I was nervous about telling Duke that Gloria wanted to meet with him tomorrow.
I wasn't sure how he was going to react, but I had a feeling it was going to be a difficult challenge to convince him that the Queen was actually on our side.
She after all, had believed me enough to kill Bernadette, someone she had known for near 200 years.
"How did it go?" Riley asked as I eagerly wrapped myself into Duke's arms, feeling like I had been separated from him for days
"Fine" I answered, muffled by the fabric of Duke's shirt
"Tell us everything" Riley continued as he and Jaymi stood behind Duke at the front door
"I will" I continued, my voice still muffled as I hugged Duke tightly around the waist
"Give it a rest Riley" Duke demanded, sensing my frustration
After a minute or two, I pulled away, sighing and retreating to the lounge room where I sat. Riley and Jaymi sat across from me, and Duke of course beside me.
"I met the Queen" I started "She's lovely" I laughed, fidgeting with my hands in my lap
"Lovely?" Riley scoffed leaning back into the lounge.
"She's charming, beautiful, open and she likes me, believes me, and from what I've gathered she doesn't hate you all the way we've been lead to believe" I continued earning another scoff from Riley as well as Jaymi this time
I raised my eyebrows "You want to hear what I have to say or not?" I challenged, sick of the sarcasm, the hate
"Let her talk" Duke told them, defending me even though he probably doubted me just as well as they did
"I told her about me, you guys, and about what the Angels were planning to do to me, going against her and her rules" I explained as they all listened quietly "And she believed me, she believed in me enough to kill Bernadette, to snap her neck right in front of my eyes, in front of Callum" I finished, cringing at the memory
"No way" Riley gasped, his mouth falling open
"I saw it, right in front of me" I continued as I looked at my hands
"She actually killed her?" Jaymi chirped in, surprised
I nodded "Callum..." I trailed off, remembering the tears dripping down his eyelids
"Callum, he, he stuck up for me. He spoke the truth against his own mother, he took my side, then he was there when..." I trailed off again, feeling guilt riddle me through and through
"I feel sorry for the kid, but his mother, she deserved it" Riley softly mumbled
I shot him a death glare, not impressed, not at all amused
"So what's supposed to happen now?" Jaymi asked, nudging her boyfriend
I sighed and looked towards Duke "She wants to meet you. She seems to think that someone is after me, she said some things about there being someone or something else out there that is threatening my life that we aren't aware of. She wants to judge you for herself, meet you to know that she can trust you. If she can, then I think there is a strong chance she will help us track down whoever or whatever it is" I explained carefully
"Wow" Riley interjected, leaning back as he rubbed the back of his neck
Duke shook his head as he stared at the floor
"Its a trick" He mumbled, more to himself
"It isn't a trick, I can feel it, I trust her" I tried "She's an Angel, a real Angel, she believes in peace, she believes in unity, but most importantly, she believes in me" I tried to persuade him
"I don't know about this Rosie, I trust you, but I don't know if I'm ready to trust them" Duke hesitated, unsure as he stood
"Please Duke" I looked up to him, begging as he folded his arms over his chest
"Okay" He slowly answered with a nod
Riley was quick to shoot up from his seat on the lounge, angry
"Are you insane!? This could all just be one giant ambush!" He shot towards Duke "This Queen is strong, the strongest of them all, imagine who will be by her side, who we would be up against if and when this all goes wrong"
"Do not raise your voice at me Riley" Duke demanded as he glared towards him, his expression forceful
"Fine, get yourself killed!" Riley threw his arms up, dulling down his voice before storming off out the front door in a huff
Jaymi sighed as she stood, walking off in pursuit of her enraged partner "I'll talk to him"
"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid" Duke instructed her before the front door opened and closed shut again
I sighed and rubbed my palms over my face in frustration.
"He'll get over it" Duke sighed from my side, his gentle hand rubbing over my back
"Why is there always an extra layer of drama on top of the ones that already exist in my life?" I mumbled, my face in my hands "Who or what else could possibly want me dead? And why?"
"We will figure it out, together" Duke answered "When are we expected to meet with Gloria?"
