Just wondering, how do you all feel about Isaac? Just in general? I kind of need to know…

The Story

"Are you ready yet?" Hanna asked through my bathroom door, and I noted the impatience in her voice.

"Almost," I answered, struggling with the zipper behind my back. I'd been able to take my wrist brace off, only after Mary inspected it closely. It was wonderful to be free again, to use my wrist and hand as I pleased, and I was surprised at how much I'd been unable to do without it. Finally, I finished with the zipper, and I sighed in relief. I turned to open the bathroom door and as soon as I had undone the lock, Mary and Hanna rushed in.

"Oh my," Mary gasped, her hands covering her mouth. I smiled shyly.

"You look beautiful," Hanna squealed in excitement. "Ethan won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."

"Hanna!" I scolded, shooting her a surprised, yet angry, look. She immediately raised her hands in defense.

"Sorry," she apologized, though her smile made it obvious that she wasn't.

"I'll go tell him you're ready," Mary smiled, disappearing out of the room with a soft shuffle.

"I wish you could go with me," I confessed to Hanna, smoothing my hands over the navy blue material of the evening gown I was wearing.

Hanna shrugged. "It's not really my scene."

I laughed, "Your 'scene'?" I turned to her for an explanation and was shocked to see Ethan standing beside her.

"Hanna," he spoke politely, "could you please excuse us for a moment?"

"Yep," she answered, smiling and pulling me into a hug. "Have fun tonight, and be careful."

"I promise," I told her, watching as she walked past Ethan and out of the room. "Well that was rude," I told him saucily, facing the mirror again while I pretended to fuss with my hair and pay him little attention. In all actuality, it was hard to keep from sneaking a glance, as he had dressed up for the occasion as well in a modern black tuxedo. His lapels were a satin texture against a plain white button up shirt. He wore no bow tie in a casual, yet cocky, "I'm-too-good-for-one" attitude.

He ignored me and asked, in a monotone voice, "You're finished?"

"I guess," I sighed, spinning to face him. "What do you think? Is this good enough for you?"

He looked over me, his gaze sweeping over me intently. I noticed a few times that his eyes lingered and felt the heat rise in my cheeks. He nodded in approval, "Good. Let's get going."

I followed him out of the room and down the staircase. Mary was waiting for me at the front door with a heavy jacket. "Here you go, honey," she shimmied the jacket up my arms and pulled it around me. "Do you want some gloves?"

I shook my head, "I'm okay, thanks."

"Have fun," she smiled, turning to Ethan. "Don't let anything happen to her."

Ethan's mouth twitched in an echo of her smile. "I promise."

"Goodbye," she waved as we both stepped through the door. Ethan led the way to his car and I walked around and swung open the passenger's side door.

"We're going to be late," he grumbled, throwing the car into drive so fast I barely had my seatbelt buckled. We sped off down the long road that led to his estate, the snowflakes looking like stars in space in front of the headlights.

"It's your party," I reasoned. "They won't be angry." I leaned back in my seat, trying not to focus on how fast we were going. If Ethan could hear my heart beating nervously, he didn't slow down. "Will Isaac be there?"

Immediately, he threw a glance my way, obviously taking my question to mean something different. "Why?"

"I just wanted to ask him a few questions," I told him truthfully. Ever since I'd last talked with Isaac he'd left me with more questions than answers. And now that I knew who, or at least had a trustworthy hunch as to who it was who chased me through the forest, I figured he was the person I could talk to about it.

"Why don't you ask me?" Ethan tried, his voice softer but his face still solemn.

I scoffed, "I don't want one-word answers. Besides," I smirked, throwing his signature look back at him, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Ethan shook his head but I could see he was fighting back a smile at the absurdity of my statement. I turned back to the window and stared through the glass, barely focusing on the trees flying by.

"This is Ophelia's house?" I gasped, staring up the beautiful stone mansion through the window. Lights from the ground shone up against the walls, the shadows cast from the windowsills making it look even taller. The landscaping was immaculate and probably required daily attention.

"It is," Ethan nodded before opening his door and stepping out. As I reached for the handle, the door suddenly swung open and Ethan was holding his hand out for me.

I looked up at his statuesque face; the beauty rivaled by angels and the strength comparable to the massive structure just behind him, and could hardly keep myself from staring. This moment was like a dream that I knew would end and desperately wanted to stay sleeping.

"Are you coming?" He asked, his eyebrow rising in impatience. I put my hand, comparably small, in his and stepped out of the car.

I followed Ethan to the front door and stood behind him as he rang the doorbell. I could hear the chime echo inside and wondered if Ophelia would answer. Would it be a vampire I didn't know? How many would there be?

"Nervous?" I heard Ethan say, no doubt smirking at my distress and his supernatural ability to detect it.

I scowled at the back of his head. "Shut up."

"Don't worry, Isaac will find you inside to keep you safe," he chuckled darkly, his humor sounding grim.

Suddenly the door was being opened and bright light poured over us. It was so bright in fact that I had to squint to make out the black, blurry figure inside.

"Ethan," Vivienne smiled, her greeting sounding like a sigh of relief. "And Audra, so great to see you again." She reached out to hug me and I followed suit, feebly raising my hand to pat her on the back. "Ophelia will be happy to hear of your arrival. Come, come," she ushered us in. Her body moved like flowing water in front of us, her champagne colored silk gown hugging her every curve. I immediately wanted to turn around and retreat back to the car.

I watched as she snapped her fingers and a young man came rushing to her side. Just by looking at him I could tell he was a human; his cheeks were a pinkish color and his eyes were blue. He was looking up at her nervously, fidgeting with his hands while he waited for her to address him. "David," she motioned to me. "Her coat?"

