The Emerald Virgin (Gem Apocalypse Book 1) (4 page)

"Is it true you're twenty-three?"

Aria rolled onto her back and grimaced, coming to lie on her side. It looked like she wouldn't be sleeping after all. "Yes. Come on in." Unlike the eleven women of the royal harem, Aria felt no ill will from this young girl.

Light on her feet, the child slipped into the room quietly and closed the door behind her. "I'm not supposed to be in here."

Aria didn't wish to get the child into trouble but didn't know why she'd come to visit her. Surely she wasn't a courtesan for any of King Gideon's sons. "What's your name?"

"Jasmyn," she said. "My mother named me after a flower that became extinct in the last war."

"It's a beautiful name," Aria said, gesturing for her to sit at the edge of the bed. "How did you come to live at the palace?"

Jasmyn frowned. "I've always lived here. Since the day I was born."

"What do you mean?" Aria didn't understand. Could Jasmyn be a daughter to one of the princes? She seemed too old for it, but August was quite a few years older than Aria. Or perhaps she was King Gideon's daughter, a princess of Brayleigh.

A sigh slipped past Jasmyn's lips. "My mother owed a great debt to King Gideon. In order to absolve her of the debt, she was forced to become a slave. Since he owns my mother, he also owns me. That's how slave debt works. I don't mind it, King Gideon is nice enough allowing me to roam the palace without question."

"Roam the palace. Do you mean you've never gone beyond the gate?" Aria asked.

Jasmyn shook her head. "I can see as far as the highest tower will reach. It looks like a lot of grass out there, but in the distance there appears to be something else. What is it?"

Aria lived most of her life in her home, near the river and away from the public eye. She'd never traveled farther than across the river to Ethan's cottage. "I have no idea. One day, I shall take you there with me."

The young girl's eyes lit up and a smile grazed her face. "I'd like that very much. Do you think King Gideon would agree to it?"

Aria knew he wouldn't, but she didn't know how to tell this child the news without disappointing her. "I think it has to be our little secret." Aria reached for her arm, glancing at her hands. There were scars, old thick white marks etched to her skin. "What are these from?"

She pulled her arm back and stood up. Her eyes downcast on the floor. "I should go. You wanted rest, and I've bothered you enough already."

Before Aria had time to stop her, Jasmyn retreated from the room and slipped out the same door she came in from.

Aria stared up at the stucco ceiling. It matched her mood, rough and filled with turmoil. Desperately she wanted to go home, but she didn't know how to get out of there.

The maids served dinner in the royal harem among the courtesans. Prince James stopped in to pay the girls a visit after dessert. Grateful to spend the least amount of time with him as possible, Aria tried to avoid his stare and hide in the shadows, not wanting his attention or his affection. He mingled with Adalyn. Her hand fell to his arm and then his chest as she tipped her head forward, laughing at his every word.

Aria had spent enough times with James to know Adalyn could act and it had probably been what kept her beside him for so long. James didn't seem like one to make a joke or have an ounce of humor in his body. He whispered something into her ear and kissed her cheek before retreating.

Each step he took toward Aria, she felt painstaking sadness. She didn't wish to be here, and his presence was a constant reminder that she was entirely under his control.

"Aria." He smiled as he approached.

She didn't return the sentiment, still bitter from her earlier spanking.

"What is it?" he asked and the smile fell from his face. "This sadness, it's different."

"I can forget the fact that you humiliated me earlier, but I can't forgive you taking a child as a slave!"

The girls have all grown silent. They must not be used to courtesans speaking their mind to the prince.

"Slave?" James repeated and raised an eyebrow. "We have a lot of slaves in the kingdom, Aria. You're going to have to be more specific."

Aria's jaw tightened. Had it been no big deal to him because they stole people's freedoms every single day? "Jasmyn, the girl that's ten maybe twelve. Her mother's a slave to King Gideon."

The prince exhaled a loud sigh. Everyone's eyes were on him. He took a step closer and Aria moved a step back. She had no intention of getting spanked again. It was horrifying enough to happen in the hall with a maid witnessing. She would never live it down among the courtesans.

The door swung wide open and Prince August sauntered in. "James!" He nodded toward his brother and Aria slipped away as quick and quietly as possible. This distraction may have just saved her ass from becoming raw.

"What are you doing in here, brother?" James didn't sound pleased to see August.

Prince August's blue eyes landed on Aria. "I was hoping to borrow one of your ladies, specifically the emerald."

