Acting Out by Paulette Oakes

Author:Paulette Oakes
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2016-05-23T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jessica thought the party would never end. It had taken all of her prodigious acting skills to walk back in there as if nothing had happened and laugh, flirt, and talk with the nobles for several more hours until the party broke up. By the time she made it back to the king’s compound, it was well past midnight and her head was pounding behind her eyes, her stomach was a quivering mess, and she felt waves of dizziness wash over her with each step. She really wanted to head straight to her room, put on fuzzy pajamas, and cuddle in the bed with her bimbop, but she knew she had to see Korian. It would be best for him to hear about the night’s events directly from her first, because she had no faith that Rox’Ana would keep her word.

As she entered the compound and began to walk down the corridor toward Korian’s rooms, Jessica sighed and reached up to undo the clasp in her hair causing her thick, red waves to cascade over her shoulders. She felt some relief from the pressure in her head, but the stress of the past few weeks was beginning to take its toll. She was exhausted, anxious, and her stomach was queasy from the rich, expensive foods at all the parties she had attended. She would kill right now for a mug of hot tea and a few crackers.

When she finally reached Korian’s rooms, she pressed a finger to the sensor and announced, “Jessica MacGregor to see King Korian.”

Moments later, the door panel slid open and she walked slowly inside. She was not looking forward to this meeting at all, and her dragging footsteps gave proof of it. She made her way through the sitting room, past his bedroom, and emerged into the back room that was surrounded by one-way solar panel windows that allowed prodigious light from the moon, stars, and surrounding planets to illuminate the tall, broad warrior that stared silently out at the quiet landscape of his compound. She hovered in the doorway, drinking in the sight of the man that had come to mean so much to her in such a short span of time. How would she be able to leave in two weeks’ time and never see him again?

She stepped further into the room and called softly, “Korian? Do you have a moment to talk? Something happened tonight, and I need to explain-“

“No, you do not need to offer me explanations. I already know what has occurred this night,” he cut her off, his voice cold and dripping with ice. Turning away from the window, his face was in shadows as he added, “You gave me fair warning during our first meeting. It is my fault that I chose to ignore it and believe that you had come to care for me above all others.”

Jessica sucked in a shocked breath and her skin turned clammy with nerves. “You don’t understand, Korian! Please, just give me a chance to explain,” she pleaded with him, her feet reluctantly closing the gap between them.

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