by Hayley Todd
She then dipped low, helping me to step my feet into the long gown and pulling it up under my arms. I had nearly forgotten how gorgeous this dress was with its long draped V-neck and its sheer train. She zipped up the back and even hooked tiny slots along the corset to attach it to the dress. One wasn’t coming off without the other, which I felt fortunate for.
I then helped her in the same way, shimmying the dress over her full hips and attaching it to her corset beneath. She looked simply stunning. The silver looked glorious on her, accentuated by her dark hair and now golden-red eyes. They had almost completely changed shade now, showing a color like a summer sunset.
“Kellic, your eyes,” I said on a gasp.
“I know,” she replied, rolling her eyes in return. “So much for baby blues.” She laughed, making it evident that she wasn’t particularly hurt by the change. “Damien says it’s something to do with my power. I don’t specialize in ice or water or electricity like some people. Instead, I have some sort of fire ability. So, amber eyes.” She gestured at her round eyes as she said it.
I nodded. It was odd, but it made sense. Eye colors seemed to be indicative of what type of power Magicks wielded. Mine were blue, matching the energy within me, hers were now amber.
She lifted a box I hadn’t noticed sitting on the bench at the back of the dressing room and opened it. Inside was the gorgeous silver tiara from the boutique. “You went back for it?” I asked.
“I left with it,” she replied with a smile. “I had just finished paying for it before the explosion.”
She lifted the thin piece of metal and placed it on the crown of my head, flipping my hair though the legs of it and twisting it into a half up and half down hairstyle. A glance in the mirror showed me a stunningly beautiful princess and I nearly didn’t believe it was me.
She led me out of the room to the sound of several gasps. My mother and Gabrielle stood there, wearing nearly identical dresses to Kellic’s. My mom’s mouth was open wide and she pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel her tears dropping on my skin.
“Mom,” I whispered, embarrassed, “it’s just a dress.”
“No,” my mom wailed dramatically. “It’s your dress. It’s so perfect and you look amazing!”
She turned and yanked Kellic into a hug too, making me laugh. “And you Kellic! You look fantastic too!” As they pulled apart, I could see Anton and Carson. They had been discussing something when we had excited and now stared wide eyed at Kellic and I. Each of them sported the same goofy expression and I laughed again. This day was shaping up to be much better than the night before it and for that, I was sincerely glad.
Carson met me in a crushing embrace, pulling me into his arms. He kissed me hard and my cheeks lit with fire. He pressed his forehead to mine, breathing his sweet breath across my skin. “You look gorgeous,” he whispered.
“Thank you,” I replied, pulling away at last. I let my eyes very obviously rove over his form in approval. “You’re not so bad yourself, handsome,” I chimed with a grin.
A joyous smile spread across his face and I hadn’t realized how tense he had been. It all seemed to have washed away now, making the difference as obvious as day and night.
Liam stood quietly in the background, watching the room carefully. He seemed to be playing the stoic shadow type of body guard tonight and there wasn’t really anything wrong with it. I hadn’t found any more desire to be near him than I had in the interrogation room. I didn’t dislike him exactly, he just liked to stand way too close to me and for that, I wasn’t a fan.
Kellic looked down from her phone though I had no idea where she might’ve been hiding it. Her eyes were wide as she read the large clock numbers on the face. “We’re behind schedule! It’s time for hair and makeup!” she cried, tapping the front of the phone impatiently. She soared out of the room, which made her look like a streak of lightning in her silver dress.
“Kellic, dear!” Gabrielle called after her, “Your shoes!” she held aloft a pair of silver heels and I looked down to see Kellic scooting across the ground barefoot. Gabrielle grinned at her daughter as she slinked back to us, snatching the shoes and sliding them on.
