The Dark Fey Chronicles Court of Roses

2

The ride to the Hotel was short. Only a few minutes. I sat as far away as possible from Liv as I could. She did not seem bothered by it. As a matter of fact, she didn't even seem to notice. She was still tapping away on her phone, a frustrated look on her face. Before I was able to try and force my body to relax, the limo had pulled to a stop. The driver hurried to open the door for us as Liv quickly exited the car, waiting on the sidewalk for me.
"Jax, please go get yourself some food and a room!" Liv said and handed him a handful of cash. I gaped at them. She was giving the help money for himself? I looked up at the building, my jaw slightly open. This was a huge, lavish hotel. The kind celebrities would stay at. The kind you saw rich people in movies stayed at.
"Follow me," Liv said.
I looked back at her, suddenly regretting having followed her. I looked up and down the crowded street. There were many people here. I sniffed. There were too many scents for her to be able to follow me if I ran now. There would be no way for her to track me. Not with this many people. I could make it. I could run! I looked back at her, only to see her looking at me, her face curious.
I had not even really made up my mind when my feet jerked to the left and I took off down the street as fast as I could. I herd Liv sigh behind me. She muttered something under her breath but I was trying to pay attention. Weaving in and out of the mass of people hurrying to and fro, I banked to the left, headed down a subway station.
I stopped when I spotted a single figure standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was tall and his beautiful blond hair was like a golden halo around his head, his face was all sharp planes and soft angles. But what caught me off guard most was his eyes. Never have I ever in my life seen eyes with such beauty. I was sure I had never seen them before and yet, the feeling of seeing something familiar spread through me and it gave me enough pause to feel the full force of it. Something inside me came undone and I felt my knees give out as I sank to the ground.
The sudden feeling of loss and longing washed through me. It was almost as if I was grieving over someone I hadn't realized I missed. The feeling seemed more then that. It was odd. The beautiful boy smiled at me, his full lips stretched over his perfect teeth.
I blinked away the tears I had not realized were stinging my eyes.
"Lexi?" Liv's voice was quiet. I turned and saw her standing behind me. I felt a sob hitch in my chest. I couldn't breathe. I gasped for air and clutched my chest, looking up at her in horror. "Lexi, you are having a panic attack! It's going to be OK!"
A panic attack? I didn't feel painced. Just confused. Blackness creeped into my vision and I slumped over onto the ground. I heard Liv call out to me but I welcomed the darkness anyway. It consumed me, taking me away to a world where I knew I could be pain free for at least a few minutes.

When I opened my eyes again, it was early morning, the stranger's face was still fresh in my mind. My heart throbbed oddly at the thought of him. The sun had not fully risen yet and the sky outside was still dark purple. I sat up quickly, looking around. I was in a hotel room for sure. I was in a feather bed with white sheets and the window to my left was open, a gentle breeze creeping into the room. I shoved the blankets away to find my tattered, holey jeans were still in place as was the ripped shirt. I sighed, somewhat relieved. I sat as still as I could, my heart pounding in my ears, listening with every ounce of concentration I had. My heartbeat in my ears and after a long moment I concluded I was alone. I slowly shoved the sheets away and stood to my feet. I winced when pain lanced through my foot and looked down. There was a white bandage wrapped around my door. I stared at it, recalling the events of last night. I had tried to run from Liv. I had decided I did not want to be used. Not for anything or by anyone. But somehow I ended up in a hotel room anyway. Who was I waiting for here? Who had bought me? Was it the handsome, green-eyed man I had seen the night before? Who was he and what did he want with me? Why was I here? I wondered for a moment if this was the King! What would a King want with a half dead girl like me? I was just skin and bone. I stared at my reflection in the window, pulling my shirt up to reveal a bony hip and some ribs that were visible under my skin. I stared at them for a moment, hating my body. I know I am going to sound like a child, but it was not fair. I wanted to be beautiful like other girls. I looked back up at my face. My blue eyes were black in the dark reflection of the window. I walked closer, looking down onto the busy street. I could see the Empire State Building from here. I was at least a few stories high. No way to leave through a window unless I wanted to try and kill myself. I turned away, turning away from the dark thoughts. It was too easy to let the dark and depressing thoughts take over my mind. I sighed and looked around at my surroundings.