The Garden Read online

Only a sliver of frustration crosses her face, lips compressing at the defeat of her tempting power before she steps away and orders, “Take him!”

  More Seedkeepers pin Sky this time, and his next action shows me just how potent Jade is. When she cups his cheek, Sky falls to his knees, suddenly winded like her very hand is an electrified snare. Jade turns around, muses to herself, but she isn’t coy about her next words.

  “I shall enjoy breaking this one. Yes.” She turns her head slightly so her eyes can flit across him. “I think I shall save him for myself. More than just a Seedkeeper. He shows promise.”

  Sky makes no demands. It’s already clear what this grandiose display is about. He’s done it for my sake. To show me that he has no intention of leaving me here alone even in the full wake of mine and Luc’s deception. Only, this is not Luc’s Aviary. It’s Jade’s Garden, and we both know I’m not the bird in a cage now. In separate ways, both men are the insects in her Venus Fly Trap. Such terror for Sky has never filled me as when I see Jade look at him. My Sky. Not when I was taken from the hotel. Not when I woke up in the Glass District. Not when I felt Force’s whip in the Isolation Room, the exposure from the graphickers, or even when Mockingbird sliced my skin open. None of it compares to seeing Jade’s finger slither up the stately line of Sky’s throat.

  “To your chambers, Milady?” one of the Seedkeepers asks.

  “No.” Jade shakes her head with a cunning smile. “His breaking requires a different atmosphere. Take him to the Shed. I will deal with him later. I have a meeting first.”

  As more men arrive to cart Sky away, Jade angles her head toward me and states, “I’m looking forward to learning more about you, Serenity.”

  8

  N e W N a M e

  After an hour, Magnolia escorts me to Jade’s chambers instead of an office. I’m confused, wondering why.

  I should’ve expected Jade’s room to be ornate and flowery. From tightly knitted balls of buds hanging from ribbons suspended from the ceiling to entire portraits wrought from dried blossoms to high-tech synthetic blooms designed to fan in and out, always moving, these are the décor of Jade’s chambers. Other specimens smile at me from glass jars nestled on top of pedestals—ones I assume are replaced daily.

  Jade strikes me as a remote, enthralling creature, so I realize she’s bestowing upon me a generous fragment of her world by inviting me to her room. Besides Magnolia, who at my best guess is the Garden tour guide, other Flowers aren’t afforded this opportunity. It makes me even more alarmed.

  When I walk into her main bedroom, numerous candles inhabiting the dark, along with burning incense and rose petals strewn about the floor, she is leaving the bathroom, steam wafting behind her. Pinned up all around her head, her voracious hair leaves her shoulders bare. Not just her shoulders. Everything. But I focus on her strong throat and her bewitching face, white as a dove’s head. Her eyes are so enticing they could draw blood. Her white skin still shames me—whiter than milk-dipped angel’s wings.

  Despite the intimate environment, Jade secludes her emotions, letting me have nothing.

  I clear my throat, trying not to let my gaze wander lower as she casually pauses to survey me before swinging past to Magnolia, who stands behind me holding a black silk robe.

  “Thank you, Magnolia,” Jade says to the girl as she slips the robe onto her madam’s shoulders. “Your services will not be required until later this evening.”

  Magnolia nods and strolls out of the bedroom, leaving me alone with Jade.

  “I trust your room met with your approval,” Jade asks as she ties the sash of her robe and approaches me. “Magnolia will attend to all your needs as she does mine. You are the only one with a caretaker, so I trust you will respect that.” So, Magnolia does play the part of a caretaker.

  “I don’t believe in caretakers,” Jade goes on in a firm voice. “I believe in women learning how to prepare their own bodies, but as you know, I am very perceptive. It’s obvious you will require a more tender introduction. I still hope you will be a quick learner.”

  I shake my head. “I’ve never been a quick study.”

  “Then, I suggest you learn.” Jade positions herself in a chair before a mirror-attached dresser and unpins her hair. “Do not fret, Serenity. I will teach you. You show more potential than any other I’ve planted here. Your soil, my dear, is not only rich, but you have also spent quite some time blooming. Naturally, I am the only one who can bring you to full efflorescence.”

