Deva felt something holding her down, and when she opened her eyes she was still in Darius' arms. He did not leave during the night like she thought he would. She gently lifted his arm from around her waist and quietly got out of bed. He didn't wake or stir. She needed some air and space away from things, from him. She tip toed to the door grabbing a sweater to cover the dress she was still wearing from the party and silently walked out without him noticing. She didn't have time to change.
Walking barefoot through the halls Deva felt like she could finally relax. The events from the night before were fresh in her head; they haunted her. She found herself in front of the fountain in the gardens. The orange sun was barely rising.
She sat on the bench swinging and hugging her knees to her chest. She didn't know how long she was out there for, but soon the sun was high in the sky, and the gardeners were out and about.
"Oh my lady, I've been looking everywhere for you." She heard a frantic Amy say a short ways away. "The Queen requests the presence of all the ladies."
"Alright," Deva hesitantly stood, but Amy handed her heels before getting the chance to go.
"The Queen wants every girl to wear heels. You are to have a dance lesson today."
"Thank you Amy. I really appreciate it."
She sweetly smiled. "It's been my pleasure my lady."
They began heading towards the castle's back entrance when Amy opened her mouth again. "Prince Darius was in your room last time I checked."
"Then perhaps you can get him out before I return."
"Yes of course my lady." There was an eerie sound in her voice that made Deva turn to her, but Amy was already out of sight.
She brushed it off. Her mind was in so many places that nothing seemed right anymore. Deva nodded to Jeffery politely. He opened the doors to the ball room and as always she was late.
The Queen took one look at Deva's attire and grimaced. Deva had a suspicion that perhaps the Queen didn't like her as much as the others.
"Good. Now that everyone is here, I would like to begin. In a few days, the kingdom will hold a grand ball but not just any ball, a masquerade. You ladies will be the center of entertainment. That is why you are here today. You will be learning to dance the dance of the old days, a traditional group dance that was often danced by the royals of the court."
Some of the girls' faces lit up with excitement.
"And to help us out today are a few of the party guests from last night."
Coming in from the left side of the room were five handsome vampire men that Deva had been introduced to. Max and Ryan were among them. Max glistened when he spotted her.
"Now pick your partners please." The Queen said in a rushed tone.
"Will you be my partner?" Max asked in a childlike tone.
(Max)
"Sure if you promise not to bite." She took the hand he was offering her.
He grinned. "You have to promise the same." He led her to the middle of the dance floor and lined her up with the rest of the girls. "Nice dress. It looks even better on you the second time around."
"You know Max that's the only reason I wore it again," she said sarcastically.
The music began to play, and Deva was hit with Deja vu. It was the same song and dance that she and Darius shared during one of the dreams. The footwork easily came back to her, and she was flowing effortlessly across the dance floor with Max leading her way.
"Wow Deva you're really good," Max whispered in her ear while circling around her.
"I've danced to this before."
"That's impossible. This dance has been dead for quite some time." He was a little shocked.
"Darius showed me."
Max danced silently for a few minutes, not replying back to her comment. "That was very stupid and very brave what you pulled yesterday with him."
"I know." She didn't say anymore. Everyone probably thought she was suicidal.
The Queen was very impressed with her dancing abilities and let her go early. She prayed Darius was out of her room.
In the corridor she heard lovely piano music being played. She stopped and quietly opened the door. Lucian was sitting in front of a beautiful grand piano, and he was so into his playing that he hadn't noticed Deva's intrusion.
He was playing moonlight sonata with such feeling and emotion, it made the moment that much more pleasurable. Deva watched in awe and was enchanted by every stroke and brush he made against the keys. Lucian had his eyes closed, and Deva was so curious to know what he was thinking, what was going on in his artistic mind.
His last note hung in the air taking her breath with it.
"I didn't know you were that talented."
His smiled brightened his face then he turned to her. She was a vision; a stunning vision dragged in sorrow. He felt responsible. He could see the days at the palace were wearing down her tough exterior.
"Perhaps if you stop hiding away you'd know more about me."
