IMPORTANT BELOW

SORRY GUYS! The link didn't work last time for her dress but here it is: google this into google images and it should be the first one up: strapless red dress with slit

Kile's POV

I straightened my thin black tie, Eadlyn would be arriving any second. The Selected boys stood around under neath the twinkling lights that surrounded the gardens. The party was being held outside, and boy was it beautiful; tables were set up everywhere around us with little tea lights and candles and rose petals. It was a very romantic affair, but one full of life and fun. A quartet played lively music on the stage alongside a pianist who lightened the mood. There was also a dance floor, which had to be at least 100ftx75ft wide. What? I was good at measurements, I wanted to be an architect.

The Royal Family started entering through the large balcony doors. The sun was just setting, its luminescent glow making their skin radiant, which of course made them all look more beautiful. Osten and Kaden came down the stairs, itching to run around the gardens from what I could tell. The youngest of the Italian family entered after them, increasing by age. Caterina came out, in a long white dress. She looked like she was about to be married, but a little too scandalous for the church I might say. She looked great, I wasn't gonna lie, and she did catch my eye when she walked in a room. But I didn't feel even a fraction of love for her. She was just someone that kissed me when I was feeling desperate enough. And it was once! Once! The Italians were visiting and anyways, it wasn't like Eadlyn wasn't locking lips with someone else either. The thought of her kissing any other boy me grip my glass of champagne a little tighter. It made my blood boil to think about anyone else touching her besides me.

The Italians still rolled down the stairs, one at a time. How many people were in their family? I wondered. It was taking them forever to just file in to the party. Caterina sauntered up to me and said smoothly, "So." she put a finger on my chest and took my glass of champagne. "If I remember it correctly, you were a good kisser," She raised her eyebrow and was about to take a sip of my champagne before I swiftly took it back and shot at her, "And if I remember correctly, it didn't mean anything."

Her face dropped a little, but she held that permanent smirk, "Yeah, right." she took a step closer to me and said, "Maybe later we could...I don't know...hang out."

I ignored her and stepped backwards, then turned to look at the balcony. Eadlyn stepped out and down the stairs. My champagne glass fell from my hands and shattered on the ground. "Oh my god!" Caterina screeched. "You got champagne all over my white dress!" she screamed. I walked away from her, my feet crunching the glass underneath them. She looked so sexy. I never thought that I'd describe the girl I've known since we were in diapers as sexy, but she was. She smirked at me as she elegantly walked down the stairs. Her mom and dad followed with the King and Queen of Italy.

I immediately took her arm as she got to the last step and escorted her to the dance floor. "You look...so amazing." I said to her. She smiled at me, "Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself." I stopped her in her and pressed my mouth to her ear and whispered, "I don't think you realize, Eadlyn. I don't think you know how hard it is for me not to rip that lovely dress right off of you." I lifted myself up and saw her blush on her cheeks turn slightly darker. We were the first one on the dance floor, I swayed back and forth with her slowly, craving any touch at all that I could get from her.

She was taunting me, looking like that. She was like the water I so desperately needed in the middle of the desert. Feeling my eyes trail up and down her body, she looked down bashfully. But I couldn't help myself, not when she looked the way she did right now. We remained the only dancers for a short amount of time, couples flowing onto the dance floor quicker than I could count.

"So. About tonight." she whispered. "Meet me in our secret place."

POV Eadlyn.

I had spent most of the night dancing with the Selected, occasionally an important other here and there. Henri bounced up to me with a smile so wide it was contagious, "You want dance?" he stumbled.

I nodded and smiled, "Olisis kiva." I would love to. I learned the small phrase from Erik earlier today so that I could surprise him. Even though I felt like my choice was clear for the Selection, I had to try until the end to make it more fair.

Somehow, his smile widened when I responded in Finnish and he took my hand gently. I rested a hand on his shoulder and placed the other in his hand. He danced in and out of the people, no words being said at all. I thought hard about sending Henri home. I knew that I liked him, and he deserved as much of a chance as anyone else... but how could I marry someone that I couldn't even talk to. I couldn't live through Erik for a relationship.

