Page 15 of Dark Princess Emerging

"I'm so sorry." He rubbed her arms. "That must have been difficult."

Morelle's shoulder lifted in a slight shrug. "When you know nothing else, it becomes your routine, a way of life. You don't think about it."

"Like a bird that has been caged since it hatched that doesn't know what to do when the cage door is left open."

As the doorbell rang, Morelle closed her eyes briefly. "Not me. I would have flown away the moment that door was unlocked." When she opened them again, there was new determination in her gaze. "We should join the guests."

"Yes, we should." He stepped aside and opened the door for her.

In the living room, they found that Syssi and Amanda had already arrived, along with Cassandra and Arwel, but Toven and Kian were still not there.

"Hi." Cassandra approached Morelle and offered her hand. "Welcome to the village, Princess Morelle. I'm Cassandra, Onegus's mate, and I?—"

"Don't!" Amanda cut in sharply, raising her hand. "We don't want Morelle to know what your talent is before she tries to nullify it."

"Got it." Cassandra's smile never faltered. "I'll show you later." She winked.

Arwel stepped forward next, and Brandon studied the Guardian closely. The empath couldn't turn off his ability. It was constantly active. If Morelle's nullification worked passively by proximity, Arwel should already be feeling its effects.

Standing behind Morelle, Brandon raised an eyebrow in question.

Arwel's slight head shake could have meant either that the null wasn't working or that he couldn't feel the emotions of others anymore.

"Let's sit down," Annani said. "Kian and Toven will be here any moment, and we can start lunch then."

Brandon guided Morelle to the dining table, noting how she chose a chair that would allow her to keep everyone in view. It was a warrior's instinct, he realized, and his chest filled with pride, even though he had nothing to do with that.

"So, Morelle." Cassandra sat across from her. "How do you like life in the village so far?"

10

MORELLE

Throughout lunch, Morelle studied Cassandra with fascination. The immortal was strikingly beautiful, her features enhanced by the same kind of facial paint that Amanda wore. On Anumati only warriors painted their faces, and that was in order to appear more fearsome in battle, not to enhance their beauty. Yet the effect was undeniable.

When Cassandra caught her staring, she smiled. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

"I'm curious about the Earth custom of females painting their faces to enhance their appearance," she admitted. "My sister doesn't do that, and neither does Alena. Is there a reason some females do it and others don't?"

Casandra chuckled. "I work for a cosmetics company, and my job is to convince every woman that she must use these paints, as you call them, to enhance her natural beauty, but the truth is that it is completely up to the individual. Some females don't leave the house without applying the paint first, others do it only for special occasions, and many never do."

Morelle frowned. "How do you convince females to use your company's products?"

"Advertising. We put pictures of gorgeous women in magazines next to a photo of our products, and the message is that if you use them, you will look just as beautiful as the model."

Morelle remembered seeing that in the magazine that Annani had given her. "Brandon says that the photos have been manipulated and that the women don't really look as lovely in reality as they look in the pictures."

"That's true," Cassandra admitted.

Morelle hesitated for a moment, but she couldn't help what needed to be said. "That's cheating, isn't it?"

"Not really," Cassandra said. "Everyone knows that the pictures are altered. We are selling dreams and fantasies, and we don't even charge much for it. A woman can spend a little money on a new eyeliner and feel fantastic for at least a little while thinking that it will make her look beautiful."

That was such an interesting concept. The cosmetic company was cheating in how it presented its products, but the customers knew about the cheat and bought the product anyway because they were actually buying hope.

Then, a thought occurred to her. "Do you use your special ability in your work?" She still didn't know what Cassandra's talent was, but surely there must be some connection.

Cassandra laughed. "My talent isn't really suited for advertising. Though it might make for some interesting commercials." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Would you like to see what I can do? But we should probably step outside for this."