Red

Chapter Eleven: Cinderella

 And I loved him for it. 

I might not have known anything about anything but I did know one thing, and that was that I'd loved him when I'd first met him, I loved him now, and I'd love him tomorrow. 

And that was enough for me. 

My spirits dropped as we entered the ballroom. It was candlelit which did add ambiance but also made it impossible to see much of anything, and we had to keep an eye on Eloise. 

Fear flashed through me like a bolt of lightning when I saw him, his amber eyes glistening in the torchlight, his teeth gleaming a pure white as he smiled at partygoers. 

I involuntarily clutched Gran's hand tighter. 

He turned to look at me. "Is something wrong?" 

"Do you see that guy?" I asked, gesturing to where the man was standing. 

Gran glanced at him. "Yeah." 

"He's a werewolf, I know it," I whispered. 

Gran leaned down to look at me closer. "If you want to leave-" 

"No, no, I'm fine. I just don't trust him," I answered, my eyes narrowing. 

"It's all right, okay? Just ignore him." 

I took a breath. "Okay. Okay, let's dance." 

Gran looked surprised. "You want to dance?" 

"I don't know, it could be fun," I offered. 

"No, I like dancing. I just didn't think you did," Gran replied, leading me onto the dance floor. 

"I've never danced with someone before," I confessed. 

Gran tried to mask his surprise. "Really?" 

"I don't get invited to things like this, Gran Vega," I pointed out.

The Vegas got invited to everything because before the monarchy was abolished, the Vegas were the royal family, and as such, they still had an immense amount of wealth and prestige. It was easy to forget this when Gran and I were kids in a hick town by the woods, but it became glaringly obvious when he got invited to balls and ladies fawned over him and I got a small apartment and an even smaller inheritance. 

The music, which was a live string quartet, became slower. Gran pulled me closer. I could hear his heartbeat. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, please clear the center of the dance floor for the Charmings, as they dance to the first song they danced to, Aurelia Riviaras," the head butler called from a small stage at the front of the room. 

As Gran and I were on the outskirts of the floor, we didn't need to move. 

As the song closed, Gran began leaning closer, and I wondered if perhaps he would kiss me. And I realized I wanted him to. 

I rose up on my toes to meet him, but as I did, I caught a glimpse over his shoulder of Eloise stumbling away from the food table to the exit. 

"Gran, she's leaving," I hissed. 

Gran jerked away from me and whirled around, watching her go. 

He grabbed my hand. "We have to follow her." 

As we jogged away I could feel the werewolf's eyes burning into my skin. Was he involved? 

Gran and I shoved through the crowd, and I, trying to keep up with Gran's unbelievably long legs, nearly ran over my dress several times. 

However, we were able to make it to the exit without serious injury. Once out of the crowd, I took off my heels and we ran after Eloise, who, in her weakened state, was not fast at all.

"Eloise! Are you okay?" I called from about twenty feet away. 

She turned to me. Her face was waxen and her eyes bloodshot. "I don't feel-" She stumbled, her ankles buckling, and fell to the floor. 

I had a sudden burst of energy and made it to her side. "Eloise?" 

She was foaming at the mouth, her eyes rolling back in her head. 

"Gran, call someone! Quick!" 

Gran began dialling. 

I had no idea what to do, no idea how to save her. I looked around wildly, desperate to see someone, but all I could see was the werewolf. When he noticed me staring, he melted back into the shadows. 

It was him, I thought. It has to be. 

Two hours later, Eloise Ashfall was declared dead. A letter was found on her person, reading, "It's not quite polite to leave another party early, Cinderella," and signed with a fat red kiss.