The Garden Read online

  “And why is that?” I lift my chin.

  Jade reaches down to ring the bell again, but this time, only one man enters the room from its end with a small and familiar figure shivering beneath his shadow. I don’t waste one second. I sprint for the little girl and don’t stop until I’ve gathered her up in my arms.

  “Fawn…” I breathe her name, drunk on the jasmine and sandalwood scent of her hair, sucking in the sight of her eyes and touching her soft arms as she winds them around my neck. No, I can’t blame Luc for anything.

  “By happenstance, Luc caught a glimpse of the child upon his arrival. After his reaction, I had my suspicions you would feel the same,” Jade remarks, swiping one manicured fingernail across Luc’s cheek.

  Then, she addresses Fawn. “You will make a lovely addition to my collection, little Snowdrop.”

  I unchain the girl’s arms from my neck so I can leap for Jade’s throat, but I don’t last two seconds. One of Jade’s men pins me to the ground in less than that.

  Jade doesn’t lower herself when she addresses me in a lilting soprano. “There is no need for that. Snowdrop may become part of my Garden, but she will have no clients as stipulated in the agreement Luc and I made. Considering the circumstances, he anticipated you would be open to it. Let her up,” Jade orders the piece of meat with his powerful hand against my neck.

  “Now, Snowdrop, Magnolia will take you back to your room so the three of us may talk, and I’d advise you to listen,” she warns as I rise to my knees.

  Jade leans against the end of the table to enlighten me. “I assure you resistance is rather pointless. My guards here are more than my security. They are my Seedkeepers. When on duty, their sex drives are inhibited, which prevents them from fraternizing with my Flowers. I select each Seedkeeper with the upmost care. And I train them to respond to my voice and my voice only. After all, men have their uses every now and then.”

  I turn my head to the side just a little to eye one of the Seedkeepers. Stoic and emotionless, but alert and waiting for Jade’s command. Each one of her words seem like a tiny electric shock pricking his skin.

  “That is one reason my Garden is so successful. Do you want to know the other?”

  When I scowl instead of replying, Jade continues, unhindered, tapping her fingers against the table, “Because I don’t trust men. You see, I personally escort each one of my clients inside my Garden. Once they arrive on my property, they are injected with a sensor that records their visitation. It’s quite simple to monitor if any of them act…out of sorts. Unless, of course, they’ve paid for a certain encounter that only a select few of my Flowers are trained to perform.

  “Any interference with the sensor will immediately result in a stun that will render them unconscious,” she explains. “Similar to the frequency wave that borders my main Garden’s property. It emits a certain pitch that only targets male clientele. After all, we do get the occasional Peeping Tom who tries to sneak in. I have to take additional precautions with Luc due to his, shall we say, complicated past?”

  Understanding slithers itself into me like a feathered serpent, unleashing its fangs into my body, venom spreading, incapacitating all the butterflies in my stomach. No wonder Luc looks like he’s swallowed a gallon of vinegar. If Jade knows about his past as a contract killer, I can’t imagine what she’s done to him. Whatever it is, it must prevent him from using his skill. But how?

  The madam edges away from the table and begins to circle me, and I meet her gaze the whole time, studying her gray eyes. They are nothing like my mother’s shipwreck ones full of depth and secrets. No, Jade’s are shadow and smoke that no one can conquer.

  “I’ve injected a device within Luc that inhibits and monitors his adrenaline. If, for any reason, that adrenaline reaches a certain level, it will trigger a device that will shut down his heart. And that would be a true shame.”

  She clicks her nails on the table beside me before using one to stab the back of Luc’s palm. When he grunts from the end of the table, Jade arches her neck, her laughter speckled with lunacy. “Don’t fret, dear Luc. At least I’m raising your adrenaline levels enough so you may witness her exhibit.”

  I get to my feet, keeping my fists braced at my sides to ask, “What exhibit? What are you turning me into?”