"Tomorrow. Clu will be here at midday to take us to her" I replied, feeling the drowsiness that overpowered my system
"You should sleep then"
I moved my face from my hands and wriggled towards Duke who sat beside me again. I pushed him gently back, leaning him comfortably against the couch.
He watched me carefully.
I just gave him a weak smile and lay my head on his chest, listening to his shallow breathing as my ear pressed against the thin fabric of his shirt.
"Goodnight" I smiled as I closed my eyes, nestling into him until I was comfortable
"Night" He mumbled back, lingering his cold fingers over my jaw bone
It hadn't taken long until I had finally fallen asleep, exhausted and weak.
-
When I woke the next day, I realised that my nerves were not diminishing any time soon.
I was worried I was going to get Duke in serious trouble, I was worried that somehow, someway, this was going to end badly and it would be all my fault.
My eyes flickered open, and as they did, I noticed that Duke was gone. I had been positioned down on the couch, curled up, alone, a blanket over my body.
Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, yawning.
Through the narrow windows of the living room, fresh light lit the room up, warm and bright, welcoming and inspiring.
When the sun emerged, happy, I found that it altered my mood, until I remembered what today meant. It was judgement day, round 2.
As I stood, the front door swung open, and in walked Duke, dressed, ready, clean and as handsome as ever. His hair had been lightly oiled back, the full view of his beautiful eyes and perfect smile open for admirable staring.
"Good morning" He smiled as he leaned his body on the living room doorway "You ready for this?"
"No" I scoffed "Are you?"
"No" He smiled as he shook his head
"Awesome" I laughed sarcastically as I moved toward him, wrapping my arms around his torso
"What time are we expected to leave? Midday?" He asked, his hands taking gentle hold of my waist
"That's what she said" I shrugged, never wanting to let go of him
Why did things have to be so complicated?
"Good, well I guess now would be the time to tell you that I want to leave you with Riley for a little while, just while I take Jaymi with me to help take care of a few things" He smiled as he looked at me, his eyes smouldering mine
"You're leaving me? Again? Are you ever going to tell me what you're doing when you keep sneaking out?" I asked, curious
I hated it when he left me in the dark. It scared the hell out of me.
"One day, one day you will find out, eventually" He teased with a wild smirk
"I'll hold you too it, otherwise I will have no choice but to use my drifting on you" I threatened, letting go of his arms to pull my hair back into a neat ponytail
"I promise you, you will know, just give it time, be patient" He smiled as he kissed the top of my head, swiftly leaving the room.
I was extremely nervous as to what he was doing behind my back with Jaymi. It was also extremely tempting to use my powers to snoop, but he was right, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt, I needed to learn patience.
If he told me that I was soon going to know, then I believed him.
I leisurely showered, brushed my teeth, shaved, washed my hair and then dragged myself out of the hot water. I stood in front of the vanity mirror, brushing my loose hair out before tugging on a pair of skinny blue jeans and plain red and white striped t-shirt.
I wasn't going to impress Gloria, after all, I wanted her to like Duke, not me. Besides, no matter how fancy I dressed, I could never compare to Duke.
"Just you and me for awhile today pretty" Riley smirked as he punched my arm lightly when I met him downstairs
"Great" I sarcastically joked punching him back
"Want some breakfast?" He asked, as I followed him into the kitchen
"Sure"
"I'll make a killer egg and bacon hamburger for you" He winked, pulling things out from the fridge
"I've always enjoyed your cooking Riley" I smiled genuinely as I sat against the island counter, onlooking Riley
"Everyone enjoys my cooking" He smiled, raising his eyebrows
I rolled my eyes
"Hey Riley, do you know what Duke is doing with Jaymi?" I asked, curious if I was the only one being kept in the dark
His fingers hesitated on the pan he held, looking up at me carefully, a wide smile betraying him
"Give me a hint, tell me what it has to do with, like, does it have something to do with killing Rogues or..." I trailed off, wanting answers
He shook his head, his mouth pulled into a tight line, denying himself of speaking. He was quiet, and I could see that it was killing him in doing so, so I pushed
"C'mon Riley" I urged "Just tell me what it has to do with?"
