"I am not wearing a dress."
I eyed the glittering green dress Amanda had laid out on my bed with horror. It was a gown with a plunging neckline and what looked like tiny crystal beads sewn all over the bodice and part of the skirt. It looked luxurious, a dress that someone who loved parties and dressing up would go crazy over.
Amanda looked at me with her big, blue eyes, pleading. "You don't like it?"
"No, it's stunning," I shifted on my feet, looking away from her gaze, "it's just...I won't be comfortable in a dress."
There were very few accessible places to hide a weapon on a dress, definitely no way to hide a sword, and it would be a real pain to fight in.
We were getting ready for the party. I had barely slept last night, got up before dawn and took a long run in the gardens around the house. My nerves ate at me. It would be my first time mingling with immortals in Europe. Immortals who would be extremely curious about the 'human fae'.
Arthur and I clashed swords after breakfast. It took my mind off the party, but the way my magic kept reacting whenever his skin so much as grazed mine was another worry.
"You could-"
"What are you doing?" Arthur's deep voice interrupted Amanda. He was leaning on the frame of the door we'd left open. His eyes went from Amanda to the dress, then landed on me with a raised brow.
"She doesn't want to wear a dress," Amanda sighed, "it's such a beautiful dress, too, it will make your eyes pop."
"They will definitely pop if I have to wear a dress for an entire evening." I mumbled under my breath.
I winced when I realized what I said. But Amanda looked more amused than hurt. Arthur's lips stretched in a wide smile as he approached us.
"The dress code is formal," he said. My shoulders slumped. I really didn't want to wear a dress. But if everyone was wearing one then I would have to.
"But every guest can bring guards with them," Arthur continued, "the guards have the freedom to wear their own attire, and bring their weapons."
My eyes lit up with hope, "Really?"
"Mhm, Charles will go as my guard-"
"You should have two guards!" I injected, seizing the opportunity to escape the gown. Arthur raised his brows, I continued, "I mean, you're- you're you! It would be very careless of you to only have one guard. And Amanda and Harvey and Kat should enjoy the evening. I don't mind being a guard. Please let me be a guard."
Arthur was struggling not to smile. He looked at Amanda who threw her hands up with a grin, "okay, fine."
She grabbed the dress, shook her head at me, her grin still intact, then left the room.
"Thank you." I breathed out.
"For someone as lethal as you are, a little dress sure petrified you."
"It's not the dress, exactly," I sighed, "I already feel nervous, and wearing an attire that will make it difficult for me to fight or run in case shit hits the fan is not exactly helping."
"Shit will not hit the fan," Arthur said in a serious tone, drawing a smile to my lips, "you're coming as one of mine. No one will put a finger on you, even if they recognize you."
His words were said matter of factly and with such confidence that all I wanted to do was lean on him and trust he would keep me safe. I shook away the unreasonable feeling. I had always counted on myself, and only myself after uncle Robert died. I couldn't let myself burrow into Arthur's arms and let him deal with the threats to my life. That was a ridiculous thought.
A tug on my hair. I glared at Arthur and pushed my hair back.
"Where did you go?"
"Nowhere," I replied, straightening my shoulders, "how armed can I be without raising eyebrows?"
"A sword and a couple of knives in plain sight are normal, but you can hide as many weapons as you want."
I could work with that. Arthur reached behind his back, pulled a small gun and gave it to me. I frowned.
"Silver bullets," he simply said.
I gaped at him, "how in the world did you get them?"
Silver bullets were a big taboo in our world. All silver mines, silver sources in general, were controlled by the Five. Once the metal was obtained, it was made into different weapons, from swords and knives to arrows and bolts. All kinds of weapons. Except automatic projectile weapons.
The weapons were then treated with powerful magic so that the silver would never melt, thus preventing anyone else from turning it into something else, like bullets. This was mainly done to keep the silver away from human hands for obvious reasons, and to avoid having to worry about automatic projectile weaponry that could seriously hurt immortals from large distances.
All the process was controlled by the Five. They controlled the entire silver weapon stock of the world. Not everyone liked that fact, but the Five had been doing it ever since the silver mining started, and they regulated the weapon commerce in such a fair way between the races that no one decided not to raise the issue to the council.
The small gun in my hand could pose a serious issue if someone outside of Arthur's people saw it.
"It doesn't matter," he said, "keep it on you. I don't believe there will be any need for it this evening, but if I prove wrong and you're in a tight position, use it. I'll deal with the fall out afterwards."
"Are you sure?" I gingerly took the gun. If people found out that the Five were manufacturing silver bullets, even in small quantities, trouble would definitely arise.
