Page 16 of The Lies of Lena (The Otacian Chronicles #1)

Chapter Fifteen

“ A t Wendi’s house, not here,” she assured.

So…that means…

“I’ll head out, leave you to…yourselves.” She coughed, then handed me over a bottle. I examined the container with skepticism, and then my eyes shot wide, my face heating as I realized what was in my hands.

Contraceptive elixir.

“I’m not saying I want anything to happen, but I know how it is.”

I wanted to argue, but I was grateful, even though the awkwardness made me want to jump off Castle La’Rune.

“Thank you,” I whispered, avoiding eye contact as I took the bottle.

She touched my shoulder for a moment, then headed out.

I stared at the elixir for a moment before removing the cork. I sniffed it, winced, then chugged it—the flavor slightly bitter but not unbearable. I quickly chomped on a mint leaf so no taste would linger.

Would we actually have sex tonight? I wasn’t sure. I knew I wanted it—badly—but I was also nervous. I still couldn’t understand how a beautiful boy from the Inner Ring could desire someone like me.

I smiled softly while caressing the decals on my dress. In the few months since meeting Quill, my life had never been better…happier. I never thought I could love living this much.

I bit down on my lip.

I love him.

And I was nervous about telling him. I wondered what our future would be. Maybe Mother and I would make enough one day to be part of the Inner Ring, and maybe Quill’s family would grow to accept me.

Then, a sadness swept over me.

We could never have children. It would risk everything. What if he wants that? Not that I was ready now, but I would love children one day. But if our child were anything like me, I would be put in the same predicament my mother was. And I knew that while my mother loved me, I also ripped her away from the love of her life.

A knock on the door kicked me out of my thoughts, and I scrambled off the couch, dusted myself off, and reached for the doorknob.

Quill was beaming as I opened the door. The oil lamp by our entrance cast a warm glow over him. He wore a black button-up shirt, his forearms and chest just slightly exposed, showing off his golden skin. His navy pants matched my dress, and a bouquet of white roses rested in a silver vase he held. His smile faded as he looked me up and down .

I tensed.

Does he not like how I look?

He studied me a moment more, and his amber eyes met mine.

“So damn beautiful,” he said softly, brushing my hair behind my ear.

I exhaled in relief and smiled as he handed me the roses. I inhaled and lost myself in their wonderful scent.

“Roses, my favorite,” I whispered and gave him a warm smile. “This is so kind. Thank you, Quill.”

His eyes flickered with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. I walked back into the house and placed the vase in the center of our dining table, standing back and admiring the view. “And thank you for this dress…I’ve never owned something so fancy before.”

My cheeks heated again, and my whole body became covered in goosebumps as his fingertips brushed my bare back. I turned, and with his other hand, he embraced me and kissed me softly. Butterflies danced in my stomach even as he pulled away.

“I couldn’t resist getting it for you when I saw it,” he grinned. “Shall we go then, Flower?” He held out his elbow, and I felt pure bliss as I interlocked my arm with his.

We arrived at the festival in Linora Park. The typically bare lawn was filled with people, twinkly lights, food stands, and tables. Music and laughter could be heard in the distance, and this place was just… alive .

People were dancing, twirling their gowns about in a large open spot in front of a band playing upbeat tunes. Quill and I appeared out of place, and it was at that moment I realized the eyes weren’t just on Quill as we made our way to the dance area. They were on me as well.

I looked like I belonged in the Inner Ring.

“People are staring,” I whispered.

Quill chuckled. “How could they not? You are stunning.”

My cheeks heated, and then I saw one of the food stands that was set up. Excitedly, I pulled Quill towards it.

“Where are we going?” he laughed.

We got in line as I pointed to the man behind the stand, handing out steaming pieces of—

“Pizza!” Quill exclaimed with wide eyes. He turned and grinned as he looked down at me.

“Okay, don’t get too excited, in case you don’t like it,” I chuckled as I rubbed the back of my neck.

“If you like it, I’m sure I will.”

We moved closer in the line. “It's essentially bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese. But you can get different toppings or eat it plain.”

“What do you recommend?” he asked.

“Plain cheese is always good. But you can get it with different meats or vegetables—” I realized I wasn’t answering his question. “I’m getting pepperoni.”

He bit his lip. “Then I shall get the same thing.”

“Copycat,” I teased, nudging his side. He nudged me back.

