Verra of Wolves

by Blake Thunderport

  A maid hurried into the room and bowed down multiple times. “Lady Di Centi, The Waves of Romance-,” she ventilated, but Claire interrupted her.

  “Loyra, don’t you see what’s happening? Get Tonio to handle it.”

  “Lord Di Centi is currently unavailable, the band seems to be in a bad mood.”

  Claire rolled her eyes. “They’re not in a bad mood,” she scoffed while slipping into her shoes, “they’re heartbroken. That’s what makes them great performers for love songs.”

  She rushed to her bed and took a huge shot from one of her bottles of spirits. Before she ran down the stairs, she handed over the bottle and commanded me to pick shoes for myself.

  I should’ve thought about it earlier, when I heard her mention their name for the first time, I didn’t know any dances for slow music and shook at the thought of embarrassing myself. My outfit was revealing enough, all it needed was one small step in the wrong direction and I would tumble, exposing the rest of me.

  The cheering of our schoolmates reached the room. I had no other option than bracing myself for whatever might happen and took a large gulp from her bottle upon leaving.

  The Wintergarden was stuffed with different dishes, fruits, and drinks. Over a dozen servants stood beside them like warriors, some of them with tablets, waiting for a command. They bowed down to every guest, even though they hurried right past them into the garden where wildflowers bloomed between bushes.

  Further away, a stage had been prepared and in front of it, a dancefloor. I recognised a drum set and two stringed instruments with long necks.

  The musicians approached their instruments and when they sampled the sound, I realised the music would be the opposite of slow.

  Tonio climbed the stage and everyone else got quiet. When he raised his glass, they repeated after him and so did I.

  “If you remember tonight, it’s not my fault.”

  We took our first sip, and he jumped down to Claire, freeing the stage for the band.

  The frontman stepped forward. He was glowing with charisma, his smooth movement enchanted me. “We are The Waves of Romance!” He exclaimed and winked at Claire, to which she cheered and blew kisses at him. His voice spiked up the hair on my body. He was a Siren, too. It was undeniable.

  The drums set early dancers in motion while I gained courage with every sip.

  Claire carried four tiny glasses through the crowd and gave two of them to me when she found me at the door of the Wintergarden. “Here,” she said, “you need them more than me.”

  After dumping the spirit down my throat, she raised her hand, and a waiter brought new shots.

  Around us, they conjured light orbs, some flowing above our heads and others rotating on poles.

  The sun drowned in the horizon and the alcohol showed its potency by heating my skin and freeing me of moral inhibitions.

  11. Secret

  While Claire tried to teach me Northern flirt tactics, Tonio, Kress, and Bryon joined us and started a light conversation. I stood silent and hesitated to use any of her tips. Their vibrant appearances made me shy. The way they talked, laughed, moved their limbs was elegant, unlike mine, and I started mimicking them to blend in.

  “Girls, you look breathtaking,” Tonio said to which the boys toasted.

  Afraid of blabbing out anything, I shifted the attention away from me by complimenting Claire’s sense of fashion.

  “I should introduce you properly,” he continued and put his hand on my shoulder, “Kress Colvin, heir to Colvin’s shipyard and future Count of Roness, Bryon Amari, heir to Amari forge and saddlery.”

  I saw through his manoeuvre. He introduced me to the inner circle, his family beyond bloodline, without making it obvious to Claire.

  I bowed to them.

  “Verra Volkov, Gerogy Volkov’s granddaughter,” he added. I had no heritage, only the name, but it didn’t matter.

  “We haven’t been introduced, either,” I said and Kress stepped in.

  “Tonio Di Centi, heir to Di Centi apothecary, junior Doctor of Roness and Claire Di Centi, heir to castle Di Centi and Viscountess of Pilini Isles.”

  There was more to them than just money. I expected them to be spoiled children, in a way they were, but they all seemed aware of their noble titles and future occupations. I couldn’t imagine Kress as a Count, but it didn’t shock me either. Ever since he apologised to me, I was drawn to every word of his. The voice of a Siren had been proven to be a powerful tool.