Finally, he let up
"It's all about you, my darling" Riley whispered
"What does that even mean?" I tried to force elaboration
"Look, I can't say anything, Duke would literally kill me if I said anything"
"Why is it such a secret? Secrets like this, they scare me" I lightly scoffed
"It scares me too, trust me" Riley mumbled as he cracked two eggs into the pan, enticing a sizzling sound
"Anyway, you should be more nervous about Duke meeting this damn Queen more than anything else. I mean, it could really end badly, Duke has nothing on her, none of us do" Riley continued, changing subject
"Do you know how powerful she really is?" I asked curiously
"I have been around for a little over 100 years now, and from what I have heard, she's the most powerful thing out there. Although with the way things are going, I'd say some of these Rogues could give her a run for her money"
100 years, that's how old Riley was. It made me cringe.
"She won't hurt me, or Duke, I'm sure of it, I have to be"
"Whatever you say" He shook his head "Just be careful"
I nodded "I will"
For the rest of the morning, I ate breakfast with Riley. We talked about scenario's and what might happen with the Queen during our visit.
Pushing my luck, a few times throughout conversation, I tried to get him to spill about what Duke and Jaymi were upto, but he flatly refused.
After breakfast, we relaxed in the living room. Riley sprawled out on one lounge, myself on the other. I felt more and more nervous as the minutes ticked by.
The quicker midday approached, the more uncertain I became about how our meeting would go.
It was like walking in the dark with mouse traps scattered set on the floor.
I had no idea what was going to happen, but I held onto hope, I held onto my inner instinct and trusted in what it told me, that everything would be fine.
It was exactly midday when Duke and Jaymi returned.
They were laughing, happy, it was a beautiful thing to see, their friendship tight, yet it had me fuelled with questions, once again.
"Have fun?" Riley winked, Duke glaring at him
"Sure did, all done" Jaymi smiled towards him, winking back
Duke cleared his throat and both of them hurriedly sunk back down into secretive statue states
I rolled my eyes and sulked further into the lounge.
I hated this, I wanted to know, now, I couldn't be patient, I just couldn't.
"You ready?" Duke asked, breaking the thick silence that had settled
"I guess so" I answered honestly "I have to be"
"Are you?" I asked, nodding towards him
"I guess so" He smiled weakly, not at all ready as I was
"You guys are going to die" Jaymi morbidly joked, having been around Riley too much. What she had said, wasn't her, more so something Riley would say. It was brushing off on her, and I wasn't sure how to take it.
Riley high fived his girlfriend before both Duke and I glared them down. They both held their hands up in defeat and made pouted lips.
I couldn't help but smile.
Duke shook his head and walked off, quickly disappearing upstairs.
He was just as nervous as I was, I could see it, I could sense it.
He may have been a fearless Vampire to all else who knew him, but I knew, I could see that he was terrified, of Gloria herself.
I decided to let him be.
He needed time alone to clear his head before we did what we had needed to do. I wondered if he had regretted agreeing to it, I wondered if he ever regretted saving me. I had caused him so much trouble, so much drama and so much else to fear.
I wasn't going to think too deeply of it, I was only going to think about how happy we could be after it was over. We would work together, encourage each other, find the person or thing responsible for wanting me dead.
We would end this.
A swift knock at the door startled me from my ravenous thoughts.
Jaymi and Riley instantly looked at each other before turning towards me.
It was Clu.
I got up from where I was seated and walked towards the door, controlling my breathing as best I could.
I turned the door knob and swung it open to reveal the expected face, Clu.
He was standing awkwardly on the porch, shuffling his feet like he was about to ask a girl out for a first date.
"Hey" I greeted, my smile nervous and tilted
"Hey, you ready to go?" He asked casually
"Yes, we are" I sighed, turning to find Duke behind me, light footed and calm
"Let's do this" He groaned, his arm quickly wrapping around my waist in reassurance
I took one last turn towards Riley and Jaymi, smiling warmly in reassurance.
They were worried, for both of us, I could see it as they hesitantly smiled back.
"We will see you later" I told them before walking out of the house.
Duke and I followed Clu along the outskirts of town. We were quiet, our eyes on the ground, careful not to draw too much attention.
