One Black Rose Read online

PARTY? Awesome! That's the best thing ever. I'm so excited." She clapped her hands together. Susan might have been the most enthusiastic person I'd ever met.

  I smiled back at her, pleased at her reaction. At least there were some people who wanted me to go.

  "Is it fabulous? I bet it is. If there's anything you want to change on it just let me know and I'll come over and help. I'm really good at that sort of thing," she said, still beaming as she clasped her hands together. "This is the best news ever. I'm so happy you're going!"

  "Me too," I said. "I'm really glad I found something."

  "I didn't want to go swimming so that I could listen to girls talk about dresses," Logan complained.

  She gave him a playful shove. "Be quiet, you." Logan rolled his eyes.

  Once Susan had turned back around Holt said warmly, "I'm really glad you found a dress." Gently, as if he was afraid I would suddenly disappear, he slid his hand into mine.

  That now-familiar sensation of rushing coursed through me, going up my arm and traveling down my shoulder to the rest of me. I felt like my hand and his hand fit perfectly together. We walked the rest of the way like that, and if Susan or Logan noticed, neither said anything.

  Once we got to the water, I went and changed behind a tree while Logan and Susan stripped down to their suits. The suit Susan had brought me was white and fit perfectly. I wondered whose it was but didn't want to ask. I kept my towel wrapped around my mid-section until I got to the water's edge.

  Holt had already been wearing his trunks, so all he had to do was take his shirt off. His upper body was full of lean muscles. I tried not to stare.

  Logan was the first to fling himself in, followed closely by the rest of us. At first the water felt chilly, but my body quickly adjusted to the temperature and I swam around happily. Since we were on a private beach, no one else was around. No one else was even in sight. Logan suggested we play games of chicken - where the girls sit on the guys' shoulders and try to knock each other off - but Susan refused. Instead, Holt called us all together and said, "Let's show Autumn something."

  "Yes, she'll love it. Plus, she should get a preview of what the Solstice Party will look like," said Susan excitedly when she realized what Holt wanted to do. Since he whispered it in her ear I didn't know what they were planning.

  Logan, who wasn't part of the demonstration, stood next to me in the shoulder-deep water while Holt and Susan swam to the shore. I watched with fascination, waiting to see what they would do.

  All along the water's edge nothing grew but weeds and grass, but a little further up the slope there was a field of flowers. When Holt reached the edge of the water he stuck his hand out, and Susan did the same. They'd been heading for the foliage on the water's edge.

  In the glow of the moonlight the whole field beyond the lake came alight with flowers, as if each one had electricity that had been turned on. I gasped. Even through the trees, snaking lights of green and brown glowed brightly. All the colors were reflected in the water, creating a wonderful pool of color. I looked around in awe. It was like I was in a different world. A different magical world, bright with life. This was the good side of magic, I realized.

  "Wow," I breathed. Logan had apparently seen all this before, because instead of watching he dunked his head under the water and swam around. I knew there was a huge smile across my face. How could anyone find this spectacle boring?

  I realized I was trembling, but it wasn't from cold. It was from suddenly being transported into a new and beautiful world. I wrapped my arms around myself and continued to watch. Eventually, first Holt and then Susan released the bank. I'd been so caught up in the flowers and lights that I hadn't even looked at Susan or Holt while they were doing it.

  Holt came back over to me, grinning from ear to ear. "What did you think?" he asked when he reached me.

  All I could do was smile. "It was incredible. Just amazing."

  Susan said, "Just wait until the party. You should see what Mrs. Roth can do."

  After that we spent more time playing in the water. Once it got late and everyone was getting cold, we decided we had had enough for one night. Since it was past one in the morning and I knew Carley would be expecting me home, I said I'd just head home from there instead of going back to Holt's.

  But I was relieved and pleased when Holt offered to walk me, because I wasn't ready to say goodnight to him. After I said my goodbyes to Susan and Logan, we headed toward Carley's house.

  "That was really beautiful," I said, wanting him to know how much I appreciated what he had shown me.

  "Thank you. It's a trick my mother teaches all of us when we're young," he said. "But it takes awhile to get it right."

  I nodded, feeling my damp hair plastered against my neck.

  "About what almost happened earlier," said Holt. He didn't have to say that he meant the kiss. I knew he did, and I was relieved that it was too dark for him to see me blush.

  "Why can't we?" I asked. I was trying not to whine or be demanding, but it was hard.

  "Because of the Winter Court," he said. "The Winter Queen, Mrs. Cheshire, is not to be trifled with."

