HEIRS OF TIME (CASTE BOOK 2) SAMPLE CHAPTERS

Chapter 3

It was 8 p.m. when I took one last look in the dressing room mirror. I chose a pair of black strappy shoes, which showed off my perfectly pedicured toes. My legs, tapered thanks to my vertiginous heels, went up to the little red strapless dress, chosen by Johnny for the occasion.

“One metre sixty!” he said in a desperate tone. “On this point, it would have been cool if you took after your father! Fortunately, regarding t**s, you have more potential than your mother!”

Exactly marrying the shape of my chest, all the more generous thanks to the bustier, my dress ended in a more airy veil, at mid-thigh. A white gold necklace adorned the birth of my “t**s”, and matching earrings were hidden under my heavy blond hair, loose to the waist, and slightly wavy. The blue in my eyes looked translucent, thanks to the smoky effect of black-tinted eye shadow. A fine line of eyeliner and a stroke of Khol pencil had finished reinforcing this effect, the foundation revealing my few freckles on the cheeks. There, in front of my reflection, I had to admit that I found myself pretty and attractive. I even surprised myself to be all excited by this change of look. Until this day, I had never worn anything other than casual outfits, except for a few evenings during my time at university, where I had made some effort. Johnny had good taste and had been right to “take care of me”, as he had said. This dress was much more beautiful and sexy than the one I had originally chosen. Apart from the shoes, which were too high for my taste, I didn’t feel pressured by this alluring covering, but I was still congratulating myself on having won my case regarding the colour of the lipstick. Its nude colour seemed more natural to me, in contrast to my ostentatious grooming. In Johnny’s eyes, however, it was too banal, but he had resigned himself, remembering that my mother had to be the highlight of the evening and that I shouldn’t overshadow her.

“As if the colour of my lipstick would make a difference!” I said, laughing. He then gave me a slap on the buttock, which was still burning.

A knock at the door brought me out of the contemplation of my outfit, and I went downstairs to open the door to Elias and Wassim Forbe, who I had agreed to go to the ball with.

“Damn it, very impressive!” Wassim exclaimed, slapping his brother on the chest with the back of his hand.

I blushed, which made them roar with laughter, even though Elias was more measured. His more poised demeanour had always stood out from his brother’s.

“Well, well, we can see that you’re comfortable,” he laughed.

The brothers had to pass one after the other to enter, despite the wide space of the entrance. Fascinated by my change of appearance, they began to carry me in their bear arms; I nevertheless pointed out to them that if the slightest crease appeared on my dress, they would have accounts to settle with their uncle Johnny. This remark calmed them, and they immediately put me down. I was still laughing at their crestfallen looks, knowing now how scary Johnny could be when it came to fashion.

“Has your mother arrived?” Wassim asked.

“Not yet,” I replied, my voice betraying a certain impatience, “Johnny told me she would arrive after the start of the festivities. I hope she’s okay.”

“I’m sure Carmichael knew how to find the words,” Elias said in a tone that betrayed his attachment to the owner of the castle.

Carmichael greatly appreciated the twins and was generous to Elvis and his family, since the latter had decided to take over the reins of the Mortain vineyard. But Elvis had never crossed the Atlantic to visit us, even though he kept in close contact with my mother. His fear of flying still seemed unimaginable to me, considering the build of this Titan.

When I met his sons the day after my arrival, they had nearly fallen out of their chairs when I announced to them that I was 27 years old, and Wassim had tried to hide a certain disappointment when he learned of it, finding me now too old for his taste. His brother still didn’t care to see his hopes dashed, while I was relieved to have found two such affable friends.

Elias held out his arm, which I grabbed, and Wassim stood on my right so that I could put a hand on his. And it was in this order that we reached the Pomona room, where the festivities were to take place. No sooner had we crossed the threshold than lively music took hold of our bodies. We immediately went to the centre of the room to wiggle our hips there, even if we had to admit that, again, my movements weren’t coordinated at all with the rhythm.

“Good evening, Isabelle.”

I turned around and faced my uncle Thomas. His translucent eyes were already examining my outfit, and I thought I discerned a hint of annoyance there when he noticed the little fabric covering my legs.

“Good evening Thomas,” I said with a smile. “What a pleasure to see you again, it’s been a while!”

“Since your father’s funeral, if I remember correctly,” he reminded himself as a veil crossed his clear eyes.

Even if he had said that to place our last meeting in time, his remark dug a hole in my heart. I suddenly didn’t feel like dancing anymore and apologized to the twins before grabbing my uncle’s arm and pulling us aside. He took me to his wife, Leticia, who tapped her foot to the rhythm of the music.

“Isabelle!” she exclaimed a little quickly, a glass of champagne in her hand.

“Leticia,” I replied, kissing her.

Although she had never been unpleasant in my company, I knew she was ill-disposed towards my mother. Since she had learned of her adventure with Thomas during her youth, she had decided purely and simply to cut ties. It also has to be admitted that the queen’s formidable power of attraction had the annoying tendency to attract the mistrust of the castes. If we added to that that Thomas was my mother’s first love, we couldn’t blame her. However, it was difficult for me to appreciate her fully knowing that, and I had always felt upset when I saw her. My playful expression didn’t show it.

“I’m surprised to see you both here,” I said to my uncle, while Leticia downed the rest of her glass.

“You couldn’t miss such an event,” Thomas said, smiling.

My uncle was breathtakingly handsome, even though he was well into his sixties. From the same generation as my mother, I dared not imagine how he had been younger, so captivating was his face. White hair, scattered here and there in his dark hair, made him even more attractive, if that was still possible, and confronting myself with his piercing gaze, I couldn’t help but think of my father. He looked a lot like him, and my heart sank again. I decided to take a glass of champagne which I swallowed in one gulp, leaving Thomas and his wife to go dancing among the other guests, and my desire not to touch alcohol was forgotten.

