by Devyn Dawson
Each group that arrived together was announced as they entered into the ballroom. “Matriarch Dolina Phelan with daughter Prudence Phelan and two escorts.” I plastered the fakest smile I could as I held Gus’ arm and walked into the ballroom.
As we entered the room, we were guided to a table with women dressed in matching, form fitted, black gowns that accentuated their assets. They gifted every woman with a bracelet of a black velvet ribbon with a diamond teardrop and every man was gifted with a platinum pinky ring.
“Stay close Pru, I don’t want any surprises tonight,” mom said.
I checked out the room and noticed the dessert table had everything chocolate; chocolate fountains for fondue, to chocolate sculptures of wolves. Touché I thought to myself. The room was gilded in twenty four carat gold as was the china on the tables. The room smelled of roses and melted chocolate. Every table had a centerpiece of blood red roses and crisp white baby’s-breath bound into a tall crystal vase. “It sure doesn’t look like something that was thrown together” I whispered to my mom.
“No it doesn’t, and that is what worries me a little bit. You need to be aware of your surroundings at all times dear,” mom said.
“Yes mom, I know. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I want you to be careful, don’t go off alone,” I said.
“I want both of you to be careful,” Gus chimes in. We all shared a nervous laugh.
The Chamber Orchestra was playing a haunting but modern piece as the sounds became lighter and lighter until the music stopped. The announcer told everyone to gather in two lines flanking the entrance so the host could walk through and receive them. I stood with my mother to my left and Gus to my right. We were at least twenty people down from the entrance. I couldn’t see past Gus so I stood silently waiting for our host, Pascale Norwid, the vampire to greet us.
I could only see the top of the man’s head as he was bending over and kissing each woman’s hand. His escort on the other side of him was getting quite a few oo’s and ah’s. I still didn’t have a good view of either one of them. Moving faster than any mortal could move, the man was directly in front of me with his head bent as he took my hand, kissing the top of it. He still had a hold of my hand as he raised his head and we came face to face, me at least six feet in my stilettos. His eyes, I swore I’d never forget them and I didn’t. Those honey colored eyes had haunted me for twelve years. I dreamt about them so many times that I had at least three dream journals about him. His skin as smooth and graceful looking as I remember with my seven year old eyes. He was older than I remembered him to be but not by much; he probably was closer to twenty five when he was turned. Our eyes locked in the moment with me knowing he knew who I was and that I’d be here. The smile on his face hid the fact he had glistening white fangs.
“Pru, we finally formally meet again. You have grown into a beautiful woman,” he said, bowing to kiss my hand again.
My head was swimming; I’d never expected the vampire we sought was him. I remembered the words of Josie, telling me to remember everything about him and how he was my mortal enemy. His eyes did not make me think mortal enemy, I wanted to stare into them forever. My heart was beating erratic and I couldn’t gather my thoughts. Gus tugged at me, bringing me back to the moment.
My mother thought to me, “when did you meet him?”
“Not right now, I’ll explain later” I replied.
“That you will,” mom said sternly.
“It’s you; I never knew your name,” I said to him. In the corner of my eye, I saw his date was entertaining the guests with her twirls, showing off her dress. I couldn’t help but admire the lace bodice and the gorgeous ruffles of black and purple tulle that made the dress unforgettable.
“Yes my love, it is me Pascale and I’m delighted you could make it,” he said. The vampire I met when I was a child on a visit to Ireland. My mentor Quinney had hosted a party that Pascale was at. I had never known about vampires until that party. Gus tugs on my arm, bringing my thoughts back to the moment.
Pascale’s date made it to his side; she turned around to face me in a dramatic show just for me.
“Allie!” I said, not believing my eyes. Of course she would be with him, he was powerful and rich. Abel’s big sister had been seduced by vampire Arien last year. After reading her journal, I felt sorry for her. Abel and I are convinced that he had used her, and she ran to his uncle, Pascale. We vowed to find the antidote to the vampire virus to save her, but it seems to be the Holy Grail. I turn my attention back to the moment and look at her beautiful face. She stood there with her hair long and straight, her eyes were as smoky as she could make them. The black corset and ruffled long skirt were beyond words. Her nails, polished red, where emphasized by the black leather and lace up gauntlets.
Allie tilted her head to the side before busting out laughing, “You should see yourself in a mirror when you make that face. I swear to …. you-know-who that it’s priceless. Where in the hell did you think I went? Slumming with Arien, please.” She held her hand out for Gus, expecting him to kiss her gauntleted hand. “No, I’m kidding. I adore Arien, he gave me freedom and he will be rewarded. How are you and my brother doing? Have you done the nasty with him yet?” Pascale swatted her butt.
“Keep your foul attitude out of my party or you will not be so excited to be here,” Pascale scolded.
Allie rolled her eyes so far back in her head I thought she was doing a zombie impression. “Whatev’s,” she said and curtsied to Gus.
“Pru, I’d adore to continue this conversation on the dance floor. I’ll have them play a waltz for us in a bit sunshine,” Pascale said.