  She is not shy in her observations. Nor are her hands when she turns around and cups my chin, shifting my face to the side, fingers stamping my skin, tugging at the ends of my hair. Jade knows exactly what to do and where to touch. For her, this is a routine, and it has flourished into an art.

  She handles herself well, but so do I when I yank my body away.

  “No more than sixteen,” Jade concludes.

  I don’t bother to deny it.

  “You can pass as younger. Clients prefer younger. Best to leave it to mystery.”

  She reaches for a makeup product, sets to work first with her lips, baptizing them in the dangerous hue of an open wound. “Men are enticed with mystery. Their fantasies know no limits.”

  After capping the lipstick, Jade stares at me in the mirror while pursing her lips. “You want to know my secret? Come now. All girls are intrigued when they first see the display. The desire to understand how I hold such a sway over men. I assure you…” She rouges her cheeks as if they are the bosom of apples and dictates, “It’s more than a lifestyle, Serenity. It’s a belief. It’s definition. More than playing it—you must think it, feel it, live it every second. What I have is not merely a role. It is a passion. There are few women in the world who can assume that passion.” Jade twists around in her chair to face me. “You, my dear girl, may be such a woman.”

  I highly doubt that. But something deep inside summons me, reminding me of my genetic makeup, of whose daughter I am…and the powerhouse stored inside me.

  “Now…” Jade interrupts my musing, rises, and motions with a flutter of her hand. “I want to have a look at you again. One study is not enough. Director Aldaine may have known without a second’s hesitation what you would become, but I prefer close research and examination. Take them off, Flower.”

  I do not foolishly question. Instead, I openly refuse.

  “No.” One word is enough.

  Jade is a woman accustomed to getting her way, but again, this is practice for her. She has honed the art of such manipulation on a far grander level than I have.

  “Why do you think I have allowed you into my chambers?” Jade gestures to our surroundings. “Look around you. No cameras, no peeping eyes. I even dismissed Magnolia, who is blind. And as you plainly observed, I have no surprises up my sleeves.” She opens her robe. Inside is nothing but her naked body, and I wince a little. “I showed you the respect of sharing myself. Now, it’s your turn. I will not lay a finger on you, but I do inspect all my Flowers personally on their first days here. It’s how I assess their classification. If you would prefer to keep your clothes on and find yourself as a Skunk Cabbage instead of a Queen Anne’s Lace, that is your decision.”

  My time with Dove has marred my trust in situations like this. For Dove, it was deception. For Jade, it’s business. Despite how much she enjoys her career, it’s still business. Nor can I deny her words when it comes to the matter of respect. And I remember the host of Seedkeepers waiting just outside, so I suck in a deep breath as I undress for her, avoiding the mirror and her eyes as they carouse across my nakedness.

  “Thank you, Serenity. You may put on the robe hanging on the door behind you.”

  I do as she directs, quicker than she expects.

  Jade lowers into the chair again. “You and I are not so different. I was very much like you in my younger years. Some wild thing that could not be tamed. That is still true, but I’ve learned to harness my power. And I will train you to do the same, to accept your situation, but
also to embrace it and to usurp it for your own purpose. You got your feet wet in the Aviary, but you require a full and rich baptism, and that is what I will provide.”

  “How do you know Luc?” I approach her so she can look at my reflection in the mirror.

  Jade angles her lithe neck. “Trust me, Flower, you are not the first girl to fall to Luc’s charms. He is quite an incredible young man. I have had the privilege of meeting him on several occasions. A man with his dark past always has burdens and cares on his shoulders. During his killing days, he would shed them in the Aviary, but after he assumed the director title, he came here. I haven’t seen him in a few months, however. I’ve missed his company. Come now, don’t look so solemn, sweet.”

  Jade tips her eyelashes with a thin brush. I find it ironic her mirror is equipped with scanning technology, but she has no need of it. Nor does she print her makeup or even have it printed on her. She enjoys the process.

