Xcite Delights Book 1 Read Online Free

to stay in the sun.’ Skyggen dropped her body into the one chair in front of Mirjam’s television. ‘No offence, honey, but I was sick of being beaten down by your force of will. I wanted to stay, so I stayed.’
    Mirjam sat on the edge of her bed and gazed at her shadow’s manner of dress. ‘It looks like you’ve done very well for yourself.’
    Sticking out her bronzed left hand, Skyggen showed off a rock too big to be real. Though this detached shadow of hers appeared gaudy enough to wear paste, Mirjam had a niggling feeling the diamond was real. ‘You’re getting married?’ she asked. Before she’d lost Skyggen, Mirjam would have felt a pang of jealousy at times like these. Was it fair for her shadow to obtain these things Mirjam only coveted? Now, Mirjam dismissed all negative thoughts. She felt numb … and somewhat nauseous.
    A nod of affirmation wasn’t enough for Skyggen. She had to go on and on about it. ‘… and this won’t be just any old drive-through wedding! We’re planning a seven-day celebration for the whole village. Oh, the villagers love him … well, love him and fear him. You should see how they cower. I tell you, we can’t walk down the street without being given gifts of all kinds: fruits and gold and chocolates …’
    There was an absence at the base of Mirjam’s happiness for her shadow. She felt her joy ought to be balanced out by some emotion on the other end of the spectrum. Envy, though sinful, would have brought down her saccharine high.
    ‘That’s wonderful,’ Mirjam replied through gritted teeth. Her jaw seemed to have locked again. She had to massage the pain from her cheeks before saying, ‘I’m so happy for you. When is the wedding?’
    Skyggen grabbed her hands and squeezed. Her eyes glared with such intensity Mirjam feared her for a quick moment. ‘That’s why I’ve come here, honey. I’ve felt so guilty for leaving you all alone! I just couldn’t go through with this wedding without you by my side. Of course I’ll pay your expenses. I mean, look at me! I’m richer than rich!’ With a Hollywood kiss for both cheeks, Skyggen brought Mirjam in for an unemotional hug. ‘You’re like a sister to me! How could I get married without you?’
    Mirjam wasn’t sure how to feel. Even as she boarded the plane, she had a strange feeling about this whole affair. She believed Skyggen was her lost shadow, but she had a suspicion the flashy woman was being less than truthful about something
    Onboard, Mirjam’s heart swelled when she found herself seated next to a handsome young man. True, her beauty had deteriorated since her shadow split, but certainly she was still capable of flirtation. He was adorable, this boy with dimples and floppy brown hair. Better yet, he seemed intrigued as Mirjam introduced Skyggen and told him the bizarre story of their separation. ‘Meanwhile, I had no idea why I felt so weak and incomplete. It all makes sense now, but it was very frightening at the time.’
    ‘I imagine so,’ the boy said, smiling at Mirjam … or was that smile meant for Skyggen?
    ‘Yes,’ Mirjam went on. ‘I used to work an executive job in advertising, but after Skyggen left, I couldn’t bring myself to do it any more. All the lies we told! It made me sick – physically. As if a deodorant could make a woman more beautiful, or a beer make a man more attractive! We were brainwashing a nation.’ She shook her head. ‘I had to quit.’
    Skyggen squeezed Mirjam’s hand so hard it hurt. ‘You know,’ Skyggen said to the boy, ‘I was the one who got her that job in the first place.’
    ‘That’s true,’ Mirjam confessed. ‘I didn’t want to do it, but a little voice in my head persuaded me to lie on my resume. I claimed I had a Master’s degree, when in fact I dropped out after my first year of undergrad. That’s partly why I quit: I couldn’t bear all the lies.’
    ‘And ever since, her fortune’s dwindled. When I found her, she was living in a