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I don't know how to respond, Taft's citrine eyes staring straight into mine.
He puts me on edge, his regard for me unclear until he then reaches out and takes strands of my hair into his hand. My skin crawls when he wraps them around a couple of his fingers, a gleam reflecting off his irises as he says, "Beautiful..." he murmurs and I hear something fall against the surface of the table, Taft's gaze flickering away from mine briefly to scoff, "...that table is worth more than your lives, slaves. Be more careful, or else."
"S-Sorry, Sir," Wyn awkwardly replies, a couple shuffles sounding from behind me.
Taft's eyes set back on me as he asks, "Where were we...oh, that's right, you look like a cute little mouse with this hair of yours," he pauses, tugging slightly on the strands of my hair, though I don't let my features shift for a second, holding my composure. He releases my hair; taking hold of my forearm before searching for a bracelet...he finds none. A moment later, he chuckles, "A new addition to the many...accommodating slaves he owns."
"She's a breeder, Sir," Wyn is quick to get out before Taft can make another advance, a relief flooding through me, though that's not what Taft believes.
Taft chuckles and asks, "And? She also has a voice of her own, no?" His eyes lock with mine, "Or, have you gone mute in my presence?"
"No, Sir," I reply, but I'm saved a moment later by a voice coming from the hall.
Aohdan has a fearful Rochelle standing alongside him as he tells Taft, "She's one of Cormac's breeders-"
"That's never stopped me before," Taft's eyes spark with mischief as she releases my forearm, turning to Aohdan.
"No, obviously it hasn't!" Aohdan barks at him with anger surfacing, emotions he cannot control considering the hidden status of his beloved...along with his late sister, Delaney...though, in this era, she's still very much alive. It's only a few moments later, he follows up with, "She's already fulfilled her purpose."
This only causes Taft to jump with giddy joy as he chuckles, "Marvelous! Then there really shouldn't be any issues with-"
"Cormac is not the host, so his slaves are not free game," I'm thankful for the way Aohdan defends me, regardless of his motives at this moment, "do you want me to-"
Taft releases a sigh and mimics, "Always the tattletale, aren't you, Aohdan?" He eyes me and says, "Should we not ask the slave herself what her choice is? After all, she's used to humans fucking her; she should be more than honored for me to show her worlds that only humans dream of."
Uhh...eww...fucking eww...
"Taft! I-"
"Or, how about you offer up one of your personals...sate my tastes," Taft's eyes are malicious, though I have to keep myself from throwing up just as I'm sure Aohdan is doing the same...the way Taft looks at Rochelle...
"Nothing will ever sate you," Aohdan narrows his eyes and snaps, "you know my personals are off the table...you can take whatever else you like."
Taft pouts and nearly cries, "Awe. I wanted her. You're no fun anymore!"
"Child-"
"Prick-"
"Shu-"
"I wonder if the two of you will continue to argue this way when Arthur arrives?" my heart beats fast, relief washing over me the second I hear Grandpa's voice. It grows silent between the two riled up vampires when Grandpa comes to a halt near where the commotion is taking place, drawing attention from others.
Taft motions with his hand and asks, "Are you going to be an uptight prick with your slaves like Aohdan?"
"What's this about?" Grandpa asks, seeing that one of the vampires, who'd been listening, is the same to have fetched Grandpa to the scene that had slowly been escalating.
Aohdan states, "He's playing at something, Cormac..."
"At least he knows how to play," Grandpa arches a brow, never faltering for a second to rile Aohdan up. He stays true to himself in this era, the vampire he'd once been.
Aohdan turns right on him and asks, "Who the hell is watching my slaves?!"
"The obvious is apparent," Grandpa shrugs, his gaze landing on me before it surveys the players, "since this matter doesn't concern you, why don't you go back to observing them yourself?"
Aohdan is about to say something else, but he bites his tongue and orders to Rochelle, "Go to your room and stay there until I call for you."
"Awe, he's such a parent," Taft wipes away a fake tear as he and Grandpa stand next to one another, Taft's arm around his shoulder. He sniffles and says, "Our boy has grown up!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Aohdan snarls, causing her to jump before Rochelle scurries on her way. His eyes then bore onto Wyn and Warren before he yells, "Move your lazy asses now!" He turns to Taft and hisses, "I'm warning you-"
"Oh, I'm so scared," Taft rolls his eyes, Aohdan turning to leave as he knows if he doesn't keep an eye on Rose, she might escape with her vagrant status. With how guarded the grounds are unless she's magic, there's nowhere for her to go.
Grandpa shrugs Taft's arm away, Wyn and Warren struggling until another male slave arrives to help them with the table. Grandpa asks, "Now, what's this all about?"
"You want me to be blunt with you?" Taft arches a brow, my head shaking ever so slightly as Grandpa's eyes catch me out of the corner of his eye.
"It's better than hiding your cards," he nods, though I want to facepalm.
Grandpa makes the wrong choice because it shows greatly when his demeanor shifts when Taft states, "I want to fuck your slave and yes, I already know she's a breeder and pregnant...so I don't see an issue."
