Page 10

Her mind fluttered with the touch of the stranger behind her. Marlena moved her hips in perfect time with the song vibrating through the room, grinding against the warm body behind her.

The voice of the figure who’d turned into her shadow sliced through the haze. “You’re so fucking sexy.” It was sultry and smoky, her voice full of lust.

Marlena had never felt sexy before—sure, she knew she was beautiful. Her mother was a descendent of Venus; anyone with the goddess’s blood shined brighter than most.

Vega was the one with the dark hair and bright eyes like their father. She was the one who was able to dress how she wanted and be the person she wanted to be. Vega exuded the confidence Marlena had been lacking most of her life.

Reaching behind her with one hand, Marlena slid her fingertips up the woman’s leg, her nails trailing up her thigh, where goosebumps began to form. “Tell me again,” she said on a breath, continuing to sway to the music.

“The sexiest girl I’ve ever seen,” the woman cooed, her breath warm on her neck as she pulled Marlena’s hair over her shoulder. Her lips pressed kisses down the delicate skin, sending a chill down Marlena’s spine.

Marlena had never been with anyone before. She’d never had time and hadn’t really had the opportunity. Whenever she felt the need to be satisfied, Marlena knew how to take care of herself.

But right now? Gods, right now she wanted nothing more than to have this woman’s hands slip between her legs and show her all of the things she’d been missing.

“Let me take you upstairs,” the stranger whispered, as if she’d read Marlena’s mind.

Marlena froze for a millisecond, unsure of what her response should be.

“Don’t think. For once, just do!” Vega’s words from earlier rang in her head. Just do .

“Lead the way,” Marlena replied, turning on her heel to face the woman for the first time.

She was devastating in a way that didn’t seem fair.

Her features were sharp, softened by the curly ash blonde hair falling around her face.

Her eyes, the color of a sandstorm, drank in the sight of Marlena, setting her skin ablaze with need.

Her legs went on for miles, drawing Marlena’s attention.

The woman wasn’t much older than her but had the air of someone who had lived a thousand lives.

Her confidence radiated off her in waves.

Marlena offered the woman her hand, and when she grabbed it, she could feel the warmth under her skin.

A fire-wielder.

Without another word, Marlena followed her out of the crowd, where she was able to get a breath of fresh air sweeping through an open window.

She didn’t catch sight of Arlet or Khort, but as she ascended the stairs, Marlena spied Vega in the center of the dance floor with a man she was sure neither of them knew.

The man’s lips met Vega’s, devouring her in a heated kiss.

The man didn’t come up for air—it was like he was drowning and Vega was the only way he would survive.

He treated her the way everyone always did, like she was the only person alive who mattered.

Marlena wanted to matter.

She wanted to be wanted.

And tonight, someone wanted her. Without the knowledge of who she was or what she could bring to their future.

Or so she told herself. It wasn’t often anyone mistook the Caelum sisters.

Power made you known, and Marlena’s succession of two seats wasn’t a secret across the realm. That made it hard to go unnoticed.

If this beautiful stranger knew who Marlena was, she didn’t let on, which made the spell she had on Marlena set deeper.

Her back hit a plush bed, and from there, the euphoria she felt when she settled into the party turned into something else—something more.

Marlena didn’t know her name, and she didn’t care, because when she moaned out, the woman between her legs murmured sweet words against her skin until her body trembled with pleasure.

“Good girl.”

“Come for me again.”

“Your body is fucking insane.”

For the first time in her life, Marlena felt worshiped. Wanted.

If only I could bottle up this feeling and save it forever.

It was the longest trip back to Aeris ever.

The Caelums left a note that they would meet the girls back at home, so at least they’d have a few more hours to sober up before having to pretend like they hadn’t gone to a rager in the heart of Amora last night.

Marlena, Vega, and Arlet watched the Feras take to the sky, soaring into the clouds until they were out of view, and then they loaded onto the boat that would take them back to the mainland, where they would then load into a transport vehicle that would take them back to Aeris.

At least the boat ride wasn’t a long one.

The girls were feeling the repercussions of partying until the sun came up. Marlena’s thighs were sore from her night with her midnight stranger, whose name Marlena never got—whose name she would never need—because the likelihood she would ever see her again was slim to none.

Arlet hung over the side of the boat, retching as they approached Fortis’s docks .

“You better pull yourself together before we get home,” Marlena warned, letting the cool air fill her lungs and clear her head of the lingering fog.

With little to no sleep, Vega and Arlet passed out as soon as their heads laid against the cushioned walls of their transport back to Stella.

Marlena, on the other hand, well, her reading was nowhere near done, and she was sure she’d hear about it later.

She kept her nose in her book until they pulled into the gates of their Aeris home.

