Chapter 22: Hydrangea Blossoms

A/N:   Okay, so it seems like a TOTALLY random chapter title.  I swear, it isn't.  And the Hydrangea part of it is for Beks, who is the bestest friend a girl could have.  Here's some Kendi, Amery, and Yvete for you.  Some discovery, and some fluff... woot…

Lisa: I miss you, darlin'.  Sucks about Colin and Armando, doesn't it? I couldn't BELIEVE it!

Kendi tried to shake off the feeling of disorientation as she padded down the hallway towards her sister's new chambers.  She had been there before, many times, but that was all before her life started to change.  She no longer drank unicorn blood, and she barely ever heard the voices anymore.  Everything looked brighter, newer.  It was almost like looking through a piece of bent glass, and it made her slightly nauseous sometimes.  Still, she was getting used to it. 

          Tia had moved into new chambers with Biltor a few weeks before.  She was just starting to show, and her wedding was to be small, and was scheduled to be in two weeks.  Kendi had begun work on her assignment from Alanna a week before.  First, she'd studied Nera, and had learned that things in her oldest sister's life were not quite the way the gossips thought they were.  Then she'd followed her parents around for a while, but there hadn't been much very interesting in their lives. 

          Finally, Kendi reached the door she was looking for.  She pressed her ear to the wooden door, and let a little of her Gift flow through the lock so she could hear her sister and Biltor.

          "She still doesn't know?"

          "I know, it's ridiculous! Mum and Da won't tell her, and Jasson certainly isn't spilling any secrets."

          "When are they going to tell Kendi?" Kendi's eyebrows rose at hearing her name.

          "Maybe never. Can you imagine her reaction if they just suddenly told her that the only reason why she survived is because Jasson is her true love, and his Gift started healing her without his knowledge.  How would she handle that? You know as well as I that they've never been that close." Kendi stood, openmouthed, then blushed, realizing that her sister's statement was untrue, before padding off to find Jasson.

*        *        *

          Amery entered the Blue Moon, glancing around him furtively before removing his cloak.  He slipped his payment to the Mistress, and walked confidently up the stairs to Yvete's room, as he did every time he visited the establishment.  He found the familiar door. Two short taps, and the door opened to her familiar, beautiful face.

          "Ames!" She latched onto him and hugged him warmly, and he could almost believe that it wasn't because she was paid to.

          "Evie.  Shall I come in?"

          He made love to her slow and sweet, letting the darkness settle around them comfortably.  And when they were done, he realized that it really was just that. I love her, he realized, as a firefly alighted on her hair briefly before buzzing off. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and pulled her tighter, an energizing warmth suffusing him and tingling through his limbs.  I love her.

*        *        *

          Yvete awoke to feel a warm, strong arm around her hips.  A month ago, she would have jumped out of the bed in surprise, but instead, she only cuddled back into the warmth behind her.  Amery was different from any man she had ever met.  He didn't just want to have his needs fulfilled before dropping her and forgetting her.  Ames returned every few nights, and always cared for her, talked to her, treated her well.  He asked for her advice and bought her little thoughtful gifts.  And although she wasn't supposed to, although she fought it, she was falling for him.  She tried to tell herself that she just like him because he was rich and good in bed, but she knew it wasn't that.  She knew, somewhere deep in her heart, that she felt much more for him than that.  And she knew, without doubt, that the only way she could have him would be to dig into a past she'd much rather forget.

*        *        *

          Kendi ran blindly through the halls of the palace, looking for Jasson.  Eventually, she found him in his chambers, sleeping.  He looked so peaceful, so beautiful when he was sleeping.  Some men she had seen looked like pigs when they slept, with tongues hanging out and drool all over their faces.  Not Jasson.  He was as perfect as a painting or a statue of a young, innocent youth.  His pink lips begged for her corruption, and the black curls called for her fingers to tousle them.  Slowly, forgetting her real reason to be there, she approached the bed, and lay beside him. Carefully, she shifted closer, and allowed her lips to touch his.  His eyes opened quickly, and she could see the surprise in them before she closed her eyes and his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.  She didn't even have to think about it, she didn't have to wonder if it was right.  She just knew.  This was the way things should be, this was the man for her, and this was were she should be – next to him, in his bed, with her fingers in his hair and her lips on his.  She felt her body meld into his, and felt him shift until he was above her, and she was overwhelmed by the rightness.  And she didn't care about anything.  She didn't care about what her family said, what the court said, about the demons that still haunted the fringes of her dreams.  None of it mattered when she was here, with him.  And then, their tunics and then shirts were gone, and the heat engulfed her fully.

*        *        *

A/N: Sweet, I think… Probably too goopy and cliché, but I really like it ;) And yes, I know it was short… I was trying to get SOMETHING up.

Next Up: Haven't written it yet, but probably Some Lily, Haalen, Lythi, maybe Nera and Lewen, maybe Tia's wedding, or maybe we'll save that for Ch 24…