I was one-hundred percent completely, terribly and utterly horrified. What I thought was my dream had been reality. Though Lucas and Liam knew nothing about who had stabbed me or that I had talked to my parents. They only knew that I had been stabbed and left to die. And now I was sitting there with two pairs of eyes on me, expecting an answer as to who did it. Rem already knew, but he doubted that I wanted him to tell. Damn mind reader.
Not to mention the stab in my thigh was healed, and the only thing left over was the small, whitish looking scar… Oh, and my lip felt great; I was currently nibbling on it nervously without feeling any pain. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell them it was Bartholomew. I mean, what if Bartholomew came after me again after I tattled on him?!
"Why don't you just tell them and get it over with? That way we can figure out why changing you didn't work." Rem drawled out, and then narrowed his eyes at Liam who leaned back slightly in thought.
"Don't give me that look, Rem." Liam snarled. "I don't know what happened. I changed her the way it should have gone, and yet she's still human and she's still a pain in the ass."
"I take offense to that second comment." I retorted, glaring at Liam. He ignored me.
Finally, Lucas leaned forward and set his hands on the table to shut us up. "I think I have come to an answer for all that."
I eagerly leaned forward toward him. "And?"
"Aleric, of course. Your witch blood stopped the full modification of Liam's blood…And only allowed enough to heal your wounds and bring you back to life."
I faltered. Oh yeah, Liam shared blood with me. I grimaced. That sounded… strange. "How long do you think his blood will… last?" I had to force the words out, because it sounded just so awkward.
Rem groaned softly. "You're distracting them. Shall I just say it and get it over with?"
I threw my arms in the air in defeat. "It was Bartholomew!" By the looks on their faces, I shocked the shit out of them. "There, I said it! Are you happy?"
And then the air was tense with anger and hate. Lucas stood calmly from his chair and turned to leave the dining room. "I am… going hunting for a bit." He said, and then within a breath, he fled the room.
I stared after him.
"And there goes my cousin… I wonder if he had a death wish?" Rem pondered aloud. My eyes widened.
"I thought he was going hunting?!" I gasped.
Rem gave a roll of his golden eyes. "Yes, of course. For his father."
Liam then stood and sauntered to the dining doors. "I guess it's my job to save his ass, then." And like that, he disappeared without another word. I drew my hands through my messy hair in a sigh.
"This is not going well." I muttered, glancing at Rem wearily. He was dragging his fingertip lazily along the edge of his wine glass, which was empty. Wait, wine? My heart sped up. I remembered from last experience: Rem plus wine, did not mix.
I quickly stood up. Rem watched my movements. "Where are you going, Lovie?" he asked me softly.
"T-to my room." I told him and put my hands on the double door wood to open them. Then I felt a coolness suddenly right behind me and I sucked in a breath and shoved the doors. They didn't budge. I panicked, why wouldn't they open?!
Rem wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back against his hard chest and I bit my lip when the familiar white flash of heat shot through my lower stomach. He nudged the hair from my neck and then kissed my earlobe softly.
"Were you going to leave me?" he asked, tightening his grip. The smell of the red wine was noticeable.
"I-I'm j-just stressed…t-that's a-all." Oh great. Now I was stuttering. I couldn't talk to save my life now.
I heard him sigh. Then he released me and I stumbled forward. "Try pulling them." he suddenly told me, and when I looked behind me, he was nowhere to be seen. Try pulling them? Pulling what?
I looked forward and tried shoving the doors open again. Then my face went hot. Oh, oh. Pulling the doors open. I gave a frustrated groan and exited the dining hall to go to the bathroom. I needed a bath. A cold one. Something to wipe away the heat from either the embarrassment of the doors, or the unfamiliar feeling of being close to Rem.
*
I had just changed into a snug pair of pajama mini shorts and a baggy t-shirt when Lucas walked into my room without even knocking. I looked up in shock as he shut the door behind him and strode to me.
"Lucas, you could have knocked!" I managed to tell him before he picked me up in his arms and sat on the bed with me. He held me on his lap and against his chest for what seemed like hours. But it was only minutes.