Of course he was right. Again, she was afraid to get close. "I run because I don't want to be caught."
"You're slowing down because I'm catching up."
She wanted to explode, to finally release the hold hell had on her.
"Maybe it will be different this time. Technically you're immortal. You're already dead so I don't have to worry about that. I sense I can trust you. But will you eventually get bored of me?"
He shot up from his seat to console her. "I will treat you with respect. I will cherish you. I will fall in love with everything about you."
She fell into the romantic poem of his promise. She wanted to be respected, loved, and cherished even if it was for a moment, or a fake promise.
"May I hug you?" He was afraid his brother's torture might have scarred her.
She nodded because nothing sounded better than having him hold her together. In his eyes she was weak, fragile, and needed the most precious care. She liked that image he had of her. She wanted, for the moment at least, someone to take care of her.
He was warm and gentle.
"Are you mad at us?"
"No. I don't understand why you'd want to keep a vile creature like me here but-"
With tender ease he grabbed the back of her neck to make her face him. "You're not vile."
She knew she was a rotten person. She wasn't in denial. In his eyes she was just a trouble soul he wanted to fix; wanted to relate to. He was the one in denial.
"I've accepted it." She jumped to the point. "I won't fight you on it anymore."
The wonderful news was overwhelming; driven with unaltered happiness Lucian kissed her.
Butterflies surfaced the lining of her stomach.
"I promise you'll love living here."
Deva bit her lip thinking about the future. Could she stand living with two brothers who were equally showering her with affection? Eventually she'd have to pick one.
"Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Because there are a few people who really want to see you."
Lucian teleported to another room and Deva found her close friends huddled around a table. Izzy put down her phone and ran into Deva's arms pulling her so tight that Deva felt like a boulder was crushing up against her.
"You're a crazy ass person. What the hell were you thinking?"
Deva patted Izzy's back to vanquish all her worst fears. "When have you ever gotten the impression I was sane?"
Marcus came up from behind them and whisked Deva into a tight bear hug. "Don't you ever try a stunt like that again."
"Could he really have killed me?" She doubted he could.
"No but one day your mouth will get you in trouble. Calling a prince out isn't technically punishable."
"She enjoys the attention," Julia came up from behind them, "And gets a thrill out of playing with danger. She's addicted to it."
Julia was the only one who understood the magnitude of her best friend's sick mentality.
"How about we bust out of here for a while?" Izzy suggested trying to lighten the mood.
"Sounds good to me. How about we go to the cabin? We haven't been there in ages." Marcus added to the brilliant idea.
"That's the perfect spot. It would be nice to get away from all this chaos," Lucian scooted closer to Deva and Julia. "What do you girls think?"
"I'm up for anything as long as we get some food. I'm starving." Deva skipped breakfast.
"What does your heart desire?"
She rubbed her chin and thought of the foods she hadn't had in a while. "Chinese."
"Ok," he took her hand in his like it was the most natural thing to do.
"I'll take Deva and we'll get the food for all of us while you three can head out to the cabin. We should be there by the time you arrive."
Marcus nodded and Lucian pulled Deva closer to him before teleporting. She was getting so used to the dynamic shift that she didn't even close her eyes this time. It was really like a flash movement. One second she was at the castle then she blinked and the next she was facing Chinatown.
They were in a damp alley that opened up to tiny shops and different stores that had Chinese scribbles all over.
"Are we in China?" She had to ask which earned her a kiss on the forehead and a chuckle in response.
"No baby doll, but something very similar."
Lucian squeezed her hand gently and led her into the open streets of the busy Chinatown. There were so many different scents of food that it was hard to breathe. Deva pressed her nose into Lucian's shoulder to smell his cologne when they passed by a seafood stand that smelt like death.
"I hate seafood."
He wrapped his arm around her waist. "We're almost there."
Pushing through a small crowd, they finally reached the place he was looking for. It was a clean feng shui kind of place that had a small garden and pond close to the entrance.
"Neat," she admired the pond of fish.