During the next half hour, I passed Alysson the telepath, on the arm of her husband, and her cousin Caleb, who introduced me to his wife. They had both been part of the war against the Six, and they were the ones who had told me about the titanic fight that had ended the tyranny of these false gods. Later, Nicolas Hanlon and his sister Abi came to hand me another glass, while they recalled a vision of me shortly before my mother’s return. They had long thought that this face unknown to them would soon mark the spirits of our community, and I burst out laughing listening to this statement. When they left me to go and greet the multitude of castes who thronged to meet them, I moved aside to observe, alone, the rest of the guests.

The Pomona room had been decorated with white curtains set in gold. Chandeliers with a thousand flickering flames hung from the vertiginous vault. Only a telekinetic had been able to pull off the feat of lighting this cloud of candles because there was no ladder high enough to achieve such a miracle. Tables laid out, garnished with petit fours and fine food, adjoined the walls near the DJ booth, and everyone could help themselves from the plates provided for this purpose. My stomach, too knotted up to feel hunger, hadn’t pushed me to this place yet, but thinking about how many glasses I’d just had, not to mention my heat-rosy cheeks and my cotton legs, I think it was time to force myself to swallow a bite. However, I was pulled out of my thoughts by Johnny, who suddenly popped up beside me.

“So? First caste fiesta, huh?”

I looked at him, incredulous, and understood from his wink that he must be fearing something that must have escaped me.

“Um, yes.”

“They haven’t jumped on you yet, that’s good!”

I raised an eyebrow, which amused him.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, you didn’t notice the atmosphere?”

“It’s pretty quiet compared to what I expected. Ethan told me that caste proms tend to get out of hand, but so far I think it’s pretty nice.”

Johnny chuckled and my brow furrowed, not understanding where he was coming from. My gaze turned to the centre of the room where, indeed, the bodies moved with sensuality, and I captured very clearly the fervour of certain guests. But when I thought back to what my uncle had told me, I had expected worse.

“I’m twenty-seven, Johnny, and I’m not a good sister!”

“Yes, I know that.”

He laughed harder, which annoyed me. He noticed my confusion and laughed even louder, before recovering ever so slightly.

“The first time I attended a caste ball,” he said to me, “I took a long time to recover. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Maybe you’re more prudish than me.”

This time he had lost it. I tapped him on the shoulder, asking him to stop laughing. He pursed his lips, trying miserably to regain his seriousness.

“One thing is certain,” he said after catching his breath, “they are afraid to approach you.”

“Sorry?”

“I asked Alonso to observe you and, apart from the few castes you know, no one came to you.”

“It’s true. And that suits me!”

“Yes, but, you’re the queen’s daughter. They should be lining up to pay their respects!”

“I don’t want them to come and bow to me! I leave that to my mother.”

“Wait until she arrives, and you will understand better what I mean.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Ethan didn’t tell you everything,” Johnny said, swinging an arm over my shoulders and pointing to the entrance with his index finger. When Carmichael and your mother walk through that door, that’s when the serious stuff will begin, dear!”

I turned to face him, crossing my arms under my chest, raising my head defiantly.

“I know they tend to cause outpourings with their magnetic power. I saw it at a pool party when we arrived here! It didn’t last very long because Carmichael and my mother left quickly, but I could see the effect they had, I assure you.”

“Believe me, you haven’t seen anything! When they arrive, arm in arm, you’ll see. And, just as a reminder, they’re your kind too, so don’t think you’re immune!”

Johnny said that last sentence as he left me with another wink. My mouth twitched, and I gave him a look full of doubt that made him scream with laughter again before he went to join Alonso to tell him everything. I decided to observe the guests a little better and noticed that the more the minutes went by, the warmer the atmosphere. However, no one invited me to dance, despite the many looks that I felt weighing on me.

My gaze roamed the room again, hoping to memorize the face of each caste present, despite the many newcomers. I met Elvis’ gaze, who waved at me as he visibly chided his sons for drinking too much. I glanced at my empty cup and tried to estimate the number of those already drunk when a look more piercing than the others caught my attention.

The man in question had just entered, strolling behind the guests without taking his eyes off me. His clearly unsympathetic look confused me, but it was nothing compared to the warmth that invaded my cheeks the instant I noticed him. I gasped, captivated by the face of this stranger. A shiver ran down my spine, my heart beat faster, and the blood in my veins ignited. Fascinated by his appearance, but annoyed by the way he looked at me, I barely realized that my body was shaking.

I didn’t know why I attracted such animosity. I had the impression that he was undressing me with his eyes, while not liking what he saw at all. The urge to cross the room and give him a good slap crossed my mind, but when I took a step forward, I staggered a little. So I decided to stay in my place, cursing my high heels and the effects of alcohol, especially since I knew I was incapable of committing such a childish gesture. My hands met and crushed each other, while I took my eyes off this mysterious young man, an act that seemed so difficult to me that I swallowed my saliva.

My gaze swept the room again, and my cheeks flushed a little more. Damn, what heat! I lifted my blond hair above one shoulder. An irrepressible curiosity pushed me to look in the direction of the stranger. Had he ended his inappropriate inspection? Deep down inside, however, I understood that I didn’t want him to look at another woman in this room. I had a moment of surprise when my eyes met his. His attitude contrasted singularly with all the animated bodies before him; he looked at me without departing from his aggressive stare. I remained speechless and held this visual exchange for more long seconds, when, suddenly, exclamations brought me out of this hypnotic and destabilizing trance.

Carmichael and my mother had just entered.