“Oh, okay,” I said awkwardly. She smiled.
“You’re far more beautiful in person,” she said, eyes sweeping over my face. Heat filled my cheeks. “Those silly photos in the papers don’t do you justice.”
“Um… Thanks.”
“I’m going to go and get some drinks,” Blaine said after clearing his throat. He stood up, placing his hand on my shoulder as he moved around me. “Good luck,” he muttered in my ear before slipping away.
I looked back at Angela suddenly feeling like I was under a microscope. I might not have a problem with facing off with Darren, but I’d never met his mother before. And I didn’t want to alienate both of his parents.
“Relax,” she finally said. “I’m not as scary as my husband.”
“I disagree,” I admitted with a small smile. She raised an eyebrow in the same way Blaine did.
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t find him scary.”
“But you find me scary?”
“A little.”
She laughed.
“As long as you’re good to my son, you have no reason to fear me.”
“Has he talked to you about… this?”
If he wanted to leave me alone with his mother, there was no way I wasn’t going to use this opportunity to get some information.
“He has,” she confirmed, “reluctantly.”
“So you know the truth?”
“I know his truth,” she replied with a searching look. “But I’m just trying to figure out yours.”
“My truth?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“My marriage was arranged too,” she explained, crossing her legs and leaning back a little. “I know how it feels to be paired with someone you don’t know. Most people make it work but Blaine isn’t most people. Even as a child, I couldn’t get him to do anything he didn’t want to. And he always knew what he wanted and what he didn’t. This is the first time he doesn’t know.”
I lowered my gaze to my hands. My eyes were instantly drawn to the ring on my finger.
“But you know what you want,” she added, making me look up again.
“How do you know that?”
“I’m observant,” she said dismissively. “And in the two minutes I’ve seen you two together, I can tell that you love him.”
I stiffened at her words.
“I’ve only known him a few months.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “I can see it anyway.”
I wanted to argue with her. I didn’t love Blaine. At least, I didn’t think I did. I hadn’t been in love before so I had no idea what it felt like.
“He loves you too, you know,” she added. I stared at her.
“What?”
“He won’t admit it but he does.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know my son. And even though he hasn’t said it out loud, he does.”
“If you’re so sure he does then why doesn’t he want to go through with this arrangement?”
“There are many reasons,” she said, frowning a little.
“Like what?”
Blaine chose that moment to reappear, carrying a tray. He placed it on the table between us.
“Thank you, darling,” Angela said with a smile. She picked up one of the mugs, holding my gaze as she lifted it to her lips. I could feel Blaine looking at me so I tore my gaze away from Angela and gave him a small smile.
“Thanks,” I said as he pushed a mug of tea towards me.
“Did I miss much?” he asked.
“Just a little girl talk,” Angela said.
Blaine and his mum dominated the conversation while I sipped my drink, contemplating what she’d said to me. When she went to use the bathroom, Blaine turned to face me.
“You’ve gone quiet,” he observed. I lowered my mug to the table.
“I’m okay.”
“Did something happen while I was gone?”
“No,” I said, a little too quickly.
“Did she say something? She can be a bit… honest.”
I couldn’t help but smirk.
“Nothing like that.”
“Then why do you seem… off?”
“I’m meeting your mother for the first time,” I reminded him with a weak smile. “It’s… weird.”
He shifted his chair a little closer to mine.
“If it makes you feel any better,” he said, taking my hands in his, “she likes you.”
“She’s only known me for twenty minutes.”
“Trust me, she would’ve told you if she didn’t like you by now.”
“My father’s the King,” I snorted. “She would not say that to me.”
“I did within twenty seconds of meeting you,” he reminded me. I rolled my eyes.
“Well you’re an asshole.”
“Where do you think I got that from?”
“I just assumed you got it from your father.”
He chuckled.
“Maybe I got a little bit of assholeness from both of them.”
“Shame you didn’t inherit any charm.”
“I can be charming.”
“Is that so?”
He lifted my hand up to his lips and kissed it. I rolled my eyes.
“That’s not charm. That’s just cheesy.”
He smirked and leaned back in his chair again.
“So what did she actually say?”
My smile faltered a little.
“That bad?”
“No,” I said quickly. He raised an eyebrow. “She didn’t say anything bad.”
“Then why are you squirming?”
I didn’t reply this time. There was no way I was telling him what his mother said to me.
He studied my face for a few moments, searching for the answers I wasn’t giving him.
“Fine, you don’t have to tell me,” he finally said.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Has anyone told you how stubborn you are?”
I smirked at him but noticed someone sat at the table next to ours. He was watching me intently and as soon as our eyes met, he came over.
“Your highness,” he said with a polite nod of his head. “I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions for the Avarian Press.”
“What about?”