  Jade angles her head to me, tapping a finger to her beet-red lips. “Ahh now, you are asking the right questions, my love. But I am afraid that is a discussion for another time—one away from Luc. I wish both of you accustomed to the way of things here first. Now, Magnolia will offer you both a private tour. After, you will meet me in my office. I look forward to naming you.”

  Jade opens one of the doors, then vanishes around the corner with a Seedkeeper trailing her footsteps like a lapdog. From what I can tell, they follow her in the same manner. Like they are bits and pieces of a mechanism she controls. Not motivated by money, shelter, a warm bed, or even the benefit of other Flowers. No, they think only of Jade. They worship her very flesh.

  There is no telling when Magnolia will arrive, so I take advantage of the time we have alone and lower into the chair next to Luc.

  “Luc?”

  He still says nothing, but his nostrils flare. I can tell he’s trying to control himself. Traces of sweat line his forehead.

  “Luc…” I call again, touching his arm this time. “You don’t get to shut down.”

  Through gritted teeth, Luc argues, “I have no choice. You don’t know this woman like I do, but you will. She’s a force to be reckoned with. By the time I woke up, she’d already implanted me with the device. No possibility of cutting it out without setting it off.”

  “What about Sky?” It’s the first moment I’ve considered him since we were captured.

  “His Sanctuary connections won’t help. Not with Jade’s security. You have a greater chance of escape than I do. And I don’t care what happens to me. If you find that opportunity to leave, you don’t waste it.” He wrenches his brows down until there are more shadows than irises.

  “I won’t leave Fawn. You know I won’t. Jade won’t send her to clients if I cooperate.”

  “And what about you?” It’s the first time he moves, his head pivoting just once. “Will you surrender for her? Let your body be razed for Fawn?”

  I don’t want to consider the answer. I just hope Jade will bide her time like Luc did, and maybe Sky can find another way. There is always another way. I hope.

  7

  T h E G a r D e n

  “This is the first room of the spring wing. It’s somewhat larger than others because of how many flowers bloom in the spring,” Magnolia announces as we enter the wing at the beginning of the tour.

  Luc remains close to my side, but he says nothing as Magnolia walks us through the displays.

  “The Garden hasn’t opened yet, but you’ll see some of the girls preparing themselves for the day shift, which will open soon. Others will come later to take the night shift, and you’ll meet them soon.”

  No caretakers, no artisans, and no chaperones of any kind. Just Seedkeepers. The girl in the display before us is using a mirror for her finishing touches. Her skin looks like she dipped it in a vat of plum juice apart from the black paint flowering around her stomach and the slight patch of yellow along her bare breasts. She’s just doing touch-ups. More girls are using the BODY device: Biometric Output Design for You.

  “It scans each of them,” Magnolia explains. “Jade programs their designs for the day, and it transfers each one. Ours is equipped for hair, paint, makeup, Insta-latex, and, of course, flowers.”

  The girl’s hair curls just under her ears, slicked back and stressing a slender-tower neck as she blinks, tiny flowers decorating her eyelashes. I recognize the flowers, the same ones covering her crotch—pansies.

  “Good morning, Pansy,” Magnolia says to the girl behind the glass, who smiles and waves.

  I wager she’s no more than fourteen. Obviously, Jade doesn’t abide by Luc’s age regulation for the
Aviary, which is why Fawn will become part of her collection as Snowdrop. The government dropped age regulations long ago. Even decades ago, all states permitted child marriages.

  “If you press this button…” Magnolia motions to the one to the right of the display where the digital plaque holds information regarding the flower. “It will make the glass revolve.” She demonstrates, and the glass twists on some sort of moving mechanism in the floor to make way for the next glass exhibit. Just like the last one, this girl is also alone. “Iris,” she says to a girl whose hair is dyed blue and fanned out from her head in pointed waves.

  Her exposed body sets the butterflies in my stomach straining against their unbreakable chains. She shows so much more skin than any of the girls in the Aviary. Luc preferred to keep his Bird’s privacy and limited their exposure to client rooms.

