Noelle gave Syney a look before stepping away as he approached. He gave her the best smile he could and gestured to the hallway with a cock of his head. She nodded and followed him out to a small enclave a few feet down. There were a couple of benches. He took a seat on one, and she sat down opposite him.
"I'm sorry I left that way. I was going to wake you but—"
"No, it's OK. I... She's pretty. I didn't really want her to be pretty," Syney said with a sad smile.
Hunter glanced out into the hall before brushing his fingers along hers.
Syney smiled at him. "We can totally do this, you know. I can be so sneaky. This one time I adopted a cat and got away with it for a month, and the only reason my mom found out was because she decided to do my laundry." She paused. "This is so doable. I promise."
Hunter stared into her violet eyes for a moment and had to force himself to look away. "No, it's not."
"What?" she asked, sounding deflated. "I thought, after last night..
Hunter grabbed her hands and leaned forward. "It was the best night of my life. But there's so much more going on here."
Syney looked away, but Hunter grabbed her chin.
"You are amazing, and if things were different...there wouldn't be a question."
Syney's eyes glistened with tears. "But we could keep it a secret. No one would know."
He smiled at her. "I don't want you to be my secret. You're better than that."
"So that's it?"
"That's it."
Syney wiped away a tear and stood up. "You know, sometimes it's actually good to do the wrong thing, to go against the grain. That's how change is made."
Hunter stood up and looked down at her. "You have more important things to change."
"Ugh! I am so sick of people telling me that. Maybe I don't want to be some kind of savior." She stared up into his eyes. "Maybe I just want to be with the guy I love and settle down out in the middle of nowhere. Have a couple of kids. Just be happy. Is that so much to ask?" She gave a small sob and stalked off.
She was right. Everyone was putting too much pressure on her and not asking what she wanted. But there was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing Hunter could do about it either. But keeping up a secret affair? That would just add to the stress she was already feeling. And he wouldn't be responsible for that—even if it meant letting her go.
Leaf
This was the first council meeting that didn't have Leaf's full attention. He was distracted, and he shouldn't be. Usually he sat across from Justice, who annoyed him on a good day. That man was never paying attention, always doodling away on the paper in front of him. But today Princess Helen had grabbed that seat. Leaf always had been known for compartmentalizing his life, but at that moment he couldn't stop picturing Helen in her thin blue bathing suit. Most Lycin women were strong and all muscle, but Helen had curves and soft spots that fascinated him. But they shouldn't; they couldn't.
"Leaf?"
Helen looked at him. She wasn't the one who had called his name, but he felt caught by her gaze for a moment, her face turning pink under his stare. He finally looked over to Mellisandrianna, who appeared less amused. She also looked paler than usual. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Are you even listening?"
"I am now."
"Security. We need more of it. I wasn't comfortable with the report your scouting party gave. I would like more guards posted at exits."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"I would also like at least two Protectors for every royal. Call up the seconds and have them ready to start duty tomorrow."
"What would you like to do for Princess Syney?" he asked.
"What?"
Everyone at the table looked to the young princess, who stared back with confusion. At least I wasn't the only one distracted, Leaf thought.
"The Protectors are increasing to two. You need a second one," Leaf explained.
"Oh, OK," Syney said.
Mellisandrianna shot Syney an odd look. "Who's your best guard?" she asked Leaf.
"They're all well trained."
She smiled at him. "Of course, but we both know that some excel more than others."
Leaf thought for a moment. There had been a new hotshot in the ranks, Reed. He was young but strong and very eager. He said as much to the queen, who nodded in agreement.
"He shall be appointed then. Is there anything else?"
"The ball, Your Majesty. Everything will be set up for tomorrow. It will be masked, and the colors will be white and black," Justice said eagerly.
Leaf rolled his eyes. Balls and festivals were a staple in the palace, but as far as he was concerned, they were a colossal waste of time and money. He looked forward—and was surprised—to find himself staring into Helen's eyes yet again. She smiled but quickly looked away.
"Yes, yes, all good. Anything else?"