We got to the counter, Quill being as cute as ever as he ordered our two slices. He paid, and I was going to complain but didn’t feel the urge to. I was too excited to see his reaction, and seeing the worker's face when he gave a large tip warmed my heart.

We sat at one of the many tables set up by the food vendors. Quill held his piece up to his mouth, then froze, smiling at me with a gaping mouth.

“Don’t keep me in suspense!” I giggled.

He took a bite, and I studied him with a curious expression.

He swallowed, twisting his lips to the side as if contemplating how he felt about it.

“Oh no, you hate it.”

“No, I am just thinking of how my parents will feel when I tell them I’m moving down here,” he grinned and finished chewing. “This is fantastic.”

“You tease.” I took a bite of mine. It was fantastic, but I had never had Inner Ring food before to compare it to.

“I cannot believe we don’t have anything like this in the—” he hesitated. “In the Inner Ring.” He looked to the groups of people dancing while taking another bite. The music was fast and lively, with musicians playing various instruments. Say what you will of the Outer Ring, but we certainly had talent down here.

After we finished our slices, Quill said he wanted to dance with me. We stood and stalked towards the area hand in hand.

“What, you aren’t going to lick the sauce off my lips?” I joked. I knew there was no sauce; I was cautious with my eating to avoid getting anything on my dress.

He smirked, then leaned down and dragged his tongue against my lip .

I bit my lip afterward, and he pulled me in the middle of the group of dancing people. He put both hands on my hips while mine laced behind his neck. As we began to sway, I let out an embarrassed laugh.

“To be honest, I have never danced before,” I admitted.

He gave me an incredulous smile. “Really? You’ve been coming to this festival for years and have never danced?” he asked loudly over the music. I shook my head, and he lifted me and spun me around, causing me to let out an embarrassing squeal. He placed me back down, grinning so big his straight teeth were visible. “I guess we’ll need to start other lessons then,” he teased.

“Oh, ha-ha.” I mocked.

After a few songs, I showed Quill around the rest of the festival. We played some of the games set up. I beat him at cornhole with ease, teasing him about it continuously until he beat me at darts, and he enjoyed rubbing that back in my face. We were on our way to dance more when Quill spoke.

“What are people drinking?” he asked, noting the red concoction in most adults’ hands.

“It’s a popular wine in the Outer Ring, more on the affordable side. But people seem to love it.”

“You’ve never had any?”

I quirked a brow. “I’m sixteen.”

He smirked and grabbed my hand as we waltzed toward a stand that was handing out glasses of wine.

“Quill, what are you doing?” I hissed.

When we reached the stand, the woman pouring gave us an “Are you serious?” look, and Quill smiled, pulling out gold!

My eyes flung open, and so did the woman’s.

“Two glasses would be nice. Will this cover it?” he asked smoothly. I thought the woman was about to faint as she nodded quickly and handed over the glasses.

I gaped at Quill as we walked away, drinks in hand, and he eyeballed me from the side.

“What?”

“ Gold? How rich are you, anyway?”

“You can’t think that dress only cost silver pieces, do you?”

“Oh my…I’m going to hit you!”

Quill chuckled and sipped on his wine. He paused, observing his cup.

“This is not all that bad,” he commented.

“What are you, a wine expert?”

“I have had my fair share,” he replied, the corner of his lip raising as he took another sip.

I raised an eyebrow, then sipped mine. My face puckered at the strange taste, and Quill laughed loudly.

“Don’t laugh at me!” I said as I laughed myself. “How do you like this?”

His chuckle eased. “It is an acquired taste. Plus, the feeling you get makes it taste better.”

I quirked my brow again. “You’re a drunk?”

He grinned. “No, but I have gone overboard a couple of times. Without my parents’ knowledge, of course.”

“Naughty.”

“You’ve no idea.”

I blushed, looking away and biting my lip to hide my smile. Then my face fell as my thoughts drifted .

“What’s wrong?” he asked with a concerned frown.

I sighed, taking another sip and grimacing. “I wish you wouldn’t spend money on me,” I mumbled.

“Not this again,” he murmured, kissing the top of my head. “Why?”

“Because…I cannot return the favor.”

“You return the favor every minute you spend with me.”

I turned to face him, and he smiled into his cup as he drank.

“You are really equating time with me to gold?”

He smiled softly. “I am.”

I tried and failed to hold in a smile, looking away to the ongoing festivities. My face eventually fell again. Quill laced his hand in mine, and when I looked at him, he examined me with worry.

