Shades of Amber by Morgan Smith Page A

the
knob.
    He raised an eyebrow.
“What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    “ Nothing.” I sounded
nervous, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he offered his
arm.
    When he said that bit
about his reflection yesterday, I thought he was just being
facetious. I stole a glance at him from the corner of my
eye.
    What happened to
you?
    He watched me as we
descended the grand staircase; heading toward what I assumed was
the ballroom. As we reached the middle of the stairs, he smiled.
“You have no idea.”
    I was so caught off guard
that I missed a step. He wrapped his arm around my waist, and
pulled me closer. My jaw dropped as I took in the sights. The cream
walls held portraits depicting handsome men with haunting eyes. A
chill ran up my spine as I looked from one to the next.
    Where were we?
    The minute we entered the
ballroom, everyone paused to stare at us. It reminded me of the
masquerade a few years ago—except this time, all eyes were on me.
Troy led me halfway across the room to a regal couple dressed in
pale apricot. The woman’s gown matched perfectly with the man’s
tuxedo. Compared to them, I saw how truly rich my dark gown looked
as the beads sparkled in the light.
    The woman smiled, and I
couldn’t help but smile back. She appeared to be in her late
thirties, but had knowing eyes. She smiled as Troy placed my hand
in hers.
    “ This is the girl I told
you about, Mom.”
    I tried to hide my shock,
but it was clearly written on my face. She looked too young. Troy
laughed and kissed me on the cheek.
    “ It’s so nice to meet you,
Jade. I’m Alexandra.” She smiled even wider and shook my hand. “I’m
sure you’ll love our Amber Palace.”
    My smile cracked at the
long-term implication. I shook my head. “I can’t stay; I have to go
back….”
    “ She’s joking mother,”
Troy glared at me, but I refused to say otherwise.
    Three pairs of eyes looked
at me as though they sensed my fight or flight thoughts. I gulped
and tried to breathe as the man I assumed was Troy’s father shook
my hand. He looked distinguished with his cropped hair and
moustache, giving me a glimpse of what Troy might look like later
in life.
    To keep my hand from
shaking, I focused on the details. His suit complimented his brown
skin nicely. Next to Troy’s mother, his father looked as if he was
in his early forties.
    He smiled. “You are even
more beautiful than Troy described. Call me Richard.”
    I could only smile. These
were the parents he’d mentioned that day, years ago when I’d tagged
along to mail that letter, which meant I was very far from
home.
    Troy hugged me and kissed
my hair. “I said she’s indescribably beautiful, Father.” He smiled,
but since it didn’t reach his eyes, he was probably angry at one of
us.
    I looked around, trying to
spot an escape, but there was only a room full of
people.
    Troy’s mother smiled as
she linked her arm through mine. “If you boys don’t mind, I’m going
to take Jade to mingle.”
    Troy began to protest
until she cut him off. He pulled me to him and brushed his lips
against my ear. “I’m watching you, Jade. And just so you know,
we will talk
later.”
    I pushed away from him,
silently thanking his mom.
    Alexandra grasped my
hands. “Once a woman has a baby, she dreams of the day when she’ll
meet the person who makes that child fall in love.”
    I forced a smile, even
though my heart was aching. I had loved him, but he still had no idea what the word
meant. If he did, he wouldn’t be forcing me to stay. I gave Troy
one last glance before his mother whisked me toward a couple two
feet away. I surveyed the man and woman, but my mind was focused on
Troy’s heated discussion with his father. I strained to hear the
subject, but could only make out a few words.
    Perhaps they were arguing
about the morals of kidnapping.
    When a woman in her
twenties approached us, the couple took their leave. The pretty
brunette was animated and cheerful, so I