by S. J. West
“Enjoying the party?” Mira asks us, gracefully grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s silver tray. She hands one of the glasses to Adrian. It’s odd to see him be so submissive. He is definitely a different creature around Mira.
“You’ve chosen some interesting guests, Mira,” Petru says. “Aren’t you worried that a fight might break out?”
Mira’s lilting laughter fills the air. “Oh, Petru, you simply don’t understand the politics of living in New Orleans. If I didn’t invite everyone, there would be hurt feelings, and fights definitely would occur. This way no one feels slighted, and I get to keep the peace in my city.”
Mira doesn’t say ‘my city’ like most people would, meaning it was the city they live in. No, she actually means the words literally. This is her city. She actually views herself as the Queen of New Orleans.
Mira’s eyes glance in my direction, like I’m not worthy of her looking at me for long. But in those few short seconds, I could feel her jealousy before her enormous ego kicked back in. Once she reminds herself that she’s the fairest maiden in all the land, she looks back at me.
“So, Sarah, have the men told you what types of creatures are here this evening?”
“Yes. I’ve learned a lot tonight.”
She smiles politely and takes a sip of her champagne before continuing. “This is just the beginning of your education, I’m afraid, but I’m sure Julian will be able to bring you up to speed in no time at all on what else is involved in our little section of the universe.”
I have no idea what she’s talking about, but I’m not about to let her think I’m scared of what I don’t know.
“I’m sure he will,” I answer. “I look forward to learning more about everyone.”
Mira’s smile falters. She feels a moment of fear but quickly hides it underneath a layer of contempt. I can’t tell what she’s afraid of, but I know the contempt is for me.
“Enjoy the rest of the party,” she tells us, taking hold of a strangely silent Adrian’s arm. It’s almost like being around Mira has castrated him. “We need to go greet our other guests.”
Petru looks at me and winks. “Now that’s what I like to see.”
“What?” I ask, not having a clue about what he’s referring to.
“Someone who doesn’t bow down to Mira’s overgrown sense of self-importance. She needs to be reminded every once in a while that she isn’t the queen of all she surveys.”
“She’s just trying to find her way like the rest of us,” Julian says in defense of his sister’s behavior. “She doesn’t mean any harm.”
“Mira may not mean harm, but she’s caused it in this city.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Before Mira came, all of the supernatural creatures pretty much kept to themselves and didn’t bother one another unless it was absolutely necessary. When she arrived here ten years ago, she put together a Council of Elders. Each faction has one seat on the council, and they control what happens in New Orleans now.”
“What do you mean? What are they controlling?”
“Most everything,” Petru shrugs. “They control where certain creatures can live and work. Sometimes they act as high judge and executioner when someone transgresses against them. I can wholeheartedly say I will never live in this city.”
“How did you happen to be here for the party?”
“Oh, I had some business to take care of and my companion wanted to have a look around the city. That’s where he is right now.”
“Excuse me, I’m so sorry to interrupt.”
We all turn to see the alfar queen standing beside us. She’s still cradling her strange white cat in her arms. The cat stares at me with its penetrating blue eyes. I can feel that he’s extremely excited about something. The feeling I get from the queen herself is odd, to say the least. She feels a sense of love for me, which seems strange since we’ve never met before this moment. Although, I must admit that I also feel an unexpected connection to her that I can’t explain.
I’m unsure what to do in the presence of royalty from another race until Petru and Julian bow at the waist. I quickly follow their lead and curtsey.
“Good evening, Queen Shael,” Julian says with the utmost respect. “Are you enjoying the party?”
“Well, I was having a perfectly fine time until Viktor decided it was time he left me.”
“Your cat decided?” Petru questions, seeking clarification of her words.
The queen nods, looking sad. “Yes, he says the time has come for him to experience other adventures.” Queen Shael looks at me. “Can I ask what your name is, sweet child?”
“Sarah,” I answer. “Sarah Jane Marcel.”
“Sarah, you have been granted a great gift this evening. I hope you appreciate it as much as I have.” With those words, she proceeds to hand me her cat.
“I don’t understand,” I say, cradling the feline against my waist. Why did she just hand me her cat? What am I supposed to do with it?
“Viktor has chosen you to be his next guardian. Take care of him, Sarah, and he will take care of you.”
The queen is sad about losing her pet, but she also feels a sense of gratitude towards him.
“He has seen me through the darkest days of my life and brought me through to the other side of them sane. I can only hope he helps you with whatever is about to happen in your life. Keep him close,” she says, almost like a warning. “While others around you may let you down, he will never disappoint you. And he will love you like no other ever will.”
Ok, that’s a weird thing to say about a cat.
Is now a good time to tell her I’m allergic to cats? It doesn’t seem like it. For the Queen of the Alfar, giving Viktor up is harder than anything she has ever had to do in her life thus far. I can feel how it’s tearing her heart in two to give him to me.
She leans toward me and whispers in my ear. “If you ever need my help, Sarah Marcel, simply ask Viktor to contact me. He can always find me wherever I am.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I don’t know what else to say to her. Apparently, my new cat has a direct line to the alfar queen. How many cats can you say that about?
