Aftermath

by Jenna-Lynne Duncan

  Luke was still skeptical. Hayden suddenly seemed distant and Christopher and Elizabeth wouldn’t even look at me. I just stood there while everyone was talking about me, not to me.

  “We are very sorry, your majesty. We didn’t know,” Christopher spoke solemnly.

  Rachel brushed him off coolly. “No harm done. She was almost killed a few times in your care but I’m willing to look past it now that I’ve had to step up.”

  I blanched. What?

  “I can’t give her up,” Hayden whispered harshly to his father.

  “Hayden…” Christopher warned.

  “To hell if I’m going to let Little Miss Teacher come in here and change everything,” Luke announced loudly.

  “I’m sorry,” Elizabeth was talking to Rachel, with fear in her kind eyes, “he’s only been returned to us since his parents were destroyed. He doesn’t know.”

  “Well, let me put it to you straight.” Rachel took a seething step toward Luke. “First of all, I am her mother. And to give you a quick history lesson, you are here because of me. The royal family created you and we also have the power to destroy you. That means I am your superior, and you will obey me one way or another.”

  Luke scoffed, clearly not caring about the second part of her argument and I just loved him all the more for that. “Yeah, where were you the past eighteen years? Where were you during our so called ‘failed attempts’ at protecting her?”

  Rachel was in front of Luke in a flash.

  “Wait!” Seeing someone’s life in danger finally gave me the courage to speak. “Hello? I am right here and I am tired of you speaking for me. Rachel, you’re right, we do need to talk privately. I have even more questions than I had before.” I shook my head in wonderment as I thought about this new world Rachel just painted for me. She really wasn’t referring to Mardi Gras Queen. I couldn’t possibly be Queen of the Underworld? ‘This queen already has a king.’ She had to be kidding, right? Even more, she wanted to take me away from everything I’d known. For some reason, in all my fantasies of finding my mother, I'd always pictured her fitting perfectly into my life, not me having to fit into hers. Although I wanted to run away, or to tell her to ‘leave me alone‘ like the sullen teenager I should have been, I was hesitant. The power she seemed to have over everyone, sans Luke, surprised me. And scared me. “Apparently, you want me to just start this new life with you and, I’m sorry, it isn’t that easy.” I swallowed. “It’s not like you are going to force me to come with you. Are you?” I added suspiciously.

  She pushed her lips into a thin line. “No, Adriana. I can’t force you,” she said with a practiced calm.

  I exhaled a surprising breath of relief and nodded. “Please, just go home. I will call you tomorrow, after the ball, and we can talk about everything then.”

  Everyone was looking at me like I had said something taboo. And I met their glances with a questionable one of my own. With fearful eyes, Elizabeth willed me to stop. Were they really that afraid of Rachel? What loyalty did they have to her? I looked at Hayden, who didn’t reveal one ounce of emotion, then back at Rachel. Her eyes closed briefly before flashing back open with sadness. She turned on her heel and walked toward the door. “You are so much like your father.” The door slammed shut behind her.

  Everyone immediately relaxed when she left.

  I gave Hayden a look that said he owed me one heck of an explanation.

  “Go ahead, Hayden. We need to have a little talk with Luke, anyway,” Christopher said after reading my expression.

  Hayden gave a curt nod to Christopher before turning back to me, “Let’s talk upstairs.” He held out his arm for me to lead and I hated the way he deliberately avoided touching me.

  The ding of the door bell halted our ascent. “I’ll get it,” I said with a little irritation in my voice that my mother had returned so soon.

  Hayden’s ear titled toward the door, “It’s not your mother.”

  “Human?”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll get it,” I said again. My mind was going over the possibilities of who it could be as I opened the front door. “Marie,” I smiled at the nice surprise.

  She returned my smile. “Hi. Were you expecting somebody else?”

  “Kind of. Sorry, long story.” My eyes darted to the garment bag she held in her arms. “Do you want to come in?”

  Her eyes floated behind me to Hayden who was still on the stairs. “I'd better not.” Her answer gave me more questions.

  “Why not?” More surprising was that she didn’t seem to have any questions for me. Like she already knew. I hadn’t had the chance to talk to her since I'd confirmed she was a voodoun.

  “Are you still going to the ball?” She ignored my question and it was becoming increasingly difficult to read her.

  “Yes, are you?” We were still standing in the doorway.

  She nodded. “I wanted to bring this over to you.” She held out the garment bag for me to take. When I didn’t reach for it, she added, “I know we talked about this and I know you said you won’t wear it, but I’m giving it to you anyway.”

  “Marie, I can’t,” I shook my head, “it’s like a family heirloom.” The dress was in the chest that was passed down to her from her grandmother. I couldn’t wear something that was so valuable to her. It was practically an antique.

  “The dress is yours. I mean, it literally belonged to you.”

  “I think I would have remembered owning a dress like that.”