A short thin man threw on a big smile once he spotted Lucian. Deva scrunched her brows. Did Lucian come here often?
The Chinese man began to speak fluently in his native language, losing Deva in the process. Lucian responded, speaking in the same tongue as the old man.
Deva's head dodged to the side to gaze up at Lucian in wonder. "You speak Chinese?"
Lucian shrugged. "I've been to a lot of places baby."
"Of course because you're older than dust," she sarcastically ranted. "You probably know what fifty seven different languages?"
"Forty-two actually."
Deva folded her arms dismissively over her chest. "Whatever."
Lucian leaned close and took hold of her chin, playfully nudging it from side to side. "Someone sounds a bit jealous."
"I am." She narrowed her eyes at him. She had always wanted to travel and explore the world. All Lucian had to do was snap his fingers, and there he was.
"If you behave, I promise to take you to every single place on your bucket list."
Deva bit her lip, not sure if she could actually stay out of trouble for long.
"Um excuse me," a female voice broke through their conversation. They turned and saw two girls in their teens dressed in the tightest clothes Deva had ever seen. Was it even legal to wear that kind of see through outfits on the street?
The one with jet black hair and slightly slanted eyes was staring at Lucian like he was dessert. She even had the audacity to lick her lips in a very sensual and provocative way.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but you look so familiar."
The other girl curled her finger around her reddish locks. "Yes you look so familiar. Are you an actor? You must be. I've seen you in a movie, haven't I?"
Deva stayed inconspicuous, not at all threatened by their cheap attempt to capture Lucian's attention.
"Nope, sorry ladies I'm not an actor. You must have me confused with someone else."
Lucian started rubbing circles on the small of Deva's back. If he was trying to ease her of jealous it wasn't necessary.
"Then you must come here often?" The black haired girl skimmed her polished nails up and down his arm.
His lips teased a laugh. "I do."
Deva wanted to laugh herself at the shameless teens hitting on Lucian. It was obvious they looked like a couple. It amazed her how the little girls had no decency.
"Shouldn't you two be in school?" Deva didn't want to convey jealously or come across as possessive. Lucian wasn't actually hers.
The redhead popped her gum in Deva's face. "Nope."
Deva didn't appreciate the disrespect. "Is your pimp waiting outside?"
Their expressions immediately converted to resting bitch face. "We're not prostitutes."
"Those outfits could have fooled me." She grabbed the bag the old man was handing Lucian. "Do yourselves a favor and go back to school. Your bodies can only get you so far."
Lucian laced his fingers through hers and she followed him outside. "That was kind of you, giving those two advice."
"Suddenly I don't feel that aggressive." She had a strange sense of peace.
"You don't need a defense anymore, not around me." He wanted to tear down her wall so she could finally let go of the anger.
She hugged him and closed her eyes for the briefest second. When she opened them again they were in the middle of a cabin. Izzy, Marcus, and Julia were overlapping each other on the couches in front of a fireplace.
Their whole afternoon was spent telling old memories or incredible adventures only very few old vampires could have. When the sun was slowly setting Deva proposed a new activity.
"Let's play the hat game."
Marcus raised a curios brow. "What's the hat game?"
"It's a game were everyone writes down one of their darkest secrets and places it in a hat. With each secret we pull out, we have to figure out who it belongs to."
Marcus snickered. "Sounds fun."
"It is. Is everyone down?"
Izzy volunteered to pull the first secret from the hat. She read, "My favorite movie is 'The Notebook'."
Their pointed gazes accused every candidate.
Deva burst into a fit of giggles when she figured out who the secret belonged to. "Seriously Marcus?"
Marcus shrugged his shoulders as everyone else joined in the laugh. "What can I say? I'm a sensitive guy."
"Or a gay one," Lucian pocked fun.
"Whatever bro. Girls like a sensitive guy." Marcus looked at Deva and Julia with a handsome grin to gain back some dignity. "Am I right?"
"Totally," Deva insisted. "Chicks love a sensitive guy who cries on her shoulder over the simplest things."
"That's what I thought." Marcus winked at Julia.
