by Madi, Skyla
“It’s so nice to see you again.” He extended his hand and I placed mine in his. Mr Aleksandrov glanced down at the necklace I had wrapped securely around my wrist.
“You’re alive and well, so I trust the charm is serving you well?”
I smiled awkwardly, unsure of whether to tell him that Hunter discovered it last night.
“Very well.” It wasn’t a total lie. It did work well for a year or so, and Lucian had no idea I was there in Gerald the night he stepped into the Turquoise Bar.
“That’s good. I brought you a welcoming gift.”
As he stepped aside, the worn ends of his dark gray robe made a slight ‘whooshing’ sound as it glided across the tiles.
“Ruby!” Mila squealed and she dove at me, sending me stumbling backwards a few steps. When I caught my balance, I wrapped my arms around her and I was engulfed by her usual candy-scented perfume. What used to make me nauseous now made me homesick.
“Mila can stay with you tonight. That is, if you’re up to it.”
“Of course,” I replied, releasing my grip on Mila.
“I’ll let you two catch up. Xavier, no doubt, needs his sleep, as do you, Ruby.” He shot Mila a warning glance. “See you tomorrow.”
As quickly as they came, they were gone, leaving Mila and I alone.
“Mila, I’m sorry I—”
She interrupted me by raising her hand in front of my mouth. “Nope, none of that right now. Let’s just catch up and sort out the depressing details later.”
I didn’t want to skip the apology, I needed to say it. It would help lift some of the stress off my shoulders. She twirled the end of her side braid around the tips of her fingers.
“What do you plan on wearing to the party?” she asked, her eyes searching the room for some kind of outfit.
I looked down at my joggers, skinny jeans and red polo shirt. “This?”
Mila’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious? Ruby, it’s a black tie event. You can’t wear—” She stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm herself. “Luckily, I came prepared.”
Her sandals slapped the tiles as she ran out the front door. Seconds later, she returned with three long, black bags.
“What’s this?” I asked, pulling my dark hair into a messy ponytail. It was quite humid and my hair was sticking uncomfortably to the back of my neck.
“Uncle’s party is tomorrow and we’re going to bond over dresses.” Her voice was high and her eyes wide with excitement.
Unfortunately, I didn’t share that excitement. I mean, Mila was talking to me, so I should be thankful and happy, but instead I felt uneasy. She deserved an apology, an explanation. Why was she avoiding it? She used her long, silver-tipped nails to open one of the black bags. She pulled out an amazing silver gown. In the light, it shimmered like moonlight on a clear pond.
“This is what I’m wearing.”
As she held it in front of me, I examined the gown. It was strapless and slim, a rhinestone brooch adorned the dress at the center of the bodice, and from the brooch draped some kind of chiffon fabric, giving it a summery feel. She slung the long bag and silver dress over the back of the couch.
“You have to choose between red…” She unzipped another bag and pulled out a beautiful floor-length red gown. “Or…” She unzipped the last bag and from it came an indescribably beautiful gold gown. “Can you wear gold?”
I took a few steps toward the dresses and ran my fingers along the fabric of each. The red one felt cool, like satin, beneath my fingertips. The other looked like liquid gold and felt just as smooth. The golden straps that upheld the sweetheart neckline were pebbled with shiny beads and the soft, silky material flowed smoothly to the floor. If there was any reason to choose the gold over the red, it would be because every girl, at least once in their lives, should get the chance to feel like literal gold.
“And it’s backless,” Mila added, smiling triumphantly at me.
Once the dresses were sorted, Mila made us hot chocolate and we sat on the lounge room floor. She caught me up on all the gossip I’d missed. Apparently, Raina got her claws into Ava, and she now ran around with that crew, which sucked. I had wanted Ava to keep Mila company while I was gone.
“Ava was desperate for friends.” Mila shrugged. She tried to pass it off as no big deal but I could see how upset she was in her stormy eyes.
“Her loss,” I stated confidently.
“It seems no one can stand being around me.”
Ouch. I knew she was referring to me as much as anyone else.
“That’s not true,” I protested. “I—”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—” She paused. “No, let’s not do the whole apology thing now.”
Again, she shut down my chance to apologize.
“We can talk and clear the air once Uncle’s party is over and things go back to normal.”
“About that,” I started. “I’m leaving again after the party. Me being here isn’t safe for anyone.”
“Says you.” Her tone was harsh. “You decided it wasn’t safe for us. You’re not the only one with powers and it’s not like Eli can’t handle himself against a vampire.”
I frowned into the brown liquid. “I’m just trying to protect the people I care about.”
“When will you realize no one needs protecting? Sure, Lucian can try and kill us all, but he would never be able to take us down all at once. Behind these walls we’re safe, we have numbers. Add your sun power thingy to the bunch and we’re untouchable.”
I forced myself to look at her. Her eyes were shimmering with tears. She swallowed hard, trying to force them back. It seemed my leaving hurt her more than I’d thought. Was it foolish of me to return and expect things to go back to normal? That I could waltz into these people’s lives for a night and then waltz out again with no hard feelings? Yes, I suppose it was.