  Magnolia presses the button again to revolve from Iris’s display to Daffodil’s. My butterflies settle a little when I see her namesake’s flowers braided around her breasts in a corset that twists around her crotch and down to her thighs. None of them should be on display. None of us…

  While I keep looking around, Luc finally speaks, “Apparently, the BODY is used only once a month, but most of the time, her Flowers beautify themselves, trained in the art. It’s more cost effective, and it puts more control in her Flower’s hands as Jade selects the clients.”

  “It also gives Jade the ability to tell which ones are underperforming and to discipline such,” Magnolia continues.

  “She selects the clients?” I confirm with Luc.

  “Unfortunately. Where I preferred control over my exhibits and how the girls looked inside them, Jade prefers control over the clients in every manner and respect. Sometimes, she monitors first-time client interactions to ensure the appointment’s success.”

  Up until this point, Magnolia says nothing as she presses the button one more time to finalize the revolution that ends with Daisy—the first child I saw here other than Fawn. Though Daisy’s chest and private area are covered with a collection of narrow white petals with her skin glittering from yellow dust, the display still sickens me. She looks no older than seven or eight. Her hair is coiled into a complex crown on the top of her head—strands a blend of blonde with white highlights. I can never erase the image of her expression or her eyes, which are emptier than broken music pipes.

  Sensing my despondency, Luc places a hand on the small of my back and leads me away as Magnolia draws our attention to the grounds. First, she takes us to the pool house that I learn is public but only accessible to the Flowers unless otherwise reserved by a client for personal use. None of the girls give me a second glance. Most don’t take an interest in the world outside the Key. Jade provides everything they need. Since the Garden is an independent Museum, there is no notion of Temple competition or fear of Glass Districts or even graphickers. The closest Glass District is on the mainland hundreds of miles from this Key. Jade has eliminated all competition.

  One girl glides through the water, her hair as orange as marmalade set on fire. When she rises from the surface and strides out of the water, I realize she is topless with nothing but her soaked hair clinging to her naked chest. My first instinct is to glance at Luc even though he’s seen girls like this all his life. If it were Sky, I’m certain I’d feel more possessive of his eyes.

  The orange-haired girl doesn’t seem to pay me any mind as she saunters off to our left and bends her long torso over to grab a towel. Her skin is nowhere near as pale as mine. In fact, one thing I realize is that none of them are. Only Magnolia and I are the fair ones while all the others sport bronzer skin with some as dark as spiced cider. A few skin tones echo honey cream but nothing like my birch-tree skin, which still can’t compete with Magnolia’s wintry complexion.

  The girl next to us shakes out her orange strands and nods, paying me no mind but asking Luc, “Do you have a reservation? Didn’t notice a sign.”

  He shakes his head once, clarifying while eyeing her, “I am a guest. Not a client.”

  She shrugs. “Pity. Magnolia…” She sashays to the girl on our right and kisses both her cheeks, but when she turns around, I fight to rein in the gasp battering against the back of my teeth. I wish that gasp would transform into a balm to heal all the scars on her back. I spin my head around, catching more and more glimpses of etchings on other girls’ backs, forming a blend of fresh and old scars.

  What sort of place is this?

  “That is Chrysanthemum.” Magnolia gestures to the orange-haired girl, who waves a hand just before opening one pool house door.

  Another girl rises from the hot tub, wearing a painted one piece of dark green that reminds me of spinach until I catch her scarlet-tipped eyelashes and irises the same color, which offer a faint hint confirmed by her words.

  “I’m popular around Christmastime. Holly.”

  She moves in to kiss my cheek like Bleeding Heart did, and I fight the instinct to cringe. Too much kissing in one day. I’m used to more violent touches. Those I can handle. From Nightingale’s threats to Peacock’s Force. All except for Mockingbird. Maybe the Aviary has ruined me when it comes to other girls. Not that I was especially practiced in the social sphere anyway. Maybe I will learn a thing or two here. As it is, the Aviary painted a target on me because numerous girls flock toward me, curious to peek at the Swan.

  Holly judges my confused expression, taking it for one of distaste. “What?” She glances down at herself, searching for an imperfection. “Did my paint smear?”

