Chapter 9
Aubrey narrowed her eyes at the smiling man. He looked a little too happy with himself. For once, she wished she could pass her curse off on the man just to understand what was going through his mind. She tucked her brown hair behind her ear, and froze, realizing that she stood before him in her true form.
Immediately, her hair darkened along with her eyes, and she was Abe again. Nathaniel sent her a disappointed look. "I like the other better."
"Yes, well," she stopped, not being able to think of any valid excuse.
"Well?" he questioned with a smirk.
She shrugged. "I like to keep that part of myself to those in my family."
"I think you are lying."
"That would be nice," she mumbled before shaking her head at him. "I do not want others to know my true looks. It makes it more difficult to gain friends when they know who I am. My family does not care what I look like; I will always be the same person."
"It makes sense," he agreed. "How do you do that?"
"It is a magic that has always come easy to me," she explained. "I just picture the way that I should look and change myself accordingly."
"Have you ever," he paused as if he was contemplating his question, "turned into a person you knew?"
She was shaking her head before he even got the words out. "I would never do that."
"Why?"
"It is an invasion of privacy, and it causes more harm than good."
"You did not seem to care for harm when you stole my painting."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Ainsely returned it."
He waved a hand dismissivelly. "I wanted to know why you do it. Your brother did not tell me why."
"Ainsely," she whispered while narrowing her eyes at the wall to her right. Walking over to it, she ran her hand over the stones before she found the one she was looking for. Tapping on it twice, a small opening appeared in it. "Ainsely," she said into it.
Something crashed on the other side of the wall. She heard Ainsely mumble a curse. "What is it, sister?"
"Oh, were you busy?" she questioned with humor.
His frustrated groan echoed through her room. "Yes, now would you please tell me what it is you want so I can get back to my lovely quest."
She crinkled her nose in disgust. "I am on the other side of the wall."
"It is why father made the stones so thick."
Her disgust tripled. "Fine, I wanted to ask you to stay out of my matters."
"What matter?" he asked absentmindedly.
"The painting," she hissed at him. As soon as the words left her mouth, Daisy uncurled herself and hissed at the wall. She glanced down at her dragon with a smile. Daisy always sensed her anger.
"He came from a powerful family. You could not afford to have them chasing after you."
"Not your decision."
"Someone has to look after you, and our parents want to let you deal with it yourself."
"Why do you not take heed of their actions?"
He chuckled, but she knew the chuckle was not for her. "What would be the fun in that?"
Her anger doubled. She was attempting to have a serious conversation with him, but he just ignored her. She opened her mouth, ready to yell at him, when a hand closed over her lips.
"Love, why don't we let your brother have his fun, while we have our own?"
The laughter on the other side of the wall ceased. "Aubrey," Ainsely said in an angry tone. "Who is in your room?"
The hand on her mouth stopped her from answering, not that she would.
"Who is in your room?" he repeated. "Who is in your room?"
She yanked the hand away from her mouth. "Daisy! She is in my room."
He mumbled another curse. "Who is the male in your room? Who is the-"
She threw her hand out, connecting it with the stone and causing the small opening to close. Leaning back into the body behind her, she let out a sigh. "That would have been a disaster."
A hand ran up her arm. "Why did you answer him?"
Her mouth shut and she jerked away from him. Walking towards her bed, she flung back the coverings. "Do you plan on leaving any time soon?"
Arms wrapped around her once more, but this time, he kept her from moving. She could have used magic to escape his hold, but she did not.
"How will I get past your guards?"
"The same way I did," she replied.
He placed his head on her shoulder. "I do not think that would work. You have a certain control that I seem not to."
"Let me go," she demanded.
He shook his head. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"
"No," she answered, surprising herself. It was true though. Where other men had made her weary, Nathaniel did not. She knew she could not hurt him as she had others. He was too powerful. He may not have had as much control as she did, but he still had raw power. If he were faced with danger, it would make itself know. It was a something she knew from experience.
"Do you want me to leave?"
She shrugged. "No."
"Are you telling the truth?" he asked with confusion in his voice.
"Yes, I do not lie."
"You do not lie," he repeated. "That is a lie. Everyone lies, it is almost impossible not to lie."
She took a deep breath. Should she tell him about her curse? It would give him a certain advantage over her, but it would also help inform him. He would have to watch what he said to her.
"It is part of my curse."
He froze. "The tales are true? You're royal family truly has curses placed on each child when they are born?"
She nodded. "Mine is that I am unable to lie."
"What is Ainsely's?"
"His own to share," she replied, tensing up herself. If he asked her twice more, she would be forced to tell him.
He sighed. "You do not have to tell me, I was just curious. Is the entire rumor true?"
"I cannot come into my full power until the curse is broken," she said, confirming what others have said.
"How do you break it?"
Aubrey shrugged. She honestly had no idea. Ainsely's curse had been seen before, and they knew how to break it. Hers was a first. There has never been a person in their family cursed with telling the truth. "I am going to kill the woman who placed it on me."
His grip on her tightened. "You are going to travel to a mythical place, to find a woman who is rumored to be the most powerful, and kill her just to break a curse?"
"Yes."
He flipped her around, faster than she could comprehend. "You are mad. I will not let you go."
She pushed at his chest, but he did not budge. "You cannot control me."
"I can lock you up in this place and make sure you never leave."
"Daisy," she called out with a smile.
The dragon hissed at Nathaniel, but to her amazement, he sent Daisy a glare. "Quiet unless you want your master to kill herself with her foolish plans."
Daisy's hissing stopped as the dragon walked towards Nathaniel. It hesitated for a moment before wrapping itself around his leg. Aubrey looked down at Daisy in disbelief. "You traitor."
"Daisy is not a traitor; she knows what is best for you." A smile crossed his face. "Why did you name her Daisy?"
She shrugged. "I cannot lie and mother does not like dragons."
"That still does not explain it."
"I asked father if I could keep Daisy."
Nathaniel laughed. "He thought you were speaking of the flower? You are smarter than you let on."
She smiled back at him. Now that he was standing so close, she realized something. He was handsome. Not in the way that Ainsely was, Nathaniel was darker than her brother was. Nathaniel held an edge that Ainsely did not possess.
He quit laughing. Looking down at her, he stared. "I really wish you would be yourself."
"This is me."
"No," he mumbled, as his face descended towards her. "This is another façade you hide behind. I want to see the real you."
Her control faltered, making her disguise slip. A small smile crossed his face. "That is better."
She nodded, not saying anything. She was afraid she would blurt something out, something that Nathaniel did not need to know. His lips dropped closer to hers, but as they were about to connect, a bang sounded at her door.
"Aubrey!" Ainsely yelled from the other side. "Let me in!"
She froze, pushing Nathaniel back. Glancing around in a panic, she tried to find him a way to escape. "Go through the wall," she whispered, finally remembering how he had gotten here in the first place.
He shook his head with a stubborn expression. "I am not leaving."
"My brother will kill you," she snarled.
He shrugged. "He is going to have to get used to seeing me more often. Why not start now?"
She stared at him in disbelief as he made his way across the room and towards the door. What did he mean by that? The answer hit her hard. She had almost let herself believe that the man cared for her, but she remembered the bond now. Nathaniel had meant that it was physically impossible for him to be away from her, not that he wanted to be next to her. She let out a sigh as his he began to pull the door open.