"Yes. You know how it works?"
I nodded, I had learned to use all kinds of weapons when I turned eighteen. Although I never used guns when headhunting rogues because lead bullet wounds only irritated them.
"Good," he walked closer to me until I had to tip my head back to meet his eyes. My magic buzzed under my skin. "Stay close to me tonight. You and Charles are coming as my guards so no one will find it odd. You will be scrutinized, ogled at and maybe provoked. Stay calm."
My nod was jerky from the butterflies in my stomach. I hated being the center of attention, and I would have to endure it tonight. Great. Just great.
"What if they come?" I asked in a whisper, "what if my father comes? or someone recognizes me? What would happen?"
"What do you want to happen?" he said, "it's all up to you. Even if someone recognizes you, it will not matter. You are one of my people, now. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone, you don't even have to speak to anyone. And if your father shows up, you have the choice whether to talk to him or not. It's all your choice, you're under my protection, and only a dead person would dare harm a hair on your head."
His eyes held all kinds of dark, painful promises to anyone who threatened me. And I believed him; Arthur would not let anyone touch me. Which was ironic since I am supposed to be his guard for the evening.
Still, my nerves wouldn't settle.
"There's a chance that someone related to the death of my mother and Uncle Robert will be there, right?" I asked.
He nodded, "Yes. Mariano will do his best to find out more about the matter. You just enjoy the evening, and keep your eyes and ears open for any information. Your presence might bring out the guilty ones."
I swallowed, looking at the small gun in my hand, "okay."
"And try not to antagonize anyone." Arthur added, his eyes filled with mirth.
"I won't."
"Right..." he drawled out.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I won't. I can control myself."
He actually laughed. I wanted to use the gun on him.
"You can't help yourself, sweetheart, that's just who you are," he said, eyes still crinkled from his deep smile. I huffed out a breath, stuck the gun in the back of my pants and pointed at the door.
"I need to change."
"Mhm," he ran his eyes down my body slowly, then went back up even slower, "I think you're just fine."
"Out."
"Maybe I can help, you look a bit shaky."
"I will burn your hair if you don't get out. Right now."
He held his hands up and turned to leave.
Suddenly he was next to me. His lips pressed to my cheek. My surprise lasted a fraction of a second before I tried to push him away with one hand, the other taking out the knife in my thigh sheath. Too late. My hand met with empty air. He was already out of the door with a smug grin.
The knife I threw at him buried itself in the hallway wall, Arthur having vanished with unbelievable speed, his laughter echoing. Asshole.
"Urgh!"
He was so irritating!
I closed the door, locked it and changed my clothes. One of the outfits Amanda had packed for me was an all black warrior leather outfit. The leather was light, comfortable, flexible and hard to poke through with a blade. A long sleeved top with semi high neck, pants and my trusty combat boots. I debated whether I should have my hair up or down. Normally, I would prefer to have it out of my face, but decided to leave it down, long tendrils of it framing my face. It would make it harder for someone who knew my mother to see the similarities.
The form fitting leather did not offer many options for hiding weapons. I had my sword at my hip, a thigh sheath with an assortment of throwing daggers and an arm sheath.
I had to at least bring along the gun. And my stiletto dagger. But there was no way to conceal them.
A knock on the door. It was Amanda, dressed in a beautiful mermaid black dress that hugged her figure. Her face breathtaking with minimal makeup and her hair in an intricate updo. Her eyes were a luminescent blue and her skin was glowing. She truly was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. She also had a black cape draped on her arm.
"I thought you might need this."
The cape wasn't heavy, it draped over my shoulders and reached mid-thigh, offering many more hiding spots for my beloved weapons. Perfect.
"You look less tense," Amanda said as we walked down the hallway. Her comment made me pause for a second. I remembered Arthur's goading after he gave me the gun. He had done it on purpose, I realized. He annoyed me on purpose in order to take my mind off the evening. Damn it. Now I owed him.
Amanda and I got out of the house and descended the staircase to where the men and Kat waited on the driveway next to two vehicles.
Kat looked amazing in a simple, long sleeve black gown that draped over her tall frame and flowed around her ankles, the material a shimmering silk that glowed under the orange sunset lighting. The men, except Charles, were all dressed in crisp black suits. It was nothing new to Harvey, he always dressed formally. Mariano looked even more devastating in a black suit with a light blue shirt. Charles, like me, dressed in fighting leathers. Looking more put up than I'd ever seen him before. His black cape and impressive scowl cloaked him in an air of mystery. I wished Irene was here, she would definitely give him a second glance.