Lucian picked another. "I stripped for an old people's home."
Deva narrowed her eyes at her best friend because she knew the whole story behind that little secret.
"Who was that? Julia?" Izzy gave props where it was due.
Julia's face turned to a deeper shade of red giving her no handle for hiding her shame. "Guilty."
"Really," Marcus was impressed.
"It was a stupid dare!" She groaned in humiliation.
"What are you talking about? It was a terrific dare. I really didn't think she'd do it but she made me proud." Deva sparkled, "And I think she gave three old men heart attacks."
Julia reached in and pulled out another note to take herself off the topic. She gasped before reading it out loud. "I wanted to kill myself once."
Every head in the room turned to Deva who frowned in return. "What? That wasn't mine. I'm not suicidal." And of course they didn't believe her. She gave them every excuse not to. "Okay guys I know I'm not known for having rational thoughts at times, but I promise I have never thought about killing myself willingly."
"It was mine," the soft timid voice came from Izzy.
"Iz," Lucian was incredibly flabbergasted about his sister's declaration.
Izzy rubbed her arm nervously before answering her brother. "It was a long time ago."
"Why?" Marcus was heartbroken.
Izzy raised her eyes to her brothers. "It was after my first kill. He died under my hands." She then shifted her gaze to Deva. "I hated myself so much for losing control. I began to think like you Deva that all vampires were monsters, and all I knew how to do was kill."
"Izzy I never meant-"
Deva was cut off by Izzy's voice once again explaining. "No Deva I understand where you are coming from. We as vampires have to do some unsettling things to stay alive."
"I don't think that anymore Iz. I know you're not a monster." Deva pleaded in hopes of making her friend feel better.
"I'm glad." Izzy's warm smile lit Deva's heart with compassion.
"What stopped you from killing yourself?"
Izzy began to play with her fingers. "It was Darius. I was on a bridge overlooking the deep dark water of the ocean when he found me. I told him what I had done, and he shared with me a story that made me rethink my situation. He made me realize that what I did was not something I could have controlled. He convinced me that over time I would control the urge."
Deva's heart melted into the confession of Darius' compassion.
Marcus leaned in and pulled out another note. "I hate blondes, but secretly want a blonde baby."
It seemed like everyone already knew who the culprit was. "What? They are so cute when they are little. I'm not sure what happens when they get older though."
Marcus rolled his eyes, and Deva reached for the last note which could only belong to Lucian. Deva scanned the words on the note and hesitated to say it out loud.
"Come on Dev. Tell us what Lucian's secret is."
Deva gulped. "I think I'm falling in love."
The room went dead silent, and Deva felt her heart beating faster than a humming bird. Deva chucked the note, yawned dramatically and lazily got up.
"I don't know about you, but I'm beat." Deva sifted through the room in search of a blanket.
"Me too. Let's go to our room." Izzy looped her arm through both Deva and Julia's.
The girls entered the last room on the left side of the hall. The room was spacious, fully furnished with every technological gadget, and a massive king size bed.
Izzy tossed Deva a bag with pajamas. "Pick which ever ones you like."
Deva went with the simple black shirt and plaid red pants. She crawled into bed in between Izzy and Julia. She shifted her body and faced Julia who was staring at her like an equation.
"Deva?"
"Yeah, Juls." Deva had a good guess about what she wanted to ask.
"He was talking about you wasn't he?"
Deva shut her eyes, not wanting to relieve anything. "I think so."
"I know you like Marcus more as a brother, but I don't know what you and Lucian are or what you and Darius have."
She couldn't yet explain her relationships with the brothers to herself. It was complicated.
"It's okay Deva you can tell us," Izzy encouraged.
Deva swallowed the big lump in her throat. Love was the most difficult thing for her to grasp.
"I'm so bad at this feeling stuff. Lucian and Darius make me feel so different. Loosh is so easy and nice. Darius is dangerous but compassionate."
It was time she gave them a real chance. She needed to figure who she wanted to be with instead of playing them both. If she kept it up they would both hate her.