by L F Seitz
“This is so beautiful,” I said to Leo, who sat next to me.
“Is there assigned seating?” I asked, counting six chairs.
“No, but I already told the rest of the team we reserved a table, so everyone has a spot.” Everyone from Leo’s team included Laylah. The thought made me my mouth dry.
“Miss Relictus.” Anastasia’s voice came from in front of me. Both Leo and I turned to see Anastasia accompanied by two guards next to the table. She was the woman who led the questioning of me nearly two weeks ago.
“Good evening, Anastasia. You look lovely,” I said, gesturing to her breathtaking emerald green dress with gold trim. “Thank you. Do you mind if I borrow her for a moment?” Anastasia asked Leo, who shook his head and smiled. I tried to keep my cool as I stood and moved to meet her on the other side of the table.
“Are you feeling better," she asked. I couldn’t hide my confusion as I regarded her. “We were told you got sick at the meet and greet last week, and that’s why you left suddenly.”
I nodded, my hands trembling against one another. I didn’t know they were even notified about it. Micah never mentioned it to me. “I did get very nauseous, but I’m better now. It was very overwhelming to be around so many people at one time. I’m more prepared tonight,” I said. I turned to see people slowly making their way through the entrance, and I began scoping for Micah. Maybe he’d come in time to save me from getting caught up in my lies.
“Do you have any questions for me? Anything you’d like to talk about?” She asked.
“Has the Council decided if I can fight in the battle tomorrow?”
“That is still up for discussion, unfortunately.” She gave me a grim face, and I nodded. Micah told me it had been decided, that half the Council thought the information I gave was proof I was on the Nephilim side, and the other half thought I was lying about how I got the information.
I assumed the conversation was done, but Anastasia appeared as if she’d tasted something sour. “Is anyone treating you unfairly here? Be honest.”
I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head, wondering if she was about to catch me in a lie. If Hamon ended up telling someone about my encounter with Laylah, I’d be very upset with him. “No, everyone is treating me wonderfully, but if anything happens, I’ll let you know,” I reassured with a soft smile.
She didn’t return the smile, and I felt like my lungs were shriveling up. “Have a good time, Miss Relictus,” she said, walking away.
Standing alone now, I felt like Anastasia knew something about that night and was waiting for me to confess it. Maybe she did know about Laylah, but I wasn’t willing to ask in order to find out – that was enough Counsel socializing for one night. I walked back to the table, focused on keeping my hands from quivering, and took a seat next to Leo.
“What did she want?” Leo asked.
I huffed, shaking off the uneasiness she gave me. She wasn’t creepy, but the amount of power she had here made me fear her immensely. “Just to ask me questions, intimidate the hell out of me,” I grumbled.
Leo noticed my hands, which were still shaking. I immediately pulled them off the table and stared at the chiffon of my dress, embarrassed. This wasn’t turning out like I’d planned. I worried less about being here during the day because I’d pictured Micah by my side. But I had no idea where he was, and I’d been left to fend for myself. Leo’s kind, but he’s a stranger. I didn’t expect to come this far out of my comfort zone on my own.
“Let me take your mind off it,” Leo whispered, his voice soft against my ear. He stood, pushed in his chair, and buttoned his jacket. “How about that dance?” Leo held out his hand to me. I glanced around the room again, the tables were beginning to fill near the dance floor as more guests arrived. My nerves tingled with the chatter of everyone’s conversations beginning to grow. I took a deep breath and slid my hand into his. A soft piano melody began to play as we stepped onto the dance floor. No one else was on the floor but us as I turned to him in disbelief. His smile only grew.
“You would do this to me,” I said. “Bring me out so everyone can ogle at me.”
Leo held my hand out as he walked me around in a large circle, catching the eyes of some tables sitting close by.
“They should look at you. It’d be a sin not to.”
“I have never danced before,” I confessed.
