Irresistible

Chapter 9

Jade awoke to the sound of pounding at her door. She was unsure of how long she had slept, but she could see by the soft glowing light of the sky that it was sometime in the evening. All of a sudden the door burst open and the most beautiful woman Jade had ever seen came gliding into the room with a trail of servants on her heels.

"Sorry to burst in on you like this, but we've been knocking for a while now and when you didn't answer I started to worry.... My name is Raina, I'm Alec's sister." She explained with a kind smile. "He asked me to see to helping you get ready for tonight."

Jade returned the smile. "I'm sorry I must have been in a deep sleep," Jade explained her reason for not answering the door. "It's very nice to meet you." She finished and the woman smiled. Jade was struck once again by her striking beauty. Alec's sister had long platinum blonde hair so pale that it bordered on white, creamy-looking porcelain skin and violet-colored eyes that seemed to sparkle. She looked like a fairy princess, not a vampire, Jade couldn't help but think to herself.

"I get that a lot," Raina said with an amused smile on her face. "Excuse me?" Jade asked confused by her statement. "I've been mistaken for a fairy before," she explained as if the implications of her statement weren't completely outrageous. She can read my thoughts! Jade thought and was completely shocked by the realization.

"Not just your thoughts, I can read everyone's thoughts. It can be quite frustrating at times, I assure you, but it does have its perks. For example, I can tell what kind of person you are Jade and I just know we are going to be the best of friends." She explained.

Jade couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous around Raina knowing she could read her thoughts, but she instantly felt guilty for feeling that way. It wasn't Raina's fault she could hear her thoughts, and her gifts shouldn't be held against her. Alec's sister seemed perfectly lovely and if she had harbored any malicious intentions she would have tried to hide her ability from Jade, not share it with her. Jade's mind now made up, she decided she was going to trust Raina. She was Alec's sister after all and she had already decided to trust him.

"That is why I like you so much, Jade. You are the first person to ever consider my position and decide that my ability isn't a mark against me. Other than my brother. Most people either fear me or want to exploit me." She explained with a serious expression on her face. After a moment she shook her head as if she was clearing her mind of her original train of thought and said, "Enough of that, we must get you ready for tonight. I just know you are going to look absolutely stunning in the sapphire gown I brought you! Hurry up and get in the tub, we don't have much time and we have so much to do!" She exclaimed.

Jade hadn't noticed at first but she could now see that while she and Raina had been talking the servants had carried a wooden tub into the corner of the room behind the privacy screen and filled it with hot, steaming water. She could see the steam rising from the water in the tub and couldn't wait to soak her aching muscles in its depths. The bath was too inviting to refuse.

"Thank you for your help," Jade said to Raina before heading to the bath, stripping out of her clothing and climbing into the tub. Jade soaked in the rose-scented water and washed her hair until she finally felt clean, then she closed her eyes and settled back against the tub. She couldn't help but let out a long sigh of contentment, the water felt absolutely divine.

"Don't get too comfortable, we still have to do your hair!" Raina called out to her from the other side of the screen. Jade knew she was right and that she needed to hurry but wished for nothing more than to be able to marinate in the tub for as long as the water was warm. But she supposed that from now on she wouldn't be getting her way very often, if ever. She had responsibilities and had to face the fact that her life wasn't entirely hers anymore. Jade shook her head and decided that she would simply feel sorry for herself later, she had a Kingdom to take back.