Chapter 1
Saraid POV
I can almost feel the lush blades of the green grass under my feet as my mind wanders back to the rolling hills of Ireland. The limestone walls of the castle that for a short time I called home. A familiar sinking feeling in my chest brought me back to myself. No use in living in the past. What's done is done and there's no turning back.
Even if I wanted to go back, I left after a great battle that cost countless lives, all to reclaim a throne that was rightfully mine, only to walk away from it when I lost the man who held my heart.
Liam. I wonder what he is doing now. Has he regained any of his memory? Of course he hasn't. The Liam I know would have been on a plane at the first hint of a memory. That's how sure I was that his love for me was real. Until he lost his memory of me and our daughter, Treasa.
Everyday I punish myself by living in the past, but yet I find great joy in knowing that I carry a piece of him with me in our daughter. She is so much like her Father in almost every way, well except for her powers. She gets most of that from me. Everyday after work, we train and hone her skills. She will be a force to reckon with, I can proudly tell you that much.
I am much weaker now that I have been separated from Chase and Wendy. Jax followed me back to Alabama, while Chase, Wendy, and my Dad stayed in Ireland. I miss Wendy a lot but she and Chase fly out to see me at least twice a year. They have for the past ten years and each time they come, they try to convince me to come back with them.
I wont go back. Even after all this time the pain is too raw and after abandoning the very people I set out to protect, I could never look them in the eyes again.
A door slams before I hear her yell, "Mom, I'm home."
"I'm in my office," I yell back.
With the flick of a finger I open the door to my office just as my stunningly beautiful daughter was ready to knock.
"Hey Mom, whatcha doing?"
"Finishing up Mrs. Bertram's anniversary gown. I'm down to the last details now and it needs to be perfect."
"You say that about everything you design and guess what, they are always perfect," she skips over and plants a kiss on my cheek.
I don't know if I would consider my designs perfect, but I was blessed to have enough people knocking on my door to ask me to design everything from t-shirts to ball gowns. I'm really making a name for myself here in Alabama and if you have ever been, then you know it's not and easy thing to do in Dixon Mills.
"Your work is amazing Mom. Too bad your skills are wasted on making Ms. Bertram's anniversary gown. That woman has the worst taste in everything," she laughed, "I swear everything she wears looks like an old fashioned house coat or a MuMu."
"Treasa cut that out," I scold, "we do not judge others by their appearances."
She lowered her head and looked at me with shameful eyes, "I'm sorry."
I know I shouldn't be too hard on her. She is only 16, but I want her to have a respect for all life and that is only possible by not holding judgement in our hearts over trivial things such as fashion.
"There, all done," I sigh as I finish knotting the thread on the last piece of rhinestone.
I hang my latest work on a hanger to examine it for any flaws. The intricate details of the beadwork are stunning but completely wasted on the atrocious puke green color of the organza boddice. Why green? More particularly, why this shade of green over orange tulle? I am positive that this gown was meant to be any other color, but what the client wants the client gets.
"Treasa, can you phone Mrs. Bertram and let her know that her gown is ready to be fitted and that she can come over at any time?"
"Sure thing," she said as she skipped out of the office and down the hall to the family room, where the cordless phone was located. I can't help but smile at her youthful energy.
I pick up the remnants of organza and tulle from the floor and sit at my desk to calculate the total cost of Mrs. Bertram's dress, to provide her with an accurate invoice. Mrs. Bertram is friendly enough, but she is a tough one to bargain with. If she had her way I would have made her dress for just the cost of materials so to be prepared for her visit, I saved all receipts for the costs of materials and I logged every minute of time spent on her gown. She wasn't getting over on me this time.
I feel a cool set of arms around my shoulder as an even cooler set of lips kiss my cheek.
"Good evening my sexy little witch."
I reached up and placed my hands on the arms holding me and turn to look at the one person who has shown me the most loyalty and has literally followed me everywhere.
"Welcome home my bad ass bounty hunter," I smirk as he leans in and claims my mouth with his."
Don't get me wrong, his kisses are great and it can be so easy to get lost in all of his erotic fetishes. I like giving him control in the bedroom and I love him, but being with Jax exclusively comes with its very own challenges. I am a creature that was destined to be with many men and women alike, but seeing how the others stayed in Ireland and the one person in this world I want to be monogamous with can't remember me and is unwilling to try to remember me, I am trying to make the best of it. It has weakened my magic a great deal and I can't bring myself to break that news to Jax. It would devastate him.
