by Amber Kalkes
“Why? Did you want something else?” He asks, innocently.
I scowl at him, “Don’t start with me, Toby.”
“You’re very crabby for someone who just…”
I put my hands against his mouth and give him a dirty look, “Don’t. Speak.”
He smiles against my hands and I relax back into the bed. Hesitantly, I reach up and touch the bite mark on my neck. It’s still leaking a little bit of blood, but it’s already mostly closed up. The reality of the situation starts to sink in then and oddly enough, I don’t regret it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ominous
I look at all the new dress bags in the walk in closet and grimace. They came this morning. Yes, the shipment of overpriced rags from the fancy store has finally arrived and I am less than thrilled. Unfortunately, Tobias informed me that this is a fancy banquet, so I am to dress accordingly. And that means evening gowns, I feel like wrenching just thinking about it.
Three knocks on the closet door have me spinning around to see Tyler leaning against the doorframe. My eyes widen at the sight of him. He’s dressed in a black suit. His jacket is unbuttoned, showing a white button-up shirt underneath. His tie is a silver colored silk and I spot a matching pocket square in his jacket. His dark hair is slicked back expertly in a bun at the back of his head. He looks very handsome and I have to say, I’m very impressed.
“Wow.”
He smirks, “I do clean up nice, don’t I?”
“That you do.”
“You look tired.”
I sigh and knead my forehead while looking at the garment bags again. I kept having nightmares all night, even with Tobias lying right next to me. I kept waking up, scared half of my wits for remembering the color red. It’s always red and always mixed with pain.
“I couldn’t sleep very well last night.” I inform him.
“Well that’s not good. We all have a duty to look our best today. Many people you need to impress you know. Don’t worry though, you won’t be smudging any lipstick while kissing babies.”
I roll my eyes then ask, “So this is a big deal? This whole conclave thing?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Great,” I groan before glancing in Tyler’s direction, “did you need something or were you looking for an ego boost?”
“I came to bring you this.” Tyler tells me, as he hands me a little red polka dot bag.
With an arched brow, I take it from him and unzip it before looking at him dryly, “Are you kidding me?”
“Boss’ orders.” He grins.
I hold up the makeup bag like it’ll bite me, “I don’t know how to put this stuff on.”
“Yet another reason I’m here.”
“You know how to put on makeup?”
He shrugs and grabs the bag back from me, “Yes. Come on.”
I follow him back into the main part of the bedroom with doubt written all over my features. He gestures for me to sit on the bench at the end of the bed, and with a sigh, I do just that. Tyler grabs one of the rarely used decoration chairs from around the room and pulls it in front of me. I watch him move around and realize that he has a similar unnaturalness to his movements, like Tobias. It’s not grace with Tyler though, it’s more of power. Every movement he makes has purpose and strength in it. It’s just as hypnotizing, if not more.
“Move your hair out of the way.” He orders gruffly.
“So how do you know how to do this?” I ask as I brush my bangs behind my ears.
He looks reluctant to answer but admits, “I had an older sister. I used to watch her do her makeup and when she got older, I helped her.”
“Had?”
“Nora died last year of cardiac arrest.” He tells me plainly, no emotion in his voice, “She was invalid by the time she died. She had a stroke a few years back. I didn’t see her often after my first shift, she was already moved out of the house and was living on her own. She was married young and was raising her own family when it all happened.”
“Did she know what you were?”
“Yeah she knew, but we never talked about it. Nora never asked me why I still looked sixteen when she was in her thirties. We were only six years apart. As time went on it was clear something was wrong with me but Nora wasn’t one to pry.”
“It’s hard isn’t it?” I ask, receiving a frown in return, “Losing family members.”
He nods, “Some more than others. Close your eyes.”
