"You are too far west. Why didn't you tell me?" Lucas eyes were flashing with anger through the rolled down window of the car.
I was too tried to argue with him, so I opened the door and slide into the car. The second I closed the door, Lucas stepped on the accelerator forcing the car forwards with such force.
"Why do you get more uptight for each day that passed?" I shouted at him, holding on to the side of the car as he speed through traffic, leaving a mess of blaring car horns and angry drivers behind us.
He continued to speed forward, turning his head to look at me. I was so close to shout at him to keep his eyes on the road as he spoke, his voice icily calm and each word cut through me.
"I don't thin you understand. The king could die any day now and when he does the matches will be our only way of fighting for the throne. We are in prime heir killing time."
I stayed silent, biting my lip. If he dies, I die. If I die due to briefly enduring the consequences... then he dies. I look over at him, he was focused on the road driving us further east by the second.
"You shouldn't have come this close to the royal court without telling me," he breathed, almost as if he was thinking out loud.
"Chinatown is nowhere near the royal court," I argued back, not being able to keep quite.
"Yes it is!" he snapped back.
I studied his face, the tension just above his brow, his blond hair looking more out of place than normal. My eyes dropped down to his shirt, looking a little bit wrinkly and slightly undone.
"Why are you getting so worked up about everything?" I could see him automatically opening his mouth to argue back, so I cut him off, "I know there's a hunting order out for me. I know it puts your life in danger because of the tether. But what I don't get is why you are getting more paranoid with each day?"
He shrugged his shoulder, "You wouldn't understand."
"You know we are bound together right?" I pulled at the hem of my cardigan. Whatever is bothering him is increasing his level of obnoxiousness. Why can't he just tell me?
"Why where you in Chinatown?" he countered, answering my questions with a question and returning his focus to the road ahead of us.
"Grimstaw business," the lie slipped out so easily. There is no way I would tell him what I was really there for.
"Right," Lucas scoffed, opening his mouth and closing it again, as if he had something he wanted to say but decided against it.
"What?" I countered angrily, sick of his games.
Lucas slowed down the car, I turned and realised we were only a few streets away from my flat.
We drove slowly down the street, I looked out of the window as we passed a school. I waited him out with silence, knowing he had something he wanted to say.
As he pulled the car in to park, he finally spoke.
His eyes boring into me, his fingers closing around my hand, "You might feel safe because of Grimstaw's protection but you have to understand that once the king dies, it'll be a free for all. The only thing people care about it winning the throne."
"The matches?" I added, hoping he would tell me more.
"No," his eyes went dark, "that is something completely different."
I stepped out of the car, knowing full well he would walk me all the way to the front door. Why can't he just give me some space to breathe? As if he heard my thoughts he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"You know, even if I am annoying.... I'm just doing this to keep us both alive," he added softly. For a second, I almost believed him, I almost forgot how much it was about control.
"So what does your fiancé think of you constantly running off to east London?" I countered coolly.
"Our engagement is a business arrangement. She has no say in what I do. It's purely to increase my chances of a good outcome at the matches," he shrugged.
"As if that explains anything?" I bit my lip, trying to hold back from saying anything else that would make him angry. If I keep calm, maybe he'll tell me something that'll explain this whole matches business?
We walked in silence towards my flat, as we turned the corner what I saw up ahead made my stomach sink. Tanya and Matthew, chatting and walking towards our flat. They had spotted us, so there was nothing I could do. I waved my hand back at them gentle, seeing Tanya's beaming smile and Matthew's furrowed brow in the distance.
"Your friends?" Lucas breathed in a low voice.
"Yes," I confirmed through a smile.
"Hello," Tanya enveloped me in a big hug, her grin spreading widely across her face.
"Hi," I replied, glancing at Matthew he gave a firm nod to Lucas.
"Well, hello," Lucas's voice sounded painfully articulate and posh as it almost echoed down the empty street.
"So... why haven't we seen you before?" Tanya cooed sweetly. I could tell from her smile that she was excited, I could also tell that she was making some assumptions about Lucas and I that I would love to undo. But to be fair, what other logical reason could there be? How about I'm a Vortex, he's a warlock and we're tethered together. Oh right, that doesn't sound logical at all...