The table was silent.
"Good. Meeting adjourned." Mellisandrianna quickly stood and swept away.
Leaf stared after her for a moment, wondering what her hurry was. He shook off the thought and looked back to Helen, but she was gone. He guessed hurrying ran in the family. He looked toward the end of the table and found Syney still sitting in her seat, deep in thought. He walked over to her and sat next to her. "Are you all right?"
She jumped slightly. "Oh, jeez. Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind. What's this about a ball?"
"It's an annual thing—just a rather large dance." He thought for a moment. "Would it be all right for me to escort you?"
Syney's eyes narrowed. "You're not developing a crush on me, are you? 'Cause I have it on good authority that that would mean jail time...or death."
"More likely death," he said a bit sourly. "It would be platonic. Usually your Protector would be your escort."
"Oh, so it should be Hunter?" she asked, her mood picking up.
Odd, he thought. "Yes, but all paired or mated Guards escort their significant others. So Hunter will be with Fern. I would love the opportunity, however, to take his place."
She looked at him for a moment before nodding. "That would be nice. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said with a short nod.
"So this new kid is good?"
"Reed? Yes, he is."
"Good." Syney stood up. "I think some change might be a good thing. I'll see you tomorrow."
He bid her goodbye and watched as she left. She was also looking paler. Leaf wasn't comfortable with how the royal family was looking, but it wasn't his place to say anything. He got up and headed out of the room. He went down to the training gym for the Guard. He wanted to let Reed know of his new position as soon as he could. Fern and Hunter were there, talking with several Guards. Fern looked good for having been out of the palace for more than a month. But Hunter seemed distracted and waned. Maybe something was going around the palace, he thought. Whatever it was, he needed to stay away from it. He didn't need the distraction.
Noelle
"How tight is this thing supposed to be?" Syney managed to get out, even though Noelle was pretty sure she wasn't breathing.
"Um, just a little. Hold on. I almost have it all tied up," Noelle said, pulling at the strings on the back of Syney's ball gown. It was the prettiest dress either girl ever had seen—a white silk dress covered in black lace. The skirt, as with any ball gown, was large and stiff, with layers upon layers of petticoats. It was the corset top that was the trouble. From her training, Noelle knew it needed to be as tight as it could go, and then you had to pull it even tighter. It was all about keeping up a certain posture at dinner and during the dances. Once she finally tied the last knot, she spun Syney around so that she faced the full-length mirror.
"Wow," Syney breathed. She fingered the skirt then ran her hands over the corset top before landing on her cleavage, which jiggled a little. "Is it supposed to do that?"
Noelle laughed. "Yes, it is." She looked at herself in the mirror next to Syney. Her dress was a ball gown as well,
just not as flashy as the Princess's. The annual ball was always a big event for the palace. The only time that royals, non-royals, and Lycins came together was at balls and parties, and this one was always the biggest.
"So how do you dance at these things? I'm guessing no mosh pit or fist pumping," Syney said, as she started to wiggle around. Noelle assumed she was dancing, but she couldn't be sure.
"Mostly waltzes," she responded, as Gabe walked into the room without a knock. He hadn't been around for the past day, which Noelle couldn't have been happier about. After their incident in the hall the other day, she was still trying to cool herself down.
"Nice boobs," he said, flashing Syney as smile and jumping onto the couch closest to them.
"Thank you!" Syney said, still moving to whatever music she had going in her head.
"They don't dance like that here, Princess," Gabe said. He was wearing his usual black suit and looking as handsome as ever.
Syney stopped and looked at Noelle. "This is going to be a disaster. I'm seeing it now. How about I just skip it?"
Noelle shook her head. "It's kind of required. Sorry. But they're usually a lot of fun. Everyone is masked, so they dance with whomever they want, and you generally don't know who your partner is. So you could...dance with Hunter, and no one could say anything." She watched as Syney's face fell and she turned away. Noelle hadn't asked what was going on with Hunter after she had seen Fern at the dining hall, but Syney's moods had been spotty ever since, so she assumed everything hadn't gone well. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, no. It's OK," Syney looked back and smiled at her. "Don't worry about it." She glanced at Gabe, who seemed bored with the conversation. "You coming?"