Leo let go of my hand and stood in front of me, focusing on me completely, and bowed.
“Now you curtsy,” he said, and I did, laughing. I felt ridiculous. “Now put your hand here,” he said, gently taking my right palm and setting it on his left shoulder. “And give me your left.” He took my hand, and we slowly began to rotate in a circle. “You’re officially dancing with someone. Congratulations!” He said, and I snorted, slapping his shoulder.
“Why are you so sweet on me?” I asked. He eyed me, confused. “It seems too easy to instantly have a friend as nice as you. Seeing as I am ... different.” I tried not to throw the words “freak” or “monster” out there, if only to save the mood. Leo’s surveyed my features for several steps before he peered out across the empty dance floor again.
“Our group is good at seeing the good in people, and with you, it’s practically painted on your face.” He explained, and my face grew warm. “Micah trusts you, which isn’t easy to achieve, so I trust you.”
The piano melody picked up, and Leo flashed another gleaming smile at me. “Ready to go faster?”
“Wait, dance faster?”
Leo was already whirling us around the floor, spinning us in big circles as the song grew loud and lively. I was terrified, but Leo’s happiness was contagious, and soon I didn’t notice anyone but us. The wind from our spins blew my hair, tickling my face. Leo was aglow as we danced. I was actually having fun.
“Fun, right?” Leo laughed, and I chimed along with him.
My heart was full. “Oh my gosh,” was all I could manage.
Leo let go of my waist suddenly, lifting our hands in the air as I spun around on my own. The movement made my dress’s hem fly up, enchanting me with color. Then I was back in Leo’s arms again as we began to move like before.
“Do that again!” I laughed as we continued to spin, and he did. I felt like a child. I watched my dress flutter out like a red river. He was the most amazing dancer I had ever witnessed. “You’re amazing! Where did you learn to dance?” I asked as he pulled me back in and pressed himself to me.
“My mother is a dance instructor.” I would have never guessed that, but he was very athletic.
“Leo, thank you for this,” I giggled while he twisted me out again. I watched him watch me as he pulled me in, out noses touching for a moment, making me blush as crimson as my dress.
“Lamia!” I heard Hamon’s voice and soon spotted him and Micah over by our table watching us.
“Micah’s watching,” I nearly gasped, reality finding it way to us once again.
“Let’s do a lift, then,” he said, smiling mischievously. Before I could protest, both of his hands were on my waist. “Jump!”
I leapt into the air without even a thought as I pushed on Leo’s shoulders and he lifted me as we spun. As I landed on my feet again, I thought about how I’d expected to be too nervous to have fun, but all I’d been doing since I got here was laughing. I was so happy.
“Time for the dip,” Leo said. He let go of me once more, twirling me as he held my hand over my head. Then he held me close as he dipped me down, like they did in the movies. Our noses touched as he stared into me. “How was that for taking your mind of things?” He lifted me up again and stepped away, kissing my hand softly. A few people watching clapped and whistled. I couldn’t look anywhere but Leo, admiring his wonderful soul.
When we walked back to the table, I noticed Hamon first. He wore a fitted gray suit with a white rose in his pocket, a gray shirt and white tie. The color brought out the depth of his green eyes. “My darling, you are a goddess tonight, my Aphrodite dress
ed in red.” He kissed my hand, and my skin tingled with the compliment.
I brushed a loose hair out of my face. “You are too sweet, Hamon, really. You guys treat me too well,” I said giving him a quick hug. When I let go and turned to Micah, but he wasn’t there.
“I thought I saw Micah with you.” We all peered around before Hamon shrugged.
“He must have run to the bathroom or gone to mingle,” Hamon said. “Anyway, would you like to sit? You must be tired from twirling.”
I sat beside Leo, with Hamon on his other side. The room was quite full now, and I tried to scope Micah out among all the suits.
“I have to ask: where did you find that dress, Lamia?” Hamon said.
“Micah,” I replied.
