by Leilani Love
Violca grinned at him and he noticed a small blush on her cheeks. The guys all teased Chase, but Viktor would take all the teasing in the world for a woman to have that look on her face when she thought about him.
“Should I ask why he suddenly had to leave for a few days?” Violca inquired.
“There’s a small lead I needed his expertise on.” When she raised an eyebrow he chuckled. “I promise, he’ll be home before the party. Kat would kill me if he wasn’t here.”
The girls all snickered softly, knowing Kassandra might very well hurt him. He took a step back, clearing the way for them to continue down the hallway. “Okay ladies, I better get back to work.”
Everyone smiled at him as he headed back to his office. Viktor was surprised Chase had volunteered to follow up on the lead about his brother, but Chase had told him he had something to pick up, and this would kill two birds with one stone. If the lead turned out to be bigger than they originally thought, he would send some of the others in to back Chase up.
Kassandra had called Viktor earlier, telling him he had an appointment with a tailor in order to get a new suit made. Kassandra really seemed to be enjoying her role as party planner, and bossing him around seemed to tickle her a little too much. However, since he’d seen the excitement on the girl’s faces, and felt the huge response from his people, he figured he would let it go, this time.
Turning on his computer, he tried to answer some of the replies from the older family friends expressing their gratitude at being invited. Trying to focus on his emails, he found himself distracted by a pair of green eyes and fiery red hair that kept making their way into his thoughts.
Aithne turned on her computer when she got back to the hotel. Hanging up her dress, she heard a small ding and walked over to see which of her notifications had been triggered. Still smiling from the day’s events, she sat down. “So do you guys run a background check on all the girl’s friends, or am I special?” She mumbled to herself.
Aithne had developed several aliases over the years. They all had detailed pasts, learning over the years the easiest lies were the ones closest to the truth. For instance, if they were trying to figure out why a girl like Amy would wait for a few years to go to college, they would see it was because she had to help out her family. Since Aithne was always pulling her sisters out of trouble, that lie was not much of a stretch on the truth and it was easy to remember.
Since they had done a background check on her, she assumed they were monitoring her movements as well. She had checked out several apartments and had met a nice girl who was looking for a roommate. She told the girl she would get back to her by next week.
She would have to make her move after the party. The house would be well guarded that day, and with the increased amount of people wandering around, she couldn’t take a chance of being spotted trying to kidnap Chase with all those supernaturals around. She began to wonder if there was a way she could save her sister, without having to give up Chase to Lazzaro. Sighing, she decided to go for a run to clear her mind. Maybe she could come up with something, maybe.
Chapter 15
Aithne worked out the with the girls every day, but excused herself most afternoons, stating that she had to go look at apartments and meet possible roommates. Not sure if they were still keeping an eye on her, she made sure to put an application in at few different places.
The day of the party, the girls invited her over to get ready. Even though this was an assignment, Aithne found herself getting excited about the party. Deciding that the excitement was simply contagious from the girls, she grabbed what she needed in order to get ready, then headed downstairs to meet Eva.
Eva kept up a constant dialogue, the entire ride over. Chase was due to arrive just before the party, but Eva told him he had to get dressed in Viktor’s wing so he could fully appreciate how beautiful Violca looked in her gown. “Kat is sending someone to help us do our hair and makeup. She said everyone she invited is coming and that people she didn’t invite even sent email’s or called asking for an invitation.”
“Are you sure you it’s okay for me to be here?”
Eva grinned. “Of course! The party is for my sister and Chase. She won’t know most the people there, so she’s very excited that you’re coming. Besides us, she only knows Kassandra.”
Aithne nodded, pushing back the stab of guilt. She had thought of a way to possibly get Chase alone after the party by asking him for help. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but she had to try. “Is she nervous?”
Eva shrugged. “A little I’m sure, but mainly she’s excited to see Chase. This is the first time they’ve been separated this long.”