Shael kisses Viktor between his ears and on his perky pink nose.
“Thank you for all that you have done for me,” she tells him lovingly. “I will never forget you, and you will always be my friend, no matter where you are.”
She stands straight and curtsies to us before turning around and making her way back to her brethren.
Julian and Petru watch the queen walk away before turning their attention back to the skinny white cat in my arms.
“What just happened?” I ask them, still feeling confused by Queen Shael’s actions. “How can a cat choose its next owner?”
Viktor gives an indignant meow and lifts his head chin first into the air, like I’ve just insulted him by calling him a mere cat.
“Like we said earlier,” Julian replies, petting the cat on the head to which Viktor gives a contented purr. “We don’t believe he’s a regular cat. It’s a great honor to be chosen by him, Sarah. As far as I know, he’s only ever belonged to alfar royalty. I’ve never heard of him choosing a commoner.”
Well, that made me feel special all over. How was I, a lowly commoner, supposed to take care of some alfar royal heirloom? I didn’t even like cats. I didn’t care for dogs either. I just wasn’t a pet person!
I can feel at least two hundred eyes staring straight at me, but one of them is filled with almost pure hatred. I cautiously peer over Petru’s shoulder and see Mira staring directly at me. On the outside she is a picture of calm, but on the inside, a place only I can sense, she is a boiling cauldron of jealousy and hate. There are a few others scattered around the party who are feeling jealous of me, but none of them match the ferocity of Mira’s emotions. She covets what I have been given, even though I don’t understand what the big deal is. He’s just a cat, right?
I’m unsure what to do with th
e cat, but I guess I should have known that the decision wouldn’t be mine to make. Not long after choosing to be with me, Viktor jumps out of my arms and prances his way up the incline of the stone rail that leads up to the veranda. Once there he sits down like a prince, surveying the comings and goings of his subjects. I always thought cats had a natural superiority complex, but Viktor takes it to a completely new level. I don’t get the feeling that he left my arms because he’s upset with me, though. He simply seems to want to view the party from a better vantage point.
The orchestra seated directly underneath Viktor’s position starts to play a song that seems to signal the beginning of the dancing portion of the evening. Mira and Adrian are the first to take the dancefloor while everyone else watches them twirl around in time with the music. Not long after they start dancing Mira waves her hand in the air, inviting the rest of the party to join them.
“May I have the first dance?”
I turn to look behind me and find the warlock I saw earlier standing there now. His blue-grey eyes twinkle with expectation as he awaits my answer.
“Shouldn’t you keep to your own kind, warlock?” Petru asks gruffly, coming to stand slightly in front of me in a protective manner, almost completely blocking the stranger from my view.
I feel Julian’s hand join with mine, entwining our fingers in an intimate gesture as if he’s branding me as his.
“I have the pleasure of the first dance,” Julian informs him. “Perhaps another time.”
“I see,” the warlock says in disappointment. Although, I get the feeling it isn’t because he won’t be able to dance with me. I think he’s disappointed by the way my vampire friends are treating him.
“Perhaps later you will be free to choose your own partner for a dance,” he says, bowing his head to me respectfully before turning around and walking away.
Julian maintains his hold on my hand as he leads me to the dance floor. I’m not sure if I can dance the way everyone else is, twirling about like the Cinderella in a jewelry box I once owned as a child. I take a deep breath and pray that my newly enhanced agility will come into play here, saving me from making a complete fool out of myself.
“Just follow my lead,” Julian instructs, placing one hand on my waist and raising the hand he still holds into the air. “Everything will be fine.”
I do what he says and discover how easy it is to mimic his steps a millisecond after him. I doubt anyone at the party can tell I’m only mirroring my partner’s movements. I do feel a bit like a puppet being led around on a string, but that doesn’t matter. As long as I don’t humiliate myself or Julian, I’m ok with being a marionette. I end up making it through the entire dance without a single misstep.
“You did wonderfully,” Julian praises, bowing before me as he kisses the back of my hand.
The warm feel of his lips against my skin sends a pleasurable tingle from my fingernails to the tips of my toes. I hope he can’t sense how his touch affects me, but I suspect he does from the way his mouth forms a knowing grin.
“Now it’s my turn,” Petru announces, unceremoniously plucking my hand out of Julian’s and into his own.
“Just be careful with her.” Julian’s eyes narrow on his friend in warning. “And keep your steps well-defined so she can follow them easily. She’s never danced like this before.”
“Overprotective much?” Petru pulls me closer to his body, clamping a firm hand on my waist. “I promise to get her back to you in one piece. For goodness’ sake, Julian, it’s just a dance.”
Before Julian can make a reply, the orchestra begins to play a new song.
“Whatever have you done to my best friend?” Petru asks exasperatedly as he twirls me around the dance floor.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never seen him act so possessively over a companion before. I mean, look at him. He’s practically jumping at the chance to cut in if he catches me making a mistake.”
