WHAT UP!

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Austin and Ally

Chapter 17

Lunch with the Starr's (Part 1)

After the incident with Austin, Ally didn't get very much sleep. She kept looking over her shoulder to make sure that he was truly sleeping and not faking for his next attack. She jumped every time he even made a noise or a slight jerk, her eyes would immediately snap open and look over her shoulder at him before closing her eyes again. At the most, Ally would say she got about maybe 2 hour intervals of sleep that night.

As the sun streamed through the curtains, Ally reluctantly opened her sleep deprived eyes. She gave a groan as she buried her head into her pillow.

"Stupid sun," She said. "Why does it want to wake me up despite not sleeping at all last night?" She said as she rolled over to look at the blonde haired wizard sleeping soundly beside her. She narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance.

Of course he would be sleeping soundly. She thought as she stared at Austin's serene face. He almost had me last night and I sure as hell can't let it happen again. Although if Ally was being completely honest with herself, she didn't exactly dislike what happened last night.

Even through her early morning haze, Ally could feel her face begin to heat up and turn red. She could remember how nimble Austin's fingers were as they handled her breast, how his lips felt on her neck and how those fingers went and… well, that was what she wanted to forget. She had never been touched like that before and to have it actually happen was beyond strange. Yet, it was strange in a good way, almost pleasurable…

Ally shook her head in an effort to erase the idea of seeing what Austin did as pleasurable. She couldn't allow herself to become attached to him in any way, lest her plans to escape become ruined.

"You know, thinking too much can cause you to develop wrinkles early." Ally thoughts became interrupted by a voice behind her. She completely turned over to look at the man she shared a bed with. He had propped arm up and had rested his head on his opened palm. "It can also grey your hair prematurely and I would rather my wife looking younger than I do."

"First of all, sorry for thinking too much," She said sarcastically as she threw the covers off herself and sat up on the edge of the bed. "And second of all, what makes you think I'm gonna be here long enough to be your wife. Trust me when I say that I'll be gone before that can happen." She got off the bed and walked over to the dresser to pick out fresh underwear for after her bath. She heard rustling come from the bed as she saw Austin stand and stretch his arms.

"You can keep saying that." He said as she walked to his own dresser. "But, it won't change the fact that it will happen. You wear my family's crest around your neck and in this world that means more than a silly engagement ring." He opened a drawer and also pulled out fresh underwear and clothes.

"Well, either way, I'm going to find a way to break this stupid thing and get home." She said with a huff as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Oh, one more thing, Ally." Austin said which caused her to stop as she reached the bathroom door. "We'll be having lunch with the Starr Clan, so make sure to clean up very well. I want you to make a good first impression on them."

"What do you mean by having lunch with them?" She asked, a little scared about what he might say. Why would the people who hated her want to lunch with her?

"It had come to the attention of the counsel that they do not know their future queen as well as they would like." He said as he grabbed more clothes from the opened drawer. "So, they have decided that every day this week, we'll be eating lunch and letting them get to know you. This way there will also be a less likely chance of you being attacked again." Ally guessed that was a good enough excuse, but she was still a little on edge.

She knew how the other clans felt about her, one had even sent their own daughter to try and kill her, and so she didn't expect this to be a friendly lunch. She also knew that this could possibly be their way of finding her weak spots, which she had to admit she had a lot. However, her magic is getting stronger, so she might be able to handle the situation a little better, should the need arise again.

"Well, if it'll lessen the chances of another attack," Ally said with a sigh. "I guess I have no choice but to go." She saw Austin's face break into a smirk as she caught his wandering eyes. The whole time she was thinking and talking, she had forgotten what she was currently wearing.

She still had on the nightie from the night before and Austin was thoroughly enjoying the sight before him. Ally gave another huff as she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Austin smirked again and shook his head at how innocent and stubborn Ally could be. He gathered up the remainder of his clothes and walked down the hall to his study, where there was a spare bathroom for him to shower and change for these lunch meetings.

The morning had gone by with the usual: Ally had gone to her lessons with Avion and Austin had attended his daily meetings and monitoring the trade and commodity of his area. Then when it was time for lunch, Ally was carted away by her maids back to the room and dressed for her lunch date. They had dressed her in a dress that Austin had 'modified', a red form fitted, sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline and an A-line, flowing skirt. Her waist was wrapped in a red sash that had a little bling on it and pair of red heels was put on her feet. Her hair had been lightly curled and laid to rest on her shoulders. She was given a light red lip, slightly rose colored blush, eyeliner and mascara rounded out her entire look. Of course, her outfit wouldn't be complete without the wonderful necklace around her neck.

After that, she was lead to the foyer where Austin was waiting for her by the carriage. His head had looked up when he heard her coming and his gaze had become glued to her body. You could see how proud he was of changing her wardrobe and now, she seemed to be reaching the level of sexy that he wanted. He himself had chosen to wear a tight white long sleeved shirt that had the first few buttons opened, dark trousers and his black leather dress shoes. She had to admit that he cleaned up pretty well.