  Claire had been tapping her foot for a while and stared at the night sky. The formal conversation we had about their titles and duties bored her while Tonio was livened up by it.

  My intention was to learn as much as possible, but the alcohol made me focus on nothing but their handsome faces—the words bypassed me.

  She ordered another round of spirit shots and called us to the dancefloor afterwards. I hoped to stand on the side and observe, but she dragged me into the crowd.

  The Waves of Romance made our bodies pulsate with drum and bass, and I watched Claire’s curves flow. She hugged me and rocked her hips in a hypnotising motion. More of a mating call than a dance. When she put her arms behind her head, my ears flushed with heat.

  The band and liquor broke me out of my boundaries, and I craved her touch.

  I got a glimpse of Kress and Bryon dancing with other girls. As the junior Doctor of the village, Tonio tried to keep his professional act up at all times and refused to let himself go.

  “I need you to do something for me,” Claire whispered, grinding up against me. “Dance with him like I do.” She focused her eyes on Tonio, and when I looked around, I noticed Elvora fighting her way through the crowd in his direction. Claire loved to pick on her, and I followed her request without thinking twice.

  On my way to him, I got two more spirits for us. If this liquor made me loose, it would be only a matter of time until he would give in to it, too.

  “Let me teach you how we drink in the South,” I said and he followed my example. I wrapped my arm around his and pulled him closer. He smirked and locked his eyes on mine until we finished the shot. The space between our faces minimised and his confidence made my knees shake—again it was me who pulled away first.

  Instead, I lured him to the dancefloor and enjoyed his hot palms against my waist while we danced. When I turned my back to him and circled my hips in his lap, he leaned in to me, breathing against my earlobes. He made me sweat, and I was thankful for the loud musicians since they covered up the slight moans I couldn’t contain.

  Claire danced between Bryon and Kress. They competed against each other to win her touch while she savoured every moment and watched me seduce her brother.

  On the side of the dancefloor, Elvora collected her girlfriends and raged.

  After the song ended, Tonio suggested stepping inside for a drink, and I followed his guiding hand.

  By that time I’d already been tipsy and in need of a meal. When we passed through the Wintergarden, I grabbed some soft cake and shared it with him, hoping that would sober us up a little, but the shots we drank had hit our limit.

  We continued dancing through the main hall and when he brushed his lips against my neck, I lost control and ran my hands through his curls. He hugged me against the wall and pressed his leg between my thighs.

  Claire had chosen the cutout dress wisely. Her moon-face appeared in front of my eyes while Tonio kissed his way from the neck to my face and lost himself in my lips.

  I took it too far, as she had asked me to dance with him, not to become his lover. Those weren’t my own feelings. I just went with the motion of our bodies.

  “Something wrong?” he asked after I backed away from him.

  “I don’t feel well,” I mumbled as vomit climbed up my throat, and I ran to the nearest plant pot to release it.

  He called Loyra to bring a bucket and proposed to carry me upstairs to his room but I declined. I just needed some fresh air and would join the party again as soon as I felt
better.

  Loyra helped me outside where I threw up and asked to be left alone.

  Sobbing, I cursed the liquor for my foolishness. It was all backwards. How could my body dare to reject one of the most fabulous humans I’d ever seen? Whenever I thought of his touch, I wished he was someone else.

  After sobering up enough to move again, I crawled upstairs and laid down on Claire’s carpet instead of entering Tonio’s room.

  The thought of continuing our kiss disgusted me. I drank all the water from the carafe to wash away the taste of his lips and vomit.

  When I placed my head on the fluffy fibres, Claire’s face appeared to me again and made me remember the way she giggled, how she spread lavender scent wherever she went and how I never got sick of it. To have her by my side, feel her comb through my hair until I fell asleep was the only wish left in my mind. I planned on sneaking to my tower before she found me in this miserable state.

  I realised that I must have fallen asleep when she tripped over me.

