by Lee Monroe
‘Wonderful,’ said Natalia, ‘we four will make such good-looking dance companions.’
‘Talia?’ Sofi’s tone was scolding. ‘Be nice to Jane. You know how protective Vanya is about her pets.’
Somehow we had lost Soren. I looked behind me, seeing that he was trapped behind Dalya’s Uncle Olwen.
‘So.’ Sofi moved closely to me as we walked. ‘How is it that you come to be here? We have heard the rumours but I never thought I would see the day that the Borgias were consorting with mortals. Vanya must be very fond of your companion.’
‘I won’t be here long,’ I told her a little lamely, as somebody brushed past me. I was too busy trying to squeeze through the crowds with Natalia and Sofi to look and see who it was, but his voice at my side made every hair on my body stand on end.
‘I am not sure I feel like dancing,’ Luca was saying, a little ahead of me, but close enough for me to touch him if I wanted to, to lean in and inhale him.
‘Nonsense.’ Henora looked at the mass of people eager to get to where the band was playing. ‘You need to find that bonny girl of yours and make it your business to dance.’
‘Yes, Mother,’ said Luca through clearly gritted teeth.
‘The sooner the two of you are married, the sooner I don’t need to worry about you,’ Henora muttered, tucking a grey tendril of hair behind her pointed little ear.
Luca didn’t answer, but he turned and I saw his profile, his cheekbone, more pronounced than ever. He looked so despondent, tired … resigned. Knowing I was being foolish, I fell back from the vampire twins and reaching out, not knowing if he would feel it, I touched his hand.
And as if by instinct his hand quickly closed around mine. He didn’t look back, but I felt the pressure of his fingers as he held on to me, and a longed-for feeling of warmth and safety flooded through me.
I held my breath, and then he released his hold and moved through the doorway. As he got there, he turned and his eyes found mine; his was a look of happiness clouded by great sadness.
And then he was gone.
I came out into the hall, to my left was the grand staircase, to my right was the door to the kitchens. I remembered what had happened there before, with Vanya and Luca and realised it wasn’t so unlikely that tonight it would happen again.
I shut my eyes. I didn’t know what was going to happen. No point in inventing catastrophe when it hadn’t happened yet.
‘I thought I’d lost you.’ Soren appeared beside me. He craned his neck in the direction of the ballroom, where the Vampire Jazz Quartet were in full swing. ‘I suppose it would be remiss of me not to ask you to dance.’
I smiled at the look on his face. Pure dread.
‘You know, I don’t really feel like dancing either,’ I said truthfully.
‘Come on,’ he said, holding out his hand, ‘let’s explore this place, while no one is looking.’
‘I don’t know …’ I shook my head, remembering exploring with Luca. I felt disloyal, somehow.
‘Quick,’ he said, a glint of mischief in his eyes, ‘before Celeste and Cadmium decide to retire for the night.’ He pulled me with him, towards the staircase and, though I tried not to, I couldn’t help myself from looking into the ballroom. Looking for him.
And there, with Henora looking on with a doting expression on her face, was Luca, Lila in his arms. She had her head resting on his shoulder as they danced to a slow, sensual number from the band. I couldn’t see his face, but I didn’t want to. I couldn’t bear to see his happiness. I quickly looked away, hurrying after Soren as he headed upstairs.
Avoiding the faces in the portraits we passed as we climbed, I wondered why Soren was so interested in exploring the palace.
‘Soren!’ I hissed as we arrived at the first floor. ‘What if we are discovered?’
‘We hide,’ he said, impishly, ‘Or we just pretend we are lost.’
I tugged at my wig. ‘Can’t we just go and sit outside or something? Wait for Dalya to find us?’ I tugged at his arm. ‘You do remember what you have to do tonight?’
He turned, serious now. ‘I remember. If you haven’t noticed, I am trying hard to distract myself.’
‘Oh … OK.’ I felt bad now and dropped my hand. I looked around me, seeing a long carpeted corridor that seemed to lead somewhere. ‘But let’s try and not get caught. It’s going to look a bit odd.’
He gave me a look with his black eyes. ‘Very well,’ he said, ‘but anyone would think you don’t want to be alone with me.’