Grandpa is nearly mortified, but he's quick to state the obvious fact that many have overlooked, "How's Delaney doing?"
"Wha-" though, Taft realizes his crucial mistake...though his words hadn't affect Aohdan due to the knowledge he holds.
Grandpa rubs his chin, arching a brow, "You'd want to destroy the bond between your beloved and you...for a slave?"
"I...no, just-" Taft fumbles as he takes a step back, looking from Grandpa and then to me. He shakes his head and tries to turn it back on me, "Perhaps you should keep the siren locked up..."
"A pregnant human is a siren now and not one without child? Interesting..." Grandpa chuckles as what Taft says want to make him look weak only due to an outside force. He then says, "How about this...we forget this ever happened," he turns to me and asks, "Slave?"
"Yes, Sir," I nod my head, my gaze falling away from Taft and lowering to the floor.
Taft nods and appears disgruntled as he states, "Thanks," before taking his leave around me and overseeing the rest of the ballroom preparations.
It's hard to hide the snickering smile that I fight from my lips, Grandpa also moving a hand over his mouth. He eyes me and says, "I think it's best for you to stay with the rest of my slaves in the main holding room until this evening, Slave."
"Of course, Sir," I smile before taking strides back toward the slaves' room.
I must admit, it's entertaining watching Grandpa trip-up others, especially those who are part of the council in this era. Everything that was written holds truth and meaning. It's the rest of the afternoon that I spend, thinking things over of what can and can't be altered. If everything could be altered, I'm sure that would damage the fabric of time as some outcomes might still happen even though the circumstances of their happenings have been changed.
I easily hear alongside the rest of the slaves when Arthur arrives. It's a brief meeting between the council members at the front entryway before they go about reaching the second floor...but not before everyone can hear their voices carrying down the hall. They speak of the night and the winter festivities to soon take place.
Not hours later, I'm adorning the simple, silk black dress. With the neckline dipping into a v-neck, the fabric moves like a river flowing, catching sight of other slaves also trying out their evening wear. It won't be anything in comparison with the vampires, but I can't say it isn't distasteful. The low heels are easy to walk in, opting to braid the long brown hair that everyone sees, yet the rose gold is a match to Rose's and without this glamour, it very much would draw attention that we might be related.
Funny...
...Arthur's not as smart as he's made out to be. Otherwise, he'd have known this night that Rose is his niece.
I tilt my head to the side as I begin touching the tips of my fingers with my other hand...how many greats' does that make him to me?
Shrugging my shoulders, I set foot in line behind the rest of the slaves leaving for the ballroom. It's a walk filled with elegantly musical steps, the heels of the girls creating a symphony. I must admit, the room is stunning. The work the boys had done came together beautifully, my gaze traveling the entire length of the room.
We are the first group of slaves to arrive, many of the vampires beginning to socialize from across the covens. I notice the slight differences in the dress attire the slaves wear based on their owners, seeing that Aohdan's are similar to Grandpa's, though we don't have long-sleeves...ours have thin straps. Those slaves belonging to Arthur, their dresses are strapless while those of Taft's, their design is a halter style.
Aside from the bracelets that differentiate the groups of personal slaves...our dresses signify who we are technically owned by in a large setting and group.
Interesting, these details were not accounted for by that of Rose and it's nice to have my perspective living alongside those belonging to this era.
"Pst! Dot!"
I swivel my head a few times, recognizing the voice belongs to Wyn. It's when I see him standing by one of the walls near the buffet table, do I see a grin spread across his lips. He has two plates in his hand and motions with his head for me to come closer. As the rest of the slaves disperse, the room's capacity ever so slowly growing by the passing second, I maneuver my way around the back group of Grandpa's slaves.
Warren stands next to Wyn, his arms crossed in front of his chest while he eats a meatball off a stick.
"Is that fo-"
"You?" Wyn outstretches his arm and nods, "Yeah, I thought you'd want to eat before everything gets picked over and there's nothing but scraps left."
That's...
...thoughtful.
A small smile forms on my lips, my cheeks becoming warm for a brief moment as I take the appetizers that he's selected for me. It's odd, how I feel...this way, as he's human, yet a simple gesture of a custom among wolves shines through. He's kind and generous, and even though...
"Why don't you just both fuck already?" Warren rolls his eyes, discarding the stick into the bin and walking away to the center of the room, his eyes searching for...
...her.
"Sorry...he's anxious," Wyn apologizes for Warren's demeanor, my gaze falling back to Wyn as I shake my head in return.
"It's quite alright," I reply, taking my time to eat the appetizers with Wyn, only to spend the next ten minutes talking with him about how the rest of the preparations for the ballroom took place.
A giggle leaves my lips as we discard our plates, arching a brow and asking, "Master Taft really made you both move the table twenty times before being satisfied with its location?"
"You'd think it was a commercial for movers unloading a home couch!" Wyn mimics with his hands, the two of us heading around the back portion of the ballroom while watching others dance. He shakes his head and says, "Next time, I-"
He stops himself, the two of us seeing Rose and her friends walk through those doors. We're on the opposite side of the room now, watching as Warren approaches her after a few short minutes at the buffet table. Their interactions are like childish crushes on a playground, shaking my head with a dislike for the situation, but knowing Grandpa will have a chance to stop her from ever having sex with Warren.