She looked up at me, realizing the steps she had skipped. “Your heels are in the dressing room,” she directed. I stepped back into the small room and found a box near the tiara’s box. I opened it, quickly revealing a gorgeous pair of strappy silver stiletto pumps. They were several inches tall and I dreaded learning to walk in them on such short notice. But as I slipped them on, I found no difficulty in maneuvering in them and strutted across the room just to make sure.
I felt Carson and Liam’s eyes watching me but tried to ignore it. After several solid steps, I could tell that it wouldn’t be as difficult as I had thought to walk in them and made my way back up to the group. My mother had her hand rested on Gabrielle’s shoulder as she slipped her shoes on. Gabrielle already wore hers.
“Okay,” Kellic said, breathless. “Now, for hair and makeup.” And with that she dragged us down the halls until we came upon an unassuming room with a small tag beside the door reading “Salon”.
“Damien has a literal salon?” I asked as she yanked us through.
Chapter Thirty
It didn’t take long for them to finish our hair and makeup which was fortunate by Kellic’s watch. Kellic, Gabrielle, and my mother wore their dark hair pulled up into delicate buns on their heads, letting thin strands hang around their faces. For me, the stylist had solidified Kellic’s style, sweeping half of my hair up and around the tiara while letting the rest fall along my shoulders in delicate curls.
My makeup hadn’t been dramatic but I agreed with this, leaving most of the visual allure to the dress and tiara. It made for an astoundingly beautiful outfit. I was honored to get to wear it.
When we’d reached the salon without me breaking my neck, I began to trust a little more in Kellic’s style of heel. Or maybe my vampire reflexes made the heels no match for me.
Carson gripped my arm as we made our way back to the foyer which was filled with Magicks of every shape, size, and ethnicity. Damien stood at the balcony overlooking the chaos below. We rounded the corner and he turned to take us in.
He stepped up a pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice squeezed with emotion. “You look stunning, my daughter,” he said when he pulled away. He looked me over once before turning his gaze up to Carson’s. “Thank you for keeping my daughter safe, Carson,” he said. They shook hands and stepped apart, allowing Gabrielle, Kellic, and my mother to step closer.
Damien swept his gaze over Anton and Kellic who were speaking in light tones with smiles on their faces. He then approached my mother and gathered her into a hug, kissing the top of her head.
It was a beautiful imagery and I had to choke back tears at the thought of my once thought dead mother and absentee father sharing in this beautiful occasion with me. Now if only Will had been there to join us.
I tried not to let the crestfallen disappointment cross my face but Carson’s fingers entwined mine and a glance to him showed knowing sympathy. I just had to make it through this night and then we would be out, looking for Will. That thought quelled some of my pitiful feelings.
Damien stepped back from us after issuing his greetings, looking over all of us as a group. “After all the careful planning and setbacks, it is finally time to crown my daughter. I expect everyone to be carefully vigilant in the night to come, looking for any hint of Henrick’s hand.”
Our group issued small affirmations to this, shifting perhaps a step closer to one another.
“Carson, Anton, and Liam, please help my daughter enjoy tonight but do not let her out of your sight.” All three of them nodded, eyes on me.
My cheeks went ablaze under their scrutiny.
My father looked down at me. “The General Magick public will be entering before you. Then your entourage will be announced and led in, followed shortly by you and Carson. The beginning of the ball is more about greeting the
people. Eventually, the suitor’s dance will be announced and everyone will break off into pairs. After that, you will be formally crowned and the rest of the evening will be allowed to play out. If anyone notices anything amiss, please notify me immediately.” His voice was serious in that instant.
A collection of nods and assent responded.
We watched quietly while hundreds of figures made their way through the door, talking amongst themselves and entered the doors at the base of the steps. It was a long process and we took the time to chat until it was our turn to enter.
Carson stayed close to me, keeping me neatly tucked under his arm for the entire wait time. He was tense and his eyes scanned the room every few seconds.
“Are you okay?” I finally asked, impatient with the silence. I pressed my hand against his hard chest, feeling the heat radiate from him.