When my eyes found Arthur, I almost tripped down the stairs. I'd never before seen him in anything other than a casual outfit, pants and a t-shirt. Sometimes without one, but never in an all black, three piece suit that fit him like a glove.
He still looked like a dangerous dragon, but a dragon who decided to play civilised for the evening. A lion trying to pass for a house cat. Funny. I could almost believe it.
Our gazes met when I landed on the last step. He scanned me from top to bottom and then back up again. My magic zinged right beneath my skin, so close to the surface. I looked away before I lost control. This was getting out of hand.
Harvey moved to wrap his arm around Amanda's waist, whispering hushed words into her ear, words that made her blush and roll her eyes.
"Elle, you look lovely." Harvey said, smiling at me. I thanked him and looked down at my attire. I wouldn't call it lovely, exactly. But I did feel good in it.
Charles took a phone out of his pocket and wordlessly threw it my way. I caught it with a questioning gaze.
"In case of an emergency," Harvey said, "our contacts are already on it."
I checked the phone then pocketed it. My own phone had been burned to ashes when I blew up half of Portland.
Arthur, Mariano and I ended up in the first SUV, while the others took the second. Arthur sat in the back seat, his entire body relaxed. I, on the other hand, was barely sitting still in the passenger side of the vehicle.
"It'll be fine." Mariano glanced at my bouncing knee. I stilled. He continued, "I don't think the fae will show up, they rarely do unless it's an important event. But if they do, you've nothing to worry about. No one will dare touch you"
"Right." My knee started bouncing again.
"You know, you could stay behind if you w-"
"No," I said, "I should go." I had to go. I was only putting away the inevitable. Sooner or later I would have to come out to the world, I couldn't live this way forever. I was also counting on my appearance to stir up the people who'd killed uncle Robert, and most likely my mother.
"Good, because your presence will make things easier." Mariano said.
I glanced at him, "What do you mean?"
He smiled. Arthur replied from the back seat, "Mariano has a certain set of gifts. Mental gifts. If anyone involved with the murder of your mother or Robert is present there, your presence will stir up their memories."
"You can see other people's memories?" I gaped at Mariano.
"It's more complicated than that. In a way, I can pick up traces of their thoughts. However, the more powerful the individual, the more difficult it is to do." he winked at me before looking ahead of him again, "don't worry, I only use my gift when I absolutely have to."
"Wow."
Mariano grinned, straight white teeth, "I would, however, ask you to keep it a secret. Not many people know about my gift. And those who do think it's a lot less powerful than it actually is."
"So you can scan anyone? Even him?" I pointed my thumb behind me.
"The Five are on another level. Other than them, it can be quite difficult to sneak past strong mental walls. I could do it, but the target would know their privacy is being breached which is not something I aim for. I want to keep this little gift a secret. It would keep our relations with other immortals amicable."
Understandable. People would find it hard to trust him or Arthur if they found out about it.
I glanced at Arthur in the rearview mirror. "Do you think Venus was aware of the demons' incidents here in Europe?"
"It's possible," he sighed, "but I doubt it."
"Why? It happened on her territory, on multiple occasions over an extended period of time. It's difficult to believe she was blissfully unaware of it happening right under her nose."
"Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you. But Venus has been going through some things recently. She wasn't quite involved in the running of her territory over the past few decades."
Well, that's new. "Then who was?" because someone had to be overseeing the vampire population in Europe, otherwise, some of them would have gone on a blood rampage.
"As far as I know, every part of Europe was under one of her most trusted aides."
"Which doesn't make it any better," I mused out loud, "it would mean one of her own people has been keeping her in the dark."
"Indeed," Arthur said, "but let's not jump to conclusions. Perhaps Venus did know about the incidents but decided they weren't worth mentioning. We'll find out when we meet her in person."
The ride to Chateau de Versailles was longer than I expected. By the time we got there, night had fallen, and my nerves were worse off.
However, as the car rolled past the outer gates through the sprawling gardens, all my worries vanished. The view was breathtaking. The strategically scattered lights illuminated grass cut into sophisticated shapes, trees surrounding hundreds of gardens, and various flowers that made me wish I could see the colorful view by day.
Statues stood vigil all around the gardens, either on dry land or immersed in bodies of water, fountains and lakes, dark and sparkling under the night sky. It was surreal, almost as if I was in a dream.
The expansive buildings in the distance held no interest for me, I was more enthralled by the beautiful, unending greenery.
"It's much more beautiful during the day, in my opinion," Mariano said, "parts of it are open to the general public by day, humans included. It's a very popular spot for tourists."
"Is this her main residence?" I asked.
