Loving the Necromancer's daughter

Chapter 14

Arora studies Dremon carefully and decides to turn the tables on him.

“I don’t know anything about you, yet I’m expected to marry you. How many girlfriends am I going to have to deal with?”

They stare at each other for a moment before he smiles at her.

“None, I made it clear that I’m off the market.” He sits back in his chair when their food arrives.

“Do you have any boyfriends I need to get rid of?” She almost bursts out laughing.

“You know, my father didn’t allow that. Besides, my studies were more important.”

“What were you planning on doing now that you are done?” He looks interested and she finds it strange.

This entire evening has been strange, and she doesn’t know how to feel about it. He seems really interested, but he could just be faking it all. She doesn’t know him well enough to make a decision.

She takes a moment to think about what she wants to tell him, using the fact that she’s eating as an excuse while she decides.

“I was hoping to get out of here, find a normal job, and live a life without magic.”

“So, you were planning on disappearing, so your father couldn’t find you.” He is too clever for his own good, and she nods.

“He didn’t treat you very well, did he?” She notices the concern in his eyes and then… Could that be anger she’s seeing?

“I wouldn’t say that. I mean, he never abused me no matter what I did to infuriate him, but he still believes in the old ways and would… is now marrying me off to some influential family. Just like they did with my mother.” The thought of her mom makes her feel sad for a moment before she swallows it. She is not ready to speak about it yet.

“My father didn’t mistreat me. He just never let me do anything, so, I went out and did it anyway.”

“Yes, I noticed. That was the thing that caught my attention first. Do you remember the first night you came to the races and won? I was so proud of you, and I got into big trouble for cheering you on, you know?” The smile on his face tells her there is more behind the story.

Are they actually getting to know each other?

“What are you doing to do? I mean, I know your family has money, but you aren’t going to lie around the house all day, are you?”

He lifts his eyebrow and that gorgeous smile of his makes her feel something deep down inside her. Something she promised herself she would never allow feeling for him!

He is not the only one who noticed the other. She remembers her first race and how it felt seeing him cheer her on. Who wouldn’t notice the most popular guy in school cheering for you?

“I will be joining the magical council, but we can discuss that at home.” His face turns serious for a moment before asking her if she wants anything else before they leave.

Why would he want to discuss his future job with her at home? Her father never discussed business with her mother as she can remember, but she was so young then, she wouldn’t have noticed.

They spend some time on small talk, and she asks him about Cherish. The questions she was too shy to ask when they were there. After dinner, they return home, and she is almost sad to think that the night is over.

He probably spent a fortune on her tonight, and now she’s going to go to bed. She will have to wash off the make-up and her hair is definitely going to be a mess when she gets up in the morning.

She looks at the gardens and the house as they drive-in, and it feels strange to think that she now lives here. It’s going to be her first night in her new house. Dremon puts his hand on the small of her back as they walk in and Stalos brings her suitcase inside.

Giles opened the door and informed her that her room is ready and that she should let him know if she needs anything else.

“It’s been a long day, Giles. Thank you. You can take the rest of the night off, and please thank the rest of the staff for me.” She turns around just in time to see the surprise on Dremon’s face.

“Would you like a nightcap?” Dremon asks and she shakes her head.

She’s never had much alcohol, and the idea of having it so much is strange to her.

“Then I guess this is goodnight.” He looks like a little puppy, and she can strangle him for playing that card.

“Yes, as I said. It’s been a long day. Thank you for dinner and the make-over. I appreciate it.” If he is expecting a goodnight kiss, he can guess again!

She turns and takes the stairs, hearing a small laugh.

***

“At least she didn’t tell you to bugger off again, Sir.” Stalos grins at Dremon before walking up the stairs with him.

“She’s a wild thing, all right. I don’t want to change her, Stalos, but with this new job both of us will have to accept certain responsibilities. My mother made sure that I have to behave.”

He walks into his room and Stalos follows him.

“You know she’s only doing what she thinks is best for you.”

They have been friends since Dremon was a young boy. Stalos is a couple of years older than him, but he worked as a junior guard for Dremon’s parents and when Dremon decided to agree to the arranged marriage, his mother suggested that Stalos be Arora’s guard.

It’s the only person he feels safe leaving her with. He knows that no matter what, Stalos will take care of Arora. Dremon pours each of them a drink and hands Stalos one.

“She is not going to make things easy, and I get this feeling she is still planning on running.”