  "But I don't want to be with Samuel," I said, "Not like that."

  "I know," he said, "but it's not that simple. You're supposed to be with him. Destiny says so. Whatever is going on with you and me . . . it hasn't happened before."

  "I'd like to have a word with this 'Destiny,'" I muttered.

  Holt laughed.

  But that wasn't my only problem. A lack of information was another. "What is going on, then? Who would know?" I asked angrily. I didn't want to be told what to do, not by my mom and not by fate.

  "My mom thinks that Mrs. Cheshire might be able to help, but it's unlikely she will. The woman holds grudges like it's no one's business, and she has one against my family," said Holt, running a hand through his wet hair.

  I wanted him to say more. I wanted him to explain what some of the grudges were, but I knew he wouldn't. Fairies were not an information-sharing type of folk, it seemed. Plus, Mrs. Cheshire had made it pretty clear what she thought of me, and it wasn't anything good.

  We'd reached the start of Carley's driveway anyway, so I turned around to say goodnight.

  When my eyes locked with Holt's, my breath caught. The heat in his eyes and the strength of his gaze surprised me. Slowly, carefully, he put his hands on my shoulders and drew near to me. With utter gentleness his lips came down and touched my forehead. I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him there, feeling his wonderful strength.

  I could have stood like that all night, comfortable in the circle of his arms, but eventually he pulled away. I could see that he was breathing hard and I knew that I was as well.

  "That, I mean, I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened. I just wanted to . . ." He was still taking in great gulps of air. "Goodnight."

  He turned on his heel and walked away while I stood there, staring after him. I reached my hand up to the place where his lips had touched my skin and closed my eyes.

  Of course, when I opened my eyes again my forehead had gone cold and I probably looked like a crazy person standing outside with my hand on my head. I sighed and headed up the driveway. I couldn't see any lights on in the house, but Nick's car was parked out front. I wondered if they were watching a movie or had gone for a late night walk.

  As I got closer to the house I was startled clear out of my reverie about Holt by the sight of a figure sitting on the porch. At first I thought it was Nick, but when the figure stood up it was clearly too tall to be Nick. After the scares with the Cheshire girls I felt apprehension grab me, but I kept going forward. Before I could tell who it was a familiar voice said, "Late night stroll?" I felt like a spear of ice had been thrown through my heart. It was Samuel.

  "Something like that," I said, still in my wet clothes and still clutching a wet towel. "Where are Nick and Carley?"

  "I think they're inside sleeping. I didn't knock because I knew you weren't ho
me," he said, coming down a couple of the porch steps.

  "You were waiting for me?" I asked. I felt terrible. "Why didn't you text me?"

  "I was fine waiting. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay. And, well . . ." he trailed off.

  Now that Holt's kiss had worn off and I could see Samuel clearly, I felt that familiar tug I always felt when I saw him, even though his icy attitude always threw me off.

  "What? Is something wrong?" I asked. Samuel had been sitting out part of the night waiting for me while I was with Holt. Something had to be wrong.

  "No, not yet," he said. That sounded ominous, and with the night shadows playing over his features he looked more dark and formidable than I'd ever seen him before.

  We were now facing each other at the bottom of the porch steps. As usual his hands rested in his pockets. It was with a shock that I realized that except for that night by the cliff, which didn't seem to belong to the daytime world, the only time Samuel had ever touched me was when we'd been introduced. Now I wondered if his reasons were the same as Holt's: he didn't want to react and he didn't want to create more of a problem.

  I sighed. I was tired and I didn't want to think about complicated Fairy stuff any more tonight.

  "I just wanted to make sure you got home alright," said Samuel. "And I wanted to say that despite what my family may do in the coming days, it's not what I want. I tried to keep you out of this."

  Even though I was tired, somewhere in my brain I realized that what he was saying sounded very much like a threat. But to whom? And what, exactly?

  "What would your family do?" I asked carefully. "And why?"

  "They aren't happy that you and Holt are seeing each other. The Summer and Winter Courts are not exactly on good terms, and you are supposed to accept my Rose, not his."

  "But I haven't accepted anyone's," I said. This seriously had to be worse than having an arranged marriage, and that be been pretty bad.

  "I know," he said, nodding as if that was the only possible choice in the world I could have made.

  "I'll see you soon," he said quietly, and without another glance he walked off down the driveway.

  "Wait, what is your family going to do?" I called after him. If he was there to give me a warning he was doing a terrible job at it.

  At first he didn't answer me. Then, when he reached the end of the driveway, he said, "What they think they have to."

  He didn't even turn around.