AVERY
Nate texted me to say that he wouldn't be coming to bed. Apparently he had 'pressing matters' that required his attention, so he'd be working all throughout the day. His office, like his bedchamber, had specialized shutters that blocked out the sun for just that purpose. So I had to sleep in his king sized bed all alone.
The white rays of the sun poured through the un-shuttered windows. It was morning, and the best time to call Lydia if I actually wanted to reach her. I picked my phone up from the nightstand and scrolled through my contacts. But I couldn't muster up the courage to hit the call button.
What if she was too upset with losing the competition? What if she resented me for not keeping in touch?
Come on, I reassured myself. It's Lydia. The two of us have been through a lot together, and I was giving her too little credit if I thought she'd be petty enough to end our friendship over a guy. A guy who happened to be king, but still. I hit call.
Lydia answered after two rings. I tried not to panic. "Hey, it's Avery," I said after Lydia's greeting. She'd been the one to give me her number, but she never got mine.
There was a pause on the other end that made my heart leap into my throat in fear. For a moment I thought Lydia would hang up in anger, but then I heard her familiar melodious laugh. "Hey! It's been so long. Why haven't you called?"
She didn't sound mad, so I felt more comfortable launching into an honest explanation for why I'd avoided her. It sounded like a pathetic series of excuses, and it was. I just hoped Lydia didn't think poorly of me being 'too busy' for her.
"So now you're busy with the king," Lydia replied slyly after I told her everything.
I froze. "How'd you know?"
Our relationship wasn't public knowledge. Nate kept his private life, well, private. The press were forbidden in Rosethorne Hall and he didn't even allow himself to be photographed. Given that his life was constantly under threat, his need for secrecy was more than understandable.
"I figured that after the competition as disbanded, you must have been the reason why," she said nonchalantly. "And the Duke may have let it slip that the two of you were vacationing in on a beach somewhere. How was that, by the way?"
So the Duke of New York was a bit of a gossip. "We went to Nantucket. It was absolutely beautiful. I never wanted to leave."
"Too bad it couldn't last forever, huh?"
"We'd have left sooner or later," I said with a sigh. "I just wish it wasn't sooner. And not under such terrible circumstances."
I'd glanced at the news briefly. Details were slim so as to not cause a panic. The need for secrecy was understandable. Revealing the existence of witches to the public would probably cause mass hysteria, much like it did when vampires first made themselves known. I wondered how many of the details Lydia knew. With the way her family was connected, I'd wager a lot.
"So, are you planning on getting hitched? Am I supposed to start calling you my queen now?" Lydia said with a giggle, startling me.
"No!" I replied with a bit more vehemence than I meant to. "Not yet. I don't know, really. Right now we're just taking things slow and figuring it out."
What were the odds of me being asked that same question twice in one day? Why was everyone so convinced I'd be walking down the aisle with Nate so quickly? Yeah, we'd known each other for longer than the two weeks we've been officially together, but I didn't really count the competition as part of our courtship since I'd been trying to distance myself from Nate for the entire duration of it. I wanted us to spend proper time together as a couple before I'd even consider marriage.
The other girls probably didn't agree with that, though. They'd probably want to secure their position as queen as fast as possible. Sabine certainly would've, had she been in my place. The thought of her makes me grimace.
"By the way, Sabine's here too," I said, both to comisserate with Lydia and in the hopes that she had some advice on how to deal with her.
"No way!" Lydia exclaims. "Did you guys get in a fight?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Naturally. Though it probably would have been worse if her new boyfriend hadn't pulled her away."
"Who is he?"
"Tristan Sinclair. You know him?"
Lydia whistled. "No shit. He's King Sheridan's last living descendant. That girl does not aim low."
That revelation shed some light on the conversation I'd overheard. Being a descendant of a king sounded like an enviable position. I wondered why Tristan had left it behind. I also thought how strange it was for a vampire to have living descendants. Was the king turned after he had children? That must have been nice, having the best of both worlds...