"Dot?" Wyn asks, drawing my attention.
I don't realize how close he is, turning to speak to him, but taking one step too far and knocking into his chest. I gasp and apologize, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, it was my fault for startling you," Wyn smiles and offers his hand as he asks, "do you want to dance?"
"I..." my voice trails off, seeing out of the corner of my eye that Warren leads Rose closer to the center of the ballroom where others are dancing. My gaze then flickers briefly to Grandpa, who takes his eyes off Rose for a second...to land on me with confusion. Even when I take Wyn's hand, Grandpa continues to stare at me...his features perplexed...and I have to break away from his gaze to finally reply, "Yes."
Wyn pulls me into an embrace, my eyes staring up at him in confusion. His posture and presence, he's a natural when it comes to leading through the dance, though he tells me, "We can just stay here if you want? We don't have to go near the center."
"Thank you," I'm not self-conscious, but...I'll have to-
The candles on the perimeter of the room, the once radiant orange and red glow begins to shift with an unseen wind. Air catches in my lungs, observing the way that Grandpa tries to move through the crowd, heading toward Rose and Warren to stop them from making their decision to walk outside...
...he has but a few precious minutes...seconds even.
The candlelight is replaced by an abyssal darkness, a purple glow edging around those dark flames. At this moment...not everything is as it seems and the second I see her, I know it's the woman Kirsten that Grandpa spoke of...his past...
It's now I can make a difference and ensure that Grandpa can save Rose, Warren...and I can potentially save Marc. Kirsten was the one to sway Laisha, so if she's gone...
A dark wave radiates from my body and I step away from Wyn, another girl replacing my form and I'm able to slip into the shadows without missing a beat. I draw closer, almost skating across the floor, my hair whipping back behind my shoulders.
"You will dance with me...Cormac Arin," the dress she wears, it's of the same darkness the flames hold, yet the purple tendrils are all too clear as their distort part of her image.
I will make my stand...
...right here, right now.
"He will do no such thing," the words leave my lips on a sharp exhale, Grandpa and Kirsten both turning to look at me. My eyes flicker to Grandpa's and it's a split second later that I push off the marble floor to charge Kirsten at full force...a shadowy presence that no others can see or hear because I'm not just glamouring my presence...
...A shriek leaves Kirsten's lips, for the second I grapple her body, we're warped to the forest near Aohdan's estate grounds.
She breaks from my hold as we hit the ground, her face filled with malice.
I stand tall, the seal on my lower back pulsating as it begins to deteriorate. My appearance is one of a true born nature, my eyes narrowed on hers as she snarls, "Abomination!"
"You trie-"
"I know what you are!" She screams at me in anger, "I see you for what you are, Thea...but you're not a representation of your namesake..." she spits on the ground with hate, "...you're worse than the sleeping god!"
My eyes widen, my heart skipping a beat as this shade spews her anger, her loathing for my very presence. I shake my head and retort, "You tried to stop my mother's existence, for what? For-"
"To prevent Aeon from awakening!" Kirsten is quick to appear before me and I have to glide back across the grass, my palms facing downward at the ground as magic floods through my veins. She glares at me, "To prevent Ekáti's existence! He needed her soul to awaken...it's very presence disrupting the balance between him remaining as a sleeping god and Selene keeping order across the earthen plane."
What...
...it's because of mom's existence that Aeon began to stir from his slumber?
What caused him...to...
"Your wickedness in your heart is a match to Aeon himself," Kirsten takes a stance, seeing that the will within her causes the shade to distort her appearance. Her eyes search over me before she snarls, "Ekáti's offspring...it's no question as to why you're here...but now you know what you must do...you must kill Ros-"
"To hell with you!" I won't take this shade's words as truth, believing that the only way for our world to remain as is...is to end the Valentine line...for Rose to never have my mom...permanently...before it's ever given a chance to flourish in a way that can be good.
The seal breaks, shattering as the darkness is unleashed from the hideous part of my soul, a tainted aura, surging forward at a rate I've never experienced and can't control. I'm hardly aware when I move forward, my eyes staring into the ones of Kirsten. They are in shock, remaining wide open in utter disbelief. The purplish hues seep from my eyes, the tendrils that are foreign to me...they're coming from my soul as many shreds through the shade's body.
"You..." is all the shade manages to utter...
...before I blink and the tendrils destroy her soul from the inside out, sending her straight into the pits of Hell, past the veil, no longer a shade among the earthen plane.
My breathing is even, my arms hanging by my sides loosely while the tendrils disperse, the purplish flecks fade away. The wind tugs at my hair, my gaze lifting briefly to the stars that begin to shoot across the dark sky, Earthbound. My eyes lower, lifting my right arm as I open and close my hand...
"A rather interesting turn of events..." a voice emits from behind me, turning around slowly to see a man...one with amethyst irises and black hair. He stands tall, a smirk set on his lips as his eyes trail over me.
⊰♥⊱To Be Continued⊰♥⊱