The king was right. I did not expect to be dancing with him so soon. Or at all, actually. Even though he was at this ball and I saw him dance with Sabine, I somehow thought I would miraculously be spared such a venture.
Not knowing what else to do, I dipped into a curtsy. The king bowed as expected and offered his hand to me. I took it, my heart beating a mile a minute as he laced his fingers through it. He placed his other hand on my waist, causing me to bristle at the touch. Nervously, I put a hand on his shoulder, hyper aware of our proximity. This was all too much and too soon.
It was difficult to breathe and not because of my bodice. My eyes darted everywhere, the dance floor, our clasped hands, anywhere but his eyes.
"You look breathtaking tonight," he whispered as the music began.
Are you going to say that to all the girls? I wanted to snap, but held my tongue.
"Thank you," I said curtly. "You um, look good too."
It was an understatement. The king should give his stylist a raise for the way he looked tonight. The black tailcoat and silver vest and tie gave him an air of opulence and refinement, while accentuating the pallor of his skin. His hair was perfectly combed; shorter than the last time I saw him. He must have had it cut.
"So, did my friends bite? Metaphorically, that is," he asked.
Friends? I wasn't sure if that was merely an expression or if the king really did consider the dukes his friends. He mentioned the Virginian duke's tenuous loyalties before.
I shook my head. "They were very nice."
He chuckled. "Good? Nice? You're a girl of few words tonight."
"Aren't I always?" I said.
He smirked. "Perhaps that's a good thing. The last time I witnessed your words, I wasn't exactly thrilled by them."
I was silent as I followed his lead. His smirk waned and he cleared his throat.
"Pity I never saw your original poem. I'd love to know what it was about," he said.
"It was sentimental drivel," I said, realizing I echoed what Sabine had said to me right before she tore my poem to pieces. I had to concede by now that she was accurate in her judgement, though that didn't give her the right to do what she did.
"That doesn't tell me much about the subject matter," the king said.
"No, it doesn't," I replied coldly, wishing he'd dropped the subject.
He frowned, looking hurt. I briefly regretted brushing him off. But only briefly.
"Still, a pity I didn't get to see your true talent," he said.
"I'm not talented," I muttered.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I must admit, that awful poem you presented took a considerable amount of skill. I can tell you're capable of great things, you just have to apply yourself in a positive way."
I refrained from rolling my eyes. "You sound like my guidance counselor."
The king laughed sheepishly, his blue-green eyes glinting with delight. I looked away, not liking the emotions those eyes instilled in me.
"I suppose I do. But can you really blame me?," he said as our dancing slowed. "I see before me a bold young woman full of potential who doesn't seem to realize it."
My lips parted in surprise. Me? Bold? He was out of his mind. I shook my head.
"And to that I would say you are full of something other than potential," I said, cringing as the words fell out of my mouth.
The king looked scandalized. Then, to my relief, he laughed.
"You'd fit right in on my board of advisors," he said.
I found myself smiling back, grateful that I didn't doom myself with that statement. We swayed together for a moment, saying nothing. I found myself relaxing, my heart no longer racing. I closed my eyes and pictured the ball room empty of every soul but the two of us.
I blinked the vision away. This was wrong. I couldn't allow myself to slip, to get comfortable around him. He was a vampire and the king, and I couldn't allow myself to fantasize otherwise. I recalled how terrifying his red eyes had looked when I gave him my blood. That... thing was what he really was. I couldn't let myself fall for him.
He must have felt me stiffen because he looked at me, eyes full of concern. I looked out over the dance floor, spying Duke Aldridge spin Sabine around the dance floor.
"Avery, please be honest with me," he said quietly.
I braced myself for his question, though I knew no amount of preparation would be enough.
"Would it really be so bad, to be my queen?"
Letting out an anguished breath, I looked into his eyes. He gazed back with palpable longing, both inquisitive and melancholy.
