Cold heart, Black night

Chapter Eleven

Breaking away from this man, going to the drinks table, I saw that whilst I’d been in my own dancing world, the party had really starting to heat up. No more formal ball. The music was no longer peaceful and beautiful, but hard and loud, people now stripping down to barely there underwear, some of the servers walking round butt naked with a dog collar on. Yes, really. The blood was flowing, people biting each other randomly, the grand staircase rammed with sex and blood, bodies rolling around at barely comprehendible speed. I pulled a goblet from someone’s hand, grimacing down at the dark stuff. Last time I drank this, I nearly became part of the dirty shit going down on the floor. I think it was a mixture of blood and drugs, but who knew?

‘Would you like to get some air? Honestly, some people just have no boundaries.’ Someone whispered right behind me, almost touching my ear with their lips. I jumped round to find the beautiful man, blonde and smiling, right behind me. I remembered suddenly the photo of him and my mom. It was hard of me not to gape.

I half smiled, raising eyebrows. ‘And there I was thinking the king of the underworld liked to show a girl a good time; obviously not, if there are boundaries involved.’

He laughs, putting his hand on the small of my back, the other hand running through his hair. ‘Well, we could always go and join the people on the stairs, if you’d like? I’m really good at dancing, as you may’ve seen whilst you were staring at me.’  

I blushed, letting out a short ‘ha’ sound. ‘You weren’t that good.’

‘No? perhaps you’d like to show me better sometime?’ He winked, guiding me out the front door.

I laughed. ‘I’m shocked, your majesty. How could you ever suggest something to such an innocent woman? I have boundaries, you know.’  I say in a sarcastic tone. He smirks at me. I die again.

We walk outside, the lights from the bright, bright lamps having been turned off, leaving us in complete darkness. I kind of liked it that way. We walked around the beautiful castles grounds, all pretty greenery and exotic flowers and a lake running around the far walls. It was silent at first, but then I plucked up the courage to ask him something.

‘So, your majesty. If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you? I’m real interested.’ I say, plonking myself down on some tufty green grass by this sparkling dark lake.

He chuckles, sitting next to me, picking a black rose from a bush and placing it in my hair. He looks at me intently. ‘Old enough. And, please, just call me Sam.’

‘I’m betting on something like eighty thousand. Your wrinkles are starting to show, hate to tell you.’

‘Haha! maybe I should just throw you in that lake. I could you know. Maybe take your clothes off first. Wouldn’t want your lovely dress getting all wet, would we?’ His face neared mine, and I cracked a smile. I could easily take a skinny dip with him right now. Easy.

‘Hmm, I may just take you up on that offer. I’m a great swimmer. Though, I doubt I can teach my skills to such an old man.’

He lightly punches my arm, and we both laugh.

‘So how do you want to do this, Lara? I think you know what we have to do. Sorry you have no choice in the matter, but an agreement is an agreement.’ He murmurs to me, picking grass to tiny tiny pieces.

‘We can’t. I’m not sixteen yet. And I’m dead, so I won’t ever be, and the agreement specifically says its up when I’m sixteen. Plus, I don’t want to marry you.’

He clutches his heart in pain, acting. I try to laugh, but I’m truly being serious. He’s hot, but I can’t marry him. I can’t. ‘Why not? It’ll be fun. You and me, me and you. I’ve only known you five minutes, but you’re not horrible. Not as bad as some of my wives have been.’ He says, speaking into the distance. I know he’s talking about Amanda. His face dropped.