"I was so frightened. I thought I was going to lose you." He gave shaky, nervous laugh. I stared wide eyed at his shoulder; where my face was buried. Then he stopped moving and pulled back slightly.
"Are you okay?" I asked, worried he had gone to his father.
"We are going to kill him. Tonight." He told me seriously. It took me a moment to realize he really was talking about Bartholomew.
"But how?" I asked. "Wouldn't hundreds of people notice? I mean, he's a rich bastard who owns this frikkin' castle for God's sake." I reminded him. Lucas smirked. It wasn't a playful smirk, or perverted. It was serious. I looked into his eyes and his pupils were dilated so that his eyes were evenly half black and half green.
I yanked away from him on instinct. He let me go and then he turned to lean forward off my bed. "Tonight, he is throwing a ball in another castle, not too far from here. A Christmas ball. We are going to make it look like an accident."
"Christmas ball?" I asked. My eyes widened slightly. "Today is Christmas?!"
Lucas suddenly turned to me and smiled. "No, tomorrow is. Merry early Christmas." he said casually. And then he stood and before he left my room, he added, "Look in your closet. In one hour, I want you dressed and ready to go."
Then he was gone. My eyes drifted to my makeshift closet, and I cautiously opened the doors… and sucked in a gasp. Hanging on the rail was a beautiful and elegant made gown. It was a shiny black in color, with a red hem and dark red and black corset for the top part. I quickly grabbed it from the rail and dressed into it carefully.
When I finished, I studied myself. The corset was untied in the back and I groaned. I would have to get one of the men to do it. Definitely not Rem… And Lucas seemed kind of aggravated. I opened my door and, with every strength and stupid courage that kept me alive, I hesitatingly called out, "Liam?"
Moments later, as if he wasn't rushing at all, he appeared at the top of the staircase. He looked at me with an irritated glance. "What do you want?"
"I -uh- need help…" I muttered, blushing. Liam came into my room and I quickly showed him the corset. He stared at me as if I was insane. But after several of my frustrated pleas, he gave in and began lacing it with elegant fingers. He was good at it, and I wondered if he'd ever helped someone else before.
After minutes of silence, he tightened it, not too tight to cut off my air supply, and then tied it in a small bow. Then he pulled away from me like I had shocked him and studied his work.
"Satisfied?" he asked. I moved a bit and smiled at him.
"Thank you!" I chirped and then he left my room with an annoyed growl. The dress went to my ankles, it flowed around me in several wavy layers. I smiled wider and twirled once, letting the dress billow. I walked to the bathroom quickly with some make-up I had bought and my brush.
Before I started fixing my hair, I studied myself in the mirror. The dress looked amazing on me. The corset -since the dress had no sleeves or halter- showed off my bare shoulders and upper chest, including my cleavage. It tightened around my hips, making me look even more curvy then before, and then fanned out in the dress skirt.
I contemplated on how to fix my hair. After awhile, I twirled it up after brushing it and then tied it into a nice, elegant bun. Strands of my brown hair fell in curls around my face, giving me the old English look. I smiled. It actually looked great on me.
After I fixed my hair carefully, I applied eyeliner just thick enough it made my big eyes look narrower and sexier. I brushed my eyelashes with mascara and stared at myself in shock. I never knew my eyes could be transformed like that. I pulled back and glanced at my lips. Lipstick, or no? I went with no. It would have made me look too classy. Instead, I just wiped on some shiny lip gloss that smelled like strawberries.
Finally I gave myself a one look-over and heard a knock on the bathroom door. I took in a deep breath and opened it. Lucas stood there, dressed in a nice dark gray suit and dress shoes. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out as he looked over me.
I gave a small laugh and took his arm. "Careful, your fangs might fall." I told him jokingly and he snapped his mouth shut as we walked down the staircase together. Waiting at the front doors was Liam and Rem, both dressed in a black suit, though Rem adorned a red tie, and Liam a forest green one like Lucas that set off their eyes.