“What does he do?” Aithne asked as they pulled up the house.
“Research for Viktor’s security team, usually online, so he doesn’t have to leave very often.” After parking the car, they grabbed their dresses and accessory bags from the backseat of car. They began walking up to the door, when Eva jumped as the door opened before she could reach for it. Laughing at herself, she smiled when she saw Viktor. “What, were you waiting for us? You scared me.”
Viktor chuckled at Eva, then with a sideways glance, winked at Aithne. “Getting ready for the party tonight?”
“Yep!” Eva beamed. “Where are you going? You better not be late!”
Viktor gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am. I just have to run a quick errand, and I’ll be right back.” Nodding In their direction, he closed the door as he left.
“Come on.” Eva said, smiling brightly as she gestured for Aithne to follow her. Making her way down the hall, then up the stairs to the East wing, Aithne could hear the two younger girls long before they got to Violca’s room.
“But V, we want to dance at the party, too!” Angyalka said in a pouty voice.
“Me too! Chase and Scott promised us they would dance with us!”
Opening the door, Eva laughed. “I’m sure they’ll come up and dance with you both.”
Violca gave the two girls a playful wink, “I’ll make sure they do, I promise.”
“Can we wear dresses too?” Sari asked, as she and Angyalka both looked at Eva and Violca pleadingly.
“You can wear whatever you want.” Violca said with a laugh. “Now, why don’t you girls let us get ready. Go find Eryk and ask him to play a game with you.”
The girls ran out and Violca shook her head.
“Poor Eryk.” Eva said with a small grin.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door and Violca called out for the person to enter. A pretty, short brunette walked in. “Hi, Kassandra sent me up to help you get started.” She smiled politely. “My name’s Mary.”
“Mary, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Violca. Thank you so much for helping us today.”
Mary was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a black and white top. Aithne felt like a giant next to her. Her makeup was done nicely and her hair was in a long braid. “Why don’t you guys show me your dresses, and we can discuss a few ideas for how we want to do your makeup and hair.”
Despite her small size, Mary barked orders like a drill sergeant and quickly lined them up, having them hold up their dresses. “The dresses are beautiful,” she said. “My work is going to be easy.”
Mary’s words and her warm smile, put them all at ease. She quickly moved to Violca’s dresser where she began to set up with various bags of makeup and beauty products. Violca showed her where several of the outlets were. Deciding to start with the youngest, Kati sat down first. Violca smiled at Mary. “Don’t make her look to grown-up just yet.” Kati blushed gently and Mary grinned, nodding her understanding.
While Mary worked on Kati, the girls sat on the bed and chatted about the party. “So, have you seen Chase yet?”
Violca shook her head. “No, Viktor said he should be home within the hour. He also said he’d keep an eye on him, and have him help greet the guests as they arrived.”
Eva laughed. “I threatened Chase, but I’m glad Vikto
r will make sure he doesn’t sneak over and ruin the surprise.”
Violca blushed, as Eva giggled. “I also think Viktor's trying to get out of greeting the guests, so he’s making Chase help.”
The blissful smile playing on Violca’s lips made Aithne feel a little wistful. She had been alive for a very, very long time. Except for a few guys who were fun to date for a little while, she’d never had what Violca had with Chase. It only made what she had to do that much harder.
Aithne was last to get her hair and makeup done. Mary beamed brightly at her before having her sit in the chair. “So, I was thinking with you, we could leave your hair down, but bring it all to one side so it lays over the dress. What do you think?”
Aithne thought about it for a minute before agreeing with her.
Mary quickly went to work. “I think your hair is almost as long, as I am tall.”
Everyone laughed at that. Grabbing a handful of pins, Mary began to arrange her hair. She pinned it up on the right side, and left the rest so it hung down her back. She placed some of it so it was draped over her shoulder as they had discussed. Once her hair was finished, Mary began to work on her makeup, using eyeliner and mascara to bring out her eyes. Aithne followed her directions, looking this way and that, opening and closing her eyes as Mary expertly applied everything. The last touch was a shade of red lipstick that made her lips stand out.