He peered at Leo, who nodded, taking a drink of the water in front of him. “Yeah, she said it was at her front door in a box, with a card,” he said, but Hamon didn’t seem any less confused.
“Enough about me,” I said. “Look at you both. I wouldn’t be surprised if you both left tonight with women on your arms.”
Leo could, nearly choking on his water. Hamon smiled smugly as he adjusted his tie. “Maybe. Who knows.” He winked.
I scanned the sea of beautifully dressed people seated around tables and out on the dance floor and finally spotted Micah across the room. I was awestruck. He wore a fitted classic black tux, black shirt and black tie. All the black contrasted with his starlight hair. He was talking to a woman in a long, slimming purple gown that stuck to her in all the right places. Her blue markings stood out and made her look even more desirable. I didn’t need to see her face to know who she was. He laughed with her, showing his beautiful smile, making my jealousy flare. I took a breath, concentrating on keeping myself calm as I stared at our table’s candle centerpiece. Micah didn’t know what she’d done to me. He could never know, because it would ruin him. The worst part of this was his ignorance, though – laughing with her when she tried to kill me. He’d promised to protect me only to be unable to, even against his closest friends.
“What’s wrong?” Hamon asked me. I motioned with my chin in their direction. Hamon turned and after a moment found them nestled together at the edge of the dance floor.
“What are we looking at?” Leo asked. He didn’t know what Laylah had done, and he couldn’t know, either: the more people who knew, the more likely it was the information would get out. I had to play it off before things got ugly.
“So much for making him jealous,” I gestured again to them. Laylah grinned, touching Micah’s arm as she did, a typical girl move when flirting. Even I knew that.
“She’s old news, Lamia.” There was a tightness in Hamon’s tone that told me he still wasn’t over what happened to me, either. I just hoped Leo didn’t notice Hamon’s annoyance like I did.
I asked where the restrooms were so I could take a breath alone. I walked across the room, trying my hardest not to look over at Micah and failing miserably. He was laughing hard, revealing that relaxed side of him that was rare for me to see. I needed to bear it without getting jealous; I couldn’t let this get to me. I needed to be happy he was having a good time, regardless if it was with someone who hated me. Easier said than done. Out in the dimly lit hallway, I followed an arrow to the restrooms, and as I was about to step in, William stepped out of the men’s bathroom and nearly startled me to death. William was one of the Arch Counsel members, the one who forced me to showcase my abilities like some kind of circus act.
“Oh, look who we have here,” he said, looking down his nose at me.
“Good evening, William. How are you tonight?” I asked politely.
He didn’t seem the slightest bit amused by my sugarcoated words. I made it very apparent in my expression the day of my pardon that I didn’t like him. He wore a baggy, graphite-colored suit with a blue tie, and I could smell the mothballs. “You wore red. Interesting. That your people’s color?” William said.
I decided to play dumb. “I don’t quite understand.” I really wanted to punch him in the throat.
“Oh, don’t be coy. You’re very ... clever.” He surveyed me heavily, and I was already running out of patience with him.
“Anything you would like to say to me, William? I’m sure I can take whatever you throw my way.” I smiled, and his eye twitched as he scrutinized me for another moment.
“That attitude will catch up to you soon enough, as well as the rest of who you are.” He began walking off in the opposite direction.
“You have a wonderful night as well, William,” I yelled in a light tone. I felt victorious in that banter session, but it did nothing to help me get away from my troubles. My gut told me he was up to something, and it wouldn’t be good. I still felt tense and could only picture Laylah’s hand on Micah’s arm – the same hand that beat the crap out of me. I leaned against the cool brick wall and tried to take deep breaths, though it felt useless to do so. That’s probably why Micah didn’t want to escort me tonight: he came with Laylah. Suspicion grew within me like vines. Sudden worry captivated me as the thought of them possibly getting back together became the only thing I could think about. It wasn’t far-fetched, since they’d been together before. They looked perfect together, too. No, it can’t be happening, or he would have stopped spending the night at my apartment. I had to convince myself that it was true, force myself to believe it. I had to believe it, or I was going to fall apart right here in the hallway.