“Don’t hold your breath,” I whispered, knowing he could hear me.
“I don’t need to.” He was kissing some woman’s hand and looked over and licked his lips at me. Are all vampires so insufferable? I had to get in touch with Abel and let him know that Allie was here. He would be so mad that he wasn’t with me. I sent him a quick text telling him I’d sneak out to the limo to Skype with him just as soon as I could get a minute.
Chapter 11. Waltz
“There was once upon a time a king who had a wife with golden hair, and she was so beautiful that her equal was not to be found on earth.” Allerleirauh ~ Grimm’s Household Tales
The orchestra began playing the Alicia Keys song ‘Fallin’ and the crowd made a perfect square around the dance floor as Pascale and Allie started dancing.
“They’re doing the Viennese Waltz.” My mom thought to me.
“I didn’t realize she knew how to do ballroom dance. I on the other hand, had to take lessons for some unknown reason,” I said. I watched them glide across the floor with perfect rise and fall.
Mom put her hand on my shoulder, our way of direct communication without the other pack members hearing us. “I’m not sure how it works but I’ve heard that the fledgling vampires will absorb knowledge from the elders, if the elder so chooses to share. Pascale is her puppeteer and has obviously given her the ability to dance. It makes her look like she is an aristocrat and people will respect her automatically, regardless of her youth.” Mom and I took a look around the room trying to figure out who is a supernatural and who wasn’t.
Pascale lifted his hand and did some odd flick of his wrist. The voyeurs that had gathered around the dance floor took their partners hand and began dancing. As I watched, it reminded me of a scene from a movie. The ladies had their heads perfectly tilted opposite their partner as they twisted and twirl around the floor. As beautiful as it seemed, I could feel the sinister vibe in the air.
“Come on Pru, we should take a seat and make a plan.” Gus thought to me.
“That photographer seems very suspicious to me. I’ve noticed he only takes pictures of the people we have pegged as supers. When we passed him on the way back to the table, I got a whiff of him and he smells like vanilla and sugar cookies,” I thought to our group.
Mom smiled and lifted her glass to her lips taking a sip of her water. “H
e is a faerie, not the kind the O’Connell’s brought with them. If I’m not mistaken, he is an ‘earth faerie’; he wears vanilla to cover his scent. Vampires can’t smell vanilla; faeries will bathe in it or use a spray concoction to cover their scent.” She set her water glass down, taking a marshmallow from the platter on the table and dipped it in the chocolate fondue. “Interesting he would be so blatant, and insanely stupid. He probably works with the supernatural magazine Elite, they do it as an online magazine but it only features supernaturals. I subscribed for a while but it is hard to keep up with all of the online newsletters.”
I excused myself to go to the restroom. Gus and I walked side by side to the hotel lobby. We paused in the hallway for the photographer to take our picture. He handed me the ticket with the web address to view the party pictures. I watched as he quickly walked away; putting as much distance as he could between us.
In the restroom stall I took a minute to take a look at the photographer’s website, turning over the card I saw a note addressed to me.
“Dolina is in grave danger. Take your finger and wipe it across this note.”
I wiped my finger across the card as instructed and the ink disappeared. Faerie magic I was sure. Gus and I walked around the valet parking area, it was full of limos….many with blacked out windows. Was it me, or were their eyes watching us at every turn? We finally spotted our limo driver chatting up a driver of another car. They smelled like cigarettes, making me hate the fact I could smell everything. Gus told the driver he could stay outside talking; we were going to go have a private talk in the limo. The driver smiled and tossed Gus the keys.
We finally got a strong enough signal to video conference with Abel. We told him about running into Allie and how she danced with Pascale as if she had done it all of her life. He told us about Sam and how violent she was acting.
“Abe, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been there. I’m sure the pack was on guard in case it got out of hand,” I said.
Abel leaned in closer to the web camera, “Pru, I’ve never felt so helpless. Sam has suffered so much and she is so angry. When I’m alpha, I’m going to hire doctors to find a way to help shifting…. On another note….I hope you know Oakley really misses you; I think you need to know that.”
“I know,” I said as I lowered my head a little. “Is Oak around? I need to talk to him.” I miss him more than I thought. I can’t do this alone; I need him by my side. Soon.
Abel turned his head away from the computer to yell out to Oakley. “Oak! Hey it’s Pru, I’ve got her on video chat. She wants to talk to you,” Abel said.
I saw Oakley walk in the room from behind Abel. I could see he had on his work jeans and a tight graphic t-shirt that hugged his huge biceps. I had hated that shirt until that very minute, that very minute I wished I could tear that shirt off his ripped body. I knew he was looking at his reflection in the china cabinet mirror as he ran his fingers through his hair trying to make it look less messy. I closed my eyes for a second, imagining his smell, the distinct smell of pine and pumpkin spice. Taking a deep breath in, I smelled Gus but I pretended it was Oakley as best as I could.
“Hey beautiful, wow you look great. Your lips look pretty tasty,” Oakley said with a devilish smile.
