Orphan Lost, page 1
Orphan Lost
HER STAR-BOUND COURT
BOOK ONE
RENEE WITTMAN
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Audiobooks?
Excited About What’s Next?
Want To Hang Out?
Like Swag?
Authors I Love
Teaser
Teaser
Orphan Lost is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by Renee Wittman
http://reneewittman.com
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and electronic file sharing of any part of this book without written permission from the copyright owner constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for supporting authors’ rights.
No portion of this book was created by AI or with the use of AI generative tools.
Cover Illustration by DAZED Designs - https://dazed-designs.com/
Editing by Steph Tashkoff - Contact via Messenger https://www.facebook.com/steph.tashkoff
Proof Reading by Anthony Holabird - https://holabirdediting.com/
Formatting by DAZED Designs dazed-designs.com/
E-book ISBN-13: 978-1-7371995-2-6
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-7371995-3-3
ERRORS
All errors in this book are entirely the fault of the author and in no way reflect the editors, readers, and proof reader who worked so hard on this novel with me. I appreciate their efforts and the selfless time they sank into this project, and they’re amazing.
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http://reneewittman.com/contact/
'Orphan Lost' is dedicated to my mother, who has always been my biggest fan, believed in me, and read every piece of terrible writing I ever brought to her. Her support let me try and fail with enthusiasm while I learned.
She encouraged me to join adult writing groups as a teen, learn to take red ink and criticism without ego, and to follow my writing muse wherever it led me.
That said, please skip the one smexy scene, because you're my mom and that's one step too weird.
Love you!
Prologue
The Texas summer sun was harsh and high in the sky, but, tucked into the shade of the trees that overhung my school's playground equipment, I was protected from the searing heat. The reading nook I'd created, in behind the screened-off base of the big climbing frame, had become my hideout, a place where I could curl up with an exciting graphic novel or daydream for hours, comfortably hidden away from the world. So far, I was well on my way to achieving my goal of reading every ElfQuest issue again over the summer, relishing Cutter and Leetah's courtship and wishing for the day when that type of courtship would be mine.
When footsteps sounded on the sand on the other side of the big climbing frame, I sat perfectly still and held my breath. I had worked out how to avoid being discovered. Every now and then someone would cut through the schoolyard to get down to the beach. If I didn't want my reading time being interrupted, I just had to keep quiet and wait for them to keep going. Except this time, they didn't.
Some teenage guys were talking, their voices low and heated.
"You don't even know her," one protested, voice cracking. "She's, like, four years older than you."
A second voice, deeper and morose. "I told you. It's an arranged marriage thing. Mom negotiated with her family; that's why we're here, to sign the contracts."
I leaned forward, my long braid brushing against the wooden frame as I tilted my head to hear better, graphic novels and elven realms forgotten. An arranged marriage? Did they actually happen in real life? I had to admit it; I was a snoop. And a sucker for a chance to hear about the real thing.
A third voice broke in, hot-tempered, pitched high with youth and emotion, "The whole thing's insane! We need to think of some way you can get out of it. Like, if you get married to someone else first. That would stop the arranged marriage from going ahead."
The glum voice scoffed. "Sure! But I'll still be married, and I'll still have to look at that person every day for the rest of eternity. I don't want to get married. Not yet, at least."
As I listened, totally invested in the drama of it all, there was a noise from the platform above me and something fell from it, dropping onto my shoulder. I jerked, shaking my arm violently and hoping it was only a spider, even as I strained to hear more. Whatever it was fell onto my pants, and I caught a glimpse of a raised tail.
Scorpion.
I squealed, leaping away on my hands and knees, scattering all my books and sending the comics flying. Texas had the worst creepy crawlies I'd seen in all the places we'd lived. And military brats see a lot. I twisted around and scuttled backwards away from where I'd been sitting, heaving a few breaths in and out in reaction. Once I'd double checked that it was gone, I let out a deep breath and leaned back on my arms, letting my legs relax straight out in front of me, thankful I hadn't been stung. Then I realized the talking had stopped. There was the sound of sand grating on metal above me, then a teenaged boy dropped down from the equipment, landing beside me in a crouch before standing up to rock back onto his heels and stare down at me, crossing his arms. I stared back.
He was cute, albeit in a gangly, unfinished way, his dark skin contrasting with his unusual eyes: one was green and the other was blue. His hair was tamed in a series of tight braids, the ends curling under his ears, glinting with beads.
"Scorpion," I blurted out, flushing and looking down at my ragged denim-covered knees. I picked at one of the holes, well-earned by climbing a particularly recalcitrant grapefruit tree. How was I supposed to have known grapefruit trees had thorns?