When I took a seat back at our table, Micah still wasn’t there. I found him across the room not talking to Laylah anymore, but she was close behind. I knew it shouldn’t matter, that Micah still had a life outside of me and my problems. He could do what he wanted while I focused on myself and this new life I was adjusting to. And yet, I was still wistful.
“You look like you want to murder someone,” Leo said, bringing me back to the present. “And you’re looking at Laylah and Micah, so I can only assume Micah pissed you off.”
“Wondering what they could be talking about for so long,” I mumbled. “Micah still hasn’t even said hi to me.”
“Don’t be jealous of her, Lamia. They are history.” Leo tried to be reassuring but it wasn’t working.
“She looks pretty cozy for being his ex.” The venom from deep within me made itself known, and I instantly regretted it.
“Why don’t you like her? Are you that jealous?” Leo wore a confused expression, and I opened my mouth to deny it, but Hamon was already lashing out.
“That pain in the ass has not been on her best behavior as of late,” Hamon said, surveying Laylah as well, his tone acidic. I glared at Hamon, and he met my scowl with vexation. If anything, he was more upset about what had happened with Laylah than I was.
Leo glanced between us two with an expression of concern. “What happened? Did something happen?”
“Nothing happened.” I tried to smooth it over, but Hamon’s face only grew redder. “The only reason I can think as to why he’s even standing next to her is because someone didn’t say something, like they promised.” He called me out in front of Leo, embarrassing me, and forcing the crackling fire in me to heat up.
“I said when the time was right. The time, if you haven’t noticed with the battle tomorrow, has not been right,” I snapped back at Hamon, and he grumbled, leaning back in his seat. He was furious. I was having a hard enough time as it was keeping my fiery words at bay, but Hamon definitely was not helping.
“Did she hurt you?” Leo asked in a hushed tone as he leaned in toward me.
“It was nothing.”
“Don’t even start spouting lies,” Hamon said, cutting me off in a harsh whisper. “I was there.”
“This will kill Micah if he finds out. Do you understand me?” I asked. “You should know what he’s like better than anyone. Not to mention anyone else who would agree with her and rally to her side, and it’ll only divide the Nephilim, and we don’t need that on the verge of The Rising.” I made a tsk noise before turning away and scanning the cro
wd. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.
The music’s tempo slowed as Leo, Hamon, and I watched Micah and Laylah. As Micah turned from speaking to a few older gentlemen Laylah was beside him once more. She pointed to the dance floor. Micah shrugged and took her hand, and stepped out onto the sparsely filled floor to dance. She was pressed against him, and I felt sick with envy.
“I didn’t know Laylah was capable of such hatred.” Leo sounded genuinely distraught. I gave him a smile and gripped his hand on the table, wanting to comfort him. I didn't think what this kind of information could do to the whole team, let alone Micah. We all watched them from our seats. “He could be dancing with her to make you jealous,” Leo said, wanting to lighten the mood, but I had already sunken to dark depths.
“He wouldn’t try to do something like that,” I said, pausing as I watched Laylah’s hand glide over Micah’s shoulder. “He’ll never see me in such a way.” The pain in my voice was obvious, and I hated myself for it.
Hamon stood and came around the table before holding his hand out to me. “Someone like you shouldn’t be made to feel this way. Dance with me.” I didn’t hesitate as I gripped his hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. I pushed Micah out of my thoughts as I tried to focus on Hamon. The music was much slower than what Leo and I danced to earlier. Instead, Hamon put his hands around my waist and pulled me into him. I went rigid with the confusion.
“Just relax.” He smiled, taking my wrists tenderly and rested them on his shoulders; he was much taller than Leo or Micah.