The emerald? Aria opened her mouth to interrupt the two men, and give them a piece of her mind about calling her the emerald, but James spoke before the words slipped out past her tongue.

"The emerald is off limits. She needs discipline, and I'm not going to have you instilling it in her."

August smiled, his grin grew as the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. "I'd like to watch you give her your lashing."

James stood a few inches shorter to August but they were both as brawny. August had scruff growing on his chin, matching his midnight black hair. They shared the same eyes, in fact, all four brothers did, but that's where the similarities ended. James's skin was golden from his time in the sun. Whatever he did outside, it didn't involve labor. His hair was a warm brown, like a deep rich honey melted into chocolate.

"Aria is off-limits. Can I do something else for you? Or are you just here to pester my ladies?" James asked.

August smiled and walked up to Aria. His breath putrid and the heat radiated past his lips made her stomach clench. "I will get a taste of you, Emerald. Maybe not today, but when James grows bored with you, as he will, I will find you in my bed."

James stepped between August and Aria, probably keeping her from saying something abysmal to a prince of Brayleigh.

"I've warned you before, August. You have your dozen women, go pay attention to them. You don't need my toys when you have plenty of your own."

August nodded once and turned on his heels. He walked out the door, slamming it behind him before Aria could exhale a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" James asked. His hands were nestled on her arms, trying to comfort her the best way he knew how.

Aria nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." She lied. At no moment in this palace did she feel all right. She wanted to go home.

James kept his voice down so that only Aria could hear him. The other courtesans had grown bored with August's outbursts. Aria got the impression this wasn't anything new between brothers. "Why does August want me now? He could have chosen me this morning when you were choosing courtesans."

"You would have disappointed him if he'd have picked you. He thought Henry might have a desire for you because of your green eyes, that's why he suggested you at all. You're not his usual type. August has always craved the women he can't have. His reputation around here borders on harassment. We all get used to it. The spoiled prince that is destined to be king. It's not as though he wants you as his courtesan forever, just as a mistress on the side, for when he grows bored with his dozen ladies."

"Grows bored? Isn't that why you sell us off and are given your pick of fresh young women, plucked right from the virgin fields?"

James's cheeks reddened. "I'm not discussing this with you any further. I would have invited you into my bedroom this evening, but it's clear to me that neither of us could stand the accompany of one another for hours." He shoved his hands behind his back and walked over to Adalyn.

Aria's heart constricted as Adalyn placed her hand through his arm and he escorted her out of the room. Why care at all? It's not as though she wanted to give herself to him. In fact, she most certainly did not.

"You look troubled," a young blonde said. She had the warmest blue eyes Aria had ever seen, speckled with green. She wore a blue gown, just as all the other blues do. "I'm Kiera." She held out her hand and Aria shook it. Her bangs swept across her eyes, giving her a much more youthful look. Not that she wasn't young as it is.

"Aria."

"I take it you don't like being here," Kiera said.

Aria couldn't fathom why any sane girl would want to be here. She walked toward the window and sat at the ledge of a private enclave for just the two of them to speak, without the other girls overhearing.

"I'm sorry about your mother."

"Thank you, Kiera."

"I should warn you," she said and leaned closer. "Prince August is known for getting what he wants."

Not a flicker of doubt crossed Aria's mind, certain he'd stop at nothing to experience his chance with an emerald. "What do you mean?"

"Shortly after I arrived at court, Prince August approached me. It was in a much less formal setting, with just the three of us out back. Prince James shot him down, told him to go to hell. Needless to say he didn't, but he brought me there."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked. A lump formed in her throat.

"Prince August will get what he wants, with or without Prince James's approval."

Aria's fingers trembled at the thought of August forcing himself on anyone. "He attacked you?"

"Yes. Nothing was done about it. August denied the allegation and I can't give testimony to the King of Brayleigh regarding his son. August grew bored of his interests with me by the following month when a new girl joined the royal harem. Now he doesn't even acknowledge I exist, which is fine, because I want nothing to do with him."

Aria nodded. "Thank you for the warning." Standing up, Aria slipped out of the sitting room with the other ladies and hid in the darkness of the bedroom. There were two doors, one had been locked and only James had the key. Or so they were led to believe. The other door guided Aria to the girls. With a haste, she pushed the dresser against the door, hiding from the outside world, the hallway of the palace, and potentially August. Aria would not be his victim.

* * * * *

Aria undressed from the green gown and slipped into a cream chemise that had been left on her bed. Had Jasmyn or Clara dropped it off? She wasn't quite sure Jasmyn's role as a slave. Aria intended to ask more about it from Prince James, when he was in a sharing mood.