"It had been for a long time," Arthur replied, "but a few decades ago she moved, somewhere in western Europe."
"I think this is her first public appearance since a while ago," Mariano added.
The closer we got to the main palace, the more impressive it looked. We encountered no one on our way, only Charles' SUV was behind us. But that didn't mean there was no one around.
"The magic is thick."
Mariano glanced at me, impressed. "It's difficult to pick up, but yes. The presence of such a large number of powerful individuals all in one place makes it that way."
"Hmm..." I looked out the window. I couldn't see them, but I was sure there were eyes on us. I could feel them from the moment we crossed the outer gates. They were good at remaining unseen, but not good enough to erase their presence.
By the time Mariano pulled over near the bottom of a wide stairway with lights on either side of its railings, I was all jittery again. Mariano and Arthur exited the car, and through the rearview mirror I could see the rest of our company doing the same. I stayed motionless.
The door on my side opened. Arthur's big frame loomed beside me. His shoulders seemed impossibly wider in that suit. I gripped my sword.
A nudge in my mind. I pushed out his familiar presence and glared at him. "What's that about?"
"Just checking," he said, his expression amused but eyes wary, "others will try to do the same tonight. Don't lose your shit over it."
"Very eloquent." I rolled my eyes and pushed past him out of the vehicle, adjusted my cape and stood straighter. We joined the others.
Three of the vampires who'd been lurking in the shadows appeared next to us, two of them took the car keys from Mariano and Charles, the third approached our party of seven.
He performed a perfect, low bow in deference to Arthur, and in a few smooth words of french and gestures, invited us to follow him.
They didn't glance at me except in passing, no more looks than they gave the others. I took it as a good omen for the evening. Maybe my presence wouldn't be such an oddity after all. I fell in steps behind Arthur and slightly to the right, Charles mirrored my position on his left, while the others followed behind us.
We trailed the well-dressed vampire. He was young, younger than the ones I could still feel in the shadows.
"Is it normal?" I asked no one in particular, my hand never left the hilt of my sword.
Surprisingly, Charles replied in his usual gruff tone, "Yes. Security is not taken lightly in such events."
Soon, the stairs ended and we walked through a tall and wide entrance. The open doors took us to a very different world. High ceilings and old paintings, crystal chandeliers and golden statues, it was more of a museum than a residence. Kind of like Arthur's palace on steroids.
Our vampiric guide led us through a long hallway, at the end of which closed double doors looked bigger and more intimidating than doors should be. The concentration of magic beyond those doors nearly brought me to my knees. My magic buzzed in response, stirring wildly under my skin, wanting to break out and surround me.
Arthur threw me a glance over his shoulder as we stopped near the doors. The vampire opened them with a flourish. The sound of music and conversations came to life, and the magical presence intensified until it pressed against all my senses. The amount of power in the banquet hall that we entered was indescribable.
The banquet hall itself took my breath away. A seemingly endless room with an impossibly high ceiling, windows that stretched along the hall, their reflective glass serving as mirrors to the sparkling scene in front of us. Between every two windows, colorful tapestries hung on the walls. On a slightly elevated platform, an orchestra played notes of classical music that blended with the voices of the most powerful immortals in the world.
The chandeliers looked as if they were floating above our heads, with countless crystals catching the light and illuminating the marble floors, the statues and the people into a scene akin to an age-old work of art.
"Lord Arthur and company."
A strong voice carried over the voices in the hall. As if by magic, all conversations stopped. The only sound was that of classical music.
Men and women of all races stopped talking and turned their heads. All my earlier hopes of being ignored vanished instantly. Eyes landed on Arthur first, remained on him for no more than seconds before they landed on me.
The silence lasted a few seconds before leaving ground for whispers and pointed looks. I gripped my sword tighter, stared straight ahead and followed Arthur as he strode forward. He didn't alter his path; people moved out of his way as if on instinct. Witches and vampires and a few shapeshifters. Women and men who dazzled with beauty and costumes and jewelry, people who kept their gaze locked on me while I walked.
I felt more than one touch of magic brushing against my mind, individuals with mental abilities were testing to see if I truly was what I didn't appear to be. Non-human.
I pushed away all the unwanted magic. My nerves had settled down at some point. Maybe because there was no trace of fae magic in attendance, or maybe simply because I was now out to the world, no longer hiding. It was done.
Now only irritation remained. I hated being the center of attention, I hated the looks and the hushed whispers. There were certainly more pleasant sights around, like Arthur in a suit, or beautiful Amanda in a gown. But no. They had to stare at the pesky little "human fae". Ugh. I wanted to punch someone in the face.
