for a little bit tonight, so I’m sure I’ll feel better once I get outside these walls.

Yes, I’m sure you will.
Avalon smiled.
Just relax Ede, everything is going to work out. We have people involved with the Festival, working surveillance and such. So this weekend, just know, you won’t be alone and I won’t be far away either.

That makes me feel better.
I conceded.
Ok, I’d better get ready.

Have fun tonight!
Avalon said enthusiastically.

Why do I get the feeling you already know where I’m going?
I pushed. I realized he wasn’t drilling me with a thousand questions about my evening plans and I found that strange.

Oh.... because I do know. I mean, Sebastian and Titus talk all the time, so Titus told me.
Avalon explained, but I didn’t like his answer, it didn't feel genuine.

Whatever; those two are so weird.
I sighed, attributing his cover-up story to wanting to keep unnecessary information from me just in case I were to accidentally leak something to Lucan.

I changed into my dress. It flowed down in folds of silk fabric, covering my silver, gladiator sandals. The dress was all one color except for a thin silver belt that cinched the billowy dress in at my waist. I freshened up my makeup, thickening my eye liner and replenishing my pink lip gloss. Since I didn’t know exactly where we were going, I decided I’d better cover up my glowing tattoo, so I pulled my hair over my shoulder and tied it into a loose ponytail that hung in tousled curls down my arm.

I stood back to examine my look and decided I looked a bit over-casual, so if we were going somewhere fancy I probably wouldn’t fit in. I never fit in though, so it probably wouldn’t matter what I was wearing. I jangled the handcuffs around my wrists, deciding all over that they were ugly and unnecessary, but they didn’t seem to be bothering my magic so, for now I would put up with them.

When I joined the boys back in the bedroom, the sun was setting over the mountains and the sky outside Kiran’s window turning into a deep pink with purple clouds scattering across the horizon. Kiran, Talbott and Sebastian were huddled in a quiet conference near the door and immediately stopped talking when I entered the room.

“Eden, you’re beautiful,” Kiran admitted softly after he turned to look at me.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and then remembered we were in love all day and he was probably still practicing, “You don’t have to pretend around Talbott and Sebastian; they don’t care.” I smiled graciously at him.

“Of course,” Kiran replied curtly.

“That’s not true, Eden! I care!” Sebastian teased. I rolled my eyes in response. He put his arm on Kiran’s shoulder and I knew he was headed for more mischief but I couldn’t stop him, “Besides, who says he’s pretending? It was just a compliment, Eden. I doubt it had anything to do with his pretend feelings for you. Right, Kiran?”

“No, Sebastian, I forgot where we were. I just, um, today went so smoothly that I forgot my audience tonight,” Kiran explained, feeling ambushed by his cousin.