Would it truly be so bad to be with the king? As much as I denied it, I was attracted to him. But was that enough? I didn't want to be a vampire or a queen. I wanted it even less after witnessing the assassination attempt. The king tried to dress his life up in glitz and glamour, but he clearly feared for his life. If I became queen, that fear would be mine.
I shook my head, finally thinking of my answer. "Your world and mine are simply too different."
The king frowned. "But you've barely just begun to glimpse my world."
"I've seen enough to know I want no part of it," I said firmly.
The king's eyes searched my face for answers. I stared back, hoping I did't betray any doubt in my expression. After a pause, his features softened.
"This is about what happened on the Empress, isn't it?" he whispered.
"Yes and no," I replied. What happened on the Empress appeared to be the final straw. There were so many reasons why we couldn't work, even before then.
"That's the price of power, I'm afraid," he replied solemnly.
"Then you understand why I don't want it," I said.
"But do you want me?"
I stumbled over my feet, startled by his question. The king's lips curved into a smile at my mistake.
"You can't ask me that," I breathed. "Regardless of my feelings I—"
"What feelings?" he cut me off, sparks dancing in his eyes.
"No," I shook my head, drawing away from him.
The music slowed to a stop and I exhaled in relief. The dance was over.
"Avery, wait," he called, but it was too late. I was gone.
Clumsy and winded, I stumbled over to the refreshment table. Faith Weston was there, looking like a glamorous bride in her white ballgown. Sabine stood near her, eyeing the crowd as she took careful sips from a tall glass of water. Normally I would avoid my tormentor at all costs, but I couldn't muster the energy to care at this point.
I grabbed myself a glass and slouched against the table, gulping the water greedily. Faith eyed me curiously.
"You danced pretty well up until the end," she remarked. "How was the king?"
I shrugged. "Fine."
"What did he ask you?" Faith pressed.
I furrowed my brows and took another long swig in an attempt to delay my answer. "It's private," I mumbled.
Faith's face fell, earning a smug look from Sabine.
"You're lucky if he remembers to dance with you at all," Sabine said to the other girl snidely.
I rolled my eyes. Were there no limits to her cattiness? At least the attention was off me now.
Faith glowered at the other girl. "I bet he only danced with you first to get you out of the way because he knows you're such a pain in the ass."
Sabine shrugged, unperturbed. "Whatever, Felicia." She put her glass down and sauntered away.
"It's Faith!" the flustered girl spat, though Sabine was out of earshot. Crossing her arms with a huff, Faith stalked off, leaving me blissfully alone.
Though not for long. I turned back to the refreshments table and grabbed a piece of ricotta crostini. As I bit into the toasty hors d'oeuvre, I felt a presence behind me. Chewing slowly, I turned around to see the blonde, bearded vampire Lydia was dancing with earlier. Unlike the king or Duke Aldridge, this vampire's face was severe, lined with the evidence of a hard life. His gray eyes held a lifetime of weariness.
"You're one of the contestants, aren't you?" he asked.
I frowned up at him. Did he space out when Melanie was introducing us? Were there some other girls wearing ball gowns in patriotic colors I didn't know about? I swallowed the last of my crostini and nodded.
"Yes. My name is Avery Crawford."
I waited for the Duke to introduce himself, but no introduction came. He merely grabbed a champagne flute from the refreshment table and downed it in one swig. I guess the king wasn't the only vampire with that particular vice.
"So," he turned back to me, "What do you think of this farce?"
I looked at him blankly. "Farce? You mean the ball?"
He sighed. "No, I mean the whole charade. The competition. It's impossible to believe you girls actually enjoy parading yourselves around for Nathaniel's amusement."
I blinked rapidly, unsure of what I had just heard. Who was this man and how had he just voiced the very same thoughts I had? A smile appeared on my face, then quickly fell. What if this strange vampire was testing my loyalty?
"Are you at least getting money from this?" he asked, watching my face carefully.
"My family has been compensated," I replied.
The mysterious duke gave out a huff. "Good. I couldn't imagine doing this nonsense myself, especially for free."