“Oh, she’s planning on running all right.” Stalos laughs.

“Just keep on doing what you did tonight, my friend, and I will keep bringing her back home. She will eventually see that you care for her, and who knows in time you two might find love.”

“That’s the problem. I think I might already be in love with her. That’s why I can’t stand the thought of her running.”

***

Arora walks into her bedroom, and it looks exactly like she imagined it would. Wow, she actually chose all of this. It’s not something her father selected and then told her she just had to deal with.

She walks into the walk-in closet and her clothes have already been packed away neatly. Throwing the dress in the basket, she opens the tap to the huge bath. Her cosmetics have already been packed where they belong, and she pours a little bubble bath into her bath, breathing in the scent of sandalwood.

She may just as well enjoy this life while she’s here. Dremon is probably expecting her to make a run for it right away, so she will not. She will wait a while and do it when he least expects it.

If she can make him believe that she’s accepted this new life, it might just make things easier to escape.

Their dinner conversation comes to mind while she soaks in the warm water. It felt slightly uncomfortable being just the two of them, but it was better than having all their parents with them. Dremon’s mother makes her feel really out of place! She’s high in society and the complete opposite of what Arora wants for her own life.

She has to admit though that it was fun deciding on the furniture for the house and even more fun meeting Cherish and her team. She might even take a chance to find out if she could get a job working for Cherish, but that would mean that Dremon would be able to find her, and she can’t take that chance.

She would have to find a way to get a job and save up some money without him finding out.

Sliding her legs underneath the covers, she pulls the new pillow underneath her head, and it feels as if she’s falling asleep on a cloud.

***

Dremon says the spell and within seconds he is in her room in spirit. He waited until he was certain she would be asleep and stood in a dark corner watching her chest lift and fall as she breathes.

Her lips are naturally pink and full. Her curves can’t be missed, even under the bedding. She has intrigued him for a couple of years. This girl who everyone spoke about behind her back, but in front of her, they were friendly as can be. Wondered if she knows what people were saying behind her back.

That people were still talking about what happened that fateful night when she resurrected her mother. Nobody except for her father really knows what happened, but it caused a ripple effect through the necromancer world.

Scared that he might wake her, he returns to his body. She is here and that’s a start. His phone rings and he looks at the screen with his dad’s name on it. He is in such a good mood that he doesn’t feel like dealing with him right now, but he has no choice.

Answering, he knows that his father will first want to know how things are going with Arora. He has never been concerned about Dremon’s welfare. He has always only been concerned about their status in the community, and tonight is no different. Dremon tells him about dinner and how well things went, and he can hear the satisfaction in his father’s voice.

“You need to make sure she goes through with this wedding! I will not give you any more chances.” His father reminds him, and Dremon sighs.

“Yes, father. You don’t need to remind me.”

He hears his mother asking for the phone in the background and rolls his eyes.

“Please tell mother to have a good night. I still have some forms to complete before I can send everything in tomorrow. I will speak to you in the morning.” Dremon hangs up the call before his mother can talk to him, knowing that she will probably be calling back.

But he puts the phone on his new dressing table and makes his way to the bathroom. Arora has amazing taste, and he is happy with what she chose for the house. He smiles when the telephone conversation with Medira comes to mind. She was furious and screaming down the line when he finally decided to answer her call.

She’s not used to being spoken to like that, and Dremon felt proud of Arora taking a stand like that. He has made it clear to Medira that they are over, but the woman just won’t seem to get the message.

He reminded her again that theirs was a business arrangement before she slammed the phone down in his ear. Laughing out loud, he realizes that he’s never seen or heard her this angry.

Arora is going to ruffle some feathers in his life and if he has to be honest with himself, he is looking forward to it. The first was Medira, next will probably his mother!

Then the memory of how beautiful Arora looked comes to mind, and he feels his body react. Since the moment he decided to accept the arranged marriage, the only woman who has this effect on him is Arora. He tried thinking about others, but none of them make him react this way.

The physical attraction is there, and he knows that she feels it too. She has to.

He climbs into the shower after hanging his suit up to be sent to the dry cleaners. When he climbs out, he is surprised to find that his old towel has been swapped out with a new one. His initials are embroidered on the front of the towel in silver.

When did she have time to arrange this, and how did she get it done so quickly?

Smiling as he wraps the soft towel around his waist.

“Interesting. This is going to be very interesting.” He grins walking to his closet.