The crowd parted in front of Arthur to reveal a woman with flawless caramel skin and honey colored hair with streaks of blonde, its waves flowing down to her waist. Her body tall and toned, sheathed in a strapless, olive green gown that hugged her upper body and spilled down her hips and long, long legs to trail behind her. There was no embroidery in the dress, no complicated patterns or shiny jewels, its stark simplicity was the perfect compliment to the woman's beauty.
She drew closer and her eyes met mine, a stunning sage green that inched to gray as her eyes moved over me. I felt transfixed. This was no normal vampire, her aura was exactly the same as Arthur, nonexistent with just a hint to be identified as a vampire. This was Venus.
The two siblings stopped mere feet from each other. Amanda and Mariano advanced to stand beside me, Harvey and Kat on the other side of Charles.
"Dear brother, you've always attracted the most unusual of individuals."
Her voice was husky and feminine, it fit her appearance perfectly. Her sharp gaze moved to Arthur whose lips tipped up in a barely there smile, "Venus, you look lovely, as always."
Her responding smile turned her from impossibly beautiful to lethally so, lush lips stretching to reveal a dimple on her left cheek. That dimple must be a family trait. Her cat-like eyes sparked with humor.
I couldn't believe she was Arthur's sister, well, half sister. Except for the lone dimple, which must be a family trait, they looked nothing alike.
"Thank you, Arthur." She glanced at the others. Kat and Amanda curtsied, and the men flourished a bow. I froze, looking at them with wide eyes. Should I curtsey?
They all straightened before I could overthink the situation. Venus gave a regal nod, "You're all welcome, enjoy yourselves."
Just like that, everyone except for Charles and Arthur dispersed. Amanda quickly squeezed my shoulder before Harvey whisked her away.
I felt a nudge in my mind again, stronger than the ones I'd been blocking since we entered the hall. I looked around and tried to track its origins in vain. It was persistent, annoyingly so. Like someone poking at you repeatedly for no reason at all.
I gritted my teeth and ignored it, hoping whoever it was trying would eventually tire.
"How was your trip?" Venus asked, snapping her finger. A waiter appeared with a tray of three glasses of red liquid. She picked one up.
"Uneventful," Arthur replied, taking a glass for himself. "Although we did happen upon a dragon."
"Ah, lucky. It's been a while since I've last seen one." Venus turned her head my way, her eyes assessing, "so, you're the little human fae."
I focused on Venus, nodded. "Little" and "human" seemed to be two adjectives often attached to me. I didn't mind the latter, but the former always annoyed me.
"You do feel human. Whoever cast the spell did an excellent job," Venus smiled, "If I didn't know any better, I would say you're actually human."
I knew this was coming. A test for the new face in their world. Just because I stood by Arthur's side as one of his people didn't guarantee I would be treated as one. Living in hiding with humans, many immortals would think that put me in an inferior position. If I didn't rectify that tonight, I would be seen as easy prey in a world of predators. I was no one's prey.
Uncle Robert had always said it, "no matter how you grew up, no matter what others might say, you are your father's daughter. A king's daughter. Of the royal line. They have not ruled this long because they're weaklings, and you are no weakling. Always remember that."
I held Venus' gaze, my head held high, "go ahead, you may check for yourself."
Anemotion flashed in her eyes. She glanced at Arthur who was looking more than amused. Then she chuckled, her eyes flashing from green to gray, before they darkened to an all black, where not even the whites remained. Just like Arthur's did at times.
I felt a push into my mind. Venus, like Arthur and her other brothers, had mental abilities.
But where Arthur's magic mainly manifested in his telekinetic powers, with mental abilities on the side, the bulk of Venus' magic went to her mental abilities. Uncle Robert had heard rumors about how powerful she was, rumors like being able to communicate with others telepathically across the globe.
Her mental push felt gentle, almost a petting brush of her mind against mine. I pushed her back out. Had I been a human, she would've gone past my defenses without me feeling anything at all, shift through my thoughts, maybe plant ideas. She could do things that made her a different kind of power than Arthur, but a power nonetheless.
She pulled back, "Mhm, interesting." her focus shifted to Arthur again, "you do realize having her here as one of your guards will antagonize the fae king."
My blood turned into ice. Arthur didn't show even a hint of worry at the idea of my uncle's potential presence. "He's coming?"
"I've sent an invitation, but you know how they are." Venus Said, "they did not let anyone know of who exactly will be coming. But my people informed me a while earlier that their plane had just descended."
"I guess we'll find out soon," Arthur took a small sip of his drink.
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