Page 1 of Firebird

Prologue - Heat

Luella

I gasped at the pile of ashes on my feet. They were still hot from the fire that came from my palms. From the rest of my body. Anyone who touched it would still be burned, I was pretty sure. I could not even scream as the fires started spreading, licking at the walls of the barn. Soon, they would all notice what was going on and see me for what I was—a monster.

It was all my fault. I tempted Thomas to run after me to the barn. It was night, and I should not have been outside. I should have been in bed, like my younger sister Carolina was. At seventeen, I had never been kissed. As a princess, my virtue was heavily guarded. It turned out that I was the best answer to that, not the knights, guards, or even my mother. They did not have to worry about me losing my virtue. My body had a way of protecting itself.

The first kisses were heavenly, not that I knew what a good kiss was or not. I was simply thrilled that someone had been brave enough to meet me for a tryst. Thomas was a squire. He told me that he would be worthy of me one day – once he became a knight. It sounded so lovely and romantic, but all I wanted was his kiss.

Did I love Thomas?

Surely, not. I did not know him well. All I knew was that he was tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome for a young man of nineteen. He had brown hair that fell over his eyes and dimples when he smiled. All I knew was that it was an adventure, something that they would not expect of me, Princess Luella of Queenspell.

On the outside, I was this ice maiden. I had to be. It was either that or that they would know how rejected I felt every time a prince passed me over to propose to some other young noble woman. Kings and princes were more eager to choose others over me, the older daughter of the highest monarchs of Mogochislenia. They knew I was a witch like my mother. Rumors of my curse had spread through the land, and nobody wanted someone who could kill them in an instant. Men wanted power over their women. They knew that I was not the kind of woman they would be able to practice that on. Ha! But the joke was on me.

So, when Thomas took the bait, I let him in. He pressed me close to him, enough for me to feel that he was hard. It did not even take long, but I was already feeling hot. I thought it was just like that, making love. He nibbled on my lower lip as his hands skimmed my body.

I was not that innocent when it came to these matters. I had heard my brother and his friends talk about conquests. Samuel usually threw pebbles at me whenever he saw me eavesdropping.

“Go away, Louie! This is not for young maidens!” he would cry out.

Then, I would run, red-faced, until my sister discovered me. I did not dare corrupt her mind, so I grinned at her whenever she asked.

Thomas seemed to know what to do. I loved how his hands molded my breasts. It made me think that I was normal after all. However, the temperature changed when his hand reached under my dress.

I found myself in a panic like something or someone was choking me. When his hand reached my thigh, I started burning. Literally. I was thrilled and scared at the same time. He saw the flames coming from my body, but it was too late.

He burned. Right in front of my eyes. My mouth was hanging open. If not for someone grabbing me and throwing me outside, I would have stayed there. I would have burned with Thomas in the barn.

Yes, I was thrown outside by my own brother.

“What have you done, Luella Beckett?”

Whenever he called me by my full name, it meant he was fuming mad.

“I – I was just -,” I fumbled for what to say. I had to tell Samuel. They would be looking for Thomas the next day. His knight would need his squire, his valet.

“You were flirting with that squire. I saw you. Then, you or he… Whose idea was it, Luella?”

“It was mine,” I answered honestly, still on the grass where my brother threw me. I could stay there, kneeling for my atonement. They would probably send me to a convent, anyway.

“What were you thinking? What would we tell Mother and Father? The barn is burning. Wait here; I will call some of the guards.”

I sat there, sobbing hysterically. Because of my desire to experience a little love – or lust – I ended up murdering someone.

The guards came with pails of water. It took them hours to put out the fire. My father and mother had been alerted, seeing me on the grass. They looked bewildered. They probably realized what I was. I was a monster.

“Luella,” my mother gently said, hugging me tightly. “Come inside.”

I was expecting screams and shouts, blaming me for what was obviously my fault. They did not come, and it made my guilt grow stronger.

“I killed him, Mother,” I whimpered in her arms.

“You should not have been out, Luella. You know that.” My mother’s voice regained the edge I was more familiar with. I knew how she grew up quickly from a spoiled princess to a powerful monarch. She was also seventeen when her journey began when she had to avenge her family’s deaths.

Compared to her, I knew nothing. I was enclosed in a gilded case for good reason.

“I know, mother. I will never get to marry, will I?” I asked, hoping for a different answer from the one in my head.

My mother was quiet. She took a deep breath and looked ahead. She was shorter than I was, but she would always be my protector, and at that moment, she could not protect me from the truth. I was going to be a spinster, a nun, or one of those old, crotchety aunts who threw things at their nieces and nephews.

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