  “Oh, shit,” she mumbled and started fondling the dress. “Verra, is that you?”

  I turned around and recognised her shape in the moonlight. Her locks tingled my arm while she tapped me wildly.

  “Sorry, I should be home by now,” I answered.

  “No, stay. I missed you back there. Were you hiding?” She lit a candle on her nightstand and I realised how drunk she was. If I wasn’t there, she would pass out on her bed. Her eyes were prepared for it.

  “We grabbed a drink inside,” I said.

  “Inside? But, we had waiters for that,” she mumbled.

  I adored her innocence. “He… We kissed,” I blabbed.

  “You did?” Her voice got quiet.

  When I sniffled, she jiggled beside me and patted my arm. “What’s wrong? You should’ve seen Elvora’s face,” she tried cheering me up.

  I curled up and hid my face in my arms in search of words. I couldn’t tell her about my suspicion of Veymor’s bond or the eventual truth behind the lover’s cross. Not because I had no way of proving it, but because I avoided the obvious reason for my disgust with all my might.

  The faces of men never excited me unless they were feminine and shaven clean. Their bodies had to be slender instead of muscular. Primarily, it was not the feminine men I craved, but the female herself. All my studies of nature had made me believe, that my lust was unnatural, senseless as I couldn’t reproduce. I had learned to hate myself for it.

  “I didn’t like it,” I cried out loud.

  “You didn’t?” her high-pitched voice trembled. She seemed surprised, but it was off.

  I shook my head.

  “You should stay the night, I mean, I can’t let you walk through the woods, drunk,” she said.

  I despised her for giving me hope that it relieved her, that she wanted me around and craved my touch, too. “I’m not that drunk anymore,” I mumbled and pointed to the bucket, “but you’re right.”

  We slid under the heavy covers on her bed and whispered about the happenings of the evening. There, I heard her wonderful giggle again.

  “I didn’t know you’re a Viscountess,” I said.

  “There are many things you don’t know about me.” She came closer and pulled off her gloves. The way she brushed my hair fastened my heartbeat until it pounded in my ears.

  “Secrets?”

  “Not necessarily,” she said and transported me into an ecstatic state with a slight kiss. Her warmth spread through me and freed tears of happiness from my lids.

  When she pulled her lips away, I drew nearer and arched over her while she hugged my neck. Claire’s touch had been gentle and her hard breathing turned into moans, animating me to penetrate her boundaries.

  I clasped her hands and pushed them into the mattress. The lust in me broke out. This time I had the courage to gorge all over her chest.

  After she freed herself and climbed over me, she ran her hands down from my breasts to my stomach. With lithe strokes, she released euphoria from my core and I tried my best to make her feel the same. She didn’t resist when I crawled between her legs and led her to the climax. I encapsulated her and enjoyed our exhausted breaths during which we were complete.

  We slept arm in arm that night, with broad grins on our faces.

  12. Family

  Claire demanded to be left asleep when I tried waking her, but an urge to stay hindered me from walking to my tower.

  I scanned her room, sitting down on one corner of the bed. Three bottles labelled with numbers instead of names stood on the nightstand. Her medicine, I figured, since they produced it themselves.

  While she slept, I dared to sniff on the medicine and tried to distinguish the compounds. The first bottle was the most obvious. It was lavender to calm her. I held the second bottle under my nose and discovered Yipi flower essence. The third smell was strange, an intensely earthy scent that burned my nostrils. I tapped some of it on a handkerchief and stuffed it inside my pocket. My fingers tingled again, I had to find out the truth about Claire’s medicine.

  “Lady Volkov?” Loyra cracked open the door. “Doctor Di Centi awaits you for brunch.”

  I stepped outside and witnessed Elvora sneaking out of Tonio’s room. Her smile held satisfaction, and her stare followed me while I walked down the stairs.

  Loyra guided me to the dining room, and I recognised that by Doctor she meant their father.

  “Please,” he said, “take a seat, dearest.” He pointed his palm to the seat on his left. The only visible differences between him and his children were his moustache and a pair of thick glasses in a silver frame.