I am sure I turned crimson. ‘Don’t be silly.’ I gestured at the corridor. ‘Come on. Let’s see what is down that hall.’
Soren turned the handle of the first door we passed and it opened on to an exquisite room: wood-panelled walls and wall-to-wall glass cupboards containing ancient-looking books.
‘Impressive,’ Soren said sincerely.
‘Imagine all these books.’ I stepped closer, peering through the glass of one of the cupboards. ‘They must be worth a fortune.’
The lights were off and only a sliver of moonlight cut a streak across the room. It was eerie, but magical.
‘I bet you were one of those children whose nose was constantly inside a book – escaping from reality,’ said Soren by my side.
I turned, smiling a little. ‘You know me so well.’
‘I’d like to have known you as a child,’ he said then, his voice hushed and low. ‘I bet you were a sweet and serious girl.’
I shrugged more nonchalantly than I felt. Suddenly the room felt full of tension. I knew I was avoiding Soren’s eyes. It was as though Soren, like Luca, recognised me. I caught my breath, as I felt the touch of his fingertips brush mine. Felt a frisson of electricity.
‘Jane,’ he whispered.
Confusion. I was not here for Soren. I didn’t love Soren. Yet it was Soren who had been my companion, my friend, these past weeks. And then I remembered Luca, with Lila in his arms, and hurt anger made my guilt evaporate.
Finally I turned to him, and we stared at each other, our eyes locked. My heart was racing.
He drew me towards him, and I allowed myself to be drawn, and then he leaned back against the door, pulling me into his arms.
Pressed back against the dark wood panelling I felt his lips brush my cheek. No longer cold, but warm and full, gently touching my skin. I felt myself breathe out, not wanting to feel anything, but feeling everything all at once, my head resting on his chest. I could hear his heartbeat and mine, loud and fierce …
‘I never thought I would feel like this for a mortal,’ he whispered softly into my hair, and I felt the softness of his mouth as it tenderly kissed my neck. I shivered, hot suddenly, and instinctively my back arched.
‘I don’t want this,’ I managed to say, my voice husky and strained. ‘This isn’t right.’
But as his arms moved to circle my waist, I didn’t push him away. Because, despite the words I had just spoken, I did want this. I hated myself for wanting it, but it was consuming me. It was all there was. Right then, in that moment, it was all I wanted.
Finally he drew back and took my face in his hands, his eyes glinting in the darkness, the sharp line of his cheekbones cutting a hard but beautiful shape. And his mouth, wide and perfect, moved closer to mine, taking my breath away.
He put one finger on my lips, and with his other hand he stroked my face.
‘It’s OK,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry. It was a mistake, but I couldn’t help myself.’
‘I …’ I struggled with relief, and intense disappointment.
‘Shhh.’ He pressed his finger more firmly against my mouth.
And then he was moving away from me, gently opening the door, he disappeared through it, leaving me wide-eyed and disbelieving.
I was left alone, with the sound of my fiercely beating heart.
And the taste of betrayal in my mouth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
‘I’m proud of you,’ Celeste told him. ‘You’re a credit to the fami
ly – and a worthy heir.’
Raphael summoned a pleased smile, though he had hated every minute of the evening so far. The weight of what he knew sat heavily on him, and he could barely bring himself to look at either of his grandparents. He wondered when, if, he could escape. But an exhausted-looking Cadmium seemed to put pay to that plan.
‘Dear, you should rest.’ Celeste took her husband’s arm, concerned. ‘Let me help you upstairs.’
Cadmium didn’t protest. With irritation, Raphael saw the relief on his face.
‘You will be happy to preside over the rest of the evening?’ She smiled winningly at Raphael, patting his arm. ‘Good boy.’
Raphael watched them climb the grand staircase, then disappear out of sight, before he turned on his heel. For tonight he would have to play the part, but his thoughts were more galvanised than ever. He wanted to find out where Milo had disappeared to – if he was still alive. Once he had found him, he would ciscover what had really happened to his father. And why this web of lies had been laid to cover up the truth.
Standing nodding at the hordes streaming in and out of the great room and into the hall, he recognised Jane, saw her look around anxiously, then move quickly across the hall to the door that led through to the kitchens.