When they both looked at me, I retrieved different reactions. Rem's eyebrows shot up in surprise as his eyes swept over my body. Liam's eyes narrowed and his hand dropped from the door handle. "I don't like how you did your hair." he told me bluntly. I felt Lucas tense up beside me.
"Her hair is fine." he replied coolly. I glared at Liam. What was wrong with my hair? I thought I looked amazing.
"What's wrong with your hair? Just that stick-up-his-ass over here thinks it looks awfully familiar to a …girl… from a long time ago." Rem growled. He then turned and shoved open the front doors. Liam snorted as they walked from the castle.
That left me wondering. So, not only did I already remind Liam about that girl, but I had decided to put my hair up in a way she used to. I bit my lip, aggravated. What would it take to get him to let up on me a bit? Sheesh!
Lucas gathered me into his arms bridal style and leapt over the fence. I gave a small giggle from the feeling of being up in the air. We landed smoothly and he didn't let me down. "So how are we getting there?" I asked.
Lucas smiled. As soon as he did, I heard a heavy pattering on the cobblestone to the left. I looked over and a large horse pulling a carriage was walking towards us. "The old way." Lucas told me, and set me down as the carriage stopped in front of us. Leading the horse and sitting on the carriage was a young boy. He smiled down at me with a cute face.
"Hello, pretty lady. Lucas, who is she?" he asked. He had to have been only ten or eleven. He had short, blonde hair that spiked in the front, and a round, childish face with big, sparkling blue eyes. The leftover sunlight made them shine dangerously, and for a minute I guessed he was vampire.
"Her name is Alexa, and she is not a meal. She is accompanying us to the ball." Lucas told him sternly. Ah, so he was a vampire… A vampire child. I smiled at him. He waved and then motioned to the carriage.
"Alrighty then. Hop in and we'll get going." Rem opened the carriage door and I climbed in first, with a small push from Lucas. Then Lucas came in, then Liam, and lastly, Rem.
It was small on the inside, but we stayed even on each side of the seats. Then the horse began walking and I smiled and looked out the window. "I've never been in one of these before!" I sighed happily, watching the scenes pass by at an even pace.
Rem leaned back and stretched his legs as far as he could. "You get used to it after so many decades." he reminded me. I glared at him.
"Always got to ruin my fun?" I complained. Rem smirked and winked. I looked away from him and continued to stare out the window. The rest of the ride was quiet, except for the horse trotting.
Finally we slowed down and I caught a glimpse of a castle that looked bigger than Lucas's fathers. Several other horse carriages and old-styled cars were riding up and dropping several beautifully dressed people -or, vampires. I winced.
"Are there going to be any other humans here?" I asked quietly.
"Probably not." Rem answered for Lucas.
"Which is why you need to be on your best behavior. The three of us wont be able to protect you from the hundred or so other vampires in there." Liam said. I smiled at him. Well, at least he would try to protect me.
Rem gave a familiar, sarcastic snort and then opened the carriage doors. "I might just stand to the side and enjoy the scene. No need to get my hair bloody."
When I climbed out, I smacked him on the chest and he feigned hurt. And then smirked when I grew angry. Lucas wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me away from Rem before I hurt myself by trying to hurt him. It was then I realized it was quite cold. I shivered and Lucas dragged me with him past watching vampires. I realized they were all giving me different looks, whether disgusted, surprised or scared. Why scared? I had no clue.
Lucas leaned in to whisper, "Don't say or think anything stupid. Some can also read minds here." He said. I nodded and we continued walking up the many steps up the open, awaiting doors.
"What about Bartholomew?" I suddenly asked.
"He wont do anything foolish in front of a crowd of other vampires. Even if he wants to kill you, it will make him look bad if he loses control over a human."
I looked around, reassured of his words, and saw Rem and Liam trailing behind us, giving dirty glares to other vampires. I smiled even though they didn't see. They really did care about me!
Then I suddenly felt a tugging on my dress. I looked down and saw the boy that was leading our carriage. He was awfully short. Maybe he was younger then ten? He smiled at me and held onto my dress as we continue walking.