“Eli almost died,” I mumbled, recalling that night.
When her eyes widened, I realized that maybe Eli hadn’t told anyone that story.
“What do you mean?”
“We were at Gerald Harbor… and I was fighting Lucian.”
Images of Lucian crying in pain with two wooden stakes stuck into his body filled my mind. “Instead of killing him with my powers, I tried to fight him one on one and I almost did it, but Eli came into the room. He was more worried about me than he was about his surroundings and he was stabbed.”
I heard Mila gasp but I couldn’t see her. I was too immersed in the horrific visions of last year. I closed my eyes in an attempt to shake Eli’s haunting face but I couldn’t. My cheek tingled as a single tear traced down it.
“There was blood everywhere and I panicked… I let Hunter feed Eli his blood in order to save him.”
The visions dissipated and I looked at Mila, who was holding her hand over her mouth.
“That’s why I had to leave. In the few moments I thought Eli was going to die, I couldn’t handle it. It felt like my heart was ripped from my chest, it hurt so much. Hunter told me that when the time comes, Lucian will kill everyone I’ve ever loved, and if I want to protect the ones I love, then I need to face it on my own. I couldn’t have anyone’s death on my conscience.”
Mila scooted closer to me and I couldn’t decide if her perfume was comforting me or making me nauseous.
“They’re trying to isolate you; they know they can’t take on everyone.” She glanced down and twirled the end of her braid around her finger again. “Why didn’t you kill Hunter when you had the chance?”
There it was. The question I’d been asking myself since the night at Gerald Harbor. I kept telling myself it was because I felt guilty or that I was the reason he was a vampire in the first place—and it was true to some extent, but that wasn’t the whole reason, which was
a stupid thing to say because I didn’t even know what the whole reason was.
“Because…because I care for him too much. I couldn’t do it.”
Her brows knitted together, she didn’t understand. Thankfully, she didn’t try to. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “If it helps…I was never mad at you. I don’t want your apology because I feel like I owe you one. There’s something I need to tell you.”
My heart sank and my stomach knotted. A million thoughts engulfed my mind—was it Eli? It explained why he wasn’t the one to pick me up and why he wasn’t Mr Aleksandrov’s right hand man tonight.
“What is it?” I prompted Mila urgently.
“Uncle is going to make Eli my guardian angel.”
A jealous pang hit my stomach and I frowned. Eli was my guardian angel, I mean, not anymore, but I still felt possessive of him. The thought of him sharing the bond we had with someone else was unnerving.
“Don’t hate me.” Mila knelt in front of me demanding my attention. “I’ve been putting it off, Eli has as well. I wanted to tell you myself… I didn’t want you to find out from anyone else, but come Monday, I will be tattooed and bonded to Eli.”
I knew it was a great idea, I wouldn’t trust anyone other than Eli with Mila’s life and I knew he’d protect her no matter what, but I still couldn’t shake the jealous feeling.
“It’s a lot to take in,” I breathed, finally.
Mila nodded.
“But I trust Eli and I know he’ll keep you safe. That’s all I want.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close.
“I am so glad you’re back, besty.”
I smiled. “Me too.”
It’s Gold
Sleep didn’t come easy last night. It could be because I opted to sleep on the too hard couch instead of the double bed or because I couldn’t rid myself of Eli’s presence. He was only a street or two away and it was killing me not being able to see him. Not that I’d know what to say when I saw him or if he’d even talk to me. I guess my lack of sleep could also be narrowed down to my jealousy of Mila and her soon-to-be bond with Eli.
“If you keep moving, I’m going to stick you with a pin,” Mila mumbled, her mouth full of hairpins.
It was late afternoon; we were getting ready for Mr Aleksandrov’s party, a party that would make it into the history books of our world. For as long as anyone could remember, only a god has become the higher power, but tonight a wizard would become the ruler of our kind. Most people were skeptical of wizards. They claimed wizards could be bought and that they sided with those who paid more, but those who knew Mr Aleksandrov knew he wasn’t like that. To the council, Ivan Aleksandrov has proven his eligibility and loyalty by being headmaster of our school and revealing that Lucian was a vampire. Adding the cherry to the top, the fact that Mr Aleksandrov went out of his way to help me, a goddess, gave him top marks in their books.
I caught a glimpse of Mila in the mirror. Her beautiful blonde hair was pinned up in an elegant bun that sat perfectly on the top of her head, adorned with a glistening floral-diamond hairpin. Her make-up was done to perfection, making her look spicier. I’d never seen Mila look so… not innocent. I was proud.
“There.”
Mila placed the remaining pins on the bathroom sink and sat back, admiring her work. My hair was pinned back in a shower of ringlets. I tilted my head downward to admire my very own shining hairpin.
“Now for the dresses!” Mila squealed in excitement as she tore from the room.
I was excited to wear something so elegant and gorgeous, but it wasn’t enough to trump my nerves. No amount of pretty dresses, hairpins or shoes were going to change the nausea-provoking fact I was going to see Eli tonight. Or at least I thought I was.