He helped her in and now they were both seated in a carriage on their way to the Starr household. For the both of them, however the thought of what was to come had them both on edge.

For Austin, it was the fear of what the Starr's could do. They were second in power to his own family and had great influence over many people. Jimmy might also, kind of, have it out for Austin because he had rejected Jimmy's daughter, Kira, after a night together. Now, there was nothing wrong with Kira, personality wise and she was very pretty, but she had the worst breath. Every time she opened her mouth, it felt like his face would burn right off his head. Over time, the bad breath faded and so did any hope for a spark. Luckily, Ally had come into the picture around that time, so with a little explanation of the situation, Austin and Kira had broken it off, mutually. Jimmy was also a big factor in this. He was a very conniving man, who wanted things to go his way, and Ally was not in his equation.

For Ally, well, all she could really hope for is that her food or drink wasn't poisoned. In reality, she didn't really know what to expect, except maybe an afternoon filled with questions about her life or why she was even here. She only hoped that it went by quickly and no fighting broke out.

As if sensing her tension, Austin gave her a reassuring smile. Normally she wouldn't take his smiles to heart, but this one was different. There was no malice, no lust, no anything that might make her feel uneasy. This smile was one of reassurance, something to ease her anxiety and, funnily enough, it worked. Ally finally felt that she could relax a little before she was fed to the lions.

Feeling the carriage give a jerk, Ally looked out her window at the grand mansion before her. It was a two story brick house that vaguely resembled Hardwick Hall in England with its magnificent courtyards and vast amounts of greenery. It was almost like stepping into one of her favorite Edwardian novels.

The door of the carriage opened and Austin was the first to get out. He then turned around to help Ally out and the two were welcomed by the staff of the household. Maids and butlers were dressed in their full attire and were bowing to the couple as they walked to the entrance of the large house. Ally was a little overwhelmed by it all, but she was use to these kinds of things.

Jimmy was waiting at the door for the two with what Ally believed to be his wife and two children. Jimmy and his family bowed before their king as they were welcomed in.

"My king, my lady, welcome to my home." He said as he bowed to Austin and kissed Ally on the hand. "I hope your stay here will live up to your expectations."

"Believe me, Jimmy, I know you shall provide only the finest care for my fiancé and I." Austin said as he wrapped an arm around Ally's shoulder. She jumped a little, not really expecting that, and shifted a little under Jimmy's piercing gaze. Even behind those glasses, he still had the eyes of a menacing shark.

Jimmy looked at Ally with a piercing gaze as if he were scrutinizing her every feature, just looking for some kind of blemish. His face scrunched up a little when he couldn't really find anything to complain about or make a comment about. She was a beautiful creature with her doe like eyes and striking features, if he looked close enough, he could actually see features from the Diae clan. However, that would not deter his plan. Whether she was pretty or not didn't matter when it came to intelligence. He would find some way to break her and see that his family remained in power.

Jimmy led Austin and Ally into a sitting area, where they sat down for a little tea before lunch. Once she was seated, Ally got a good look at Lord Starr's family. His wife was a beautiful woman with dark skin, midnight black hair and she was quite tall when she stood up. She was an elegant woman with high cheekbones and elegant posture and her daughter seemed to take after her.

Jimmy's daughter seemed to take after her mother in her looks and mannerisms. She was giggly, bubbly and seemed to be a very down to earth person, which Ally appreciated greatly. She had this air about her though, as if she had something over Ally, but she didn't let that bother her.

Jimmy's son; however seemed to take after his father. He was only ten years old, so he tended to act a little immature, but he still seemed to watch her like a hawk. In fact, they all seemed to be watching her.

Every little thing she did, one of them would make a little comment towards it.

She would talk about her lessons and Jimmy and his wife would talk about how their daughter had learned that spell or potion before she was two years old. She brought up how she enjoyed practicing her telekinesis, Kira would then make a comment about how much better she was getting at harnessing her element. She had brought up how she enjoyed learning magic then Jimmy would make some kind of insult towards her or how humans were just naturally curious creatures or something along those lines. It just seemed like everything she wanted to say or do had to be topped by this group of people.

It was a very uncomfortable situation to say the least, although not as uncomfortable as what Austin had put her through the night before. She just couldn't understand how these people had said they wanted to meet her and yet, here they are throwing themselves at her instead of the other way around.

Something, or someone, didn't feel right at all and Ally felt it was only about to get worse.

"Lunch is served, my lord." A butler said as he entered the drawing room. Jimmy looked up from his cup as he set it down and stood up. He helped his wife up as everyone did the same.

"So, who's ready to get this started?" Jimmy said, a little too anxiously. "I can't wait to hear more about you, my lady." He said to Ally as he led them outside to the large gazebo, where a lavish lunch was set up.

Let the interrogation begin. Ally thought as she felt Austin once again wrap an arm around her shoulder. He gave it another reassuring squeeze as they followed the Starr family to what Ally could only think would be the one time she wished to skip a meal.

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