ANSEL POVThe Next Day: NighttimeAnsel dragged his feet against the long, regal carpet of the manor’s halls. It was almost midnight, and after training and all-day meetings. He was beyond ready for bed. Standing outside his bedroom door, he exhaled. I hope she slept in my room.He thought to himself. He’d grown accustomed to having Karin next to him in bed, especially after a long day. The few times she slept in her own room, by morning she was burrowed under him. Opening the door, through the dark and silence of the room, he could hear light snoring.She’s already sleeping.He couldn’t blame her. From what he’d been told by Charles and Doc, she was working hard on the training grounds with Maggie. Being pushed to her limits seemed to suit her well, and Maggie reported she was thriving, and through Jeff he could sense that her and Ada’s bond was slowly being repaired as well.Not wanting to wake her, he forgoed the lights and stumbled around in the darkness.Okay, there is stool ri
“It’s been you the entire time,” Ansel said, standing. “You were pretending to be Karin and my daughter.” She teetered her head back and forth. “Yes, and no. Every conversation has with Jemma is one that shows the personality she will have. She will be happy, bubbly, funny, and powerful. With a combination of your and Karin’s powers, she will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.” “By God,” Ansel muttered, then quickly gave her an apologetic look. “Slip of the tongue. This is a lot to take in at once.” “It’s all semantics, anyway. I’m as real as the earth, the stars and the sky as are many other things.” She stuck out her hand that still glowed. “Selene. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”&
The Night of the Ball KARIN POV “Lady Karin, will you please stop being such a shy thing and come out,” Maggie said with her hands on her hips. “I’ve dressed you plenty of times. I don’t get what the fuss is about.” “I don’t think I can pull this off,” I said through the bathroom door. “I’ve never worn anything so revealing.” “Which is all the more reason to wear it tonight,” Joy said as she sat at the vanity applying the finishing touches to her hair. “Besides, that’s only the top half. If you expect your hair make-up finished in time, you will have to come out of the bathroom.” “Okay…”
“Wow, this is beautiful,” I whisper to myself as the limo driver escorts me from the car. Unable to look away, I continued to stare at the regal castle in front of me. It was mesmerizing, and so was the high peak it was built on. Crystal waters so blue I could see the fish swimming inside even in the dark of night, surrounded everything but the land that we drove in on. Its medieval architecture, juxtaposed with the manicured hedges and yellow lights that illuminated it, made it look like something lost between two time periods. “Well, what do you think?” Ansel asked as he placed his hand on the small of my back. “Is it up to Lady Karin’s standards?” “What do I think? I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He smiled. “Wait until you see inside,” he said. Taking my hand, he ushers me up the massive staircase. “Sir Ansel,” one of the men at the front of the door says. “It’s a pleasure to have you here tonight.” He faced
“What’s the meaning of this?!” I shout as Edwin practically pushes me into a private room in the castle.Shutting the door behind him, I watch in horror as he locks it. “Stop shouting,” he growled. “Do you really want to cause a scene and embarrass yourself and Ansel?”“I could just link him,” I retort. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased that you’ve cornered me.”“Go right ahead,” he challenged back, coolly. “Call him so he can come running and cause the scene himself. Makes no difference to me. If anything, his barbaric behavior towards me at such a prestigious event may work in my favor.” He grabbed my arm again. “You know what? I say we move forward with that plan instead.”“What is it that you want?” I asked, snatching my arm away.He smirked. “Thought so. You’re such a predictable little thing, which is why I&
ANSEL POVWhere is she? Ansel scanned the room for what felt like the hundredth time. He’d been searching for Karin since his discussion with King Mair and a few others who bombarded him with questions about his father and to congratulate him on the way the polls are only growing more in his favor. It was politics, and while he knew he had to play the game, he couldn’t wait until the entire thing was over. Continuing his search, he started to link her, but he soon spotted her. Walking over, he immediately noticed something was wrong. “What’s the matter?” he asked, but she wouldn’t look at him. He lifted her head with his finger. “Karin, what’s the matter?” Before she could speak, from his peripherals, he saw Edwin entering the ballroom from the same direction that she did. The moment he spotted the two, f
Karin“I think that’s the best I can do.”Maggie steps back to inspect her work, looking less than pleased. “There’s only so much magic you can do standing in a bathroom with a clutch full of safety pins, I guess.” Maggie sighs. “I’m lucky you carry those things around with you,” I say, smiling gratefully. I smooth my dress out. “I actually think you are pretty magical, Mags. It doesn’t look half-bad, and especially in the dark it won’t, I’m sure.”“Well, first of all, if someone says anything, just tell them the dress is couture. Second of all, I do keep those on me. You never know when there could be a wardrobe malfunction.” She giggles. “Henry learned that the hard way with a little pant-splitting incident.”“Oh no,” I say, covering my mouth with my hand, and can’t keep myself from laughing.“Oh yes,” Maggie says, and her laughter dissolves into actual cackles as she tells me the story.It’s infectious and we’re both still wiping away tears as we walk out of the bathroom to find
Ada!I sit up with a jerk, rousing Ansel who seems to have drifted off. My stomach is doing somersaults.“Something wrong,” Ansel asks, drowsily.A flash of lightning brightens the sky. Behind it, is the rumble of thunder.The driver, a portly man with silver hair, has just pulled up in front of the manor. He comes around to open our door, but Ansel is still watching me, waiting for my response.“I’ll tell you when we get inside,” I say.Ansel nods and we step out into a misty rain. The stars are blotted out with clouds.The driver hands Ansel an opened umbrella.“Thanks George,” Ansel says, and despite my distress, I catch the gleam in George’s eye as Ansel says his name. Ansel’s getting better and better at treating his staff like actual people. Who would have thought?George breaks into a broad smile. “You’re welcome, Sir.” Another flash appears and fat raindrops begin to splatter down against the umbrella. We dash inside.The manor, for once, is empty. Ansel holds my hand while we