Lila thought about her ‘love magic’, as she and Evan called it. Did men think about things like panty lines or what it meant if there weren’t any? It might make Evan’s job harder if every man was ogling her ass all night. She wondered if introducing him as her mate or her mating scent would deter other men. Sebastian had promised to stay close all night just in case Lila got mobbed. That discussion had seriously dampened her enthusiasm for the party.
When she was dressed and made up, and looking like a not-so-slutty-but-still-sexy Vampirella, Lila went down to the second floor to help Evan with his makeup. He had done his hair, darkening it and slicking it back with hair product, and he looked very dapper in the pinstriped pants, wingtips, and suspenders over his shirt and tie. The thing that struck Lila was that he looked comfortable in the clothes. They weren’t a costume to him.
“Did you enjoy the 20’s and 30’s, Evan?” she asked as she applied dark shadows around his eyes.
“So-so,” Evan rested his hands on Lila’s waist and caressed her. He was going to have a hard time keeping his hands off her tonight.
“What did you do back then?”
“Same t’ing everyone else did, ran liquor and guns.”
Lila paused and looked at him.
“Seriously? You were a mobster?”
Evan nodded, an amused smile on his face.
“Did you work with the big names?”
“No. I was in New York City then. Most of the gangs were human. I kept a low profile as a guard, never standin’ out, but still doin’ the job well enough.”
Evan’s hands had drifted down to Lila’s ass, caressed her, and pulled her close. He was staring at her dark red lips and leaning so close that Lila was leaning back to see what she was doing. Finally she realized what he was doing and looked into his eyes.
“Tell me, Angel, did you not wear your undergarments so that you could torture me all night? That’s very naughty of you.”
“Actually, I didn’t want panty lines, and if you mess up my lipstick, we’ll be late.”
Evan kissed her anyway, but with the barest touch of his lips. It shot a volt of desire right to her core and Lila clenched all the muscles in her abdomen.
“Who’s doing the torture now?” she asked breathily.
Evan smiled with satisfaction and stepped back far enough for her to finish drawing on his mustache.
He put his jacket on and gave Lila his elbow as they left the room.
Downstairs, Sebastian was waiting. He was dressed as a Musketeer, complete with feathered hat and two swords, one long and one short. Lila laughed when he gave her a courtly bow.
“Are those your swords, Teacher?”
“They are, and yes, it is for your safety, but just a precaution. We do not expect trouble tonight, Lila, do not worry. Besides, the other two will be joining me.”
“Other two Musketeers? Who?”
“Xander and James.”
Sebastian smiled fondly at her, and Lila noticed that the beard he had been growing for the last two weeks was now trimmed to a goatee and mustache in the 16th century fashion, or the Hollywood version of the Musketeers, at least.
“So can I call you Aramis, tonight, or would you rather be Athos?”
“Why not Porthos?” he countered.
“James is Porthos; worldly, loves wine and women. You could be either Athos, the nobleman, or Aramis the pious one, take your pick.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her.
“What other classics have you read?”
“Lots of them, but Dumas is my favorite romance writer.”
“Alexander Dumas did NOT write romances.”
“Says you. Did you ever read La Dame de Monsoreau? Total romance.”
“Both of those stories were historical novels!” Sebastian corrected.
“And no historical novel is complete without a romance in it. Give it up, Teacher, you're never going to win this argument. Where do you think all the modern romance writers get their ideas from? The classics.”
Sebastian had to smile. As they walked to the car he said, “So I guess that you didn”t read Robinson Crusoe?”
“I did.”
“But there’s no romance in it,” he teased.
“There is totally a Bromance in that one. It might not be a Broke Back Mountain, but there is definitely something between Crusoe and Friday.”
Both men laughed as Evan drove and Lila entertained them with her hidden romantic plots of the classics.
There were quite a lot of people already at the party by the time they arrived. The large entry space was buzzing with excitement as people greeted each other and admired costumes. There was a four piece band tucked into the curve of a grand staircase that wound up to a second floor with a mezzanine.
