A Kingdom of Tales (Kingdom of Avenlea #1)

Chapter 16

We dance and dance all night. Grinning ear to ear. It's the most fun I've had in a while.

When it's time to return to our room, Miles takes me to the side of the room. "Jas, I'm staying for a few drinks with Sage." He whispers.

"That's too risky, Miles. You know it is." I whisper back.

"I'll be careful. It's been a while since I was with someone I could call a friend." He says. His words sting. Though I can understand loneliness, I reply coldly.

"Alright. Have fun." I say. It's obvious I don't mean it, and Miles' eyes tell me he knows that too. I walk back to our room alone. Only one more day on this goddamn boat. One more day until we're on land.

As soon as I close the door, I start undressing gently, being careful of the dress. I'll have to return it to Marilla the next day. I lay it on the chair gently and prepare for bed.

I toss and turn all night. Not getting a moment of peace.

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"So what were you doing all alone?" The mystery man asked with a gleam in his eyes. It should've been a warning sign, but I only ignored it.

"Not much." I said, purposely vague. The diner he took me to was shabby, and the meal was quite cheap and cold. It wasn't what I was used to at home. "What's your name?"

"Damiano. What's yours?"

"Cerise."

"Nice to meet you, Cerise." He looked weirdly happy at hearing my name. I'd given him a fake one to preserve some sense of anonymity. Saying Cerise's name felt like I was stabbing my own heart.

I played with the rubbery meat on my plate. It obviously wasn't cow's meat. It tasted off. "How old are you, Cerise?" There's that predatory smile again.

"Twenty five." I'd exaggerated my age by nine years. Another attempt at anonymity hadn't worked in my favor at all. It only made him smile wider.

"You know... I had a daughter with a woman around sixteen years ago. She looked just like you. I don't remember her name." I'd froze at hearing that.

I didn't reply. I knew nothing of my mother then. I couldn't have known what she looked like, let alone her name.

"You wouldn't happen to be that daughter, would you, Cerise?" He said my supposed name in a weird way, making my stomach twist. He knew. How could he have known?

"I've never known my mother, sir. And I'm twenty five, not sixteen." I said with conviction that I didn't feel.

My hesitation must've shown on my face because he grinned harder. "It's alright, Jasmine. I just want to get to know my daughter."

'Shit! Did he just say my real name?' I thought. He stood up from his chair and moved closer to me, making me flinch. Was this the right time to run?

All of the thoughts ran out of my brain as soon as he bent down and hugged me. I was confused. It must've been comical to watch this from farther away—a huge, towering man hugging a much smaller girl.

Regardless, I hugged him back. I'd missed physical touch, and I was lonely. I should've known this wouldn't have ended well.

We walked together for a while. He asked me questions, and I just answered them as best I could.

Where is your mother?

Where have you been all these years?

Were you alone?

He reminisced with me about his time with my mother. How beautiful she was and how smart she was. He'd been mesmerized from the first glance. He fed me lies, and I loved it.

He brought me a better meal than the one from before. I felt lighter than I had in a week.

He told me a little about himself too. He was a fisherman. He told me about his most recent catch. In hindsight, I should've known right then and there that he was lying. Fishing was my least favorite thing to do. Then again, many children aren't similar to their parents.

He bought me my first inn room. I hadn't spent a dime since that day. I didn't know anything about the real world. I didn't know how to interact with people I didn't know.

I'd stayed the night in that room, waking up to a knock on my door. It was him again. He'd brought me breakfast straight to my bed. I ate and ate, hungry for the first time in a week. He spent a lot on me, never letting me pay for a single thing. He said it was to make up for lost time.

He asked me more questions.

What's your favorite activity?

Do you like cake?

Do you like fishing?

I'd answered as honestly as I could, lying on the last question to get him to like me. It was a strange feeling to be with a family member.

He said he wanted to go on another walk. I'd agreed quickly, wanting to spend more time with him.

Imagine my surprise when he leads me right to the docks. When he took out a small dagger and pointed it at my back. When he'd laughed and called me naive. When he walked me straight to a boat, taking me to Edessa to claim the money for the bounty on my head. When I'd had to fight my own father just to live.