Unlocking Adeline (Skeleton Key) by J.D. Hollyfield, Skeleton Key Read Free Book Online Page B

point I got so sucked into this story that I began to cry.
    “Oh dear, I didn’t mean to upset ye.” I wipe the tears that have fallen down my cheek. “You haven’t upset me, that story was just so beautiful. I hope to one day find someone that is willing to love me as much as William does you.”
    Faith grabs for my hand and offers a strong squeeze. “Darling, I believe ye will. And ye never know, ye may already have.” She winks again, and I hear the happiness in her words. It makes me frown; knowing the end of my story is not going to be like her and William’s.
    “Faith, I’m sorry, but I don’t belong here. And if you are referring to Locke, thinking he is my one, he’s not. We come from two different worlds. I mean, he isn’t even nice.” I stop, feeling bad for insulting her son, but she only smiles wider.
    She pats my thigh “He is who he is. And for so long he has had this overbearing chip on his shoulder. He bears a lot of responsibility. It isn’t easy to be in his position. He refuses to believe his life allows for love. He is a warrior at heart. Just like his father. But as his father, he also has something inside him aching to be loved. His heart beats for someone. He just fights to acknowledge it.”
    I think about her story. “Faith, do you think I am Locke’s match? Is that why I have been brought here?” I hope she doesn’t say yes, because it will make me feel bad when I leave. She lifts my hand and turns it over, my palm facing upward. “Ye both bear the crescent moon. Ye aren’t just matched with my son, ye are destined for him.”
    That damn birthmark again. If I’m so destined to be with Locke, why the continuous mention of her other son? “Then why…” I don’t really know how to finish that question. These strange people, in this strange era, keep speaking in circles.
    Faith simply laughs, tapping my thigh. “Locke, as ye have learned very quickly, is a bit rough around the edges. He knows the way of life here. He is just refusing to accept it. He thinks he is not good enough to take on the king’s seat. He is being foolish by trying to offer ye to Christof. But we all know that’s not what this world has planned. The book never lies, my sweet child. All we have to do is dangle ye in front of his brother and then we wait until he breaks.” She smiles widely.

I t was shortly after Faith’s admission that I asked to return back to my room. I felt semi sick to my stomach, and I knew that I needed some alone time to take all this in. In a short amount of time, I have come to realize that my dad, still being my dad, was not who I thought he was. He actually comes from a different world, which he left because he fell in love. He broke an alliance with a family who had dibs on their first daughter, aka me , and when he left, he left a lineage open to die off and an entire land without a future King and Queen. As for the rest of Faith’s babble walking back up to the castle, she explained that, per the book of Wren, the next born children who bore the crescent moon would be the next to take the thrown. Locke bears the mark in his iris. I bear it on my wrist. Bingo. And here we are.
    The problem is, not that it matters in the end since I’m so outta here first chance I get, but if it’s not obvious, Locke doesn’t like me. Which is fine because I certainly don’t like him. He has clearly made it known that he has no interest in marrying, which will end up working in his favor, since no female will be attracted to that rude, angry attitude he carries with him. He might be very attractive. Okay, so maybe he’s the hottest guy I have ever laid eyes on, but bring his attitude into the picture and it makes him one big ole jerk.
    Faith ended our walk back with a few more kind details about her other son, Christof. He sounded completely opposite of Locke. Maybe sticking by this one until I leave sounded like a better plan. She returned me as requested to my room and said how she