  “You see, Luc will be one of your assignments.”

  I perk up on those word, suspicious.

  “You will be my pupil. After you’ve come to fruition, you will eventually practice on Luc.” Jade raises a powerful finger. “By the time I’m finished with you, you will be the master, and Luc will melt before you.”

  “He already melts before me.” Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms over my chest.

  “Don’t try to fool me, Serenity. You don’t master him. Few women can master Luc Aldaine. Too many bow to his charms, his smooth words, his subtle manipulation, but I will open your eyes to every trick.”

  I want to deny her statement. Tell her about my time in the Aviary with Luc, but the record of that time will just serve to confirm her words. Every time Luc touched me will stand testament to that. Every time he kissed me would just build up the monument of Jade’s declaration. And her prospect is tempting. The idea of conquering men like they are toadstools for me to tread on is a tempting one. To imprint my breath on their face and my fingerprints on their skin without sucking them inside tantalizes me.

  But what does she mean by practice?

  Noticing my contemplation, Jade scoots out her chair and comes to stand next to me, hand reaching out to touch my curls. “I can read the thirst in your eyes. I read it there the first time I saw you. Trust me when I tell you how I have tempered that thirst and honed it for my purposes. I have created this exotic empire. No man may rip it from me.”

  She toys with a few of my tendrils. “Tell me, Serenity, what is your greatest fear?” She questions me but does not let me answer. “It is a man’s world. And we all have our own that shatter us.”

  I think of my father. The Vampire. I think of how his swollen shadow still chases me, sinking underneath my skin, so I bite on my lip hard to distract myself from the thought of him.

  “Serenity…” Jade whispers in my ear as her fingertips trace my neck. “I can read that man in your eyes as I read every man I meet. You see, it’s quite simple—every man is the same. Rest assured, when I am done with you, that man will become a mouse.”

  Could that be true? The man who has left my mother with so many scars both inside and outside—the thrill of forcing him to bow, of reducing him to ash, of whipping him like he did my mother—is undeniable. Whatever the case, if I can win Jade’s trust, if I excel, I will find my father. And once I master Jade’s art, I will force him to release my mother and Kerrick.

  Jade kisses my cheek, then pulls away. “You will join me for a demonstration tonight. I will send Magnolia for you after dinner. Afterward, I will assign your new name.”

  Unlike the line forming every night at the Aviary, the Garden is just the opposite. Clients enter and exit the Museum all day, but they are nowhere near the amount that flocked to the Aviary. I understand why from just their appearance. As one arrives in a luxury car, dressed in rich attire, and Jade exits the front door to welcome him personally, I realize she selects fewer but wealthier clients to keep the Garden functioning.

  “He’s a sponsor.”

  I jump at the sound of Magnolia’s voice. Though I didn’t even hear her enter, now she stands right behind me as I peer out the window. She smooths aside the curtain, which strikes me as odd—even odder that she knows what I’m looking at.

  “Sponsors fund the Garden for an allotted time. Yearly ones get certain benefits from an all-access pass to every exhibit and any private encounter.”

  “What do you mean any private encounter? Aren’t they all the same?”

  Magnolia shakes her head, dropping the curtain. “We have more versatility here. There’s a gazebo on the edge of our property that overlooks the ocean, an underground grotto to the private islands—a sponsor may request an all-day encounter. Dolphin swimming is popular, as is parasailing with a candlelit dinner on the beach.”

  “Like a date?”

  “More like appointments. This is still a business. Mother treats it as such.”

  The word trusses all around me like a package. “Mother? Jade is…”

  “Surely you noticed the resemblance?”

  I noticed it in the way Magnolia carries herself, but now, studying her again, I catch all the similarities. “But you’re—”

  “Blind? Yes, I carry that albinism trait.”

  Albinism! That’s why they are so white. Magnolia is just a younger version of her mother. No older than me, she still carries herself like a queen. Her mother is the goddess. Sky always says I walk like a fairy. Like my feet hover off the ground. Far too flighty for the earth.

