Lethal Lineage

Lineage Day Part 2

After the first dance, I was walking off the dance floor area with Larken when his uncle Elide stepped forward.

"May I?" He holds out a hand to me.

I glance at Larken with both surprise and confusion, but switch hands so Elide can lead me back onto the dance floor as another song began playing. Dancing with one of my professors seemed really weird. I noticed Nora off to the side staring at us with a small frown.

This new song was much slower, a harp setting a calm mood. I left my dress hanging down since we seemed to only be swaying in a small area.

For a while I didn't say anything, feeling awkward being so close to Elide. If he wasn't gay I may have thought he was hitting on me.

"I believe you have a point about the current issues with pure bloods," he says lowly, glancing around the room. "Something isn't right."

Some sense of relief came over me. Thank you! At least one of the teachers knew what I was seeing wasn't completely insane.

"What do we do?" I respond quietly.

"I'd prefer the adults to handle this," he glances down at me, eyes stern. "But if worse comes to worse, your abilities may come in handy."

I nod slightly, anxiety now making my once calm heart pick up again.

He trusts you, Tink pipes up. He is trustworthy.

Elide remains quite the rest of the dance until we leave the floor. "Try to enjoy the night."

I give him an incredulous look. Seriously? How was I suppose to relax and enjoy the night after my worries were just confirmed?

"Thank you for the dance," he politely says, disappearing into the crowd.

Nora finds me, taking my hand immediately. The guilt was killing me with every kiss and hand squeeze. I could barely look at her.

Tell her.

I wanted to snap at Tink to stop pressuring me, but she was right, I needed to tell her. Dragging it out was only going to make it worse.

"Want a drink?" She asks once my eyes drift back toward her.

I nod and she leads me toward the back of the ballroom. A elegant array of finger foods and drinks were laid across the table, glasses of blood for the vampires next to glasses of champagne. I'd been hoping for some water, but I guess champagne was more appropriate for this setting.

"I want you to meet my parents."

I choke on my drink, Nora surprised by my response. After I compose myself I glance around, expecting to see them waiting right next to us.

"Uh," I grip my glass and little too tightly. "I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"They're really nice, I promise." Nora pleads, her begging eyes staring me down. I wanted to run.

"Let me just...eat something first." Was it obvious I was stalling? It probably became very obvious when I began bringing the small hors d'oeuvres to my mouth at a snails pace.

Please let someone swoop in to distract us. I'd even take another awkward dance with Elide to get me out of meeting her parents. Meeting parents made it seem like this was going to be a long lasting relationship and I couldn't face them when I was about to break things off.

"Hey, Nora," a nervous looking gargoyle guy steps up to us, scratching the back of his head. "Could I get a dance?"

"Um, actually—"

"It's okay, go ahead." I encourage her with my voice a little too high. Nora's eyebrows scrunch up but before she can reject the guy he takes her hand and leads her away.

I sag a little, mumbling to Tink, "I brought this on myself."

Yes, you did.

"Rude," I scoff, but pet her lovingly.

I observe the people around me. A few stern looking parents had thin crowns on their heads. There seemed to be quite a bit of royal parents here, and they all looked fairly stoic. I take my champagne with me as I try to get lost in the crowd.

"Excuse me," a crown wearing woman catches my attention. Her long, light blue hair was scraped back over shoulders, reached down to her lower back.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to introduce myself and meet Medusa's daughter." She smiles, dark eyes scanning my half-hidden face. "I'm Alara, Asena's mother."

Oh shit. My demeanor becomes cautious but I smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Nathara." We shake hands.

"Nathara, this is my husband, Kyree." A large man steps forward, incredibly intimidating which he seems well aware of.

"H-hi," I whisper, swallowing hard.

Now I wanted Nora back.

"Daughter of Medusa," he growls. "What a pleasure."

I give him a shaky smile, turning my head to search for someone to rescue me. Larken, Elide, anyone—

Large hands yank me back, Tink ripped from my neck and thrown across the room. A hand covers my mouth as my mask is torn away along with a chunk of my hair. I flail wildly, my long dress tangling my legs.

Shouts and frightened yells echo through the ballroom. I glimpse people being herded away, some kids falling to the floor. Someone tries to resist and a blast of blue light sends them flying backwards into a wall, their body landing still, remaining still.

Before I can even contemplate finding the courage to really fight, something is pulled over my eyes. The large hand of Kyree moves to clamp down around my throat and what felt like a cloth napkin jammed into my mouth.

"Quiet!" Kyree's deep voice fills the air, rattling my ear drums. Once the yelling settles down I am shaken like a maraca. "The time has come for the pure to rule the tainted, for the proper authority to take care of our weak society."

My eyes burn under the fabric.

"Any resistance will be terminated immediately." There was no waver to Asena's father's voice. I feel hot breath on my ear as he leans close to me, his voice now terrifyingly quiet as he threatens, "and if you resist, your pretty blonde vampire dies."