‘What is she up to?’ he murmured to himself. As he sidestepped the over-excitable Tilly, he was thwarted by a pair of rangy vampire girls, their identical bodies clad in skin-tight black leather dresses. Their faces he saw were identical too. Vampire twins. In spite of his curiosity about Jane, Raphael was stopped in his tracks.
‘Haven’t you grown?’ said one, holding out a skinny arm. ‘I remember you as a little cherub of a boy …’ Her lavish lips parted to reveal pearly white teeth. ‘But you wouldn’t remember us …’
‘I’m sorry,’ he said politely, ‘I don’t recall you … I can’t think why.’
The girls both tittered. ‘Charming,’ said the other twin. ‘Would you care to dance?’
‘I really … There is something I need to do …’ he began, before both beauties moved to hem him in.
‘Do it later,’ one of them purred. ‘Surely it can wait a while …’
Raphael opened his mouth to protest, but they were clearly having none of it. They quite forcefully diverted him, like a pair of supermodel bodyguards, into the music room. On stage, two women dressed in black silk catsuits were bent over a cello and a double bass, accompanied by a quiffed teddy-boy on drums as a suave, black-eyed and incredibly tall man in a classic suit sung into a microphone.
The music changed from moody jazz to a jauntier swing-style number. Beside him, one of the vampire twins was tapping her foot, her slender arms waving.
‘Perfect,’ she said, nodding to her sister. ‘Ready?’
Swiftly they took one of each of his arms and began a mesmerising dance. Raphael had never been much of a dancer, but these girls were working some magic because he had never felt more assured on the dancefloor.
For the moment, all thoughts of betrayal were gone from his head.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Eventually, I crept, dazed, across the corridor and down the stairs. After the quiet of upstairs, the noise coming at me seemed deafening.
‘Luca, Luca, Luca,’ I whispered to myself, feeling that if I said his name enough times I could wipe out what had happened only minutes before. I had no idea where Soren had got to and, though I didn’t particularly want to find him, I knew that Dalya would be looking for us, expecting Soren to reveal who he was to his sister.
A man in a silver tuxedo slunk past me, holding a circular tray of glasses aloft. He glanced briefly at me as he went, frowning. For a paranoid second I wondered if my dark bob had slipped, that what had happened with Soren was obvious.
But silver tux didn’t linger, and I was left alone, still working out what to do.
‘There you are.’ Dalya appeared in front of me, a little out of breath, her hands on her hips. ‘Mother is talking about going home soon. Hanni has already left with a headache. If Soren is going to tell Lila, he needs to do it now.’ She peered up at me, a tiny crease in her forehead. ‘You look odd.’
‘Do I?’ I waved my hand. ‘Well, this is all a little odd, isn’t it?’ I heard my laugh, false and tinkling. Dalya’s eyes lingered on me a little longer than necessary.
‘OK,’ she said slowly. ‘We really need to find him …’
‘Good. OK. Yes.’ I stammered, catching sight of a familiar figure at the end of the hall. ‘I think I see him. Over there.’
Dalya followed the direction of my gaze, then took off, darting in and out of stray guests.
I watched as she grabbed at his jacket with all the impulsiveness of a child, then whispered into his ear. I saw him look up and across at me. I sighed, and walked over to join them.
‘You two stay here and I will fetch Lila,’ Dalya instructed us. ‘Don’t move.’
‘Are you sure?’ I shook my head, reluctantly turning to Soren. His eyes swept over me, unreadable.
‘Leave it with me. I’ll tell her it is good luck to sit out in the palace gardens,’ she said. ‘Lila believes in all that superstitious rubbish.’
I really didn’t want to be alone with Soren.
‘I need to freshen up,’ I told him. ‘I’ll meet you out there in a bit.’
Not waiting for either of them to speak, I ran for the bathroom at the back of the stairs, collapsing into a cubicle, my head in my hands.
‘Compose yourself,’ I whispered. But so many thoughts were rushing round my head. Being here, the music, kissing Soren. I sniffed, more loudly than I realised.
