Page 14

Serenity

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I'll be late, I'm sure.

After he leaves, I lock the door, even though I know Ares won’t come in again. On the contrary, he seemed angry that I continued to look at him even though I was wearing so little clothing; I'm still trying to understand what possessed me not to run and put on my robe.

Maybe he's a bit of a wizard. Yes, that’s it. The evil Greek sorcerer mesmerized me.

You are crazy, Serenity Blanchet , I scold myself.

Why in heaven was I so aggressive, telling him I wasn't going to dinner with him? I need Ares to be my ally, not my enemy. For seven years, since I don't plan on getting married until after I'm twenty-five, he will be responsible for my money. It's stupid to confront him like I did.

I think of his name and try to remember Greek mythology classes.

Ares, the god of war. In fact, if I remember correctly, the Olympian god of wild war, bloodthirsty, slaughter personified.

Yes, I think it fits. Even though at the end of our conversation he tried to appear cool, the aggression is latent in him. However, it doesn't make me feel afraid. It sends an inexplicable shiver throughout my body.

Clear your mind, Serenity. He is your guardian, and a very angry guardian.

Very handsome too , a little devil whispers in my ear.

My phone vibrates with a message.

Unknown number: Move. You have three minutes.

Me: How do you know I’m not ready yet?

I save his number in my contacts, and seconds later, a new message arrives.

Ares: Because you seem like a thinker, girl. I’m a man of action. Get dressed, or I’ll come in there again and pick out your outfit.

Me: That is not your role as guardian, Ares.

Ares: I don’t follow rules. I create them. It won’t take much to make you understand that.

I drop the phone on the vanity counter, feeling my whole body shake with excitement. I take off the rest of my clothes faster than I've ever done in my life, and without worrying about putting on a bra, I pull the black dress I wore to the theater over my head.

I look in the mirror and grimace at the heavy makeup I wore for the performance, but I don't have time to take it off, so running my fingers through my hair to untangle it, I get ready to leave.

I throw all my clothes into the huge bag I brought, except for the skirt I wore on stage, making a mental note to tell Madam Villatoro that I left it here.

I push my ballet shoes, which from today onwards have been promoted to “lucky” ones, to the bottom of my bag as best I can, and then my hand bumps into a piece of paper. I pull it out and see it's the ticket that Madam found and gave me to keep.

I look back at the rack, and a chill—nothing at all like the excitement of meeting my guardian—reaches the back of my neck.

For a moment, I consider talking to Ares about it, but then I dismiss the idea. I don't want him to think I’m a baby the first time we meet. The huge number of bodyguards watching me is enough.

"You're late," he says as soon as he sees me.

"Sir—"

“No ‘sir,’” he corrects me.

" You change your mood very quickly."

"On the contrary, Serenity. It's always the same."

So he manipulated me into giving in. Is that what he's saying between the lines?

"Are you hungry?"

I'm starving, but there’s not much I can eat at this time of night if I want to avoid gaining weight. "Not very," I lie.

He watches me as if he knows I'm lying, and I feel my face heat up. The curse of having fair skin.

“You're hungry,” he says, and I shrug.

"I can't eat at this hour."

"What?"

"I don't eat anything more than a few olives at this hour. That will be my dinner."

His features change again, his jaw tightening in irritation. "Today you are going to have dinner. After the energy you've expended, you need food."

He won't let me argue. He puts his hand on the back of my neck and guides me to the exit.

The part of my neck he touches heats as if a hot iron has scorched it, and I wonder if he can tell how I'm shaking. I could ask him to let go of me, but I won't do that. Even though it's stupid, I like my guardian's touch.

He doesn't hold me loosely; it's like being trapped in the claw of a beast.

I smile at the foolish thought, and when I look to the side, I realize that he seems indifferent to me.

Stupid.

Ares is fulfilling his role, just as Mr. Van Lith did. Don't embarrass yourself, Serenity.

I barely even noticed getting into the car. Ares doesn’t say anything else until we arrive at a restaurant that looks like an old mansion.

Even though I returned to New Orleans a few months ago, I don't know anything about the city. I'm like a tourist in the place where I was born.

Like a gentleman, he helps me out of the car, and my stupid heart skips a beat because I can’t repress the thought that this is the first time I've gone out with a guy.

Not some guy . My guardian. A real man.

A hostess guides us to a table in a deserted part of the restaurant.

"How old are you?" I ask after we sit down.

"I thought you studied at an elite school. Didn’t they teach you that it's not polite to ask people their age?"

"Is it a sensitive subject for you?" I ask, unable to stop myself. In fact, I kind of already know the answer. Ares doesn't seem to be bothered by age. Or by anything else, I guess. He is the embodiment of self-confidence.

"Thirty-four," he says.

Sixteen years older, I calculate quickly.

"I could be your father," he continues, in a serious voice, and I'm mortified that he realized I was doing math. I pray he doesn't understand the reason for these stupid calculations.

"A very old man," I say, coughing and hiding a smile to direct the conversation to something other than my humiliation.

It's not like I've never seen a handsome man in my life. In fact, I've even flirted with some. But none that come close to him.

And then, an idea occurs to me. He must be married.

I run my eyes over his hands, looking for a ring, but when I look at his face again, I feel like dying.

He saw it.

Jesus, could You make the ground open up and swallow me?

"I'm not married," he says, without concern for my embarrassment, "but let's make something clear: I'm your guardian, not someone you're dating. I want your obedience, not to be your first crush. And even if it weren't like that, and I didn't have any responsibility towards you, I don't date girls. Believe me, you wouldn't be able to handle me, even if our roles were different."