My darling, don’t be afraid.
My brain searched for a plausible answer to the lie my eyes were feeding it. As Gideon neared, he shifted back into the familiar man I had hungered for all these days. Not a trace of the wolf left behind.
"This can't be true!" I gasped.
"What does your heart tell you?" he asked.
"What does it matter what my heart tells me? The heart is fleeting and easily betrayed by deceitful men like you."
He stretched out his hand to help me up. "How could you possibly think that I would deceive you or ever betray your heart?"
I slapped his hand away. "Quite easily. I do not know you!"
I pushed myself off the ground and slowly moved away from him, keeping close watch for any sudden movements.
"Don't follow me," I said as I turned and started toward Weatherly, listening intently for any sign he was following me.
Mid-sprint, I turned my head to see him one last time, woeful at the fact that I wouldn’t…that I couldn’t, see him again. He stood fast in his place, and by the light of the silver moon I could make out the long look on his face…a face seemingly dejected by my words.
I thought I died a little inside…if that was possible for an immortal.
GIDEON
I watched as she ran away from me, scared and unwilling to let me explain. Eventually she disappeared through the thickness of the trees, leaving me alone to ponder my next step. Revealing my true self to her had set me on a precarious path, a path that could ultimately kill me. A path that could ultimately kill my family.
MASQUERADE
ROSALINE
Spurred by the offense and anger I felt, I made it home in record time, the whole trip a blur as my mind toyed with the possibilities of werewolves…of Gideon being a werewolf.
Maybe my mother's stories were not really stories at all? But how could this be the first werewolf I have ever come across?
Having been an avid hunter with my father, there was no way I could have missed an animal that large living in the forest.
I flew through the door and shut it behind me, pressing my body against it and taking stock of my dirty feet and how they got that way. My parents were still not home from the McAllisters party, so I was home alone, free to sulk without any unwanted interrogation from my mother.
My mouth was parched and my throat burned. I needed a drink, a real drink. I made it to the kitchen cabinet, where I knew my father kept his special brand of whiskey. He thought Mother and I knew nothing of his secret cache, but we did.
Coveting his special concoction, he touted it was nothing you could find at the corner liquor store, milled together with ingredients he vowed never to divulge.
I unscrewed the cap and poured the tawny colored liquid into a waiting Waterford crystal glass.
"Here goes nothing," I said as I gulped it.
The wetness burned like fire searing down my throat.
Lifting the bottle to pour another serving, I paused, deciding this night called for more than just a glass or two. I pressed my lips to the glass rim of the bottle, tilting back my head.
Rosaline.
"No, Gideon!" I said, slamming the bottom of the bottle back onto the counter.
Luckily, it didn't shatter. Laying both my hands on the edge of the marble, I pondered over the liquid inside, contemplating its possibilities. Surely, if I drank enough of it, I wouldn’t be able to hear his voice and I would forget how much I wanted to be cradled in his arms. And maybe, just maybe, if my blood turned to alcohol, I would be numb to the craving. My craving. For him and the scent of his blood.
Ready to drown my sorrows, I grasped the neck of the bottle, when the sound of my parents' laughter echoed from the driveway. They would know something was wrong if they saw me this way, and I wasn’t in the mood to answer a million questions. Grabbing the bottle's neck, I placed it back it in its secret hiding place, and ran upstairs just as I heard the doorknob twist open behind me.
The laughing stopped. "Rosaline Winthrop. You smell like dirt," my mother scolded from the bottom of the stairs.
I spun around on the last step I had made it to and looked down at them. "I took a stroll in the forest to clear my head."
"Barefoot?" she asked.
"Oh, Stella, leave the girl alone. We have less than a month with her. Let's enjoy it," my father said as he walked up the stairs, kissing me as he brushed by. "Goodnight, my darling girl."
"Good night, Daddy."
"Is everything okay, Rosaline?" Mother asked from the bottom of the steps.
Despite spending hours engaged in socialization and feeding with the McAllister coven, her appearance was just as immaculate as earlier.
"Yes, Mother. Everything is fine."
"Then why did you leave the party?"
"I just couldn't stay. I was embarrassed."
"Because you kissed your fiancé? There are worse things in the world," she said as she set her clutch down on the side table below the foyer mirror.
"Trust me…I know," I agreed, looking down at my soiled feet.
"I have exciting news. The McAllisters are having a masquerade ball and we are invited."
"Why are they having a ball?"
"Because they can, my dear," she said matter-of-factly.
"Because they can," I echoed, shaking my head.
"Don’t judge, darling. You will be a McAllister soon enough."
I turned and continued my climb up the stairs. "Don’t remind me, Mother."
A masquerade ball. Another chance for William to see me before the wedding.
I walked to my bathroom to rinse away the events of the evening. I wanted all of it washed down the drain before I laid my head on my pillow.
Funny what water refuses to wash away. It'll take care of blood and tears…but it does nothing for heartache.