"God, no. Magic Users don't know how to throw a real party. All lavish clothes and decorations but absolutely no naked women in cages or on poles. They have no taste."
Syney laughed, but Noelle was horrified. "You really go to parties like that?"
Gabe looked at her for the first time since he had entered the room. "I hosted them. All heat and passion and lust."
Noelle got caught in his eyes for a few moments but forced herself to look away. He was bad news for her, at the very least. She needed to stop thinking such dirty thoughts about him. Growing up, she had heard a lot of things about Vampires. They had a way of getting into people's heads and not just by compulsion. Her mother always had warned her about them. She said that their bites were actually euphoric, and some even begged for a bite after a while. And then there was the sex thing. She had heard that they all were amazing lovers, but it was the promise of that treasured bite during sex that some women sought out. Noelle had to admit she was curious, but it was more than that—and that's what scared her. "Sounds depraved."
"Oh, it was."
"Sounds better than this," Syney said, pulling on her black-feathered mask. "I look like a freak."
"You look amazing," Noelle said, fixing a few hairs that had fallen out of place. She pulled a few strands behind Syney's ear and whispered, "He's an idiot."
Syney gave her a sad smile. "He's not—that's the problem."
There was a knock at the door, and Noelle quickly went to answer it. Leaf stepped in wearing a black suit. His black dress jacket was buttoned almost all the way to his chin with golden buttons. He looked extremely handsome. This was Noelle's favorite part of the ball, getting to see everyone dressed up. It was like they were the best versions of themselves for the night.
Leaf shot a look to Gabe and bowed to both women. "Are you ready?"
Syney nodded. "Yup. As ready as I'll ever be."
"Oh, wait!" Noelle hurried over to Syney's vanity and pulled out the Vilori family crest. "I found this when I unpacked your stuff. You should wear it to all of the major events." She pulled the amulet around Syney's neck and hooked it in the back. "It shows that you're head of the house."
Syney looked down at the amulet and fingered it. "That's makes sense. I've seen the queen with a blue one."
Noelle gave Syney a once-over look before nodding in approval. "Now you're ready."
Syney gave her a hug. Noelle stiffened for a moment, not used to the gesture, especially from a royal, before accepting it. It felt nice to have a friend again. She knew a lot of other handmaidens in the palace, but she wasn't very close to any of them. She loved having Syney around.
"I'll see you down there, right?" Syney asked.
Noelle nodded and watched her sweep out of the room with Leaf.
"What do you say we throw our own depraved party?"
She looked over at Gabe, who sent her his devilish smile. "No, thank you. I actually like the ball." She looked into the mirror and checked her own hair and clothes before heading for the door. Something stopped her from leaving. She shouldn't care what Gabe thought or did, but she couldn't help it. She turned around and found him staring out onto the balcony. "Why don't you come with me?" she said.
He turned to her, surprised. He didn't speak for a moment—he just stared at her—but Noelle was pretty sure she wasn't what he was looking at. Finally he blinked and slipped into his smile. "Not my scene, like I said. But enjoy yourself...just not too much."
Noelle waited for a moment, even though she knew he wouldn't change his mind. Once she was down in the Great Hall with hundreds of masked people all around, she actually debated going back to find Gabe. Out of everyone in the palace, he was the only one she wanted to spend time with.
Cass
Cass was bored. She shifted in her seat next to Helen and tried to discreetly pull at the bodice of her dress. Truth be told, she wasn't a fan of these things. She loved dresses and chose to wear them every day, but these ball gowns were different. They poked and prodded in places Cass didn't know she had. She sighed in frustration and looked at Helen.
"This almost over?" she whined.
Helen laughed. "It hasn't even started."