I promised myself I wouldn't think so far into the future but... I'd always wanted children of my own. I couldn't picture a future without me having at least two adorable babies to take care of. Feeding them, playing with them, picking out clothes and school supplies. Helping them with their homework and teaching them important life lessons that I'll undoubtedly have learned myself by the time I reach that age.
A lump formed in my throat. Nate and I couldn't have kids. Not his, at least. Sure there were ways around it. Not all humans had perfect reproductive capabilities after all. But the beauty of having kids is that as they changed, as they passed important milestones in their lives, you changed right along with them. Nate wouldn't be able to do that. He'd stay exactly as he is, forever. If I joined him, I would too. If our children didn't wish to follow suit, we'd have to outlive them. The thought was unbearable.
"So what's new in your life?" I asked Lydia in an attempt to distract myself from my turbulent thoughts.
"I'm taking a gap year. My dad wants me to get a job at the capitol, but I've been putting it off by looking at colleges," she explained. "Princeton looked nice, but then I found out the Ambroses were donors. I should have known though. Sabine's brother goes there."
I nod thoughtfully. "I didn't know she had a brother. Is he single? Maybe you should snatch him up. It would really piss her off."
"God, no! There's no way I'm marrying into that family," Lydia said. I pictured her disgusted expression and laughed. "Hey, let me know if you need me to beat her up," she added. "I've got no competition rules to stop me anymore."
I didn't doubt she could. I'd seen Lydia in a swimsuit and she had enviable abs. Not to mention the fact that Sabine probably never had to lift a finger in her own defense. "Thanks. I'll let you know if it gets too hairy."
"You should visit sometime. Get away from the politics a little bit," Lydia offered after a pause.
I condidered that. It would certainly be nice to see her again. And with Nate busy with his work, I was more than a bit lonely. "I'd love that."
"Awesome."
I smiled. I'd need to clear it with Nate later, but I doubted he'd refuse me. A yawn escaped me and I looked outside. The sun shone brightly over a clear blue sky. Being on a vampire's schedule sucked. I missed daylight. Yet another reason to get away from the palace and see Lydia.
I needed to end the call and get to sleep, but not before I confronted something that had been plauging me for the past two weeks. I took a deep calming breath and cleared my throat. "Lydia, I'm sorry that the competition ended the way it did. I know how much you wanted to win and I'm sorry you didn't."
"Why are you apologizing?" Lydia asked.
"Well, if I hadn't been there, you probably would have won. I feel like I stole that from you," I admitted.
"Hey, it is what it is," Lydia replied casually. "I'm happy for you, really. I know how much you love the king and I'm happy the two of you managed to work it out. Plus, it's not like I'm currently lacking in the boyfriend department myself."
I sat up straighter. "Really? Do tell!"
"His name's Chase. Maybe if you come over, you'll get to meet him," Lydia said slyly.
"Oh, I fully intend to," I said. "And I'll judge whether or not he's worthy of you, of course."
Lydia gave an airy laugh. "Don't take too long."
We said our goodbyes and I went to sleep content that I had something new to look forward to.
⤞❖⤝
Nate joined me at breakfast the next evening, wearing the same gray suit and blue tie I last saw him in. I wondered if that was a frequent occurrence for him.
"Finally taking a break?" I said when he sat down across from me in the vacant dining hall.
"Am I not allowed to?" he teased.
"You're the king. You can do whatever you want," I said, shrugging.
He shook his head. "I really wish that were true."
I took a bite out of my croissant and washed it down with a sip from my latte. It wasn't my typical breakfast, but I felt extra tired lately from my wild sleep schedule.
"I wish you'd come to bed," I told him.
"I know," he replied solemnly. "I'm sorry. Things are just... tense. As much as I hate it, my attention must be focused elsewhere."
I sighed. "I get it." The idea of viisting Lydia seemed even more appealing now. It would give me something to do that wasn't just pining for Nate, and he wouldn't feel guilty for not paying attention to me.
He rose before I could ask him about it. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. " He leaned down and planted a tender kiss upon my cheek, his fingers lightly caressing my jaw. Then he left before I could get in another word. Sighing, I took another halfhearted bite out of my croissant.
The honeymoon was well and truly over.