"So he should come," Tanya exclaimed. Her high-pitched voice broke me out of my thoughts.
"Come to what?" I asked, instantly regretting it as I saw Matthew's eyes screaming 'abort the mission'.
"To my birthday party," she added softly. It only took one syllable of her sad voice to break my heart. Her birthday. It's today. I am such a shitty friend. Regret billowed up within me. Why couldn't I just remember?
"I'd love to come," Lucas replied sweetly. "It would be lovely to meet some of Cara's friends and yours of course," he winked at Tanya. He was really bringing on the charm offensive and for once I had be grateful.
"Great it's settled then," Matthew confirmed, his voice seeming to lack some of that party enthusiasm.
~*~
My red hair was expertly curled by Tanya's skilled hands and fell in soft loose waves down my face, I pushed it out of the way and searched my handbag for my lipstick. Staring into the bathroom mirror as I applied it, I felt like such a dickhead. How could I forget my best friends birthday? What kind of friend does that? I shook my head, shutting down my inner monologue before I fell into the usual excuses of how my new magical life had taken all my attention. Whatever's been going on, that's not an excuse.
I threw my bag onto Tanya's bed and closed the door to her bedroom.
"Hey, could you help me?" I heard Tanya shouting from the kitchen.
I walked the few steps over to the small corridor designed as a kitchen in Tanya's little one bed flat and pop my head around the corner.
"Yeah?"
"Could you start making some kind of punch?" she smiled at me as she was shaking the last of the popcorn out of the bag and into a rather large clear plastic bowl with a sparkly rim.
"Sure," I agreed.
Tanya's fridge was clearly geared up for the party, any signs of food had been shoved into the vegetable drawer and the shelves where nearly empty in anticipation for the drinks her guests would bring with them. I grabbed a couple of bottle of questionable sprits and a carton of pineapple juice, carrying the over to the punch bowl Tanya had set out on the counter. A horrible tasting punch had become a signature of a Tanya house party and I was determined that this one would not disappoint. A wicked smile crept across my lips as I started to pour the contents of the first bottle into the bowl.
"Easy with that one." His voice nearly made me jump.
Matthew walked over and started pouring pineapple juice in the bowl.
"So, I guess you forgot about today," he said softly, keeping his voice low.
"Yes, I did," I breathed, feeling angrier at myself for each time I had to admit it.
"I grabbed your present from home," he continued. I smiled back at him gratefully, at least I had been a good best friend and gotten her a present months ago.
"Did you?"
"Yes, I wrapped it for you," he continued.
"Thank you," I replied softly, grabbing the second bottle and pouring the liquid into the punch bowl.
"It was nice of you to spend the afternoon with her," Matthew continue, implying 'so I didn't have to'.
As I was about to reply he continued, "Instead of spending it with your boyfriend."
I held my tongue, focusing on stirring the punch. What could I say? No he's not my boyfriend. Then why was I hanging out with him? How did I meet him? The last thing I wanted to do was introduce Lucas as my boyfriend to my friends, but what choice did I have?
I stood in the corner of the party, sipping on a glass of horrible punch. I had made the rounds and greeted everyone. I could see Tanya laughing across the room with Matthew and Taylor. I had been surprised when he showed up but given that they work together I get it. What I didn't get was why he hadn't told me he was going. But maybe he had? Clearly I didn't remember this party so maybe he had told me about it and I had just forgotten about it. I swivelled the punch around in the plastic cup before brining it to my lips and downing it. A shiver of cold rushed down my back and I could feel my lips fighting to pull into a grimace. That was rather nasty. I guess I managed to remember how to make horrible punch. I knew this was a party, but nothing about me was exuding a party mood. Perhaps another glass of punch would help with that. I scanned the room, happy that Lucas still hadn't arrived.
The yellow-ish liquid flowed into my cup as I dipped it into the punch bowl. I turned reaching from the kitchen towel to wipe of the cup when my eyes view was blocked by a well manicured hand holding a cotton tissue.
"Really?" I looked up at him.
"Certainly better than the cheap paper one you were reaching for," Lucas countered.