“What if you grow to resent me?” I asked.

“Do you know nothing of my feelings for you?” He squeezed my hand. “I buy you things because I want to. Because you deserve nice things. Why would I resent you for that?”

I just shrugged and took a large gulp of the wine.

“It’s not getting better yet,” I grimaced.

It got better.

By the time I finished my first glass, I had asked for another. Quill got us both one more drink, and the woman was more than excited to see us arrive again .

We walked over to a performance of acrobats on a stage. They had performers the past few years, and I was always enthralled by the ways they could move their bodies. Four of them stood, each on the other’s shoulders, and raised their arms in unison.

The crowd cheered, and I couldn’t control my giggling.

“Oh dear, what have I done.” Quill shook his head, unable to conceal his amusement.

I sipped down the remainder of my second drink.

“You know, my mother would kill me if—” I hiccupped, “—she saw me like this. You, too.” I pointed a finger at him.

“We’d better keep avoiding her, then,” he laughed. I hadn’t seen Mother, but it wasn’t odd with all the people here. His second glass was barely sipped on, and I frowned, then tapped the bottom of it.

“Are you pressuring me, Lena?” he smirked.

I groaned. “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to get this stu—” Another embarrassing hiccup. “S-sorry,” I flustered.

He chuckled, his laugh sending waves through my body.

“You know, I do not think I have laughed this much in my life,” he said.

“Happy I can entertain you,” I murmured as I inched closer, kissing him on the cheek, then the mouth. He looked at me with smoky amusement. “Another one?” I asked with my bottom lip protruding.

“Trust me, as much as I’d love to see you wildly drunk, I don’t want you feeling terrible tomorrow. That is enough for tonight.”

I frowned, and he kissed the top of my head.

The clock was reaching close to midnight. The festival went until two in the morning, though most families had gone home by this point, leaving primarily teens and adults enjoying the fun. The music began to slow, the song playing a raw and sensual beat as Quill and I found our way to the dance floor again. I had ditched my slippers at some point, and my feet trailed on the clipped grass.

We stared into each other’s eyes, our smiles fading as we swayed to the music. His golden skin seemed to glow in the night light, always a contrast to my fair skin. His amber eyes began to fill with lust as they trailed down to my lips, his grip on my waist tightening.

“My mother won’t be home tonight,” I whispered in his ear, the wine giving me liquid courage. I never would’ve been so bold sober.

He pulled back, wide-eyed. I supposed he, too, was surprised by my fearlessness.

“My, my, Flower,” he purred, running his hand along my neck. “And what would you like to do while she is gone?”

I realized my liquid courage wasn’t that strong, as I flushed at the thought of all I did want to do with him. He chuckled softly, pulling my mouth to his. For a moment, I felt like I was floating. The music around us blended and hummed, and everyone disappeared until it was just us. Our mouths parted, and our tongues slid on each other’s, the warmth between my legs heightening. A small moan escaped me, but thankfully, the music was so loud no one would have heard it.

Quill pulled back, staring at me with that damn lazy smile of his.

Before he could say anything, I took his hand and pulled him toward my home.

We made it there quickly, and Quill closed the door behind us as I turned to face him. My heart was beating so fast I would be surprised if he didn’t hear it about to burst from my chest. He slowly looked me up and down, then walked towards me, tilting my chin to look into his eyes. He was so damn tall.

He studied me for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

Confused, I nodded.

“Why do you think so low of yourself?”

The question took me aback, and I was unsure how to answer. After a moment, I responded, “I have just messed up a lot in my life, for myself and…for others.”

“I cannot imagine you messing anything up badly enough to justify your lack of self-worth,” he said, and I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wanted me to tell him the specifics.

“Maybe I’ll tell you once you tell me all your secrets.”

He smirked, then dragged his thumb across my bottom lip. “Cruel, beautiful siren,” he whispered. “I love you.”

I stilled, my mouth falling open.

He flushed and swallowed. “You don’t have to say it back—”

“I love you ,” I said quickly, smiling sheepishly. “I’ve wanted to tell you for quite some time.”

He rested his forehead on mine. “As have I,” he whispered, and I pressed my lips to his. We stood there for a while, just kissing slowly until we became more eager—until we were stumbling into my bedroom.

“Are you sure you want this, Lena?” he panted softly against my lips.

“Yes,” I breathed, and he motioned for me to turn around.