It wasn't until we were in a lonely alley deserted from all voices and human contact that we were confident enough to unnaturally travel to Belgium and meet the Queen.
"Will you be taking her, or should I?" Clu turned to face Duke and I as we stood alone in the alley. It somewhat reminded me of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, dark, ominous and sinister.
"I will" Duke answered back as Clu shrugged, fluttering from the alley
Duke placed one hand on the side of my face as his thumb stroked "Close your eyes"
I sighed and nodded slowly
Duke slowly dropped his hand, wrapping his arms around my waist pulling me close to his body
Closing my eyes, I did as I was told, the feeling of quick whirls of air around us passing by.
I squeezed my eyes tighter, waiting for the world to settle.
Five seconds later, it did.
I could once again feel the soil beneath my shoes, the world steadying. Despite the calm, I remained clinging to Duke like a child refusing to go to childcare.
"Rosie, we are here" Duke whispered in my ear as I peeled open my eyes
Regretfully, I pulled myself away, looking up at him as he weakly smiled
Both our attentions were solely on one another, until it was torn away when Clu behind me cleared his throat, growing impatient.
I turned around and instantly grabbed a hold of Duke's hand, holding it tight.
We began to follow Clu.
We were heading towards Gloria's humble abode.
My stomach furiously twisted and it was tempting to simply turn around and run, pulling Duke along with me.
We could live a life on the run, hiding out, relying only on each other. But then I remembered Jaymi, and Riley, and all the things we would miss out on.
We passed empty fields, filled with blossoming purple flowers and as I squinted ahead, I could see Gloria's home.
My head felt like it was going to burst, I felt Duke's hand grip tighter, this was it.
Duke was no longer comfortable, and I understood why. He was a Vampire, about to confront an Angel Queen. This was his rival, and his largest threat to existence.
It was probably only another 3 minutes later when we were standing on the porch of Gloria's house. Duke was becoming irritable, and I had already begun to feel sorry for dragging him into it.
His jaw was tense, his muscles flexed, his eyes were fixed and his breathing had been pushed on pause. I didn't even think it was possible for his frozen cold hands to sweat, unless it was mine, not his.
"Follow me through" Clu spoke, holding the front door open for us as we cautiously stepped inside.
We waited until he shut the door again and walked ahead, before following him. I didn't bother looking around the house, I was far too nervous about what was just about to happen. I squeezed Duke's hand and sighed, coming out shaky.
This was it.
We followed Clu until we reached the back door that I instantly recognised. The glass sliding door was open as we walked out into a very familiar garden. The images of Bernadette being killed flashed in my mind and I instantly refrained myself from cringing.
My heart now beat erratically, throwing my breathing out of rhythm as Clu nodded towards Gloria who now sat in front of us. Clu turned and walked off, leaving us standing in front of Gloria, the Angel Queen.
She stood, her hair tied back into a light flowing plait that stopped just above her waist. She was angelic and beautiful, like a fairy or an Angel, ironic.
She reminded me of the women back in the roman days. The way she dressed, the way she carried herself, the way she talked, everything.
"Nice to see you again Rosie" She smiled, perfect.
Sudden, but familiar insecurity kicked in when I was around her. She was the type of woman I expected to see Duke with, had she not of been his ultimate enemy.
"Nice to see you too Gloria" I smiled, containing the shakiness in my voice
Her gaze turned on Duke who stood motionless and rigid beside me. His face was stern, yet focused, ready to pounce if need be
"And this must be Duke" She smiled, her face alert, but still holding it's calm and soft demeanour
"Yes it is" I lightly tugged on Duke's hand, still firmly in my own, snapping him to life
"You must be Gloria Delarangist, I've heard a lot about you" Duke replied, his words holding a dark past history
"I bet" She smiled crookedly as they looked each other over, sizing up their muscle and bravery
"Please, sit, we have a lot to discuss" Gloria out held her hand
Hesitantly, we walked to the chairs opposite her and took our seats.
Gloria and Duke seemed to watch each other like they were awaiting the moment the other pounced. It was intense and awkward, and I hoped that it would soon level out.
Gloria returned her beautiful gaze to me as she clasped her hands together in front of herself on the table's top "Where shall we start?"