Chapter 11 #2
Ashley sat on her large, overly plush bed, unable to ignore how her dress floofed around her.
The dress made it hard to sit, walking would be a challenge, and she longed for her old jeans and sweaters.
But Ashley’s complaints about her current wardrobe would have to wait until another day.
She was eager to hear what Emma had to tell her.
Especially since Emma seemed to be unbiased.
Ashley thought about Alexander and the way he’d stared up at that portrait in the portrait gallery.
It made her certain that she couldn’t trust him completely.
And then there was that whole disappearing act.
Could you trust someone that could vanish in the blink of an eye?
“What do you already know?” Emma asked as she paced in front of Ashley, clearly not wanting to waste time.
“Obviously, your brother has told you quite a bit. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in the castle to begin with.
He’s very secretive about things, but rumor has it that he’s trying to keep you away from the other dragon Clans for the time being.
At least until your debut ball when you will fulfill your rite of passage and formally connect yourself to the House of Opal…
” Emma began, acting like formally connecting yourself to a House of anything was normal.
Immediately, Ashley felt like she had to interrupt.
“Formally connect myself?” Ashley asked, and she couldn’t ignore how Emma looked surprised to be interrupted so early.
She stared at Ashley, seeming to need to process the fact that Ashley didn’t even know about the whole being-connected-to-a-house-gem thing.
Immediately, Emma stopped in her tracks, turning around to face her lady entirely.
“Well, as a member of the Opal lineage, you need to strengthen your dragon by connecting with the gem. Especially since you, who rumor has it, was born with a weak magic unlike your brother’s.
The gem controls everything, it gives you your power and allows you to shift into your dragon form,” Emma said, very clearly stunned by the fact that Ashley’s brother hadn’t chosen to mention that fact.
Oh, Ashley could just picture exactly how the whole connecting with her gem would go.
Terribly. After all, her brother had said that she had been tossed away by their father because of her low magic.
What was the chance that she would actually be able to connect with the gem if she had low magic?
Would she be able to shift into her dragon form?
Obviously, there were consequences in dragon society for not being able to do such things.
If there wasn’t her father would never have gotten rid of her.
Immediately, Ashley was afraid of what might happen if she couldn’t connect with the gem. But Emma seemed confident that she would be able to do it. Hadn’t Emma said that in the past, her ancestors had turned people who were loyal to them into dragons?
Ashley clammed up and allowed Emma to keep talking. She folded her hands in her lap as she sat on her bed, unwilling to interrupt Emma as she explained every facet of dragon society. After a few minutes of Emma explaining the complicated social hierarchy, however, Ashley had to stop her.
“You wouldn’t happen to know who my brother has chosen as a mate for me, would you?” Ashley asked. Emma’s body froze again, and her eyes darted to Ashley’s. Her mouth hung open for a second before she looked around, as though realizing the situation she was actually in for the first time.
“He was supposed to be there tonight, but for some reason, he didn’t show up,” Emma said, and the second that she said that Ashley knew who her brother had chosen for her. The Diamond King.
Everything that Alexander had told her came back to Ashley then. If this Diamond King was as Alexander claimed, then it was very possible that he likely would have wanted Ashley either way, so he could have power over her brother.
Although she now knew exactly who she was meant to be mated with, Ashley couldn’t help but be angry at her brother. She didn’t know this man. They’d had an opportunity to meet tonight and he’d declined. That now felt like an insult, making her angrier.
“I hate men so much right now,” Ashley mumbled, but Emma didn’t hear her, which was probably for the best.
She’d suspected that this Diamond King the maids and Elliot had been talking about was her mate, but the idea still didn’t appeal to her.
All she wanted to do, really, was fall back on her bed and fantasize about Alexander.
His face was imprinted on her mind, his full lips and his expressive eyes making her pulse race all over again.
Every time she thought of him, her skin tingled.
She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything in this world.
Even if he was using her for his own gains.
“The whole thing is impossible.” Ashley declared, finally letting her emotions out, unable to stop the flood of tears that fell down her cheeks. She turned to push her face into one of the luxurious pillows, trying to smother her sobs.
Emma stepped to the side of the bed, her hand on Ashley’s back in a comforting gesture. “Please don’t cry, Princess. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s not you, Emma,” Ashley replied, even if the pillow smothered most of what she said, and the pressure in her sinuses made it feel like her head was about to explode. “It’s my brother and his scheming.”
Ashley knew she probably shouldn’t say such things to anyone, but she felt as if Emma could be a friend. She wanted her to be a friend. Needed her to be, in fact.
“I know it’s a big change for you, and that it must be overwhelming, but you mustn’t cry like this. You’re only hurting yourself.” Emma patted Ashley as she spoke, and finally, her sobs done for the moment, Ashley turned over.
“I’m in trouble,” Ashley admitted to Emma, hoping that the other woman would be able to understand her, even if Ashley didn’t elaborate.
“The unfortunate thing is, whatever it is that you’re in trouble with, you’re going to have to get over it really quickly because tomorrow, your brother’s friends will be arriving, and the moment that they arrive, they’re going to expect you to put on a show,” Emma said, and Ashley couldn’t help but allow her arm to fall over her face with a loud groan.
Why, oh why, did Val have to have friends?