“There is a lot of speculation about what’s going on in the human realm and your people would like some answers.”
I sighed.
“Sure. Fire away.”
He smiled and sat down in the chair nearest me. Blaine shifted in his seat slightly.
“There are rumours that the attacks are getting worse. Is this true?”
I hesitated.
“The attacks are becoming more frequent,” I hedged. “But our ability to handle them is improving every day.”
“Your people are worried that these attacks will start happening here next.”
“That won’t happen,” I reassured. “Portals don’t work that way. They can’t be used to open up any realm which means they can’t gain access to this one. We have a team of specialists working on a way to block these portals from appearing in the human realm but Avaria is safe.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I understand how portals work,” I said simply. “The people of Avaria have nothing to fear from the Impius.”
“Is that why the King is spending so much time in the human realm? People are starting to wonder where he is, especially since the failed coup.”
“He is trying to protect the people who live in the human realm,” I said with a frown.
“But what about this realm?”
“What King would leave people defenceless to an attack that they can’t even begin to understand or protect themselves from?” I shot back. “He is working hard to protect their realm from an immediate threat that is killing men, women and children. Would you consider him a worthy King if he wiped his hands of them
and left them to their fate?” The reporter looked a little ruffled. “He may be the King of Avaria but he is also a man who would never allow people to suffer when he could do something to stop it.”
Blaine gripped my hand tightly and gave me a small smile as the reporter scribbled on his clipboard.
“Are you really grilling your Princess while she drinks tea with her future mother-in-law?”
Angela folded her arms and glowered at the reporter. He cleared his throat.
“I just had a few questions.”
“Well, arrange an appointment. I’m trying to get to know my son’s fiancé.”
The reporter shoved his clipboard into his bag and hurried away.
“I hope he didn’t ruin your day,” she said as she sat down in her chair.
“I think Ash handled him well enough,” Blaine replied, nudging his knee against mine. I managed a small smile.
“Are they this pushy in the human world?” Angela huffed. Blaine and I exchanged a smirk.
Chapter 29
“Is there anything you want to do before we go?” Blaine asked, wrapping his arms around me.
We were lying in the bath in my suite. Even though it was new to me, feeling his body against mine felt right. As much as I’d wanted to spend the week out in Avaria, we’d ended up spending a lot in my suite.
“I don’t know,” I replied, running my hands under the stream of water and resting my head back against his shoulder. I’d been to my mother’s grave, spent a girly day in town with Remy, Rita and Sash and spent plenty of time outside, enjoying the beauty of Avaria. Ultimately, it hadn’t been a particularly productive week but I’d enjoyed it all the same.
“Well,” he said, his hands moving up my stomach, “we still have a few hours before we have to leave.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I can think of a good way to make the most of those hours.”
“Baking?” I asked as he tugged my arm to turn me to face him. “Reading?”
He shifted his back away from the edge of the bath and pressed his lips to my shoulder.
“Watching TV?”
His lips finally found mine, swallowing anymore sarcastic remarks. I wrapped my arms around his neck, sighing at the feel of his hands running down my bare back. I had just wrapped my legs around him when a knock sounded from the door to my suite.
Blaine groaned.
“Tell them to go away,” he muttered, his lips returning to my shoulder as I glanced through the doorway.
“Who is it?” I called.
“I have an urgent letter for you, your highness.”
“Hold on,” I told them. Blaine lifted his head back up.
“Talk about bad timing.”
I smirked and kissed him quickly before climbing out of the bath. Once I was wrapped in a bathrobe, I opened the door.
A maid I didn’t recognise was holding a letter. My eyes immediately fell on the handwriting on the front. It was from my dad.
“Thank you,” I told her with a brief smile. She nodded and hurried off shyly.
I walked back into the room, opening the letter as I did. Blaine appeared, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Who’s it from?”
I didn’t answer, my eyes skimming the words.
“Ash?”
“There’s been a big attack in London,” I said once I’d finished the letter. “It’s bad.”
“How bad?” Blaine asked, his tone hardening. I handed him the letter.
“Over fifty dead,” I said quietly. His frown deepened. “I’m sure your unit are all okay.”
He handed me the letter back when he’d finished, running his hand through his hair. All of his muscles had tightened suddenly. I walked over to my closet and opened the doors.
“Get dressed. We’ll go back now.”
“Are you sure?”
I glanced over my shoulder.
“Neither of us are going to enjoy the next few hours,” I pointed out. “Holiday time’s over.”
I let out a sigh at the thought of returning to reality. Blaine came over to me and cupped my face. He kissed my lips softly, not saying anything. I guess he didn’t need to.
Once we were back in the human realm, I immediately wished we were back in my suite in Avaria. The house was dark but I’d known my dad would be in London.
“My car’s outside,” Blaine said as I walked inside. “Do you want me to drop you off at your flat?”