I flinch a little when I feel something touch my eyelid but try my best to stay still. It’s still amazing to me that he can do this. At least, I hope he can. Even if he does make me look like a clown, I’m sure I’ll still wear it. It’s better than anything I know how to do. Mom didn’t allow me to wear makeup until I was seventeen, and by then, I had no interest. I think she’s disappointed that I’m not as feminine or delicate as she is. I wish I were. Maybe then, I wouldn’t be having a werewolf doing my makeup right now.
“How old was your sister?” Tyler asks and I tense.
“Nine. Leukemia.”
“That’s young. Too young.”
“Yes, but she was in a lot of pain towards the end. I think she was ready, she told me she was.”
“She sounds brave.”
I smile a little with my eyes still closed, “She was.”
“Open your eyes.” He orders and I do as asked.
His dark brows are furrowed in concentration and I notice his jaw is clenched as well. He hands me a tube of mascara, at least that’s what it says on the side of it, and holds up a mirror. I look a bit frightening with just the black eye shadow on my eyes and some wing on. I actually look very pale. Paler than usual.
“Hold the wand by your eyelashes and blink while sweeping the brush up.” He tells me, “Be careful though, you could poke yourself in the eye.”
I grimace and remove the mascara encrusted wand from the tube, “Personal experience?”
Tyler laughs and shakes his head, “No.”
“So what happens at these things?” I ask as I do one experimental sweep on my eyelashes. I hear him laugh again and blink at him, “What?”
“You’re making a weird face.” He chuckles before reverting to my previous question, “Mostly, it’s just them lording over each other, showing how much power they have. Vampires are all about power, and since Tobias has the most physical power, he’s an easy mark for scorn.”
“Which in turn makes me an easy mark as a tool to bring him down a notch.”
“Something like that.”
I make a disgusted noise and shake my head, “Politics.”
“It gets worse. There’s one person you’re going to equally impress and stay away from. His name is Renshu and he’s the only one coming who should scare the shit out of you.”
“Why?”
“He’s old and in this world, that means he’s powerful. More powerful than any man has the right to be.”
I put the mascara wand back into the tube and sigh. I don’t really want to be involved in this, but I don’t have much of a choice anymore. Absently, I reach up and touch the healed bite mark. I made my bed, now I have to party in it. I feel my hands begin to shake and I lock them together in my lap. I don’t know if I can go through with this. Couldn’t I just hide somewhere for the duration?
“The marking was for you, as much as it was for him.” Tyler tells me, distracting me from my growing anxiety.
“Do you do this too?” I ask, gesturing to my neck, “Do Lycans have someone to soothe the monster?”
He shifts in his seat a little, “Yes.”
“Do they have a title or…”
“Yes.”
I lift a brow, “And that is?”
“None of your business.”
I can’t help but grin at him, “Good one.”
He smiles back, “I do try. Viktor will be here, by the way.”
Now it’s my turn to squirm, “Viktor, huh?”
“Tobias made sure I knew to keep him awa
y from you. He didn’t like how Viktor was looking at you at the club.”
“Yet he sent me to see him, alone.” I point out, dryly.
Tyler shrugs. Apparently, this isn’t a shocking information, “He’s strange like that. There’s some foundation in there, fish it out for me will you? We need to cover up that bruise on your cheek.”
“Still not gone?”
“Nearly.” He says distractedly, “But appearances are everything tonight.”
“Hence the fancy getups.”
He smirks, “Exactly.”
Taking out the cover up, he frowns in concentration as he starts to cover up my bruise the best he can. I don’t know how well it’ll work, but I appreciate all the effort he’s putting into it. I watch his face the whole time and notice that around the pupil of his eyes, there is an aura of gold.
“There.” He states pulling back, “That should hold.”
I grab his hand and look into his eyes, “Thank you for this, really. I would have been a lost cause without you.”
“You’re just lucky I didn’t allow the boss to go with his first plan.” Tyler says before giving me an exaggerated shudder.
“I don’t even want to know.” I insist, putting up my hand to stop him from elaborating. I really do not want to know. “But I meant it, Tyler. Thank you. For everything. You’ve been a really good friend to me over these last few weeks.”