David immediately nodded and reached out for my coat. "Oh, thank you," I said, caught off guard by his unusually quickened pace. He practically yanked it off, and I barely had enough time to pull my left arm out before he was rushing off with it.

"Where is my mother?" Ethan asked her.

"I last saw her in her study," she answered lightly. I could feel a tension between the two, though describing it was a challenge. I glanced around at the many unfamiliar faces and decided I had to make a decision. This boat was sinking and I could either stay here and drown or dive in to join the sharks.

"Vivienne, could you tell me which way to the restroom, please?" I made it a point to stay polite, not only to keep on good terms with her but to show Ethan I could play nice as well.

"Of course," she beamed. "Just down the hall, on your left."

I thanked her and jumped ship, immediately taking off in the direction she'd pointed out. I noticed I was getting a few looks, and judging by the strangers' pale skin and assorted colored eyes ranging from black to gold, they could smell my blood. Either that or they could hear my heart beating anxiously, a thought that was so embarrassing I felt my cheeks warm as I avoided their stares.

"Ah," I heard someone address to me. I looked up and found warm golden eyes paired with the flashiest grin I'd ever witnessed. "It's good to see someone with a little color around here."

"Armand," I smiled, my breath escaping in a rush of relief. "I'm so glad I ran into you."

"That makes two of us, then," he smirked, and I wondered if in the time he'd known his brother he'd picked up the habit. "Where were you off to?"

"The bathroom, but that was just a cover story." Armand cocked his head to the side inquisitively. I lowered my voice and leaned closer, "Vivienne and Ethan."

His eyes shifted to something behind me, most likely the two, and he nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see." He smiled to himself and motioned for me to follow him, which I did. "I trust you've already been informed that the two were engaged?"

I nodded, looking around the huge room he'd brought me into. The lights were low and couples were scattered around, dancing to the soft music. "I heard it didn't end well."

Armand nodded his head, his light colored eyes sparkling under the reflection of the chandelier. "Pretty badly, as a matter of fact. They've only recently started speaking again."

"Geez," I breathed, more to myself than anyone, but I knew Armand heard it. He turned to me with his hand out, waiting for me to accept and take it. I glanced once from his hand to the dance floor and back before finally putting my hand in his hesitantly. He beamed and pulled me gently with him, weaving through the others to a fairly open spot. He brought me close to him and snuck an arm around my waist. Our hands stayed clasped while he guided us through the proper positions.

"Do you know why they split up?" Armand asked me, and I shook my head. I was grateful at his attempt to start a conversation as I was feeling slightly awkward and embarrassed. "I guess none of us truly know why," he sighed. "But I think it has to do with Vivienne's way of treating her servants, or humans in general."

I looked up at him, my eyes about level with his chin, "What do you mean?"

"Ethan treats you fairly, you would say?" As I opened my mouth he interrupted, "Aside from the usual day-to-day banter and the foolish injuries he inflicted on a delicate being such as yourself; Oh yes, I heard," he moved his hand from mine to grip my wrist gently. "You might say he's annoying, or frustrating," I rolled my eyes, "but not cruel. Correct?"

"I guess," I answered, trying to think over every situation I'd ever been in with him. Armand had been too right in his description of Ethan. Despite how truly annoying he could be, I was still treated well in his hands. He fed me, let me live in his mansion, and saved me from certain death.

"Well Vivienne is close to being an opposite," Armand explained. "She treats her servants as though they are lesser beings. She subjects them to cruel punishments and poor treatment." I was suddenly seeing Vivienne in a new light. I'd first thought she was an angel, beautiful and kind. Now I was thinking she was more along the lines of a demon, beautiful only to fool you into getting close enough so that it could destroy you.

"Why is she that way?" I asked him, my voice sounding just as disgusted as I felt.

"She was brought up that way," he shrugged. "Isaac is only different because he spent so much time with Ethan and our 'family'."

"Vivienne was kind to me though," I reasoned. "Remember, during the dinner at the mansion? You were there."

Armand nodded, "She knows her place. She knows how Ethan feels about the subject of human treatment, and since she was outnumbered among Ophelia, Ethan, and her own brother, she would never have said anything to you in front of them."

"And what about you?" I asked, noticing too quickly that he failed to mention his own name in the list of vampires who are sympathetic to human rights. "How do you feel about humans?"

Armand smiled slowly, probably in response to my accelerating heart rate. "To be honest with you," he breathed, pulling me closer so that our chests were touching, "I find them interesting." He watched as I looked around the room nervously, "I can hardly remember being human."

I looked up into his face, which was only a few inches away, and felt my heart squeeze in pity for him. "What?" I stammered softly, my voice not quite working.

"I am older than Ethan," he explained. "I barely remember being turned, let alone the life I lived before this," his face was still in the same position, only his eyes were slightly bent in sadness. I felt horrible as I stared at him. I must have been a forceful reminder of everything he used to be: warm-blooded, a beating heart, fragile.

"I'm sorry," I told him, feeling so with every fiber of my body.

Armand suddenly chuckled and shook his head, "Don't be."

As we continued dancing, I couldn't help but think about how different Isaac was from Vivienne. Isaac had been a great friend to me from the moment I met him. I was frightened by what Armand had told me and decided I would stay away from Vivienne altogether.

"My brother isn't pleased with me," he grinned, obviously not affected.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, my mind straying from its train of thought.

Without a word, Armand spun us around and nodded in the direction behind him, still wearing a grin.

Just barely, over Armand's shoulder, I could see Ethan. He was staring straight ahead at me with his hands in his pockets, the sides of his jacket pushed behind him. I could read his brooding expression like a book.

When I looked back at Armand he was suddenly serious, "Audra," he started, sounding grim.