A server offered them champagne, and Sebastian took one, handed it to Lila, and then guided her and Evan into one of the rooms off the entry. It was a large room decorated in a style that Lila had only seen in movies about kings and queens. The walls were painted with scenes of pastoral picnics and maidens on swings. The furniture was gilded in gold and covered in velvet, and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Most of the room was empty, but a bar at the far end was busy serving liquor to men standing around in conversation.
A hat with an ostrich feather in it stood out in the crowd, and Evan and Sebastian headed for it, finding Alexander wearing a blue poncho with a white fleur-de-lis on the front that matched Sebastian’s. He was also wearing tight pants, high leather boots, a leather vest over a pirate shirt, and a sword on his hip.
“Evening, Lila, Sebastian, Evan.” Xander’s greeting brought Lila to every man’s attention, and they turned to take in the newcomers. They were all mages, dressed in a variety of historical costumes ranging from a King Henry pick-a-number, to a couple of mobsters. Lila recognised the Mage elders among them. They all looked very interested in Lila, some even stepping closer. She cursed her magic attraction.
Lila stepped back and closer to Evan who put his arm around her waist.
“I say, Alexander, you didn’t tell us that Sebastian’s new student was a beauty,” one leering man said. He was dressed similarly to Evan, but he also wore a hat.
“That is because she is already mated, Frederick,” Sebastian said, and stepped in close to Lila’s other side.
The crowd of men deflated noticeably at Sebastian’s words, and a few turned away from the conversation to continue their own.
“Mated?” Frederick asked in surprise. “To you?”
Frederick and the men who still hovered near her made Lila nervous. She felt like she was being assessed for her usefulness, be it sexual, social, or political.
“To me,” Evan answered in an unfriendly tone.
“You!?” Frederick and a few of the men closest to him looked horrified by the thought.
“Aye,” Evan smiled just enough to show his fangs, “And it’s a True mating.”
“But you’re a vampire!”
“Aye, I am, and I’m bound to her,” Evan’s voice had turned threatening.
Multiple sets of eyes went wide as the mages looked at the couple using their magic. One or two gasped when they saw mage magic inside the vampire. “Impossible,” and “incredible” were muttered in low tones.
“Gentlemen, remember your studies,” Alexander said to the group,”The Chosen One has arrived, and It is a She.”
Xander’s words sparked some heated exclamations:
“Impossible!”
“A true mating can’t happen between races!”
“The prophecy said nothing about vampires!”
“Alexander, if she’s the Chosen One, you must get that vampire away from her!”
This from ‘white guy number one,’ Robur? Hamill? Lila had never learned the difference.
“He’ll suck her dry!”
Evan turned Lila away from the mages in disgust. Of course they’d fall back to prejudice. Nearly every one of those men had hired him at one time or ano
ther, either as a guard or for his interrogation skills, but they considered him to be beneath them. He was a tool to be used, not a colleague to be respected. He walked Lila over to the bar and ordered himself a whiskey. Lila put her untouched glass of champagne down and took hold of his hand.
“Care for somet’in’ else?” he asked.
Lila shook her head and squeezed his hand. She could feel Evan’s irritation and disdain for the mages, and something else. Was it doubt? Did Evan worry that others would see him as unworthy, or did he think he was unworthy of being mated to her? How could she fight either of those worries here tonight? Lila stepped into Evan’s side pulling the hand she was holding around her waist. She leaned into him and whispered,”I chose you, Evan, forever.”
Sebastian joined them and ordered a whiskey as the bartender poured Evan’s. Without a pause, the bartender reached below the counter for another glass and poured another. Sebastian raised his glass to Evan and Lila and said, ”Here’s to finding out who will support the Chosen One.”
Sebastian and Evan drank, and Lila stared at Sebastian. Had this encounter been planned? If so, why hadn’t Sebastian warned them?