Sleep didn't come. Kiera's words echoed in her mind throughout the night. With every lingering footstep outside the door, Aria jumped. She was a bundle of nerves, afraid Prince August would come visit her. She wanted nothing to do with him.

As the sun rose, she felt tugged toward sleep. Aria fought the sensation, only to be drawn toward nightmares and terrors of the last twenty-four hours.

Bathed in sweat, she sat straight up, gasping for air. Panting and trying to catch her breath, Aria heard the doorknob jiggle. The door opened inward not out. A loud squeak echoed through the room, as someone tried to breach the door, but the dresser prevented them entrance inside. With no locks for the courtesans and very little privacy, the single piece of furniture was all Aria had to protect herself.

"Aria, let me in," Prince James said.

Pushing herself out of bed, Aria shivered as her feet grazed the cold marble floor. With two arms and all her strength, she forced the dresser back against the wall.

"What are you doing?" James asked.

"Keeping out intruders." Aria smiled to lighten the tension, unsure whether to confess what Kiera told her the night before about Prince August. "What are you doing? It's early and aren't you supposed to be with Adalyn?" Aria asked.

"That was last night. It's a new day," James said. "I'm traveling to the market this afternoon. You should come up with me."

The market? Was he really willing to take Aria from the walls of the palace to the world outside? Excitement bubbled in her stomach. Today would be her one chance to escape the clutches of the palace and Prince James. "What are we going to the market for?" Aria asked. His servants and slaves brought in food to the castle and fabric to make clothes. What did a prince need to go to the market for?

"I thought you might like to experience the kingdom from beyond the palace walls. If I'm wrong, then I can invite..."

"No!" Aria's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "I'll come with you. But, can I wear something other than the green gown?" She feared how others might react seeing her in public. Her mother had sheltered her and for good reason.

"No one from outside the palace knows what the colors of the gowns mean. Besides, it's only something I do with my courtesans. The ladies for Prince Aaron all wear a combination of red and gold. For Prince Henry they wear blue and purple. Prince August's women would wear nothing if it were always up to him. You, my dear, are a jewel to be treasured. I will protect you, now and forever."

"I'll accompany you, Prince James, but don't make a promise you can't keep." It was no secret he would choose a woman next month to leave the royal harem. Sending Aria or any other of his women to be sold into slavery was in no way offering protection.

A fresh green gown, similar in color but the style was different as this one cut across the shoulder with only one strap. Aria carried the dress to the bathroom and shut the door. It was the only hint of privacy she had in this place.

It took her a few minutes to get dressed. Once the gown was on, she ran a comb through her hair and stepped out into her bedroom. James leaned against the wall, staring out the window. His attention turned to Aria when she sauntered back into the room. "You look lovely."

"Can I get a pair of shoes to wear out?"

"They're by the foyer for you to borrow a pair," he said. James took her arm and led her out of the room and down the hall. The palace was like a maze, stretching on for miles, but it should be no surprise given there were forty-eight rooms for courtesans.

James guided Aria to the stairwell and she held the railing of the banister as she glided down the stairs. Careful, she raised the hem of her dress just enough to not trip on her descent.

Approaching the foyer, Aria tried on a few different pairs of sandals until she found ones with a wedge that fit. It kept her gown from dragging on the floor. She secured the straps and was led outside. A large vehicle waited for them. The driver opened the back door and she slid in with James joining inside the car a moment later. The driver shut the door and walked around to the front. The car held five comfortably. The windows were tinted in the back. No one from the outside could see them. Was it to keep James safe?

He reached across the backseat, taking her hand. "Thank you for trusting me enough to come with me today."

"Of course," Aria said. Trust didn't feel like the appropriate word. She didn't trust James anymore than she trusted Prince Aaron who she knew nothing about. At least he'd kept to himself, hadn't bothered her like Prince August.

Aria shifted closer to James. Although she didn't wish to be intimate with him, she wanted even less the driver hearing their conversation. "What will we do at the market?" she asked in a whisper.

"It's up to you." James smiled and patted her arm. Aria didn't think he understood why she scooted closer. He seemed more relieved, like she trusted him or liked him. "My favorite is the relic search."

She frowned, not having heard of anything even similar. "What's that?"

"There are vendors at the market that bring old items from before the war. Some items are in good condition, others beat up so bad you can hardly tell what they are. It's fun to guess what it was used for back before we were born. You'll enjoy it."