Cass grumbled and watched as everyone started to file into the room. The ball had two different parts. The first started in the Grand Dining Hall, where she was now with Helen, and then after dinner they all filed into the Grand Ballroom next door, where there was dancing and lots of drinking. That part wasn't so bad, but Cass still wasn't a fan. Most people in the Village were scared to even talk to her let alone ask her to dance, merely because she was a royal princess. Most of the time, at these balls, she stood alone against the wall with Helen, drinking copious amounts of vinum, which then caused the humiliated ride back to her room in Raine's arms. To his credit at least he took some not-so-usual routes and avoided as many people as possible, but her pride was still wounded every time. Every year she swore she wouldn't drink and even would ask someone to dance—just try to have a blast—but it never worked.
"This year will be different," she said to herself.
Helen laughed. "You say that every year."
"But this year I mean it," she said, as she saw Syney walk in with Leaf. She waved her over and motioned to the seat next to her.
"Wow, this is kinda crazy," Syney said, sitting down.
Leaf gave a bow to the three of them. "I'll come back to escort you to the ballroom."
"Sure. Thank you," Syney said.
"That was nice of Leaf to escort you," Helen said, after he had left.
"Yeah, he's a pretty special guy," Syney replied, pouring herself some vinum.
"Just be careful with that stuff," Cass warned. "It can be pretty deadly."
Syney laughed. "I found that out the hard way, but it's so darn good."
Cass joined in on her laugher. She had come to enjoy having Syney around. She didn't spend as much time with her as Helen did, but they had shared enough time to bond. It was almost like there were now four seated royal sisters, which was nice, and not just because it tipped the scales against Adanna and their mother.
"It's nice to see the Vilori crest," Helen said, gesturing toward the amulet around Syney's neck.
Cass smiled. "I remember when I first saw that in your things. I
knew right then that you were the lost Vilori."
"At least one of us did." Syney laughed nervously.
"Are you still having trouble here? I thought all of the rumors had stopped," Cass said with concern.
"Oh, they did, I guess... I've just got other things on my mind."
"I know what you mean. I was a little nervous about the report on Shifter activity," Helen said.
Cass's smile fell immediately. "Shifters?" She didn't talk about it much, but the Shifter attack in the Human Realm had left a big impact on her. She still had some nightmares about it, which caused her to wake up in a cold sweat.
"The report from the Guards' scouting party was given at the council meeting today that you missed. They said there was increased activity along the northern border," Helen said.
Cass's heartbeat picked up. This wasn't good. Everyone assumed that the palace was the safest place in the Realm, but what if the Shifters attacked? They were out there just waiting to attack, and here they were having a dance. Cass sighed in frustration and stood up, almost knocking over her chair.
"Cass, what's wrong?" Helen asked, putting her hand on her sister's arm.
"I just... I need to go. I forgot that I have to get something done."
"You're leaving? I was told this was mandatory," Syney said.
"It is...probably. I just... I have to go. Mother won't mind. She tells me every year that her respect level for me drops. I hate this thing, and I'd rather just go to my room." Cass took a deep breath. "I'll be fine. I'll see you both tomorrow. And stay off the vinum."
She took off without listening to them and headed to the library. If the Shifters were coming—if they wanted to fight—then she would have to learn to fight. She unlocked the main door and marched right up to the secured section. After yanking her skirt through the door, she went to the section of books she hadn't yet gotten to and stared at it. She wasn't sure what spell was on it. It definitely wasn't the same spell that was on the other shelves. "Damn!" she yelled, and smacked the shelf with her hand. When she did, an invisible barrier formed in front of it, with several symbols on it. She gasped, not only from the pain in her hand but also the symbols. There wasn't one spell on the shelf; there were at least seven. She quickly wrote them down on the paper that was on the table. The only way she was going to get through this was one spell at a time. There were three that she recognized. They were all spells that could lock a door, which she had learned during her basic training. Two more she had come across in the other books in the secured section. But the last two—they were going to be tricky. She grabbed a few books from the other shelves and started to look through them. She needed to find a way to get to that shelf, and there was no way she wouldn't.
Discovery: Altera Realm Trilogy Page 22