  Sweet breakfast pastry and hearty dishes with meats waited on the round table. Instinctively, I searched for a soup. My eyes lit up when a maid approached us, carrying a steaming pot.

  I bowed down to him and sat down with my hands placed on my lap while he ordered the maid to fill my bowl with broth.

  “Forgive me for waking you up, I just couldn’t wait to meet you,” he said. But I didn’t mind since I’d slept longer than I usually would.

  “Thank you, for inviting me into your home.”

  The way he smiled at me reminded me of my grandfather and I found comfort quickly, especially after getting a whiff of my meal.

  “I remember Gerogy’s love for chicken broth,” he said and poured some of it in his bowl. He didn’t allow the waiters to serve him. If I had to describe his attitude in one word, it would’ve been humble.

  I nodded to him and enjoyed the first spoon with a slice of bread.

  Doctor Di Centi laughed with his hand on his chest, watching me. “He always did that.” He pointed at the drowned bits of bread. “I certainly expected your hair to be radish-red, too.”

  We reminisced about him, during which Doctor Di Centi asked at least a hundred questions about me, my powers and my goal at the academy.

  I answered as shortly and honestly as possible.

  “Well, if you’re interested in alchemy, we could make you an intern at the apothecary,” he theorised. “You could become a Doctor, too, if you study a little longer. What if we arranged a marriage between you two? What would Gerogy say to that? What do you think?”

  He saw the nervousness in my shaky lips, his urge to make something greater out of me escalated. He spoke of marriage as if it was nothing but business and I graded it as him weighing up possibilities.

  Afraid of insulting him, I promised to ask my grandfather for permission even though I knew that I would never marry Tonio.

  “Claire and you could be sisters,” he added. “How relieving, to have a Volk watch out for my daughter.”

  “Volk?” Tonio asked. I didn’t notice his presence behind me as his father overshadowed it.

  He lifted the empty bowl off my place and handed it to a waiter before sitting down across from me.

  “Wolf,” his father answered. “Volkov means, of wolves.”

  My chin dropped. He knew my name better than I did.

  “You shoul
d try some of this veal then,” Tonio scooped some of it onto our plates.

  This morning he avoided looking me in the eyes, and I wished he knew that I saw Elvora leaving his room.

  “That’s no way to treat a lady,” the Doctor scolded him, “we want her to consider marriage after all.” More than just a daydream of his; it became a serious proposal to which Tonio nodded, agreeing.

  Overstrained, I shook my hands as I didn’t want Tonio to misinterpret the situation and accuse me of sidestepping him.

  “What is it, dearest?”

  “Wouldn’t Elvora be a better match,” I stuttered and regretted opening my mouth when Tonio dropped back in his chair.

  Doctor Di Centi shook his head and waved it off. “No, no, I don’t like the Tysniri,”

  “Father!” Tonio exclaimed.

  “What is it with you today?” the Doctor laughed and turned to me. “Who are they? Merchants, tailors, what else? Not once has a Magician appeared in their line before her. We will not fuse blood with them. I won’t spoil the chances of getting my very own granddaughter Mage.” He patted my hand and got up from his seat. “What are the odds of her getting red hair? There’s so much of him in you. I certainly hope you remember me when that day comes and try your hardest passing it on.”

  After he left, Tonio moaned while chewing the rest of his meat. “Elvora? Pathetic,” he scoffed and threw his fork on the plate. He had stuffed his cheeks and struggled to swallow it.

  “You spent the night with her, I figured-,”

  “You figured, how smart. Great. Excellent. Where were you last night? Do you think my father will be happy to hear that instead of producing heirs for him, you occupy Claire’s opportunities of doing so with your childish play?”

  The words faltered in my throat, paralysed. His attitude towards me changed, he stopped choosing gentle words.

  “Don’t look at me like that, all innocent and secretive,” he said, “my room’s right across from hers. What do you think will happen next?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. There were various answers in my head and they all ended with me being expelled from the academy.