"Why are you here then?" I asked, still unsure of his true intentions.
The duke set his empty champagne flute down on the table. "Obligation. Nathaniel is my king as much as he is yours. Though unlike you, I don't have to pretend to like him."
Not knowing what to say, I merely stared at the duke, dumbfounded. He must have seen the suspicion on my face because his features softened.
"Relax girl. I'm not testing you on Nathaniel's behalf. I don't expect you to 'prove' yourself by refuting everything I've said," he said.
My tension eased, though I was still unsure how to act. "Why are you telling me all of this?"
"Because you're the only one here who seems to be as miserable as I am," he said, smiling. His stormy eyes on the other hand, remained weary.
How had he so easily gauged the source of my discontent? Granted, his observations didn't cover the scope of it, but he wasn't far off.
"If you dislike the king so much, why didn't you take the throne for yourself?" I asked hesitantly.
The strange duke gave out a long, wearied laugh; as if what I said was the punchline of some horrible joke. I stared back at him blankly. The vampire sobered and met my eyes solemnly.
"I didn't become king because I have no desire to rule over humanity," he said gravely.
I narrowed my eyes. "But you're a duke."
His lip quirked up. "True. But I only hold this position to prevent someone less... favorable, from taking it."
The music changed, signaling the end of the last dance. The duke straightened his lapel.
"I best get going. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Crawford," he said.
"Likewise, Your Grace," I muttered.
He turned back suddenly, scratching his temple. "That's right, I never introduced myself. The name is Hale. Balthazar Hale."
The duke turned and wandered back onto the dance floor, leaving me to wonder where I had heard that name before.
My next dance partner was Jeffrey Hawkins, Duke of Columbia, a province composed of the old states of Maryland and Delaware. He wasn't the greatest dancer, and seemed in a hurry to get the affair over with, frequently muttering about how his time was more valuable than "helping the king find a new girlfriend."
Roland Ewing, the Duke of New England and my next partner, was hardly better. He seemed a bit too eager to dance with me, commenting on how glad he was the his wife wasn't at the ball to see him dancing with "so many pretty girls." The thought of him being in charge of my province made me retch. When the dance ended I broke away from him gladly, not even bothering to curtsy.
My final partner was Duke Hale. By process of elimination I realized that he was the duke of New York. I also realized how I recognized his name — Lydia mentioned him before, when she spoke of her family.
I was strangely eager to commiserate over his colleagues with him, improper as it was. Though when I met him again, it seemed the last ounce of joy had been drained out. Duke Hale simply muttered "Let's get this over with," before halfheartedly spinning with me around the dance floor.
Throughout our dance, I kept wondering about what he said to me earlier. "I have no desire to rule over humanity." Those words didn't paint the king in a favorable light. It also reinforced everything I felt about the position of Queen. Becoming a vampire meant turning my back on my family, my friends, everyone I knew and making them my subjects. An uncomfortable shiver ran down my spine at the thought.
But Duke Hale's other admission ran through my head — the fact that he took power to prevent someone else, someone worse, from abusing it. Could the king, perhaps, be the same way? I had to admit as far as monarchs go, we could have definitely done worse. I've heard rumors of some nations having a mandatory blood tax. Here in the Northeastern Territories, it was strictly voluntary and those who gave blood were well compensated.
Was there someone worse who wanted to rule? Were they still waiting in the wings for the opportunity to take the throne? Was this person... or people, responsible for the latest attempt on the king's life? I had always thought — had always been told, even — that those were carried out by anti-vampire rebels. Some of them undoubtedly had to be. But what if those stories were a cover meant to quell panic about an even greater evil?
These frightening thoughts lingered continued to linger in my mind as the king called the ball to a close.
[Hope you guys enjoyed this part. Keep voting and commenting!
ETA: Fixed some stuff I was meant to fix but forgot. Basically, I needed Avery to figure out where Duke Hale hails (ha!) from in this chapter because in the next one she already knows. It just slipped my mind when I was writing and editing this part. ]