When the dance ended, he kissed my cheek and bowed. I lowered my head as he bowed and then walked away. I was done dancing for a while, my feet were throbbing in these beautifully painful shoes. "Eadlyn. You look so cute." a sugary voice said behind me. I rolled my eyes before turning around to face Caterina. I didn't smile, but I didn't frown either. I couldn't let her think that I was upset by her comment, but she also couldn't see a part of me that reinforced her calling me 'cute.'

I smirked a little and saw her face fall a little when she looked at me. I could feel my fiery gaze on her, I didn't look cute at all. I knew that my eyes told her she was playing with fire. "Mmm...I'm a little more than cute, don't you think?" I said silkily.

She stood, a little dumbfounded by my comeback. "You look..." I stared her up and down, pretending to try and find a compliment, "...nice." I smiled at her, showing off my pearly white teeth against my red lipstick.

"Eadlyn," a voice said next to me. I turned my head to see Erik standing with a smile. "Would you like to dance?"

My feet could not take another minute standing in these heels. But I didn't have the heart to turn him away. I took his hand and looked straight at Caterina as I said, "Of course." I let him lead me to the dance floor and hopped in with the other dancers to the slow melody.

"Henri was so happy when he heard me say Olisis kiva. You should have seen the smile on his face." I said warmly.

His face fell so slightly if I hadn't been looking close enough, I might've missed it. "Oh yes, he was quite pleased to hear you say that."

We danced in silence for a minute before I said, "If I ask you this, do you promise not to tell Henri?"

"Of course," he said.

"Do you think I'd be stupid if I kept him here longer?" I blurted out. I didn't know how else to say it.

"Well," His face went deep into thought, "it's hard to say. If you want to choose him, it will be so hard on the both of you because of communication struggles, as you know. I think that if you don't intend on choosing him, by keeping him here longer you're getting his hopes up a little too much. He has such a soft heart, I don't think he could take being led on and then knocked down last minute. He truly believes that the two of you will have a chance."

The song ended and we took a stroll around the gardens to finish our conversation, man were my feet killing me though. "I know. I... don't know if he's the one. And because I do really like him, I don't think I could bear to see him sent home. But on the other hand, I know it'll be so much worse if I keep him any longer."

I rubbed my temples, so confused. "Hey," he said. He took my hands off my face and into his. "You don't have to do anything. He'll be heartbroken if you send him home, but he'll understand."

He hesitantly made himself closer to me and I didn't know what to do. My mind told me that I should pull away, I shouldn't be doing this. But my heart was curious, Erik was so sweet, and kind, and he understood me. SO DOES KILE! My mind screamed. I stood, frozen and terrified. I couldn't move I was so petrified. He closened the distance between us even more, but before he could kiss me, someone came flying in, causing Erik to sail to the ground. Henri started punching Erik in the face and yelling in Finnish at him.

I screamed for him to stop. I tried prying him off Erik but he shoved me back, sending me sailing into the stone ground. "STOP IT!" I screamed. Erik was unconscious, bleeding. Kile must have heard me, because he was the only one who ran over and wrenched Henri off of Erik. Henri pointed at Erik and yelled in Finnish again. I didn't need to understand Finnish to know what he was saying. 'Get off of her, she doesn't belong to you.' I was so sick of feeling like someone's property. All the Selected boys felt as if I was theirs, that they had all rights to me whenever they wanted me. Tears welled in my eyes. "Go home." I said menacingly. Henri looked at me and his eyes softened. "Go home." I said. My face was stone cold as I stared at him. After I got to my senses, I checked on Erik. He had woken up, but his nose was dark blue and was dripping blood. There was a purple bruise growing by the second under his eye and a small cut.

All because he just wanted to kiss me. He muttered to Henri, "Han sanoi, mene kotiin." Henri looked so sad, his head hung as two guards escorted him away. I felt my heart shatter in the slightest bit, I didn't want Henry to leave. But I couldn't forgive him for what he did to Erik. But I touched my lips with my fingers, slightly thankful for Henri's act. He gave me a real excuse to send him home, and he stopped Erik...and myself... from making the biggest mistake possible.