"Were you listening in on us?" he asked, leaning closer, although he didn't sound particularly angry. When he spoke, I could tell that this was the glum one, the one facing an arranged marriage. I tilted my head to look sideways up at him, but before I could answer, sand was kicked up as three other guys ran around from the other side of the climbing frame and surrounded me, their postures aggressive.
"I wasn't planning to," I mumbled, looking down after darting a glance at the others. I didn't dare look up again, I just blushed harder than I'd ever blushed before. They were older, fourteen or fifteen maybe, and all of them were cute. "I've been here for hours."
One of the guys, wild-haired and with bright blue eyes, knelt and started gathering up my comics and books. "You could have said something," he chided.
I fell to my hands and knees and scrambled to gather the rest of my things myself, before he could reach them. "I was hoping you'd leave," I muttered at him.
"Truth," one of the other guys said, his voice breaking again.
"Huh," said the glum guy, putting his hands on his hips and squaring his stance. "Well, if you were listening, do you have any ideas about what we were talking about? About how I can get out of this marriage? You're human: what would you do if this was you?"
A shiver ran up my spine, but I shot him a side glare. "Human? So are you."
He shook his head, braids brushing his jaw. "No. We're fae."
"Rhodes," hissed the guy helping me before he passed over the books he'd gathered up.
"Yeah, right. Sure thing," I snapped, hugging the pile of comics and books to my chest to hide the titles, then looking down. "Don't make fun of me."
Rhodes dropped to his knees, and I lifted my head to look at him. His mismatched eyes were intent on me. If I hadn't been staring into his eyes before, I wouldn't have noticed that they were different because they were close enough in hue to make it hard to pick it out.
"I'm not mocking you. I swear upon the Stars," he said, making an odd gesture in front of his chest.
I cast him a suspicious look, but oddly enough, I had the feeling that he was being truthful. I blew out a breath, my hair tickling my nose as I shook it out of my face, and then I considered the issue. "You have an arranged marriage?"
"Yes," he said simply.
"And you're fae?"
"Yes."
I chewed my lip as I thought back through the various romances I'd read involving fae.
Maybe I'd run across the issue before?
Yes.
I had.
"You can get married after your wife dies, right?" I asked.
He recoiled, falling back onto his heels. "I'm not killing someone just because they have the misfortune of marrying me."
"But you're fae," I countered smugly. "So, you all live a long time, right? Easy: just outlive a human wife."
He opened his mouth. Shut it. Furrowed his brow as he thought. Stared off
"Technically, now I know about fae," I countered and gave my best smile.
"Rhodes," groaned the wild-haired guy still sitting on the ground in front of me. "Prince or not, your mother is going to murder you if she finds out about this."
"Are you offering to marry me?" Rhodes asked, ignoring his friend to look at me, incredulous now.
I huffed a laugh. "Why not? My family is military. We're leaving in less than a week to go to a new base. You can marry me, and it'll be like I don't even exist."
"Randolph Air Force Base is nearby," he said, thinking. "You're stationed there?"
"We were, but it's time to move," I said with a shrug, the movement making my over-sized T-shirt slide off my shoulder.
"She has a point," one of the other guys said, but I was so focused on Rhodes that I didn't spare him a look.
"It would have to be the formal vows," he mused, raking his fingers through his hair, "and we'd have to keep it a secret."
"What? You'd let your mom go along with her plans for your arranged marriage without explaining that you're actually already married?!" the other guy asked, voice cracking unfortunately in the middle of the question.
"Yes," Rhodes said slowly, considering. "Your idea could work."
"End of problem." I shrugged again and started to get up, Rhodes and his friend stood up, and the other boys shifted back out of my way.
Of course, I knew he was joking. Fae weren't real, but it was fun to imagine.
"Okay," he said. "But there's a problem. If my mom finds out about it, she can annul it if it isn't, um, consummated and, I'm sorry, but you're a kid. Yeah, no."
I made a face at that, blushing again. "Lie, then."
"Truth spell," he countered. "I can't lie directly to my own kin. The best I can do is omit information."
"What about if it's a harem? These guys, if they're not your family, they could lie, and it would still count, right?"
"Harem?" he echoed, looking at me in confusion. I pointed my finger to indicate the guys around us.
"Multiple, um, guys, married to the one person."
He glanced at the others, thinking it through carefully, and then he grinned with a flash of bright teeth. "Yes! That would work."
"What? You're not even going to ask us?" the wild-haired guy blurted out, bright eyes wide. "We're getting married, too?"
"You're my court," Rhodes countered. "It's not uncommon for a court to be bound and to share."
"She's leaving. Military and likely to move often?" the guy who'd helped me pick up my things said. "But we all have to wait to date until she dies? How would we even know, if she's not fae?"