The dress felt as amazing sliding down my body as it did when I ran my fingers along its fabric the previous night. It fitted perfectly, clinging to all the right places while maintaining its modesty. In all truthfulness, I felt like a million dollars. I assessed myself in the mirror and gold was all I could see, my body was drenched in it. The gown was so beautiful I could hardly take my eyes off it. In this dress I was no longer the stressed adolescent running away from things that only existed in nightmares. I was a gorgeous goddess, overflowing with grace and confidence. I was going to rock this party.
Mila and I followed closely behind other elegantly dressed visitors as we headed toward the dining hall. As the moon made its appearance, the air became sweet and calming. The cool breeze pressed my satin dress against my legs and made my hair dance freely against the fabric of my coat. I pulled my coat tighter around me, hoping the dining hall was warmer than outside.
“The other students would have finished dinner an hour ago,” Mila said.
“So we’re going to be the only under-twenties?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
The thought relaxed me. The last thing I needed were students gawking and gossiping.
With a matching gold clutch in my hand, Mila and I walked through the huge dining room double doors.
The party was breathtaking. The ceiling had been charmed to mimic a starry night, the usual rows of wooden tables and chairs were gone, replaced with countless elegant sofas and coffee tables. The sheer beauty of the room took my breath away and the color scheme was perfect—navy and white. I offered a few greetings to a few guardian angels and teachers that I knew. Mila went to greet her uncle and I headed toward the coat room—a spare room that was connected to the main hall. I hung my coat on a hook and smoothed out my gold gown. I turned around and my heart leapt into my throat as our eyes met. He was just as handsome as I remembered, if not more. Eli stood before me dressed to the nines in a stylish, yet simple black suit with a white shirt. My lips separated, I was going to say something, but I couldn’t. Embarrassingly enough, only a breath of air came out. His full lips were set in a straight line, his green eyes watching me, rooting me to the spot and making it hard for me to breathe. Looking at him, I could tell that he was experiencing the same ‘stuck’ feeling I was.
“How are you?” I asked. I cringed, slightly. That wasn’t what I wanted to say.
“Good. Thank you.”
The sound of his voice twisted my stomach into a knot of guilt, sadness, and longing. He adjusted his tie and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black dress pants, clearing his throat. “How are you?”
I nodded slowly. “Good.”
Could this possibly get any worse?
“That’s good.”
With an awkward, but still so very breathtaking smile, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. I stared after him. Well, at least it was better than the reunion I imagined—at least he spoke to me.
When I caught my breath and waited for the cold sweat to disappear from my forehead, I exited the coat room and headed toward the back of the hall to the bar. If I was going to get through this, I needed a drink. Or three.
I pulled a glass of wine off a tray sitting on top of the bar and I took a small sip as I glanced around the room. Most of the men wore black tuxedos with the occasional oldie wearing a tail coat. More impressive than the gallantly dressed men were the gowns. Reds, blues, and every shade in between weaved their way through the overwhelming sea of black.
“Ruby?” a deep voice called.
I turned my attention toward the voice, meeting Mr Aleksandrov’s smiling face and kind eyes. He gestured for me to come over. Nervously, I placed my glass down on the bar and made my way over.
“This is Miss Ruby Moore,” he said, introducing me to an elderly couple. “Ruby, this is Paula and Frank James. They’re big fans of yours.”
Paula put her hand on my arm and leant closer to me. I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose at her too-strong perfume.
“I heard that you’re to t
hank for all of this.” Her voice was quiet, too quiet. I found myself delving deeper into her scent, trying not to miss a word.
“Me?”
“Yes,” Frank interrupted. “You were the one who discovered our ruler was a vampire. Who was the other?” Frank clicked his fingers in thought. “De Luca? Yes, Eli De Luca. You two saved our kind from eventual destruction. Where is that young lad, anyway?”
His beady, grey eyes searched the room. Silently, I prayed he couldn’t see well enough to spot him.
“Ah, there he is.”
Damn it, just my luck.
“Mr De Luca?” the old man called out.
I kept my sights on the floor as Eli joined our conversation, standing dangerously close. The old woman’s dreadful perfume was replaced by Eli’s scent and my head spun. What a scent it was.
“You two…” Frank sighed. “We’re lucky—so lucky—to have you on our side.”
I peered sideways at Eli. He was smiling politely at Frank, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Are you two still bonded?” Paula asked.
“No, ma’am.” Eli responded. “The bond was reversed a long time ago.”
“Oh that’s too bad, you make a great team.”
Eli and I chuckled half-heartedly. I glanced toward the door, wondering if I could get outside for a few minutes for some much needed air.
“Hi Paula, Hi Frank,” a high voice greeted.
I brought my attention back to the conversation and Mila was smiling at me. “Ruby, can I borrow you for a moment?”
“Sure. It was nice meeting you,” I said to Paula and Frank.
“Likewise, darling, save me a dance later?” Frank asked.