"It's stain," I replied, grabbing the soft fabric tissue from his hand and wiped off my plastic cup. A small part of me was smiling at the irony of using a fabric tissue to dry of a flimsy plastic cup.
"Do you want one?" I raised an eye brow.
"If I have to," his voice told me he felt slightly inconvenienced by having to be here.
"If I am going to be at a human party, I might as well drink a human drink," he muttered underneath his breathe.
"So why did you come?" I asked in a low voice.
"I have to stay close to you, so I might as well build an alibi," he replid.
"And what's that?"
"I'm your boyfriend who hangs around you all the time," he countered, smiling his smug and arrogant smile which made me want to smack him.
I rolled my eyes, pushing the plastic cup of punch into his hand and countering sourly, "Don't bring it on too strong. Logically we should have just met."
I turned on my heel and returned out into the living room, Taylor's eyes meeting mine. His eyes shone with warm, switching a second later to annoyance as he meet Lucas. Oh right, I should have probably told him that Lucas was coming.
"Happy Birthday," Lucas glided over to Tanya and embraced her, handing her a little silver box.
"Thank you so much," she beamed at him and shot me a happily approving glance.
She started to unwrap the box as Taylor threw some very speaking silent glances in Lucas direction.
"Oh, it's so pretty," Tanya held out the small silver bracelets in her hand, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
"It really is," I agreed, looking over at the small present table.
"You should open mine next," I grabbed her arm and move her towards the table. Handing her the present which Matthew had slipped me earlier.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she unwrapped the present, her hand stroking the cover of the book.
"Is this really?" she breathed.
"It's the first edition of Alice in wonderland," I confirmed her assumption. She squealed, hugging the cover of the book to her chest and then hugging me. I held my arms around her, a smile across my lips. In this moment, making her happy was the most important thing I could be doing.
The party had started to wind down, the presents had all been opened and I had retreated back to the far end of the living room.
"It's not punch," Lucas gestured with the bottle of wine he held.
"Thank you," I held my cup out for him as he tippled some of the wine into my cup.
"So that punch was horrendous," he started. His matter of fact tone of voice nearly made me choke on my drink.
"That's the point."
He stared at me as if it was the strangest thing he had ever heard.
"Once Tanya made really bad punch for a party, because she accidentally mixed two recipes together and since then it's sort of become a Tanya house party tradition."
"Oh, I see," Lucas said in a way which made it clear to me that it sounded like the most bizarre thing he had ever heard.
"So it's been an interesting party," Lucas started. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was trying to be nice. Trying to appease me.
"What are the matches?" my eyes fixed on his, trying to keep him under my gaze so he couldn't squirm out of telling me something. Anything. Anything would be useful.
"They are the one on one matches where the heirs fight for the throne," Lucas replied absentmindedly as his eyes scanned the living room.
"Why are the matched getting you so worked up?" I took a big sip of wine and looked up through my lashes at him.
"Because once the matches are in play, there is no other way of winning the throne."
"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling the chill spread up my spine.
"Like I have been trying to tell you Cara." He moved closer to me and whispered in my ear, "the time to kill an heir is now. Once the matches are in play, there won't be any killing outside of the arena."
I didn't have to fully understand what he was saying to be freaked out by it. I grabbed a firmer hold around the plastic cup and tried to keep my face in a neutral, unaffected expression.
"Thank you for inviting me, Cara." He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on he cheek, before turning and walking away as I watch him walk across the room, I could see Taylor looking at me in the corner of my eye. Lucas glided past him, graciously saying his good byes to Tanya before exiting the part.
I leant back against the wall, watching the party around me unfold. I took another sip of wine and looked over at Tanya. She was standing next to Taylor, smiling widely as she spoke to him. She was playing with a lock of her hair, twisting it between her fingers as she laughed at something she said. I felt a pressure across my chest when I slowly realised she was pulling her best flirty moves on him. She really likes him. But he's a warlock. She likes him. I felt like I was frozen watching the interaction between them unfold from the other side of the room. Taylor was smiling back at her, continuing the conversation. I felt frozen. Was he smiling back to her as a friend or because he liked her? A knot twisted in my stomach. Am I worried because he is a warlock or because he is my warrior?
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