  Magnolia shakes her head and answers, “She is a seedling,” she explains. “Once her roots take hold, she will grow in time.”

  “A seedling?” Holly looks unconvinced with her hands on her hips. “But she’s the Swan!” Other girls murmur as she voices her astonishment. “She’s older than me. How can she be a seedling? Did you fall out of the sky or something?”

  I smirk at the thought. Guess it’s an appropriate time to open up a little. “Something like that.”

  Before Magnolia can shed light, we are alerted by the cry of one Flower at the edge of the pool house calling to some of the others.

  “Jasmine, Snapdragon, Poppy, Viola! Come check out the new beefcake! He beat the frequency fence!”

  Several girls scramble away from me while others hurry out of the water, some not even bothering to grab towels as they line up to see the disturbance outside. Suspicion rising, I glance at Luc once before following the other girls out of the far door just in time to see several of Jade’s Seedkeepers holding down one man on the grass in a clearing between the stone arches and the rose garden. A man whose muscles practically snarl and gnaw on the ones trying to conquer him. I don’t hesitate before stepping forward. Luc doesn’t either, seizing hold of my wrist.

  “Steady, Serenity,” he murmurs in my ear, gesturing to Jade making her way toward the young man whose fist upends one of the Seedkeepers.

  “Bless my petals.” The first girl fans her face. “Sample while you can, ladies.”

  I console myself with my imagination as it envisions burning off bits of her eyelashes one at a time.

  “Jade will sort him out in no time,” another chirps, and I fight hard against a grimace.

  Then, I grin as Sky body-slams another Seedkeeper until there are only two left. Easy enough for him. From the way the other Seedkeepers hesitate, I know they are trying to find a gap, a weakness, but I am his only one. Their hesitation gives him just enough pause for his eyes to connect with mine, but I don’t read panic there or hurt from my betrayal. No, Sky and I are beyond such grudges. From the night I first knocked on Luc’s door, I fully expected Sky to follow me, but I didn’t expect it like this. He’s usually subtler. Cunning.

  Unfortunately, I’m always Sky’s biggest distraction.

  It’s just what Jade needs. Her baton comes down, electric network stunning him to his knees. From here, we can detect her words.

  “And what do we have here?” Jade observes as Sky gets up and con
tinues to wrestle with four more Seedkeepers until she stuns him again, driving him to his knees with his back arching in protest.

  Jade’s oriental robe sweeps the ground like a black river as she begins to circle Sky, but before she can take another step, Sky reaches out and takes hold of her wrist, eliciting gasps from the girls around us until Jade braces the baton like a hammer this time, battering the side of his head before stupefying him again with the shock.

  And for the first time in my life, I see Sky falter.

  Jade takes the time to study him, leaning over to raise his chin as he gasps and pants before her. And she smiles. No. She beams. Even her full spread of teeth seems eager for his challenge. For the first time in my life, I fear more for Sky than myself. All the men I’ve seen around Jade are culled to her will, reaped like weeds from the ground, mindful of nothing but pleasing her, striving for nothing but her siren call.

  Will it happen to Sky?

  “That’s right, young virile.”

  Jade tips her body closer to Sky. His chest still heaves from his effort. When he brings his hand up again, she teases the back of his neck with her baton and scolds him as he cringes. “Naughty. No touching.”

  Her mouth hovers just around his ear. From here, I can smell her perfume that must hem him in like a net.

  “You will understand soon what happens to trespassers. And…” Her other hand slows to his face, one finger tantalizing the edge of his chin as she finishes circling him and concludes, “I haven’t caught a specimen such as you in years.”

  Beneath her gaze, I watch Sky set his jaw. I recognize the signs of him grinding his teeth, stabbing his eyelids over his irises as he battles her, steels himself.

  “Hmm…this one is a fighter.” Jade tilts her head to the side to observe Sky as he widens the breach between them by rising once more. All around me, Flowers gasp at his efforts despite the number of stuns he’s received.