I snorted at that, more amused than anything. "Cheat. I don't care. I won't even know what you're up to. I don't even remember what base we're going to next. Someplace in South Dakota, I think."
"We'd feel it," the guy with the cracking voice assured everyone. "We'd know if she died."
"How old are you?" Rhodes asked, smiling, the tightness around his eyes relaxed, now.
"Twelve," I said, flushing.
"Does anyone remember our wedding vows?" he asked, looking at the other guys. "I mean, word for word?"
They grumbled and looked at each other uncomfortably.
Finally, the one who hadn't said anything about the plan spoke up, sighing, "Cherish, love, and protect. That's it, right? It's a pretty simple vow." He was the hot-headed one, although he looked more uncomfortable than anything else at what was unfolding.
"You need a ring," the wild-haired one said.
"That's easy enough," the guy with a crack in his voice decided. "Hair is enough for me to weave with, if you have scissors," he said, turning to me.
I shook my head, both at my lack of scissors and at their commitment to the story, then delved in my pocket. "Just a knife." When I came up with it and proffered it, he smiled and carefully measured and cut a lock of his hair, then passed the knife to the next guy.
This was the hot-head, and he scowled.
"You're really doing this?"
"Just cut your hair," Rhodes retorted.
"Do I get names or what?" I said, mildly amused at their willingness to play along with their leader's story.
"You won't even remember," the hot-head scoffed as he carefully cut his own dark hair and passed the knife one way while passing the hair over to join the swatch in his friend's hand.
"I'm Rhodes Boreas," Rhodes said and swept an oddly elegant bow with a hand flourish at the end. "Fall Prince."
"Wilder Von Brandt," the blond, wild-haired guy said, appropriately enough as he wrangled with his hair to cut a lock. "Summer."
"I'm Aster Sylvie," I said. "But everyone calls me Stella."
"Oakley," the hot-headed guy said with a scowl. His dark hair, glasses, and slant to his eyes made him cute in a nerdy way. "Oakley Arlet. Winter. This is stupid, she won't remember our names. Rules say we have to wipe her."
"You need everyone's names for the vows," the guy with the cracking voice said, carefully taking a lock of hair from Wilder. He passed the knife to me. "You too."
"Okay," I said and swiftly undid one braid and measured out what I thought was enough. "Like this?"
"I'm Birch Vesna," he said and coughed to clear his throat. He was very much the boy next door, brown hair and eyes and a nervous smile. I'd known them five minutes and I could totally see them making up the members of some poor girl's harem in one of the books I read. "Spring. A little longer, please, yours has to weave through everyone else's."
"Sure," I said, and measured out a longer section. At his nod, I sawed at it inelegantly. He grimaced but took the disheveled lock. I passed the knife to Rhodes, who measured out one braid and cut it. Then Birch laid the locks against his knee and began swiftly braiding, my hair tying all of theirs together with Rhodes' hair making up most of the bulk of the ring.
"Hand," he said, after a moment, and I hesitantly held my left one out, hoping he meant that side. He measured the ring against my finger, then braided it into itself to create a loop. Rhodes handed me back the knife, and I folded it shut and tucked it into my pocket.
"Now what?" Rhodes asked.
Oakley sighed, his dark eyes and somber stare unnerving. "I—state your name—vow to cherish, love, and protect Aster Sylvie known as Stella until such time as death does us part."
Rhodes arched a brow at him. "That's it?"
He grimaced in return. "It has all the parts you need, so hush."
"Okay," I said, feeling a bit self-conscious. "But what do I say? All of your names?"
"Rhodes Boreas and his court," suggested Wilder. Birch handed me the ring, and I slid it on, a bit bristly from my hair, soft as silk from theirs. I swallowed hard, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
"I, Aster Sylvie, known as Stella, vow to cherish, love, and protect Rhodes Boreas and his court until such time as death does us part." I glanced at Oakley who just nodded.
Rhodes cleared his throat.
"I, Rhodes Boreas, vow to cherish, love, and protect Aster Sylvie, known as Stella, until such time as death does us part."
Something fluttered in my chest, a skipped heartbeat maybe, a couple of them really, as each of the boys stated their parts until my heart was racing.
Then Rhodes stepped towards me, and I stepped back reflexively.
"We'll seal with a kiss," he explained, brows lifting.
"We will not," I told him firmly, cheeks heating and shoulders tensing.
His brow furrowed, then he tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in query. "On the cheek?"
I considered, then nodded, flashing a nervous smile.
His gaze sharpened, focused on the dimple in my cheek, and he moved before I could react, pressing a kiss there. It stung, and I gasped, raising my hand to my face, but he pulled it down firmly. "It'll hurt. It sets the vow in place."
