X

"Anything," he answered. And he meant it. She could tell him anything. It had only been a day since they met, but that hardly seemed to matter in his mind. He felt as though he knew her. He felt as though he still had so much to know and wanted to know everything about her, as much as she would tell him.

She felt her heart thunder in her chest and her stomach tie in knots. She had never admitted this to anyone before. She had always allowed others to make assumptions and if they were incorrect in any way that bothered her, she could cause them to think differently. But she didn't want to do that with Jonathan. That was the whole problem, actually.

"Darling, what is it?" Jonathan asked with concern.

Her expression lightened at his use of the same endearment she'd called him just a few moments before. "You're different, you see," she began.

"How so?" he pressed.

"I made all of this happen," she confessed. "None of it was accidental. The first night you saw me, I knew what I wanted. I wanted you. And now you're here."

He hummed in acknowledgment. "I don't imagine that's entirely unusual for you. Given your…talents."

"But that's just it. I didn't use my magic on you. I certainly could have. Well, actually, I'm not exactly sure about that," she said, interrupting herself.

Jonathan furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I read you in our first moments together, the way the King wanted me to, but I haven't tried to use any real magic on you. Sometimes I can't on people. My father I could read but I couldn't cast spells on him. The King is a bit harder for me to control on the few occasions I've tried. I had a maid once who I couldn't even read. It doesn't work on everyone. I just haven't tried on you," she explained, babbling slightly in her anxiety.

"Why didn't you try on me?"

"Because I didn't want to. I wanted to lay the groundwork for everything between us, plan it all out by my own design, but I wanted…"

"You wanted…?" he repeated in question.

She bit her lip, trying to find the words to express what she really meant. "I wanted you to want me. Not because my magic made you want me but because I made you want me just as I am."

The confirmation that she hadn't used her magic on him was a surprise. He had assumed she did, and the fact of it didn't really bother him because it had gotten him close to her in the way that he had wanted. But she hadn't cast a spell on him at all. Which was quite intriguing. "Why?" he asked.

His face was unreadable to her, but she didn't dare try to use her magic now on him. But his single question, almost an accusation, caught her off guard. "All women do this in one way or another. Women are the pawns in the game of love, so we all have to scheme in one way or another to make anything happen for ourselves. And for me…well, I spent so much of my time alone as a child. I didn't have anyone my age to be with. My mother died and my father sold me off and I…I wouldn't have anything if I didn't plot and plan the way I do."

Her honesty was surprising and sadder than she probably intended. He didn't like hearing her say such things, didn't like the image of her as a young girl all by herself learning to manipulate others for her own gain for the simple purpose of having anyone pay attention to her.

But that wasn't actually the question he was asking, despite his interest in the answer she provided.

"No, I mean why are you telling me this? If you've been manipulating me, magic or not, what good is it to tell me what you've done?"

She faltered. But as she tried to find an explanation that might suffice, she noticed his expression change.

A wide smirk appeared. His eyes lit up and that smile could only mean one thing.

"You knew!" she exclaimed.

"Well, part of it. I knew you'd put all of this into motion. I actually assumed you had used your magic on me. But yes, I knew you were the reason for all of this," he told her.

"And you went along with it all anyway." Such a thing didn't seem possible to her. She had thought that her revelation would bother him and it would take time to win him back to her. After all, no man likes to be used. Or so she thought.

Jonathan took the opportunity to pull her into his arms and roll onto his back so she was sprawled on top of him. He tilted his head up to kiss her. "I wanted you, too," he whispered.

So perhaps she had planned it all. Perhaps her designs had all worked out perfectly in getting this perfect, gorgeous man to end up in her bed. After all, she was a mastermind and a sorceress.

But even she could not have anticipated what he would do next. She hadn't expected him to profess his love and ask for her hand in marriage. And she could have never dreamed that he would demand the King release her so she could have her freedom to marry him. Though when the King refused, she had caused a small collapse in the south wall of the castle and escaped with Jonathan in the chaos. The King had no power over her. He never did. Not really, at least.

The planets and fates aligned for her to meet Jonathan Hart that night in court. That was certain. But those forces outside her control had caused her to fall so deeply in love with him. And they were the reason she could now be here with him, lying in the bed they shared as husband and wife with Max down the hall in their home.

All her life, she had prided herself on being the mastermind. Some things even she couldn't have predicted. The best things.

THE END