the chosen daughter // colby brock

chapter eighteen

As I walked through the empty halls of the palace I was in, I realized how off everything felt. There was barely any light from outside shining in, besides the full moon. Candles hung from the walls and lined the hallways, the firelight mixing with the moon light and bouncing off the small chandeliers that I kept passing every couple feet. Gold trimmings encased the corners and ceiling, with little delicate paintings directly above me. I could hear an orchestra playing in the distance, not too far from me; the sound of sweet violins echoed off the cream-colored walls. The marble floor felt cool under my feet. I glanced down at my outfit: a long t-shirt and shorts, the clothes I always went to bed in.

This... was a dream.

I've never been the type to realize I'm dreaming, so maybe that was why everything felt off. My dreams always felt so real until I would wake up. But knowing this was one didn't change the strange sensation that came over me. This dream wasn't like anything I had dreamt about before. I've never seen a place like this, and every place I've dreamt about was somewhere I had been. My feet kept going, almost like someone was guiding me. But every hallway turned into another, and the music never got closer in sound.

When I turned a corner suddenly, I stared down a brightly lit hallway; completely different from the ones I had been walking down before. Two men held doors open, but neither one looked at me. The doors were majestic; extremely tall and beautiful, with white and gold coloring. As I got closer to the doors, the music got louder and louder. I could hear talking mixing in with the orchestra. Walking through the doors, I was at the top of a double staircase, overlooking a gorgeous ball. The room smelt of florals and pastries. It almost felt like a movie, seeing couples waltzing together in Victorian garbs. I stared down at everyone, admiring the beauty of it all.

My eyes caught a couple dancing in the middle of the ballroom. Her hair was curled elegantly down her back, part of it up in the front. Her dress was made of silk, the crimson color standing out against the rest of the crowd. Her partner was in all black, his suit fitted tightly against his body.

As I focused more on her, I could see a slight glow around her. It was almost as if she was on fire; an orange aura surrounding her silhouette. Catching a quick glimpse of her face, I gasped loudly.

She was me.

But who was she... I, dancing with? I leaned over the banister, trying to catch a flash of his face. His back was to me, all I could see was his soft brunette hair.

Maybe it was Colby?

The height looked the same, the shoulders just as broad. But a sinking feeling came over me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

As the man spun me, the smirk that rested on his face made my skin crawl. His green eyes darkened into a red that matched my gown.

Thunder boomed outside, lightening flashing against the windows and changing the mood of the ball dramatically. In the blink of an eye, I was watching myself and Max dance alone, the ballroom now empty. I rushed down the stairs as fast as I could, my legs feeling like jello under me. Once I touched the floor, all of the couples were back, dancing faster and in a frenzy. I shoved through them, wailing at myself to wake up.

My body fell to the floor hard, my knees slamming into the marble with a loud bang. Max dipped my frozen body down, his fangs elongating and veins pulsating out from under his eyes.

His eyes connected with me on the floor, winked, and sunk his teeth deep into my neck as my screams turned into white noise. I lurched my hand out to my limp wrist, grasping it hard.

Everything turned black.

Jolting out of bed, my body felt like I was hit by a train. My lungs heaved with each hastily drawn breath. A light sheen of sweat sat on my skin as I ripped off the blankets. I jumped out of bed and gazed around me in the dark. Colby was sleeping deeply in his bed, his body relaxed and heavy. My eyes focused on his room, noticing all the details I could.