"Don't worry, Lady Alexa, I'll protect you!" he said, and blinked innocently at me. I wasn't sure whether I should be surprised or feel loved. Instead, I just smiled and patted his blonde head.
"Thank you, uh…" I didn't know his name.
"My name is Chandler Darnell! At your carriage service whenever!" he gave a salute, and I laughed. This kid was adorable!
"You are very chivalrous, Chandler." I told him. He beamed in pride. I heard Lucas chuckle. I then took in a deep breath as we walked through the doors. I was surprised. Everything was beautiful. Above everything, alighting the whole room, was the largest chandelier I had ever seen.
There were several small, round tables and three long tables with white sheets over them. On top of the large tables were foods and snacks of all sorts. I was surprised the vampires would eat regular food. Then in a couple of large punch bowls on a table, there was a dark red liquid, and I instantly knew, by just watching the vampires ladle the thick liquid into their glasses, that it was blood. I turned away quickly and Lucas led me to a small round table. There were six seats, one more than we needed for all of us to sit.
I sat there, nervous. So many vampires; beautiful, old and dangerous, were staring at me like I had just attempted to throw a fork at them. Which, I was very tempted. I wondered, did they know that staring was rude?
"So… What are we supposed to do?" I asked Lucas. He was glancing around the room.
"Well first, we wait for father. I wish to see his reaction first, to be sure he wont try anything stupid." Lucas told me.
I bit my lip nervously and watched Chandler play with the silverware in a bored manner. "You look bored, Chandler." I said. He looked up at me with his large blue eyes and gave me a sad smile.
"I don't have any friends." he told me. My heart dropped and I felt bad all of a sudden. I knew what that was like. I had been home schooled, after all. Then I sat up in my chair.
"How about I be your friend?" I told him, smiling. Chandler stared at me for the longest time before giving me a toothy smile and grabbing my hand.
"C'mon, friend Alexa! Let's go to the snacks!" he said anxiously. I looked over at Lucas for permission.
"Rem, go with them." he said. I glared at the side of his head. Why was he acting so strange? Rem sighed and stood up, and then the three of us made our way over to a table with a blood-punch bowl and several plates of delicious looking cookies. Rem went straight to the blood and ladled some into a wine glass. I watched as Chandler, with one hand still holding mine, reached for a chocolate chip cookie. He was too short and he looked up at me with pleading eyes.
I smiled and grabbed the largest chocolate chip cookie and then handed it to him. He let go of my hand and held onto it like he'd never seen food before. "Thank you! You are wonderful, Alexa!" he then took a big bite and chewed happily. Rem raised an eyebrow at me.
"Are you going to adopt him now?" he asked sarcastically. I eyed him in scrutiny. Before we started our mindless arguing, I kept my mouth shut and looked over the plates of cookies. Then my eyes fell on small, familiar brown cookies.
My eyes widened dramatically. No way! Are those…ginger snaps?! I reached forward and grabbed one and studied it.
"By God Alexa. Yes it is a ginger snap! What a discovery!" Rem rolled his golden eyes but I didn't even bother to glare at him. I shoved the cookie into my mouth and chewed just as happily as Chandler was.
"Oh my God! I haven't had these since…" I trailed off. Since last Christmas. Rem went quiet as he knew what I was thinking. I swallowed the cookie and sighed. Then I changed the subject. "Do you know why Lucas is acting so…"
"Alert? Nervous? Odd?" Rem supplied. Funny, he took the words right out of my mouth. I nodded. Rem nodded towards our table. "That's why." he emphasized.
I turned and my jaw dropped. Hovering over Lucas and his chair was a beautiful vampire female with long, straight black hair and smoldering grey eyes. She was fondling his chin, and gazing into his eyes. They were exchanging words, but I couldn't hear. I felt a pang of jealousy.
"W-who the hell does she think she is?!" I gasped. Rem smiled like he had just won a fifty-million dollar lottery.
"Evelyn Wyanet. Lucas's former betrothed."
A/N:
iluvedward4ever and imagination57 and everybody else: I'm so glad you like my story, haha. I was afraid it would be kind of boring. :)