He frowns at me, “You say that like this is the last time I’m going to see you.”
I don’t tell him about the feeling of impending doom in the pit of my stomach. About the nightmares or any of it. Instead, I just give him a weak smile, get up, and head for the closet. I have my own funeral to get ready for.
* * *
I’m putting in the hopefully fake, diamond earrings, Tobias left me when I feel a light kiss on my shoulder. I look over my shoulder to meet the twin crimson orbs smiling down at me. I smile weakly back at him, but turn back around to continue getting ready. I’m stuck between two dresses and I’m unenthused about them both. Nothing has sleeves and the growing panic is making the growing sense of doom even worse.
“Have you picked a dress?” he murmurs from behind me.
“I’m not very good at this.” I admit quietly.
“What’s wrong?”
I shrug, I don’t want to get into this now. I just want to get ready and build up as much courage as I can, before I face the jury. I mentally scold myself for that one. No negative thoughts. I need to remember what Dr. Reynolds always says “It’s all in your head”. It is all in my head but it doesn’t feel that way. It feel too real.
“N-Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“Of course I’m lying, but I’m trying to fool myself into thinking I’m not.”
“This is overwhelming for you.”
It’s not a question but I answer it anyway, “Incredibly.”
I stare down at my bare feet and lay my hands on my stomach as it churns with nerves. I’m dressed in a black skin tight slip with a built in bra. Both the dresses I’m holding are strapless and this is the only thing that didn’t feel like it was going to fall down. Tobias grabs my chin and lifts my face up, so I’m not staring at my feet anymore. I feel more exposed when he looks at me like this than in any fancy slip I’m wearing.
“What are you scared of?”
“It feels like everything,” I tell him truthfully, “But I know that’s not rational.”
“You’re going to be fine. Just don’t stray far from Tyler or me.”
I scowl at him, “I’m not a dog.”
He seems pleased by annoyance and kisses my cheek, “I know.”
My glare becomes mutinous as I watch him strut his way to stand in front of me. I have half the mind to punch him just to teach him not to push me. I’d break my hand, but the point will be driven home. My annoyance is short lived when I take in what he’s wearing. He looks… jaw-dropping.
He’s in a black suit with a black dress shirt and a black tie. Even his dress shoes are black, but similar to Tyler, he has a pocket square in his jacket. His is just crimson, the exact same shade as his eyes. His black hair is slicked back from his face, showing the pale contours of his cheekbones and jawline perfectly. I purse my lips and feel a little bitter towards him all of a sudden. I’m a little jealous he can pull off all that black, while I just look like I’m going to a funeral.
“You don’t like it?” He asks.
I twist my lips ruefully, “No, you look handsome.”
“Then what’s with the face?”
“I don’t know, ask my mother, she made it.”
He gives me a dull look, “Don’t be difficult, Shoshanna. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I told you before, I’m not good at this.”
“What?”
“I don’t know… fashion, I guess?” I tell him with a shrug.
“Would you like me to choose?”
“I suppose.” I sigh leaning back on his chest making him wrap his arms around my waist. I’m shocked by my own actions. It was totally on instinct. I didn’t even have to think twice about it.
“It’s the bond.” Tobias whispers in my ear and I shiver as his breath tickles my neck. “It draws you more to me, physically, and mentally. Soon, you won’t be able to keep your hands off me. Personally, I can’t wait.”
“You’re a pig.”
“No, wallflower, I’m a man.”
“There’s little difference.”
He nuzzles my neck, “Are you complaining?”
I don’t respond, but I do lean more into him. One of his hands stays on my belly as the other one trails up my bare arm. I’m still uncomfortable with him touching my scars. I don’t know why he likes it so much, when they show something he obviously dislikes. His hand stops mid-caress and he cups my face in his hands.