“Yeah, I just need my phone.”
I picked it up off the side in the hall and turned it on. Blaine had his out too, looking at the screen. When I turned back to him, he was frowning.
“Everything okay?”
“I think so. They’re all on site but the attack’s over. The veil’s repaired but there’s a lot of… mess.”
I swallowed hard.
“Has the all-clear signal been sounded?”
“About twenty minutes ago. But they’ve blocked off several streets.”
“I want to come with you.”
He stared at me.
“Ash, that’s not a good idea.”
“I don’t care.”
I could tell he didn’t want me to come. He probably thought I couldn’t stomach what we’d see.
“I’m tired of being sheltered,” I stated, starting towards the door. “I’m tired of being a prop for the cameras. It’s not helping, not really.”
“And you really think piecing bodies back together will help?” he asked.
“No. But I’m not going to sit in my flat and twiddle my thumbs.”
“That’s not what you’re doing.”
“Isn’t it? I spend so much time studying for my turn to rule, ignoring real problems happening right now.”
He didn’t say anything else as we got into the car. My phone vibrated as it loaded the messages I’d gotten since I’d been in Avaria. When Rick’s name appeared, I frowned.
I’m sorry for everything…
Please reply…
I know you’re mad at me and probably never want to talk to me again but I miss you. I miss being friends.
I had several missed calls from him as well as a voicemail. I hesitated before lifting my phone to my ear.
“Hey…” Hearing Rick’s voice in my ear made my heart pang a little. “I just found out you’re in Avaria… Ignore my needy texts. I thought you were ignoring me. When you’re back can we talk? Like, face-to-face? I know I’ve been a massive dick but you’re still my best friend and I know I don’t deserve a second chance but… It’s been a rough few months. Let me know when you’re back… And I hope you’re having a good time.”
I lowered my phone. I’d barely thought about Rick over the last week and instantly I was plagued with guilt. Blaine glanced at me.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, knowing he’d probably heard what Rick had said. I stared at his texts, wondering if I should reply now. After deliberating for a few moments, I tucked my phone into my pocket.
“I told you he would come around,” Blaine offered quietly.
“That voicemail means nothing,” I said, a little coldly. “He might be willing to talk but he’ll lose his shit the second he sees you again.”
Blaine reached across to my hand, pulling it into his lap. I folded my fingers between his and stared out the window at the darkening sky.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because I came between you and Rick.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just… what it is.”
He ran his thumb up and down mine, not replying. Droplets began to appear on the windscreen.
We were quiet throughout the journey. The streets were dead so it didn’t take too long to get to the scene. Blaine pulled up next to some police tape.
“You sure about this?” he asked. I gave him a pointed look and followed him out into the rain.
We ducked under the tape and crossed the str
eet towards the place the portal had appeared. There were ambulances scattered around and people everywhere. When Blaine picked up his pace, I spotted Fred standing by one of the FFU cars.
“You alright?” Blaine asked, clapping him on the shoulder.
“Yeah. We’re all fine. It was close though.”
Fred glanced at me.
“What’s the count?” Blaine asked.
“Fifty-eight. Got some serious casualties though.”
“How many Impius?” I asked.
“Twenty, maybe?” Fred sighed. “It’s been a hell of a night.”
My eyes drifted to the sheets covering some bodies nearby. The streetlamps illuminated the blood, slowly being washed away by the rain. I swallowed hard, my eyes travelling around the scene. There were so many bodies…
When I spotted something strange on the ground, I moved away from Blaine and Fred and approached it. Black lines marred the tarmac of the road. They looked like scorch marks.
“Does your father know you’re here?”
I looked up and saw a familiar face. Ray gave me a weak smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Not yet,” I replied.
“I see you noticed the marks. Strange, isn’t it?”
Ray was a specialist in portals. He’d attended many meetings about the Impius attacks, though he tended to stay quiet during them. In his late fifties, he looked pretty good for his age. He had dark brown hair and a thick beard. He was wearing a white coverall over his clothes.
I turned my gaze to the marks on the ground again.
“How is that possible?” I asked. “Portals aren’t…” I struggled to think of the word. “They’re incorporeal.”
“That is the question, isn’t it?” Ray mumbled. I bent down and ran my fingers along the black marks. Despite the rain, the ground was warm and black residue came off onto my fingertips.
“What is that?”
“I’ve been running tests on it. It matches nothing of this realm.”
I looked up at him.
“Of this realm?” I repeated, sensing something in his wording. He raised his eyebrows. “But of another?”
He studied my face as I rose to my feet again.
“You’re smart,” he observed.
“You think this is from Avaria?”
“I don’t believe so but it does have similar properties to substances only found in Avaria.”
The Avarian Chronicles: A Tear In The Veil Page 18