He looked down at me and I was taken with the torn expression on his face. He wanted to talk to me, to share a private moment but it was obvious he also didn’t want to miss anything in the world around us. “Are you?” He replied, checking my face for reaction then scanning the crowd again.
I sighed, running my fingers across his chest and watched the way the fabric rippled beneath my fingertip. His warmth was so intense that I felt it regardless of his thick clothing. “I’m fine,” I replied. He gazed down at me with a raised eyebrow for a moment longer then back up at the crowd. “Okay, I’m kind’ve ready for this to be over already,” I said quickly.
He smiled fondly down at me, leaned his lips to my ear and whispered, “Honestly? Me too.”
“What will it be like when this is all over?” I asked him. The thought had never really occurred to me but when I was princess and the dust settled what would we do? Where would we go?
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I guess whatever we want,” he replied.
“Do we have to stay close by?” I didn’t want to move away but I was curious how much freedom a princess had.
“Well, we’d probably have to run it by your dad but theoretically, we could go wherever we wanted. Did you have someplace in mind?” He asked.
I had always wanted to travel the world but I had left school immediately plunging into opening the club. “Well, I don’t want to move away. I have the club to run. But I’d love to do some travel. Paris, London, Rome. Maybe you could show me around.”
He laughed. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Rome proper. But I would take a stab at trying.”
“What about you?” I asked.
He ran his hand up the back of his neck. “Wherever you are,” he replied, tenderly looking down at me.
I leaned up on my toes—kind’ve surprised that I still needed to in these heels—and pressed a kiss to his lips. He kissed back, for a moment longer than was proper. When we parted, he was breathing heavily, his green eyes hungry.
He tucked a hair away from my face. “I could never imagine a moment without you, Kyra,” he said seriously, watching my face.
A thought crossed my mind and my cheeks inflamed. He run his thumb along them and I knew he’d seen my blush. “Now, what thought has you doing that?” He asked playfully. I think he already knew.
I took a long second looking at him before I forced the words out. “So, do vampires get married and go on honeymoons?” I asked, choking the words past a blockage that had formed in my throat.
He laughed at my discomfort, kissing me chastely. “They do,” he replied. “Is that something you’re interested in?”
“Well...I...uh…” I spluttered, causing him to laugh again. I cleared my throat before I could finally respond. “Um, yeah. Eventually.”
“We have an eternity to ponder it,” he replied curling his fingers around mine. I smiled up at him, unsure what I’d done to deserve him, already unsure of what I'd do without him.
He was right. We had an eternity to decide what to do with ourselves. Once we closed this chapter with Henrick anyway. I started picturing a life with us. Many late nights, dancing together, knowing nothing but each other's pleasures. I consider spending joyous evenings dancing at the club, Kellic and Anton and Will with us, feasting and drinking and having fun. I thought about Kellic and Anton being a couple and it surprisingly formed easily into my mind. Her no nonsense but ever perky personality seemed to mesh well with his running right on the line of snotty prep. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad for him in the future.
I daydreamed many scenarios. Carson and I marrying, Kellic as my maid of honor, Will as his best man. They would love each other when they got a chance to finally hang out. We would all have babies at some point, little mini-mes running around our feet. Picturing Carson as a dad warmed my heart. It occurred to me that I didn't know much about his family life.
“So, are your mom and dad…?” I trailed off, realizing how the question would sound.
“Alive?” He supplied. “My mother isn't. She was killed in an a witch hunt back in the days of old. She was a wonderful woman. She was a witch and stunningly lovely but she had a soft spot for humans and it ended up being her downfall. My father is a powerful Incubus but since being cast out of their society due to my hybridism, we don't exactly have a relationship.”
“Any siblings?”
He sighed at the thought. “Not with both my mother and father. I have two siblings, a succubus younger sister and an incubus older brother. Both from my father. I don't know them well. My brother is ancient but my sister was only born in the last century. I only know about her from acquaintances.” Hurt crossed his features and I couldn't fathom being cast away from your family for something that wasn't something you could choose.
