Free Ghost in Her Heart by Autumn Dawn Page B

Ellyn? What do you think Dagon could possibly
do to you as his consort that would outweigh the power of that
position?”
    “The position isn’t open,” she said through
clenched teeth. “I don’t want it open. I don’t want him! I want to
go home. Why should I get attached to anything or anyone here? I
don’t belong here.” She stood up.
    He rose, towered over her. “You never
belonged anywhere else. This place can be what you shape it to be,
if you’ve the courage not to run away.”
    “If you were me, is that what you’d call it?
Running away?” she demanded.
    “I’ll never be you. I face my battles, and I
know my options. If you had the courage, you’d seize the prize
instead of running down the path of least resistance.”
    “So it’s going to be easy to go home?” she
challenged him, unable to let him just stand there and tell her
what she thought, what she felt.
    He leaned in close, ignoring her question.
“Will you ever forget him if you leave? Do you not think he would
be inside you, a ghost in your heart?”
    Vana couldn’t answer.
    He nodded and walked away, leaving her alone
in the echoing gym.
     
    ***
    Vana took a fast shower under the multiple
showerheads in her private bathroom, then donned the bright yellow
and black patterned square that served as alien nightwear. It had a
fringe and was knotted at the shoulder, leaving one shoulder bare.
The abbreviated sari remained open at one side, revealing flashes
of skin as she moved, yet covering the essentials. Soft and thin
enough to feel weightless under the covers, it did not bunch or
drag at her as she tossed in her bed, and was more secure that
sleeping naked.
    As she stared at the ceiling, willing herself
to sleep, Ser’s words played in her mind. Now that he’d rubbed her
nose in it, she realized that yes, the woman who married Dagon
would become queen. One plus one equals royalty. If anything, it
only made him seem more forbidding in her mind. Who wanted to be a
queen? And in spite of her unique position, she neither wanted the
job nor considered herself in the running for it. If Dagon was
losing sleep over her, it was because of the problems she caused
him. Had she been the type to indulge in wishful thinking, she’d
have hoped that he’d be inspired to send her troublesome self home.
The realist in her knew better. If she got home, it would be
because she was smart enough to get the job done herself.
    It might involve using people. That part she
hated. She would do her best to avoid it, but if it came down to a
choice between staying here and getting home….
    She rolled over and pounded her pillow,
trying not to think about the luxuries of not paying rent or doing
her own laundry. Chores were good. They meant she was making her
own choices, living her own life. Maybe that life had been a bit
empty, but.…
    Groaning in frustration, she buried her head
under the pillow and willed herself to sleep.
    The Beast was big, black and crawling up her
bed. Vana stared in horror as the scene played out in slow motion.
He wanted her. Though he had yet to touch her, he pinned her in
place with the force of his will alone. He was all about claiming.
Possession. Passion. And he terrified her like nothing she’d felt
in her life.
    She woke with a muffled scream, flailing
about in the tangled covers. It took long moments to clear her
head, but when it did….
    Rolling over, she pulled the covers over her
head. She had to get out of there!
     
    ***
    The boys were in the kitchens, doing their
pagely duties. She’d been surprised that morning when she’d learned
that even young princes were expected to work their way up the
ranks like everybody else. When she spotted Devin doing his hour of
vegetable scrubbing, though, she had to wonder at the wisdom of
starting so young. The kid was soaked with water and seemed to be
doing his best to annoy the older lad in charge of watching
him.
    Easily six foot, the white haired boy scowled
at Devin as he