Wiping the fog from the mirror, I studied the face I would have for the rest of my life. The thin bridge of my nose set between high cheek bones, all above a pair of lips as pale as paper. Reminiscing, I pressed my fingertips against my bottom lip at the site where William had stolen a kiss.
He was my future, and I would need to embrace it…embrace him. No more of this gallivanting around with fairy tales or indulging voices in my head. It was time to grow up and take my contract seriously; even if I wasn’t the one who signed it.
I would make my intentions clear at the masquerade ball.
GIDEON
"Where've you been?" my little brother, Leo, asked.
He was the spitting image of my father, tall with black hair and dark brown eyes, having yet to grow into his full wolf. Surely, in another year or two he would outgrow me.
"I went to see Rosaline," I replied, plopping down onto the wooden dining room chair, rubbing my forehead.
"Looks like it didn’t go well," my mother, Elena, said as she walked into the dining room. Her long black hair swayed behind her as she made it into the kitchen.
"You could say that," I replied.
"Well, there is no easy way to tell someone the world they live in has been concocted by a council of scared vampires afraid to lose their power," my mother said.
"First of all, she ran away before I could tell her, and secondly, I wouldn't have to tell her if wolves hadn't gone into hiding all those years ago," I replied.
"We've gone over this a million times, son. There was no other choice. The Dàil were killing werewolves and vampires alike, anyone who knew the truth and opposed them. We wouldn't have made it unless we disappeared."
"What does it matter? We don’t need those bloodsuckers, anyway," Leo scoffed.
"Speak for yourself, boy." My mother poked him as she walked back from the kitchen. "Just because you haven't felt the presence of your mate yet doesn't mean she isn’t out there."
"Mate, shmate! I can find a perfectly good wolf and live a perfectly amazing life. You and dad did it…I mean." Leo stopped.
My father had been killed by a death dealer while out hunting a f
ew years back. We found his mortally wounded body at the edge of the forest with just enough life in him to tell us he had injured the vampire with a claw to his back. We hunted for days to exact revenge, but we never found him.
Sabine, my sister, walked into the room, "What's going on here?" She asked.
My parents found Sabine six years ago, scared and alone, abandoned by her pack. We took her in, essentially adopting her, making her a part of our family. Though she did stand out from the rest of us, since she was pale like the vampires, with sun bleached hair and crystal blue eyes, we treated her as one of our own.
"Your brother went to see Rosaline again," my mother said, winking at me with her soulful brown eyes.
"Why do you do that to yourself? She's a prim and proper vampire, and you're a wolf. Two different worlds. It's unfair to both of you and to any children you might have in the future. It's not safe! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you…forget about her. I know there is someone out there for you, who will love you because she wants to and not because somebody somewhere decided she was your soul mate." Sabine paced as she spoke, visibly incensed by the conversation.
"Why do you get so mad whenever he talks about Rosaline?" Leo chuckled.
"Who gets mad? I don’t get mad." Sabine shook her head. "Whatever! I'm outta here," she said as she grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and walked out the front door.
"Me thinks she doth protest too much," Leo leaned across the table and whispered.
"Leo, leave your brother and sister alone," my mother yelled from the bedroom.
"She is not really our sister…and I can feel it in my bones that she has a thing for Gideon." Leo winked.
"That's enough, Leo. She is our sister, and I could never think of her in that way," I protested.
He snatched the last apple from the bowl and leaned up against the wall. "Do you really think you're going to be able to sway Rosaline to see you for anything more than just a dirty wolf?" he asked, taking a bite of the apple.
"She's different. She's not like the rest of them. I can feel her. I don’t know how to explain it," I said, burying my face in my hands, tired from the evening's events.
My mother walked back in from the bedroom. "You're linked to her. It's not rocket science," she nonchalantly explained as she sat down at the table. "She's your soul mate. The other half of you. Why would you think you wouldn't have a special connection with her?"
"This conversation is too heavy for me. I'm leaving," Leo said, tossing the apple to me as he went out the door.
I held the apple in my hand and stared at it. "What should I do, Mother? You and father were happy, right? Should I press the issue with Rosaline?"
"Son." She rested her hand on mine from across the table. "Your father and I were lucky enough to find happiness with each other. Even though we weren’t soul mates, it didn’t matter to us. We created our own love where one wasn’t destined to be. Though I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't curious to know what finding my soul mate would feel like. In that way, I envy what you and Rosaline could have."
"I just don’t understand why this has to be so hard. Why we must continue to hide from the Dàil?"
"They are a bunch of scared vampires. They know when soul mates find one another, the magnificence born from their coupling could end life as they know it. But you can't let their fear fuel yours. Do what your heart tells you."
"Even if it means bringing the Dàil to our door?" I asked solemnly.
"I still have a good fight or two left in these old bones." She chuckled, patting my hand as she stood from the table. "Think about it. Make your decision. You're the alpha, after all. I'll stand with you 'til my last breath."
"Rosaline," I muttered under my breath before taking a bite of the apple.
ROSALINE
I didn’t hear from Gideon again. Not a whisper. Not an unannounced visit. Not that I was waiting…
…or was I?
