Free Escaping Destiny by Amelia Hutchins Page B

school girl.
    I was weak around him, and I needed to be
strong right now. My entire life was depending on it—and I was
immortal! Well, almost immortal, but close enough.
    I started to get up, but Ristan held up his
hand to stop me. “Let me get your handmaidens; you now have five.
Zara will be joining the ones you already met. Ryder left specific
orders of what was to be done today. You will be presented to the
Horde, and blessed for the child you carry. It was a custom
Alazander abandoned, not sure why, but it used to be that all of
the kings wives or concubines were blessed this way during their
pregnancies to ensure the health of the child and prosperity for
the Horde. Ryder is hoping to pick up most of the things our people
lost because of him. Prepared to be pampered, my blossoming
Flower.”
    Pampered?
    Pampered.
    And by pampered, he’d meant I was being given
a spa day. I had Keely the Brownie working my hair, tying it up for
the bath, while Faelyn the Pixie fought me for the sweetly scented
soap. I won, of course, and eventually she stood back and allowed
me to wash myself. Cherry blossom petals filled the wide tub, and
were beautiful, but considering I had five girls falling over me
while trying to help me, I couldn’t enjoy them.
    After the debacle of the bath, I was pulled
from the water and stood naked in front of a mirror. I growled at
this, and shook my head. I was shoved into a chair someone had
brought out, or maybe glamoured (I was too busy watching them
hustle and fuss over my appearance to pay attention), and my hair
was braided after it had been slicked in some kind of cherry
scented gel by Faelyn, and styled into a beautiful updo. Meriel
busied herself on my hands with a manicure while Keeley was working
pedicure magic. Now, more than ever, I was missing my OPI
collection.
    Make-up was applied by Darynda, who winked at
me mischievously as she told me this was her magical talent. She
was the equivalent to a make-up artist. When she was done, I had
black kohl on my eyes, which made the blue and purple of them pop
brightly. She’d applied a light blue shadow, and a touch of violet
to my eyes which was subtle and yet beautiful.
    The women all ignored my continual silence or
lack of opinion and continued prepping me; Meriel smiled and
wrinkled her nose as she glamoured on a light blue top that left my
sides exposed. Darynda glamoured on a skirt that closely matched
the top, but covered me to my ankles, minus the slits down the
side.
    “Jewelry; she’s going to need armbands,” said
the Pixie, who looked like she couldn’t be more than sixteen. I
watched as they all chatted happily and argued like old friends
over which arm pieces would suit me better.
    The necklace that Ryder had my mother put on
me when I was presented to him wasn’t coming off anytime soon, and
I now knew that it bore a medallion that was the same as Ristan’s.
To compliment it, the necklace they chose was simple and slipped
under the other like an extension; the metal of the chain was old
and looked almost vintage, or antique. Diamonds the size of almonds
hung at the tip, which accentuated my breasts.
    Platinum bands were slipped onto my biceps
that held the head of a dragon with rubies for the eye. I watched
as yet another cuff was placed above it, these ones were gold and
the dragon’s eye was a brilliant diamond.
    They stood back when that was finished and I
waited for them to discover I was still missing shoes. Eventually,
Darynda smiled and said it.
    “She needs something on her feet. Something
simple but beautiful,” she mused as she tilted her head and her
lips lifted in the corners. “She also needs to learn how to smile
more.”
    “Darynda,” Zara said as she walked into the
room.
    “Well, she does,” Darynda said, smiling
triumphantly as she fluffed her shoulder length auburn curls.
    “Does she have a name? Maybe you should use
it,” Zara said with an authoritative tone.
    “You can all call me Synthia, and