“I am sorry, Lila, I do not think that Xander had planned to reveal your status so soon.” Sebastian said quietly. The three of them moved away from the bar before any more unwanted attention could be aimed at her.
“You don’t think he’s testing me?” Lila asked.
“No student, he’s testing them.”
“Who are those men?”
“The most powerful or influential mages in the territory. After the council, their opinion matters the most.”
Lila gave the group a sideways glance.
“Mages,” Evan said with derision. He was following their heated conversation with Xander, and picking up some disturbing words, such as “proof,” “supervise,” and “control.”
“We’d better leave before they ask for a demonstration,” Bastian said. He’d also been listening.
Evan took Lila’s hand and followed Sebastian back out into the central foyer. She gripped his hand, nervous and wary of their next encounter. As the tingles from Evan bubbled through her, she calmed a bit, his energy soothing her agitation from being so openly assessed. She understood now what Xander had meant when he told her that mages felt like she belonged to them foremost. Their shock and disbelief over her mating a vampire warned her that they would be slow to accept her as their Chosen One. So be it, she hadn’t asked to be made their savior.
“Bastian!”
A high pitched female voice cut into Lila’s thoughts. When she looked up, she saw a petite woman dressed in an Elizabethan gown floating towards them. Catherine DuBois held her hand up to Sebastian and he kissed it.
“How I love it when you put on your uniform!” she said to him with a wink.
“Catherine. Thank you for inviting us. You look as beautiful as ever.”
She preened under his attention, and then seemed to notice Lila.
“Ah, the young student! How are you tolerating your teacher’s torture?”
Lila smiled.
“I’m surviving.”
Catherine’s eyes suddenly went wide and she looked between Sebastian and Lila. Then she looked confused.
“Bastian, what have you done?”
“What do you mean?”
Catherine continued to scrutinize Lila and Sebastian.
“For a moment I thought you bound her to you, but I see it is not you she is mated to. Who then?”
Evan sighed. Lila squeezed his hand and pulled him close.
“Evan O’Connell,” Lila said.
Catherine seemed to notice him for the first time.
“The bodyguard?” Catherine sounded incredulous, but then she inspected Evan’s tall frame and handsome face. “Shame on you, Bastian, for not advising your student to make an advantageous match.”
“It would have made no difference, Catherine,” Sebastian answered, as he looked at his student fondly, “Her magic chose him, and perhaps her heart.”
Catherine looked at Lila and Evan again, and gasped when she saw Lila’s binding around his heart.
“How extraordinary!” she breathed. “It is a new bond, no? Does your council know?” The last was directed at Evan.
“Not yet.”
“Oh what a thrill! Artois is here tonight, let me help you find him,” Catherine looked around excitedly, “I want to see his face when you tell him.” Not seeing the person she was looking for, Catherine took Lila’s free hand and pulled her towards the doors to the room they had not been in yet. “Come, Ma Cherie, we must find him immediately.”
“Who is Artois?” Lila asked.
“The Vampire Council Head,” Catherine said matter of factly.
Lila looked at Evan for more of an explanation.
“We need to visit the office and register our mating,” he said.
“Oh...Why?”
“For legal purposes.”
Lila thought about shared assets, and for the first time wondered if Evan was rich. Then she wondered if Magiques had prenuptial agreements. Vampires probably didn’t if they mated for life. Lila’s musings were interrupted by Catherine introducing her to a very handsome and young Henry pick-a-number. 4th maybe, Lila thought looking at his long curly wig, frilly collar and cuffs, and brocade coat over matching knickers and high heeled shoes.
“Monsieur Claude Artois, I am pleased to present to you Madame Lila and her mate, Monsieur Evan O’Connell.”
Catherine had a mischievous glint in her eye and she watched Artois carefully. Lila wondered if she was hoping he would be shocked or dismayed by the news.
