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ChapterOne
Julian
Tonight is the night. I've been waiting eighteen long years for her to grow up.
Well, eighteen years is just a drop in the bucket for an immortal like me, but my impatience made it seem like an eternity.
Amelia is a sassy little spitfire. She’s as fiery as her red hair, and I can't lie and say that it hasn't been a torturous joy watching over her all these years. I won't be so noble as to call myself her protector, though I certainly have kept everyone—mortal and immortal—who might interfere with my plans away from her.
She has no idea of the demon who’s been backstage her entire life pulling the strings, but she's fixing to find out because little does Amelia know thatshe'sthe key to getting my kingdom back.
I smirk to myself when I remember what my seer told me she saw in her vision. While I may have initially been irritated at her vision when Amelia was just a young girl, now that she’s all grown up, I’m more than on board with it—probably more so than I should be, but there it is.
I've never been a creature to lie to myself about my true feelings, and I know that my interest in Amelia goes far beyond that of just regaining my kingdom. True, that was my motivation for guarding Amelia all these years, but over the years, something has changed.
I know exactly what it is. I've become completelyobsessedwith my little key.
I initially only wanted her for what she could do for me, but now I want her for more. I want her for justher. I can't say exactly when my interest went beyond that of watching over my investment. However, somewhere along the line, it did, and I began watching her more and more simply because it gave me pleasure to do so. Not only did I watch her during her waking hours, but I slipped into her dreams so that I could know every thought in her subconscious.
And because I know all of her dreams, I understand what she needs. I know everything about her. I know things about her she doesn't even realize about herself.
Excitement tugs at me when I gaze down at her. Those pretty auburn locks have hints of gold shining in them as they splay across her pillow, a few of them falling down to curve gently over her porcelain cheek. Her dark lashes are fanned against her creamy white skin, and I know that once they flutter open, I'll be assaulted with the beautiful colors of her hazel eyes.
I’ve seen her hazel eyes plenty of times, but it's going to be another thing altogether seeing them looking directly at me. She's never seen me before, and I'm anticipating the moment when I can have her eyes locked on mine more than is probably healthy for an immortal in my position.
My eyes flick up to the clock. Almost midnight. Almost time.
My little spitfire turns eighteen at the stroke of midnight. She's been protected from my clutches until then. It's a universal law that we can't pull anyone into our realm until they've reached the age of maturity, and then all bets are off.
Well, my little Amelia is right on the cusp of that point, and once she's officially no longer deemed an innocent, I'll be right here. She'll bemine.
I've amped up my guard on her this last year. I don't know if anybody else knows what I know about her, but I wasn't about to take any chances on someone else trying to steal her out from underneath me. Even though there's a law that innocents cannot be taken until they reach the age of maturity, that doesn't mean that some power-hungry fiends won't put others in their thrall and have them sacrifice themselves to break the law and bring what they want to them. I suppose I could have done that myself, and I won't lie and say the thought didn’t cross my mind.
But if I truly want to regain my kingdom, I'll need my subjects to trust me. And I certainly don't need any rumors of foul play when I reascend to my throne.
So, yes, I've been agonizingly patient—something that's not in my nature.
But now the time has come.
As I watch the second hand of the last minute of the night tick closer to midnight, I feel my blood buzz throughout my veins. I’m pulsing, eagerly awaiting that moment my entire world will change.
The clock chimes, and I pin my eyes on Amelia.
Oh my little rose, now you are mine.
* * *
Amelia
I smilewhen I see the gorgeous man in my dreams. For as long as I can remember, he's been in them. He's insanely tall and buff with muscles that ripple with every movement. He's always bare-chested in my dreams, and his shoulder-length blond hair rivals the brightness of the sun. It's golden and seems to shine with a light all its own.
His eyes are the same golden color. It's a startling shade I've never seen on a mortal. I sometimes wonder if this man is my guardian angel coming to visit me in my dreams. Ever since I was a young girl, I've seen him at night. And I always thought he was beautiful, even before I grew up and started to realize the attraction I have to him.
It’s sad, really. My imagination has conjured up the most amazing man in the world. He’s so perfect that all real men pale in comparison. No one will ever measure up to my dream man, making his visits bittersweet.
I reach out my hand to touch him, but in the back of my mind, I already know he's going to fade away like he always does.
However, something's different tonight. I can feel a pulsing between us, and that's crazy because somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I'm dreaming. Yet, when I stretch out my hand, I watch it getting closer and closer to him. My eyes widen. I’ve never gotten this close to him in my dreams before. I watch in amazement when he doesn't fade away from me this time.