“Are you hybrid with anything else?” I asked, trying to turn the conversation in a different direction.
He looked me over, scrutinizing me carefully. “Yes. I actually have a touch of Magick blood in me.” He winked at me and I was entirely uncertain if he was being serious or if he'd only been teasing.
“Really?” I asked, my eyes wide.
He nodded. “Yes. I-I…” He trailed off, looking confused.
“What?” I asked, alarmed.
“I was changed. By Achillia,” he replied.
What? I thought through every memory I had experienced of Achillia’s. I hadn't recalled any sort of odd bloodletting to change him from a hybrid to...what? More of a hybrid?
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He paused, screwing his face up in thought. Under less serious circumstances, it would've been funny. Instead, the expression kind've broke my heart. I placed a hand on his arm. “What's wrong?” I asked, tenderly.
“My memory of it is confused. I...remember two different things. I remember getting hurt and Achillia healing me. She did something to her blood. But, I also remember something about that ritual…”
I recalled back to the vision that showed me Achillia’s demise. A bottle uncorked and a red liquid dumped into his mouth…
“I-I remember that. They poured a vial of red liquid into your mouth. It...it sparkled with power.”
He took a deep breath. “Yes, that was Achillia's blood.” I stared at him for a long moment. “I don't know how I know. I just know,” he replied after several seconds of silence.
“Do you get anything special from that?” I asked him.
He looked down at me and grinned. “What, dear, are you bored of my hybridism already?” I was sure I must've looked as stunned as I felt at the comment because he fully laughed then. “I do, actually. I have a heightened resistance to magick. Other than that, I'm not sure.”
A heightened resistance, huh?
I poked a finger into his chest and he watched me warily. I gently tugged energy from the air, pulling it into me and pushing it through the end of my finger. The tip of my finger exploded in microscopic bolts of electricity.
His eyes went wide and he grabbed for my wrist. “You can practice with that at a later time,” he said. He smiled and kissed the inside of my palm. “Your control is getting better al
ready,” he observed.
I lifted my hand and called the energy to me, forming it into a ball in my palm. It came to me effortless now.
My mother appeared over his shoulder, eyeing my sphere of magick. “You've been practicing!” She shrieked. She stared at the ball of light and her interest had drawn the looks of our crowd of friends and bodyguards.
I caught sight of a bitter Liam glaring at me over her shoulder. Carson watched him carefully, aware of his furious gaze on me. I tried not to focus on him, ignoring the daggers he shot with his glare. It was obvious that Liam had a bias against anyone with a manifesting ability. And I knew I was much younger than Magicks usually were at this point.
Carson gazed at me curiously. I looked back at him, afraid to admit what Liam had told me in front of him. In a group of Magick royal family, I didn't know that they'd take kindly to the assertion.
Fortunately a matronly woman rushed up to us right then, cutting our conversation to a close. “Lords and ladies,” she said, bowing. “It is time for you to be introduced.” She turned and guided us down to now empty foyer and we stood before the sets of doors along the stairwell, awaiting our introduction to the entire Magick court.
Chapter Thirty-One
As we approached the door, I could hear fanfare from the other side. There was the blade of what sounded like trumpets following by a microphone casting words for all to hear.
“Introducing, Lady Kellic Santina, accompanied by Lord Anton Van Murg.” The doors swung open and Anton actually took Kellic’s arm in his. He seemed to be more suited to this royalty thing than he let on. Kellic grinned up at him and he whispered something in her ear which made her giggle. Then he led her into the room beyond, to the roar of hundreds of vampires.
All I could see before the doors slipped closed behind them was a line of all the way to the other end of the room, watching their footsteps carefully and curiously. The entire room was dressed in elegant ball gowns and tuxedos, dazzling colors swirling through the crowd.