When Mary announced that she was done, Aithne turned and smiled nervously at the girls.
“Wow, you look so different with makeup.” Eva said with a grin. “You go out like that and the guys will fall at your feet.”
Aithne shook her head and made a face. “Well hell, maybe I should’ve spent the extra money on those gold heels if that’s what the guys would be looking at.”
“Those will just make you look even better. Besides, we have to dance with all Viktor’s friends tonight. He brought this one guy in from Italy, so sexy.”
Changing carefully into their dresses and shoes, they let Mary fuss over them one more time. “Ladies, you look amazing.” Mary said. “Don’t break too many hearts.”
With that, Mary was gone and Violca frowned. “She was nice. I feel a little bad we didn’t know her beforehand, we could’ve invited her.”
Kati glanced at the clock. “What time are we supposed to go down there?”
Violca ran her hands down her dress, taking a deep breath, looking suddenly nervous. “Anytime. The guests should be arriving and the boys are probably ready for us.”
Eva looped her arm through Aithne and Kati’s. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”
Violca opened the door. “We have to see the girls first, I promised we’d show them how we look.”
Chapter 16
Viktor was surprised at how much work Kassandra was able to get done. The ballroom looked amazing. He and Chase took turns greeting the guests. It was Chase’s turn to greet, so he was standing at the top of the staircase that led into the ballroom. Viktor was walking around, saying hi to old friends and playing host. The people were excited to meet the sisters, and curious what Chase’s mating with the witch meant for the rest of them. Would they also be free to find their mates?
Viktor smiled when he saw Eva and Kati stepping through the doorway. From this angle, he was able to see Chase’s reaction when Violca stepped through. He had to admit, she looked amazing in her black dress. It truly emphasized all of her curves. Her violet eyes sparkled brightly when they landed on Chase. He stepped forward and kissed her gently. Everyone must have notice his reaction, for there was a small round of applause as everyone looked up at them. Violca blushed softly and pulled back a little, as she smiled up at him. Chase took her arm and led her down the stairs.
Looking back up, Viktor felt his breath catch when he saw Amy standing at the top of the stairs. The light in the room danced in her hair and he found himself drawn to her like a moth to the flame. Eva and Kati looped their arms with her and the three girls walked down the stairs together. Taking a few steps forward, he made sure he was the first to greet them. “Hello ladies, might I be the first to compliment you on how beautiful you look.”
Amy’s eyes met his, and he felt his smile get bigger when she blushed, right before she began looking him over. Viktor could feel his chest swell, as her eyes slowly roamed down his body. He could see her pulse pick up slightly.
Eva grinned. “Viktor, you clean up nice.” She smirked at him before looking around. “Kat said the dancing would start after dinner.”
“Yeah. She wanted an old fashioned party, mingling, then dinner in the banquet room, followed by a night of dancing.”
“You guys look fantastic.” Eryk said, walking up to them. Viktor fought the growl that rose in him, as Eryk looked over Amy with a gleam in his eye. “Amy, you have to promise to dance with me at least once tonight.”
“Of course!” Amy said, smiling at him. Viktor wanted nothing more than to tell her she would not be dancing with Eryk that night.
Eryk grinned, winking at Kati and Eva. “You both owe me a dance too.”
Eryk clasped Viktor on the back, before walking away. Kassandra sauntered up to him, looping her arm through his. “Viktor you look amazing.” She purred, leaning into him. Viktor tried not to frown, wondering why she was so affectionate all of a sudden.
Kassandra smiled at the girls, “You look lovely, ladies.”