As we pass Julian, who is standing on the outside of the dancing circle, I notice what Petru means. My vampire companion is keeping a watchful eye on me, but as we pass by everyone else I notice he isn’t the only one. I look up to the top of the veranda, where Viktor is lounging comfortably, and see that the cat is keeping a keen eye on me as well.
“It’s probably because I’m new to everything,” I try to reason. “He still needs for me to have a child for him, too. I’m sure he’s just worried something might happen to me before I can ensure his continued immortality.”
“You don’t know Julian like I do,” Petru says, a sense of melancholia filling his words as an equally sad smile touches his lips. “He isn’t worried about dying. Sometimes I think he would welcome it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He sees the spell linking your family to him as a burden to whomever he’s bound to. If he could kill himself and not doom the next person in line to the bond to sure death, I think he would do it. But there’s no way of telling if it would work. I know he considered it before he became bound to you.”
“He was going to kill himself?” The mere thought of Julian killing himself makes me tremble. I miss a step in the dance and inadvertently tread on Petru’s toes.
“Sorry,” I apologize, completely chagrined by the return of my clumsiness.
“No worries, Sarah.” Petru smiles down at me in understanding. “It was my fault. I probably shouldn’t be telling you these things anyway. I’m sure Julian will be upset with me for divulging his deepest, darkest secret to you.”
“I won’t say anything to him,” I promise.
“He already knows. Super-hearing, remember?” Petru reminds me.
I briefly glance in Julian’s direction as we pass him again, and notice the scowl on his face as he stares daggers at Petru.
Once the music stops, signaling the end of the dance, Julian is by my side in a matter of seconds, roughly taking my arm with one hand. I look up at him and see that he’s still scowling as he stares at Petru.
Petru bows to me. “Thank you for the dance, Sarah. I hope we can do it again some other time.”
I’m not even given a moment to make a reply before Julian practically drags me off the dancefloor.
“What’s wrong with you?” I ask him curtly, trying to keep up with his quick, long strides.
“Petru should have never said what he did to you,” Julian replies angrily.
“He’s your friend,” I defend. “I think all he wants is for you to find a way to be happy with the way you are. It’s been four hundred years since you were turned, Julian. Don’t you think it’s time you accepted your fate?”
“No,” he says tersely. “The day I accept that I can’t break the curse is the day I give in to being a monster.” Julian brings me to the foot of the steps to the veranda and turns around to face me. I can see the turmoil of emotion in his eyes. Even though I can’t read his feelings, I can still see that being a vampire is slowly consuming his soul.
“Break the curse?” I ask. “How?”
Julian’s eyes remain steadfast on mine, but I can tell he’s still aware of his surroundings.
“Nothing,” he says, even though I get the feeling he simply doesn’t want to discuss the true meaning behind his words while we’re among those surrounding us. “It’s just a fool’s wish. Perhaps one day I can find a way to live with what I am, but today is not that day.”
Julian’s gaze lifts from mine as something captures his attention from somewhere behind me.
“Another would-be suitor approaches,” he grouses, letting go of my arm and taking a step back.
If Julian had been anyone else, I would have said he sounded jealous.
I turn to find out who he’s looking at and see Daniel approaching us. Daniel’s dressed in a conspicuously white suit, white shirt, and blood-red tie. I can only assume this is what male companions are forced to wear, and that red is the color signifying that Daniel belongs to Adrian.
“Are you just now joining the party
?” I ask as he comes to stand with us.
“Adrian wanted his meal before the dance, and I always get extra hungry when he feeds early. Have you been to the kitchen here?” There is a sense of awe in Daniel’s voice about the place.
“Not yet.” The reminder of food, however, immediately makes me eager to find it. I guess that’s to be expected. I haven’t eaten a bite since lunch that afternoon. My nervousness about the party made food take second place to my own paranoia.
“You have got to see it,” Daniel declares. “Anything you might be hungry for is in there.”
“I’ll probably go there later.” Actually, there is no probably about it. I will head to the kitchen as soon as I can politely disengage myself from the festivities.
“Mira always treats her companions well and provides them with anything they might want,” Julian adds, “especially when they’re pregnant.”
“I believe the baby is due in a couple of weeks,” Daniel says. “From what I understand, Mira’s companion has been restricted to bedrest by her doctor until the birth. That’s the only reason she isn’t here this evening.”
“Excuse me.”
The warlock who had asked me to dance earlier now stands two steps behind Daniel.
“I was wondering if you might be free for a dance now,” he says, looking directly into my eyes, purposely ignoring the two men on either side of me.
I must admit that I’m impressed with his tenacity. It takes a lot of guts to come back so soon after being rebuffed by a vampire.
I look over at Julian, waiting for him to do or say something to prevent me from dancing with the stranger, but my companion remains stone-cold silent and simply stares at the warlock with an impassive expression.
It seems rude to turn someone down twice. Although, I didn’t say no to him the first time. It was said for me.
“Only if you tell me your name,” I tell him, thinking this a reasonable request.
“Gage Morgan, Ms. Marcel,” he answers with a polite bow.
“You already know mine?” I ask, finding it curious.