Artois studied Lila and Evan for a minute impassively, a thin smile on his handsome face. Then his nose flared and something like recognition crossed his face. He stared at Lila, his black eyes so intense that she looked at his mouth, fearing he might enthrall her.
“Congratulations, Evan,” he said, lifting his glass of champagne to them. “Finding a true mate is rare. You are a very lucky man.” He drank down his glass.
“Oh Claude, you are no fun,” Catherine chided. “I thought you would at least be shocked to see that your rival has retired from the game of love.”
Rival? Game? Had Evan competed for women with this guy?
Just then Lila saw red in her peripheral vision, and Jessica Rabbit appeared next to Claud Artois. She was as beautiful and sexy as her character, and it looked like red was her natural hair color---or she had a really good dye job.
“My, my,” she said,”I never would have guessed that Evan O’Connell would deign to attend a party thrown by the upper echelon.”
“Isobel.”
Evan’s outer countenance was cool and collected, but Lila felt his shock and alarm at seeing this woman through their bond. Ex-lover? She was a vampire, and very beautiful.
“It’s been a long time, Evan, hasn’t it?”
The woman, Isobel, had an Italian accent, and only had eyes for Evan. There was a possessive tone in her voice every time she said his name.
Lila instantly disliked her, and her magic flared, sending an agitated rush to Evan through their bond. Instead of the usual bubbly light feeling, he felt sharp pin pricks slide up his arm uncomfortably. He looked at her expecting her expression to be venomous from the feel of her magic, but Lila’s expression was neutral. He squeezed her hand and sent approval through the bond.
“Angel, this is Isobel De Medici, a former acquaintance, and lover from a century or two ago.”
Lila thought he emphasized the word ‘century’ as a dig to the woman’s age. It was obvious to Lila that he didn’t like or trust her anymore, if he ever did. She squeezed his hand again. Way to get a dig in Baby.
“Isobel, this my True Mate, Lila Bell.”
There was a flash of surprised dismay in the woman’s eyes before she looked at Lila. Evan squeezed her hand this time, he’d seen it too.
“How do you do, Ms. De Medici?” Lila said with all the
cultured politeness a girl who grew up with the circus could muster. “May I ask if you are related to The De Medicis? The great medieval patron family?” Lila emphasized the word for it’s reference to age, but it could just as easily be taken as a compliment for its association to the great family, so it wasn’t an overt insult unless taken that way. The slight pause that the woman took before answering told Lila that she took the former reference. Well of course she did, she was dressed as Jessica Rabbit after all, and without Roger anywhere in sight. How much more vain can you get?
“Yessss. I have descended many times from the patron family.”
“Don’t be so modest, Isobel,” Catherine said,”You are a direct and close descendant.”
Lila turned her head to Catherine to cover her smirk. Was Catherine digging at the woman too?
“Well…” Isobel tried to recover, ”Modesty is more becoming,” she gave Lila a barely there lip twitch of distaste.
“So Ms. Bell, what sorcery did you use to hook yourself such an eligible bachelor?”
Was that a prostitute reference?
Evan answered for her.
“No sorcery, and after Monday, you may call her Mrs. O’Connell.”
Isobel couldn’t cover up the face she made this time, but before she said any more, Artois jumped in.
“Congratulations to both of you. I would be honored to sign as witness to the registry. Please call me on Monday so that I may meet you at the office.”
The sincerity in Artois’s voice surprised Evan. In all the years that he’d known the man, he’d never once suspected that Artois was searching for a mate. Before he could think any more on it, Catherine exclaimed, ”Oh my dear Lila, you must have a party to celebrate your mating! And I can help you to invite all the important people.”
Lila and Evan sent each other shocks of alarm, but Lila recovered first.
“That is so kind, Catherine, but I hadn’t planned to have a party here in New Castle. My family lives in Florida, so that is where I’ll celebrate our binding.” Lila used the mage word purposely, just to dig at the vampire ex-lover a bit more. After all, she could sense their blood bond. Evan squeezed her hand in approval.
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