Kassandra leaned in and squeezed his arm to her chest. As he felt the warmth of her body, he couldn’t help but look down at the long black evening dress she wore. His eyes slowly moved up her form and his eyes were drawn to the large amount of flesh that her gown exposed. Her gown was so low cut he found himself worried that she might pop right out. Realizing he had lingered too long on her exposed flesh, he glanced up quickly. He felt guilty when he noticed Amy watching him. The look on her face told him that she had drawn the wrong conclusion about why he was staring at Kassandra’s chest. Amy smiled politely looking around before excusing herself to get a drink from one of the bars.
“I was thinking we should introduce Amy to Devin.” Kassandra pointed to one of the guys on the opposite side of the ballroom. Devin, he noticed, had several smiling women standing around him. Viktor felt his teeth grind, as Eva and Kassandra talked about how handsome and nice the guy was.
Aithne thanked the bartender for her drink, before walking toward the large, open doors. Taking a sip of her cocktail, she saw several people walking around the gardens. She was glad to be at this party without her sisters. The room was full of extremely handsome men who looked as if they had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Their clothes were immaculate and tailor made, giving the obvious impression that they came from money.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned and noticed Scott walking through the doors. Returning his smile, she wondered why some girl hadn’t snatched him up yet.
“I thought only us guys went outside to escape during a party.”
Aithne laughed “I was just looking around, getting a breath of fresh air and a drink.” Holding up her glass, she showed him her rum and coke.
He chuckled, holding up a bottle of beer. “Great minds.”
Scott walked with her toward the railing above the stairs that led down into another section of the garden that Aithne had not yet seen. “This place is huge.”
Scott chuckled. “Yeah, it takes a little getting used to.”
They both stood in silence for a few minutes, looking over the garden. Whoever decorated the house, also decorated the yard with a beautiful string of lights that gave off the impression of stars. Scott turned back toward the house. “I should go back inside.” He offered his arm. “Would you like to join me?”
Smiling, Aithne took Scott’s arm and walked back inside with him. A waiter carrying a tray of wine, offered to take her glass. Scott led her around the room, introducing her to a few of his friends before leading her to Chase and Violca. When the couple they were talking to left, Violca shook her head. “There’s no way I’
m going to remember everyone’s name.”
Laughing, Aithne watched as Chase pulled her close. “No one expects you to remember everyone’s name, just so long as you remember their name.” He grunted when she elbowed him. “I think everyone’s just excited to meet you.”
Viktor approached with Kati, and Aithne noticed how Kati’s eyes kept going to her arm that was linked with Scott’s. Feeling Scott stiffen next to her, she discreetly removed her arm from his.
Violca smiled at Kati. “There are a few girls here who are going to be at the high school with you. I want to introduce you to them after dinner.”
Kati nodded, fidgeting with her hands. Scott excused himself, and the sound of chimes echoed through the room, indicating that it was time for dinner. Chase offered Violca and Kati his arms. “Ladies, may I escort you both to dinner?” They each took an arm, leaving Aithne with Viktor.
Viktor offered his arm and Aithne felt the current between them as soon as her hand touched him.
“So, Amy, are you having a good time so far?”
She smiled. “I am. The decorations are beautiful. The garden, it looks like it’s decorated with little stars.”
Viktor led her to the chair next to his and pulled it out for her.
Kassandra came up with a handsome man. “Devin, why don’t you take the chair here, next to Amy.” She then sat on the other side of Viktor.
Devin sat where indicated and smiled at her. “Hi Amy, I’m Devin.”
She shook his hand. “Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Devin.”
His warm brown eyes looked her over, lighting up a little. “The pleasure’s all mine.” Devin said with a grin.
Aithne saw Kassandra smile out of the corner of her eye.
Chase and Violca took their seats next to Kassandra, while Kati sat on the other side of Chase and Eva sat next to Devin. Eva leaned back a little in her chair, winking at Aithne, then glancing in Devin’s direction with a wicked grin. Aithne tried not to laugh, realized that Devin must be one of the handsome friends that Eva thought she might like. Seeing her blush, he smiled at her, “Should I even ask?”