The white siding shone in the afternoon sunlight, reflecting into the vehicle and eliciting a groan from both Vega and Arlet when Marlena shook them awake.

“We’re home. It’s time to act normal.” Marlena gathered her things, and when the door to the vehicle opened, there was a guard readying to unload their belongings.

“Miss Marlena, your parents are requesting your presence in the study,” her father’s chief guard said, motioning towards the path leading to the front door.

She looked back at her sister and Arlet, gave them a small smile, and told them she would see them for dinner. There was always something to do, somewhere to be.

Marlena was tired and had never wanted to shower more than she did right now… but that wasn’t an option she was going to be given, and there was no sense in sulking about it.

She cleared her throat, nodded her head, and listened to the guard’s footsteps as they made the trip into the house, up the grand staircase, and to the door of her parents’ shared office space.

Marlena’s knuckles rapped lightly on the door, and a small gust of her father’s wind opened it. Their desks sat on opposite ends of the room, but in the center was a standing table where stools could be pulled up for extra workspace.

Jonan and Ryanna stood in the middle, and as Marlena approached, she noticed pictures lining the entire length of the long rectangular table.

Her stomach dropped, and she stopped in place when the pictures became visible to her.

Evidence of last night’s party was spread out along the table in this morning’s Tolevarre Chronicles . It read: “Easy, Sleazy Caelum Sisters & Their Night Out in Amora.”

Marlena felt her body go numb, and she forced herself to look up from the pictures to her parents.

“Would you care to explain what the fuck this is about?” Jonan asked through gritted teeth.

Most of the pictures were of Vega. Dancing with the guy Marlena had seen her with, making out with him, shooting back shots, and then finally… one of her sneaking off to the wine cellar where pictures were blurry—but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened behind those closed doors.

There were only a handful of Marlena, but there was no argument that they were her. In one of the pictures, Marlena seemed to be looking directly at the camera, and it caught her sneaking into that upstairs bedroom where Marlena had felt wanted for the first time in her life.

Ryanna tapped her foot, and for a moment, it was the only sound in the room while Marlena’s eyes began to wander over the pictures laid in front of her again. “You can start speaking at any time, Marlena,” her mother sneered.

Her eyes rose, catching her hateful stare. Marlena couldn’t take this anymore. The hatred, the constant disappointment. She was at her breaking point… How much could one person take before they snapped?

“I’m curious…” Marlena started. “Am I supposed to have no fun in my life, ever?” Her head cocked to the side, watching her mother’s jaw drop and her father’s stupid fucking vein throb in his forehead.

He took a step forward, but Ryanna put her hand out, stopping him at the same time her jaw snapped shut.

“You are to be the face of not only one, but two territories, Marlena Caelum. You are to set an example at all times. Do you think this picture of you sneaking away with a lowly Ardor-born is setting an example of what the first ever double-seat-holding Curia member looks like?”

Marlena didn’t think before speaking. “I think it shows that I can do both. I can have fun and be the puppet you are plotting me to be.” Because was she really being set up to rule on her own?

No. It had always been her parents' plan to stay behind the scenes…

to make Marlena the face of two territories but never give her the control she wanted—the control she deserved.

The scoff from her mother came first. The raised palm that was projected to whack Marlena across the face came milliseconds later.

Except it never made contact.

Marlena caught it inches from her cheek. Maybe it was the hangover. Maybe it was that she was still drunk, but for the first time in her life, Marlena was done being used as her parents’ personal punching bag.

She was done being abused.

Her grip around her mother’s wrist was crushing, causing a pained gasp to slip from Ryanna’s lips. Marlena didn’t let go. She held her mother’s hand in place, staring deep into her bright green eyes. “I’ve had enough. You’re done. No more.”

Ryanna tried to yank her hand back, but Marlena held strong, gripping tighter. “You’re breaking my hand!” she whined.

“Good,” Marlena responded. “This is what you’ve done to me my entire life. Caused me pain, crushed me, made me feel less than.” Her father made a move to grab his wife, but Marlena used her wind to shove him back.

It caught Jonan off guard, and he stumbled, crashing into the table. The pictures of Marlena and Vega fluttered to the floor.

Marlena shoved her mother’s hold away and used her invisibility to shuffle to the door without being seen.

Before she snuck through, Marlena allowed herself to come back into view.

She made sure her parents were looking at her when she spoke again.

“You’ve had your fun using me as a personal stress reliever.

Find someone else. It’s time you treat me like the daughter you’ve raised…

the daughter who can handle a little torture. ”

They could yell at her, scream, tell her she was a disappointment—it was nothing she hadn’t heard before, but the physical abuse had run its course.

This time, when Marlena left the room, she didn’t hide herself behind her invisible cloak.

She walked out, completely turning her back on her parents and the mess she’d made of their office.

It’s time to show them who they’ve raised.