  “I am not fully blind,” Magnolia admits. “My sight is very faint, and I must keep my eyes closed to sunlight. It’s much too harsh.”

  “Do you have clients?”

  Magnolia turns, eyebrow raised and voice condescending. “You ask very personal questions.”

  Resting against the window, I shrug. “I’ve never been shy.”

  “Yes, that is clear. It’s the way you ask them.” She blows out a breath but confesses, “Yes, I have one client with a very singular preference only I can provide.”

  “It doesn’t matter that you—”

  For the first time, Magnolia snaps, “It’s not a disease, Serenity!” Taking one breath, she steels herself, calming. “No, it does not matter. In fact, he prefers it. He is a repeat client, but he only visits once every few months or so. He is due to come soon.”

  “I don’t mean to insinuate anything.” I walk away from the window toward the bed. “I’ve never seen a blind person before.”

  Magnolia lingers. “Most aren’t as capable. I was born blind. Mother could have paid for a surgical procedure, but I embraced my individuality from an early age. And she trained me well throughout the years. I have never left the gates of the Garden. I have memorized its paths—every tree, every statue, every stone, every stem, every flower. It is why I conduct all the tours for our new Flowers and new clients, especially anonymous ones. They feel comfortable knowing their reputes are protected by my distinctiveness.”

  “You’ve never gone past the gates. So, you don’t know about the Glass District or a Carousel house or even an oyster shop?”

  “Other than secondhand from other Flowers? No,” Magnolia states, her expression so serene I think lace could spill from her mouth.

  Magnolia’s words stun me. How can this girl who is younger than I, a girl who has never once visited a Glass District, never once seen the jeweled girls of a Carousel, never once stepped foot outside her Garden bubble, or felt the gaze of a thousand eyes on her skin reduce me to the state of a paper doll? At least her mother used her siren call on me with a purpose—an intention within her machination. But not Magnolia. She usurps me like I’m a sweet cake ripe for the sampling.

  “Magnolia…does your mother train you like she’s planning to train me?”

  The blind girl steps away from the window, moving until she stands in front of me. I wouldn’t be surprised if her shadow could turn into a great black hand that will reach out and choke me. Despite my childish fantasies, Magnolia c
hanges the current with her next words.

  “I look forward to sharing Mother’s power with you. I’ve been waiting for someone just like you, Serenity.”

  Dinner is served in my room. Unless otherwise directed, it will always be served in here. From my window, I can see other girls taking theirs on open terraces near the gardens by the pool house. Apparently, there is no rigid meal structure like Luc has in the Aviary. I can only assume it is due to Jade’s personal interest in clients. She doesn’t have time to concern herself with things like group meals.

  After I’m finished, I receive a visitor. Surprised, I glance up as Magnolia closes the door as she leaves.

  “Luc.”

  Since he doesn’t approach, I remain at the table near the window and study him. He’s never looked so resigned. My guess is he doesn’t have much experience when it comes to lack of control. Luc isn’t used to losing. His killer instinct and penchant for perfectionism denies the very concept.

  “This was a mistake.” It’s the first thing he admits. “I’m sorry, Serenity. I underestimated Jade. Nor did I have any inkling that Force would not be here.”

  “I should have.”

  I turn away to look out the window, noticing a spring Flower girl walking through the door of one wing. They rotate. Spring and summer in the morning. Autumn and winter in the evening.

  “I should have known as soon as my father said my name. Having my mother, he wouldn’t…” My words drift into oblivion, crumbling like damp paper bits. So, I just finish with, “There’s no reason for him to come here anymore. Not when he has her.”

  “He did come, but he didn’t stay,” Luc corrects, and I nod. He came to give Fawn to Jade.

  There is no point looking back. Nothing we can do about it. We both understand that because we speak no more on the subject, though Luc takes the opportunity to change it.

  “Serenity, you must not react to Skylar. If Jade ever suspects he’s anything but a trespasser, if she discovers any sort of connection to you or even to me, she will kill him.”