by Rose Pressey
Chapter Forty-Five
The next day arrived and it was time for the annual Halloween Ball. Annabelle had helped me set up the candles around the house. We’d draped black gauze around the room and the house positively sparkled. The guests would start arriving soon. The caterers were sitting up the food on tables that had been draped with white cloths.
I slipped off upstairs to get ready. I couldn’t wait to wear the red dress. After sliding into the dress, I added the red feathered mask that Annabelle had found. I’d always wanted to attend a masquerade ball.
Footsteps caught my attention. Someone was going down the stairs. I wasn’t sure if it was Nicolas or Liam. One thing was for sure: I couldn’t wait to see them in their tuxedos. Sliding the red lipstick over my lips, I spritzed on my favorite perfume and then headed downstairs. This was as close to Cinderella that I’d ever get.
When I reached the parlor, I stopped at the entrance. Nicolas was standing in the middle of the room. He looked devastatingly handsome in his black tuxedo.
“You look stunning,” he said.
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. The caterers made noise in the other room, but it was just the two of us in the parlor, as if we were in our own little world. Nicolas pulled out his phone and sat it on the table. The music streamed out from the little speakers.
“I wanted to have a dance with you privately before all the chaos starts.” He stepped dangerously close.
I smiled, unable to resist his good looks.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, holding out his hand.
I placed my hand in his and he wrapped his strong arms around me. We swayed to the music and my heart raced. Nicolas placed his lips against mine and kissed me more passionately than I’d ever been kissed. I couldn’t resist melting into a kiss when he looked at me with those blue eyes.
“Hallie, I can’t deny my feelings for you any longer.” He paused, then continued, “I’ve fallen for you.”
This revelation sent my thoughts in a tailspin. I couldn’t deny what I felt for him either. But I couldn’t stop trying to fight it.
He caressed my cheek with his strong hand and gazed into my eyes. “I’m sorry if I haven’t been completely forthcoming. I’m sorry if I’ve been keeping secrets from you.”
I hadn’t expected him to say that. My heart thumped wildly. What other kind of secrets did he have?
“What are you keeping from me?” I asked.
He held me in his arms. “I want to tell you everything I know.”
“Okay, I’m listening. Please feel free to share everything with me. I think I’ve been waiting long enough.”
He let out a deep breath, then said, “My mother was the previous leader of the Underworld.”
It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I hadn’t expected that news.
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” I asked.
“I just didn’t want anyone to know that I was here.” His eyes darkened.
“But Liam knew,” I said.
“Yes, he did.” Nicolas nodded. “I didn’t want to burden you with my story, but now that I know and care so much for you, I had to say something.” He took my hand in his.
“You can tell me anything,” I said.
“I don’t want the same thing to happen to you that happened to my mother.”
I knew that his mother had died at the hands of Mara. Well, they had thought Mara had something to do with her murder. But would that mean I was destined for the same fate?
“Was your mother a vampire too?” It was a touchy subject, but I had to ask.
“She was a witch and a vampire. We were turned at the same time.”
“Tell me about when you were turned?” I asked.
“My father died from tuberculosis. The vampires showed up one day and tried to take over our farm. We put up a good fight. My mother was turned, along with her sister too. Mara went with the vampires. She took the wrong path.”
“It must be so hard for you,” I said softly.
“Mara sold her soul to the devil years ago for reasons unknown to all of us. You know my mother was killed for the book. Thankfully she was able to hide the book with your aunt so that Mara couldn’t get hold of it. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.” His expression became saddened.
My heart sank. “What makes you think the same thing would happen to me? I mean, can’t someone stop her?”
“So far they haven’t been able to stop her. There is no proof that she did this, but I know she did and I intend to prove it somehow.”
It all made sense now. Why had he been acting so secretive?
“I wish you’d shared this with me sooner. Maybe I can help you get Mara.” A hint of frustration sounded in my voice.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“There might be a way to get the proof you need to show that she did something to your mother,” I said.
There was a slight hesitation in his eyes, then he touched my cheek again. “You’d do that for me?”
“You wanted to help me, right?”
He gave me a smile that sent my pulse racing.
“Then why wouldn’t I want to help you?” I asked.
Nicolas kissed me again and I was instantly lost in his arms. I felt his fangs against my lips, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be lost in his arms. We continued to sway back and forth to the music.
“So when are you going to tell me how we can get the proof we need?” he asked.
The doorbell rang and I looked at the grandfather clock. It was already time for the party to start. I looked out the window and saw that there were several groups of people waiting on the veranda.
“The guests are arriving,” I said. “I’ll have to talk with you about this later.”
He nodded and held my hand for a moment before finally releasing it. Butterflies danced in my stomach. I hoped the Coven didn’t find out that I’d lost all my powers.
Candles flickered from every corner of every room. Tables with long white tablecloths and black gauzy material had been set up for refreshments. Black and white pumpkins had been placed around the room while faux black ravens kept sentinel over the crowd.
The Coven members were the first to enter. The women looked beautiful in their dresses and the men handsome in their tuxedos. People munched on the food and enjoyed the cocktails as I moved around the room like a good hostess should. Annabelle arrived and she was gorgeous in her green dress and matching mask.
“That is you behind there, right?” I laughed.
“It’s me.” She giggled. “How’s it going?”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her to the corner of the room. “You’re not going to believe what Nicolas told me before the party started.”
I filled her in on what Nicolas had told me.
“You’re kidding. Well, that explains a lot.” She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray and took a drink. “So what are you going to do?”
“Well, I haven’t exactly thought of that yet.” I nervously smoothed down my dress.
Annabelle took a sip, then said, “But I thought you told him there was a way to prove she did it.”
I shook my head. “I told him that, but that doesn’t mean I really have a plan yet.”
“Of course not.” She took another drink.
My mother entered the room, waving frantically at me from across the room. Her black silk dress reached to the floor with a small matching jacket. Her beauty products worked because she looked more like my sister than my mother.
“There’s my mother. I’d better go say hi.” I gestured at the foyer.
“I’m getting a snack,” Annabelle said and walked off.
After assuring my mother that there would be no catastrophes, I scanned the crowd for Nicolas. He was nowhere in sight. Liam had been mysteriously absent as well. Where were they? Why hadn’t I seen them? I was just thankful that the party had gotten off to a succe
ssful start. If I could just get through the rest of the night without any major disasters, then I could put this all behind me.
Annabelle was standing on the other side of the room, but with her hands placed squarely on her hips. I knew that stance meant that something was wrong. This could be the disaster just waiting to happen that I’d been trying to avoid. I wondered what was wrong. She was obviously pissed off at someone or something.