Gus adjusted the laptop so he was in the frame now too. I watched the smile on Oakley’s face fade away and for a brief moment, I thought I saw jealousy in his eyes.
“Oh, hey there Augustus. I hope you’re taking care of my pack,” Oakley said with a slight hitch in his voice.
Gus cleared his throat and said, “You do remember I’m part of your pack now, right?” He laughed his deep genuine laugh. “Pru needs to tell you about something a faerie gave to her.”
“Don’t tell me those virgin blood drinking faeries are there?” Oakley shook his head back and forth with a disgusted look on his face.
“Mom said he is an earth faerie or something like that. He gave me this card,” I said, holding up the card so Oakley could see it. “It had a note on it that said mom is in grave danger. I haven’t said anything to her yet, but I will. I think you and Abel need to come out here and take a look around. With Allie being all the way here, I can’t begin to figure out a way to get her back to the United States with us. I took the liberty and booked your flight; you and Abe leave in the morning. The other guys are capable of taking care of Sam and the other bitten guys. It is colder than a witch’s tit here so pack appropriately,” I said without taking a breath.
“A witch’s tit? That’s colorful and odd. You realize we have been having terrible weather here right now? Why can’t you show me the actual note?” he asked.
“It had disappearing ink on it. I checked Will Roger’s Airport and their website says all their flights are on time and they are finally getting people on to their destinations. Will it make you feel better to know you’re flying first class?” I flashed him a smile. “I need you here; my mom and Abel are priority. I miss you,” I said softly.
Gus put his hand on my knee and squeezed it lightly. “Oakley, I think she’s right; it would be better if you two where here. If you know where Parker is, I think he would be a good one to put in charge of the farm,” Gus said with authority.
I could see Oakley was a little agitated with Gus’s assumptions but I knew he was glad to know that we were protected. “Since we’re worried about Dolly’s safety I need to tell you something. Last year when the O’Connell’s were in town, they left behind one of their pack members, remember?” Oakley asked.
I shook my head yes.
“I.T. informed us earlier today that the person is on the move. As far as we could tell, they have left the States. I wonder if he is on his way to Paris. Look, Pru, I want you to be careful. If your mom is in danger, you need to be with her at all times. Including right now.”
“I’ll take care of the vampires; you take care of our Great Wolf and get here safely. I’m counting that at this time in two days I’ll be giving you a hug,” I said and flashed him a smile.
“Be careful P,” he said and my heart melted.
Chapter 12. Anger
“He a wolf will be who drinks of me, who drinks of me a wolf will be!” Brother and Sister ~ Grimm’s Household Tales
ABEL
“Oakley, I need you to get up and come help me.” I said. It had been a couple of days since Sam shifted and she hasn’t shifted back to her human self. I’d gone down to her cage; her mood hadn’t changed, and she was still pissed off. Oakley and I had tried to communicate with her via pack thoughts but she wouldn’t reciprocate. She paced, she slept, and she howled for hours on end. I’d never been so glad for sound proofing in my life. If we didn’t have the sound proofing backed up by enchantments, I’m sure a stranger would think we were torturing animals.
“You have a unique ability of waking me up during the best dreams,” he said, squinting at the bright light streaming into the room. “You and those silly blinds, if I didn’t know better I’d think you get off on blinding me.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it a million times. Come on dream weaver, we’ve got to try and get some food in the cage for Sam. Estelle tried sliding it in through the opening and somehow Sam grabbed it between her teeth and flung it across the room, shattering yet one more plate.” I said as I sat down at the computer chair.
“If you ask me, I think it is ridiculous to feed her from glass plates anyway. She wants to act like an animal…..” Oakley paused a moment before saying, “she needs to be treated like an animal.”
“Thanks for the insight Einstein. Get your funky butt up and meet me downstairs in the dungeon,” I said as I walked across the room and flipped on the lights as I walked out. I sniggered to myself.
“You’re an ass!” Oakley yelled out and I laughed.
It took a while, but I was feeling pretty good about getting Sam to eat something. Her sides were sunken in and she was starting to look like an emaciated animal. Technically speaking, she was, but not from a lack of trying to get her
to eat. Oakley headed to town to pick up some supplies and drop in on one of the families we were helping out with groceries. My parents were always big about telling us to help those less fortunate; the Phelan family lived by the same motto.
I had only one online class to finish and I would officially be a graduate. Dolly and my mom worked it out with Piedsville High School’s principal Pucker Face, she had her face scrunched up like she was eating lemons every time she led an assembly, to let me walk the stage and get my diploma. I was finishing up my assignment when I heard Alistar barking on the front porch. I still didn’t get why he stayed outside in the cold when he was more than welcome to sit in the house.
The front door flung open with such force I thought it would loosen the hinges. “My bad,” Oakley said. “The wind caught it just right, sorry. I’ve got a bed full of groceries for two more families. I was hoping you’d ride with me and help give them out.” He pulled off his gloves and walked over to the fireplace to warm up his hands.