“I adore everything about you.” He tells me, “Even your scars, especially your scars, actually. I can’t hate something that is a part of you, Shoshanna.”
I swallow thickly, overwhelmed by the admission, “You can be very sweet sometimes, you know that?”
He makes a face, “I most certainly am not.”
I roll my eyes and smile, feeling better after our bickering. Nothing’s changed between us, even with the barbarian horde knocking on our door. I bite my lip and do something even bolder than simply leaning back on him. I go up on my tippy toes and lay a soft kiss on his lips. I’m about to pull back, with my cheeks on fire, when he grabs my head and brings my lips against his again.
He slowly walks me backwards until my back is against the wall of the closet. I inhale sharply when my back hits the wall, but Tobias uses it to his advantage and deepens the kiss. I haven’t been very bold about kissing back, but I feel compelled to at least try, so I hesitantly brush my tongue against his. I’m rewarded for my efforts with a low rumbling groan from him.
One of his hands grips my right thigh and keeps it bent at his waist, as his mouth begins its burning trail along my jawline. He presses his hips against me and I moan lowly at the sensation. When his hand slides under the hem of my slip, I start shaking uncontrollably. It’s too much.
He pulls back and catches his breath against my neck. I do the same, but instead I stare at the ceiling. A smile comes to my face though when I think of how far I’ve come. I’m not anywhere close to even thinking about sex, but the touching issue seems more manageable. There’s actually no issues if I’m the one initiating the touch in the first place. I gnaw on my lip as I think about the possibilities present.
“You need to get ready.” He rasps against my neck, “That’ll never happen if you don’t stop thinking so loudly.”
My face heats up, “Um… sorry.”
He leans back and smiles at me salaciously, “I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to help the dressing process, not hinder it. That being said, I’m open to options.”
Rolling my eyes I push him away from me, “Out.”
“You don’t
want my gift?”
That piques my interest, “Gift?”
Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulls out two folded pairs of gloves. I frown at them before he unfurls them and I feel my heart melt at the gesture. They’re black lace opera gloves. They’ll cover the scars on my arms, every one of them. Tears brim my eyes but when I look up, Tobias is already gone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Beguilement
I am being ripped apart.
Well, in Josette’s eyes, I am. Her predatory violet eyes have been locked on me with fierce hatred ever since I came down on Tobias’s arm. She’s been throwing hateful glances at the prominent bite mark on my neck. The same bite marking me as Tobias’. He, on the other hand, reflects the very image of pride as he escorts me around.
To be honest, I feel kind of… pretty, for the first time in a long time. The dress I have on is black in color with discreet filigree embroidered on both the bodice and along the edges of the hem. It’s tight and shows off my considerable cleavage, something I’ve always been embarrassed about. In my hair is an ornate onyx comb holding up one side of my hair, while the other half hangs over the bruised side of my face. Luckily, due to the dress’ length, I’m also able to get away with wearing ballet flats.
That being said, compared to the ballroom, I look like… well a wallflower. It’s huge, of course, and as dictated by Tobias’s style, ornate. Large windows show the still barren and snowy garden on one side of the ballroom, while the other half shows the vast lands beyond the estate. Above is a domed skylight with renaissance artwork on either side of it.
The floors are hardwood and the walls all have baroque carvings fashioned into the dark wood of the beams and the window frames. I don’t know if I can even describe it well, because it really is just so much to take in. I could comment on it all night and I feel that I wouldn’t even have the chance to begin to give it justice. In fact, it sort of reminds me of a ballroom in one of the many Disney movies I watched while growing up.
The cast of characters filling the room is just as awe inspiring as the surroundings. Most are obviously vampires, their unusual eyes and eye-catching grace, are big hints. I’m surprised to see other humans among them though. Scarred with bite marks and practically hanging on the vampire they came with. Most of the humans look almost drugged up. In fact, they seem completely out of their minds. Why else would they come to a party filled with vampires? Either way, it’s not an attractive sight.