The dining hall was empty once more, and I felt the weight of the isolation heavily then. Everyone in the palace had some sort of duty, something to occupy thier time, except for me. Maybe when I came back from Lydia's place, I'd ask Nate to set me up with some sort of internship. Or maybe I should take a page out of Lydia's book and start looking at colleges...
Someone else stepped into the room, causing me to look up. My shoulders slumped as I realized it was Sabine's boyfriend. I watched as he went over to fumble with the coffee maker. Sabine probably sent him over to fetch her a drink. Couldn't she do anything herself?
I set upon ignoring him. I got my phone out and scrolled through my empty messages while I slowly finished off my latte. Much to my annoyance, I felt his gaze drift in my direction several times. Eventually, I got peeved enough to acknowledge him.
"What?" I said impatiently.
Tristan shrugged. "Are you always this hostile?"
Anger made my cheeks flush. "I'm not hostile."
He frowned. "So you just preemptively dislike me because I'm with Sabine."
I shrunk away from his judgement. "Am I wrong to?"
Tristan cocked his head, then walked over to sit down in the chair Nate just vacated. The gesture made an irrational spark of anger flare up in me and I glared at him.
"I know about your rivalry," he began. "Believe me, I'm well aware that Sabine wasn't always a good person. You probably have valid reasons for hating her. But that was before..."
"Before what, you came and melted her icy heart with the power of love?" I mocked.
He folded his hands atop the table and gave me a pitying look. "Do you think your attitude is helping the situation?"
I suppressed a pout. No, I already knew it wasn't. But what was I supposed to do? Why was I the one who was supposed to take the high road when Sabine had no intention of doing the same? Screw that.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked instead.
Tristan sighed wearily. "I'm hoping that if the two of you are supposed to coexist under one roof, you might be able to set your differences aside and come to a peaceful resolution. You don't have to like each other, but hating each other doesn't do anyone any good."
I crossed my arms defiantly. Who did this guy think he was? Oh, right. The last living descendant of the King of the South. His word undoubtedly counted more than that of us mere mortals. I should be groveling to him for blessing me with his unsolicited advice.
I scoffed. "Why are you asking me and not her? Why do I owe her anything after the way she treated me?"
Tristan let out a frustrated breath. "Because she thinks that if she tried to extend an olive branch to you, you'd throw it back in her face."
"She didn't sound like she had any such ideas yesterday," I said, sulking. Screw her olive branch. It was no less than Sabine deserved.
"You'd be surprised. She's been through a lot these past few months. It's changed her," Tristan said, with a sadness in his eyes that made me squirm uncomfortably.
"What happened?" I found myself asking, in spite of my better judgement.
Tristan smiled thinly and shook his head. "Not for me to tell."
Great, now I was picturing all kinds of horrors. Was she some unwitting witness to King Sheridan's murder or something? I couldn't picture Sabine ever doing anything that might put herself in danger. God forbid she break a nail!
Then again, she was the only other girl aboard the Empress who tried to help Nate when he was shot...
Ugh, what if Tristan was right and I was just too stubborn to see it? Granted, even if Sabine did manage to have a change of heart I doubted she'd ever be any sort of patron saint of kindness and empathy. But I had goaded her last night. The conversation didn't start off overly catty, but I'd taken it there. God, did we really flip the script? How was that possible?
"Think about it," Tristan said, as if reading my thoughts. He rose from his chair and walked back over to the coffee machine.
"It's funny," I began as I watched him gracelessly tear open a sugar packet. "You don't seem like her type." I mean, he was gorgeous and had an impressive pedigree but that was it.
Tristan laughed shakily. "Why's that?"
"You're way too reasonable," I replied. I expected Sabine's dream man to join in on the bullying, not try to get us to find common ground.
"You give me too much credit, but thanks." He paused then, his face taking on that eerily sad expression once again.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you," I added. "You didn't deserve that."
Tristan flashed me a knowing smile, then left the room with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. And I was left with a dreadful panicky feeling that I'd have to make good on what he asked. How the hell was I supposed to do that?
⤞❖⤝
What do you guys think will happen when Avery gets to Lydia's place? I know you guys have a loooooot of theories about her.