Maybe my words were too harsh and I was too impetuous in blurting them out.
Either way, he was gone now, and I had a wedding to plan for. I had lost enough focus on these girlish whims, and it was time to set them aside, like my mother touted so fervently.
I ran my fingers across the golden duvet cover in one of the many guest rooms in the McAllisters' home, as I waited for Clare to bring the mask she insisted on making especially for me. Although I wasn’t into this sort of thing, I had to admit I was excited to see her creation.
Celeste had pulled out all the stops for this ball, having brought in every flower in the state of Georgia to decorate every bare corner Wild Wind had to offer. Even the guest rooms were brimming with vase upon vase of perfectly arranged bouquets.
A quiet tapping sounded throughout the room. "Come in," I called out.
The door opened and Clare stuck her head through the separation, "Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," I said, as I stood up and walked toward the full length mirror.
She walked in with her hands behind her back. "Close your eyes," she said excitedly.
I closed my eyes and the world went black. She pressed the mask against my face and slid the elastic behind my head.
A few adjustments later… "Okay, open them."
My lids fluttered open to an opal mask, the shape of a butterfly, which covered the top portion of my face, leaving my lips exposed. The almond shaped cutouts that allowed me to see were camouflaged as the pattern for its wings, and it shimmered ever so brightly as the light hit it at certain angles.
"Do you like it?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"It fits like a dream," I said, turning around and wrapping my arms around her.
"Oh, I'm glad you like it," she said.
Turning back to the mirror, I leaned in. "Like it? I love it!"
She took my hand and walked me out of the room, leading me to the top of the stairs which overlooked the main ballroom.
"Why are there so many more vampires here tonight? There are surely more than both covens put together," I noted.
"Mother sent out invitations to every coven in Georgia. She revels in this sort of show of money. Who knows who could be hiding behind a mask tonight? Maybe even a celebrity," she replied excitedly.
"Ooo! Anyone I would know?"
Clare leaned in and whispered, "Well William is wearing a wolf mask in case you were interested."
I nervously chuckled, "I think you just broke the main rule of a masquerade ball."
"Rules. Our life is all about rules. What's the point of it all? Civility…what a joke." She shook her head as she ended her tirade. "Plus, I have been watching William. He has definitely changed…for the better. I really do think he loves you." She smiled then pressed her cheek to mine.
I didn’t reply.
Cautiously, I walked down the stairs, plunging myself into a sea of masks. The room was dim, and the only lights offered were a few beams which slowly strobed to and fro over the crowd. The music was soft, matching the smell of the flowers which were set atop any available surface, and I couldn’t help but think this was all planned, the perfect set up for a romantic evening.
I took one last look behind me at Clare. She was still standing there, beautiful and sleek, rubbing the baby that bounced within her. I smiled, and sweetly she returned it.
Slowly, I made my way over the hardwood to the middle of the dance floor, enchanted by the mystery of the evening. The crowd parted to reveal William wearing the black wolf mask Clare told me about, and a black tuxedo.
Ironic. There stood my future, disguised as the man I actually longed for. Taking in a deep breath, I sauntered over to him as the intensity of the crowd's gaze pierced through me. He held out his hand, which I reluctantly grasped. Pulling me close, he laid my right hand over his shoulder; the music, as if on cue, began to play. The lights focused in on us and us alone as he led, swaying me side to side as we circled the small imaginary square around us. Confident in his movements, he took my left hand and
spun me like a prima ballerina.
A smile overtook me. Dare I say it? I was having a good time. The tempo slowed and so did my twirl as he pressed his hand into the small of my back, pulling me towards him, causing a visceral reaction within me that I couldn’t deny.
"I didn’t know you could dance this way," I complimented.
He didn’t reply. Instead he took both my hands and clasped them behind his neck. The electricity between us was palpable.
Could I possibly have feelings for him?
My thoughts were interrupted when I felt him lean in. This was it. He was going to kiss me, and I would welcome his advance. After all, I owed it to myself to know the truth.
The moment his lips touched mine, I knew…
IT'S YOU
ROSALINE
My eyes widened as I pulled away. "It's you."
"Rosaline." My name floated smoothly through the separation in his lips.
He snaked his hand behind my neck, grasping it tightly. His lead foot stepped forward, and mine took a step back, as the climax of the song billowed around us. He grasped his strong hands around my waist, lifting me into the air, and then slowly slid me down his body.
As the point of my shoe touched the floor, he spun me around, my back to his; he lifted my hands and clasped them around his neck. His fingers skimmed the length of my arm, until his hands rested on my waist. Pushing me off him, he caught my hand before I was out of his reach, spinning me back toward him.
In a flash, my body was pressed hard against his, his palms resting on the small of my back, holding me in place.
Our bodies melted together in a sensual sea of movements, the electricity was enough to make any girl fall in love, as much as any girl could fall in love with a stranger.
The crowd that gathered around our performance began to clap, and a few onlookers yelled out Williams's name, not knowing that it was Gideon disguised as the wolf.
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