‘Hello?’ An unpleasantly familiar voice came from the other side of the door. ‘Who’s crying in there?’
I held my breath, trying to keep silent. But I hadn’t locked the door behind me and one elegant foot was inching it open.
‘You?’ Natalia stood there, eyeing me warily. ‘What the devil is the matter with you?’ She bent, scrutinising my face, then quickly straightened up again. ‘Lover’s tiff is it?’
‘I don’t know what you mean!’ I subtly checked that my bob had not dropped forward. I was literally itching to take it off. ‘I don’t have a lover.’
I expected to see a smug smile appear on her face, but instead she seemed to relax.
‘Thank Lucifer for that. I’ve had it up to here with the vulgar displays of affection going on out there. I mean, I adore Vanya, but quite honestly she should know better at her age. She and Valdar – they should have more decorum. It’s unseemly, is what it is.’
‘Oh,’ I said, getting to my feet. ‘Well, I guess they must be in love…’
‘And as for the other two!’ She tossed her hair back. ‘That wolf-boy and the insipid blonde. All over him like the pox, she is.’
‘Oh,’ I repeated, feeling nauseous. ‘How awful. But you danced with Raphael?’
She snorted, then stood and pouted into the mirror, checking her wide red mouth. ‘Not a flicker from him, my dear! That boy is a cold fish, if you ask me. Perfectly charming, I suppose, but one just knows when a man is uninterested …’ She whirled around to face me. ‘So it seems that Sofi, you and I are the party wallflowers,’ she sighed. ‘Nobody loves us. We should have a little party of our own.’
‘I need to be somewhere,’ I said quickly. ‘But I’ll come and find you if—’
‘Of course,’ she cut in, and I glimpsed a tiny chink of loneliness, of humanity underneath the make-up. ‘Another time.’
Leaving her examining her face in the bathroom mirror, I went to face the music.
The corridor was dark, just a crack of light under a door ahead of me. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I didn’t bother trying to find a light switch, treading slowly and carefully ahead. I could hear the bustle of activity going on in the kitchens and realised I would have to think of a pretty good excuse as to why I was walking through here. How had Soren managed it?
Suddenly the door in front of me burst open, floodin
g the corridor with light. A girl dressed in a waitressing outfit and carrying a huge silver platter of cake frowned at the sight of me. When she saw my eye-make up, and the skin-tight velvet, she looked wary.
‘Can I help you, Miss?’ she asked, stopping.
‘I need some air,’ I said, making my voice a little haughty and authoritative. And a little quiet-time.’ I smiled conspiratorially at her. ‘All these people are giving me such a headache.’
She drew in a breath, still holding the platter perfectly still.
‘Well you’re not the first to come through here for a little peace and quiet, Miss,’ she said. ‘Quite a little procession we’ve had this evening.’
‘Really?’ I said casually. ‘I was hoping the kitchen gardens might be empty.’
‘Some lovers’ tiff going on out there …’ She sniffed.
‘Oh well, I will just take a minute,’ I said, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. ‘Through here?’
The waitress nodded, watching me closely as I passed by her. If she thought I was a vampire then I didn’t blame her.
‘Thank you so much,’ I drawled, sweeping on. I had to admit, a small part of me was quite enjoying pretending to be a vampire. In different circumstances this evening would have been fun.
The door to the gardens was a little ajar and, peeping through the glass, I could see that Soren and Lila were face to face. I quietly opened the door, stepping out into the cool night air. There was no sign of Luca, thank goodness. But it was only a matter of time before he came back here and found his betrothed with Soren. I needed to stay, but was careful to stand in the shadows next to a pleasant-smelling rose bush. A little noise behind me made me turn round.
‘It’s me,’ Dalya whispered as she slipped through the door. ‘I was hanging about in the kitchens, just in case, and I saw you come through.’ She hid herself next to me, allowing herself a quick peek at the pair standing at the edge of the gardens.
‘Why are you saying this to me?’ Lila’s voice, confused and breathy, rang out. Without thinking I put my head out to look. She had her head in her hands. In front of her, Soren moved to take hold of her, but she shrank away from him. Passing by, one of the palace cats paused in its night-time forage to gaze curiously up at the pair of them.