Page 12 of Fated Moons
He glared at her for a long moment, the sun hitting his eyes, making a kaleidoscope of colors glimmer. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had only a few hours to process us being in a movie together. We start rehearsals next week, and the only thing I really know about you is what I’ve seen in the newspapers, and that is very little since I’ve tried like hell not to know anything about your family.” He arched a brow. “And we should probably chat a little about this fairy dust.”
“That’s none of your business, and seriously, no one can know.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, following him to the rear parking lot, which was totally empty other than one black soft-top Jeep. The warm sun beat down on her already-flushed face. She’d been in over a dozen films and on numerous television shows. Not once had she ever lost it.
“I won’t say anything, but I’m guessing it’s never happened before.” He glanced over his shoulder.
“Again, it has nothing to do with you.”
“Maybe not. But me wanting to spend a little time alone with you isn’t about you either. It’s about me.” He opened the passenger door. “Please text or call your father so he doesn’t do something crazy like call the police.”
She shoved his hand off the door, climbed in, and slammed it shut. “I’m not going to respond to that.” She pulled out her cell and tapped on her dad’s name. Her father had never been the overprotective, overbearing father he could have been, especially since he’d had four sassy girls, each having a mind all their own, and none of them had been afraid to express themselves. He wouldn’t be upset about her ducking out the back door with Jackson.
But the fairy dust? He would want to know about that, and eventually, she would have to tell him what happened and that Jackson seemed to be the trigger.
If he didn’t already know.
“Hey, sweetheart. Where are you?” her father asked.
“Jackson and I snuck out,” she said. “Don’t get mad, Daddy. But we wanted to spend a little time alone together to get to know one another, and the opportunity presented itself for us to leave. But I didn’t want to you to worry.”
“Well, thank you for that, because I was starting to wonder what happened to the two of you,” her dad said. “And there’s something we need to talk about. It’s important.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, sweetheart. Why don’t you come over for breakfast.”
“All right, Dad. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She dropped her phone in her purse, leaned back, and tried to tell herself that this was simply her advancing her career. Jackson Ledger, regardless of what his father had done, had once been considered one of Hollywood’s golden boys. While the bottom-feeders of the media world focused on the past, the real entertainment critics reported on his talent.
And he had that in spades. He brought depth to any character he portrayed. Jackson had the ability to transform himself into his roles and make the audience believe and root for him, no matter how broken or flawed the person he pretended to be was. He was a master of his craft and humble about it to boot.
The Jeep roared to life, jerking her thoughts back to the present. Jackson shoved the gear stick into first.
“Wow. A manual transmission. Don’t see that too much these days.” She tucked a few stray strands of her hair behind her ears and studied Jackson’s profile. Ever since learning he’d moved back to the area, she’d purposely avoided any and all events Jackson had either been invited to or could possibly attend. It wasn’t out of fear for the man, but she would admit to being frightened of the pull he had on her, both physically and emotionally.
And that sensation of being drawn to him hadn’t started the moment she stepped into Paul’s office. No. It began when she watched his first film, though she’d never admit to it nor would she ever tell anyone. That would be crazy.
“You know how to drive one?” he asked with a wicked smile. He could be so playful.
She laughed. “Learned when I was ten. My father secretly wanted boys, so he took all his girls hunting and other stuff normally reserved for father-son bonding in the royal family.Drove my Aunt Alley nuts. She thought it would ruin us all. She’d tell my mother she needed to put a stop to it.”
“And what did your mom say about that?”
Amanda smiled at the memory. Not many people stood up to Aunt Alley. While she loved her aunt with all her heart, she could be a tough one to get along with. Alley was stuck in the dark ages at times. She thrived on tradition. Demanded it. Believed that without it, the royals would be run off. And maybe she was right. The royal family held no power. But they did get special treatment wherever they went. The Twilight Crossing Council respected their role and honored their titles.
However, Alley often wanted more. She wanted a seat at the table.
But that role was reserved for the leader of witch covens, and that honor went to Honduras, the High Priest of the Coven of the Raindrops. Honduras often sought her father’s counsel. They had many meetings. Discussed all witch business and Honduras always included her father in any major decision, as well as Trask, which royally pissed off her aunt.
Alley thought Trask was pure evil and would ruin them all.
“My mother, bless her human soul, planted her hands on her hips, glared at my aunt, and told her to put a frog in her throat and to try not to choke on it.” Amanda burst out laughing.
“Is that some big witch insult?”
“Sort of, but I’m not done yet.” Amanda cleared her throat. “Aunt Alley got all indignant and reminded my mother she was a mere human. But that her daughters were royals and should behave a certain way. That her husband should know better, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d be stripped of his role as head of our coven because of his inability to raise young ladies.” She shook her head. “My mother got in my aunt’s face and told her it wasn’t very ladylike to threaten someone, especially with something that the elders would consider treason. My mother then askedAunt Alley if she planned on staying for dinner because she’d heard us girls had shot a deer and that we were gutting it as they spoke. I think my Aunt Alley nearly choked on a frog, figuratively speaking, of course.”
“Which one of you pulled the trigger?”
“My baby sister.” Amanda shivered. “While we enjoyed spending time with our dad, the hunting wasn’t for us. I can’t say any of us enjoyed killing animals, much less watching my father rip the meat off their bones, but it’s an experience I wouldn’t change, because spending time with Dad was always the best.”