  “You know exactly what I mean, Ana.”

  And I did. Because something about the way she said that the dress was mine reverberated in me. I was comfortable with her statement, like I knew that it was true. It just seemed… familiar.

  “How?”

  “Just take the dress, Ana.”

  I nodded and took it, a little shocked from her command.

  “See you tonight.” She started to leave my front porch.

  “Marie?” I stopped her.

  “Yeah?” She paused, turning back around.

  “Nothing’s changed between us, right?” I was suddenly afraid of losing her. Just when our friendship was getting going, it had become awkward between us and for some reason I thought it was because she knew about my Hunter blood. I wanted to be there for her. I knew she was going through a lot, discovering who, or what, she was. Even though I was now going through the same thing, I still wanted to help her figure it all out.

  “No, nothing’s changed.”

  As she was walking away, I was hoping that that was true.

  Hayden was still waiting for me when I got back inside.

  If something from Marie and I’s conversation showed on my face, Hayden didn’t comment on it. Instead, he just followed me upstairs where we could talk in relative privacy.

  “Why didn’t you stand up for me?” I jumped right in to what hurt me the most.

  “Ana, she’s your mother. It wasn’t my place.”

  “No, it wasn’t just that. It was something more. Like when she told you who she was. When she told you that I would be Queen.”

  “Your mother is basically a ruler in the underworld. In all my years, I have never seen anyone go up against her. Or, at least, no one has lived to disobey her. Especially not Hunters. What you are is far more than I could have ever imagined.”

  “So, what, we can’t be together?” I said jokingly, but then saw his face. “What? We can’t be together?”

  Tears blurred my vision before I knew it.

  Hayden quickly rubbed my shoulders, shushing me. “I didn’t say that. There just a few more… complications.”

  “Why are you avoiding touching me?” I noticed how he didn’t hold me, rather just comforted me at the bare minimum.

  He dropped his arms and turned away so I couldn’t see his face. “Ana, that’s ridiculous.”

  “No, it’s not. Look at you, you can’t even say that to my face.”

  His back remained toward me.

  “Is it true, t
hen, there's something about me being a princess, or whatever I am, that is why you love me?” The realization hit me like a bucket of ice water.

  When Hayden turned around, his green eyes were fierce. “I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you. When you were just Adriana Alexander. Human. Not a future queen.”

  The edges of my heart burned. I felt like there was a lingering but to his statement.

  But we can’t be together. But this isn’t going to work out. But your mother will destroy me if this continues. That was what he was going to say, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that the reason he had become so cold toward me? Why he barely touched me?

  “Then kiss me, Hayden.”

  “Ana,” he looked to the heavens, struggling with something internally.

  “Kiss me!” My voice shook with anger, fear and desperation.

  When he looked back at me his eyes had fire in them. He closed the distant between us, covered my mouth with his, and gave me a quick, punishing kiss. He pulled back only to look at me. His dark hair was disheveled from my hands, his lips bruised from my kiss. “Nothing, and no one, can change how I feel about you.”

  I nodded as he released me.

  “You'd better get dressed if you are still bent on going to the school dance.”

  I nodded. He left me alone in my room with my thoughts and one heavy, Victorian dress.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  When I finally finished struggling to get into the dress, I looked over my work in the mirror. The dress was even more beautiful than I remembered when I first saw it that night at Marie’s. There was just one thing missing.

  The mask.

  Laying on my bed was a matching half-mask. It was beautifully detailed with dark purple and black mesh fabric against a silver background. The silver peeked through just enough to make it sparkle. It had a black velvet trim with peacock feathers accentuating the right side. I picked up the mask, admiring the enchantment and mystery that came with it.

  “I guess it’s true, then.”

  I turned around to find Luke leaning against my doorway.

  “What’s true, then?” I said with a childish stubbornness, too curious to remember that I was supposed to be ignoring him.

  “It doesn’t matter what you wear, I simply won’t be able to keep my hands off you.” His gaze raked the length of my body and suddenly the layers of the dress felt entirely too hot.

  I swallowed, fighting the smile that was threatening me. Why did it have to be Luke that was the only one who didn’t act any differently toward me?

  I turned back around, facing the floor-length mirror. It wasn’t helping that I could still see him in its reflection, but I had to continue my plan to avoid him.

  “Back to giving me the cold shoulder, huh?”

  I put the mask over my eyes and tied the black satin ribbon behind my head. I had hoped that the mask could help hide some of my emotions.

  “I need to talk you.” Luke was more serious now; gone were his charming, indifferent ways.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” I said as I smoothed out my hair. When I finished, I picked up my skirts and turned toward the door to leave.

  As I tried to walk past Luke out the door, he grabbed my arm. “Ana,” he pleaded.

  His eyes dipped to my chest that was rising and falling with ragged breaths. I needed to leave immediately. “Let me go, Luke.” I pulled my arm free, physically able to do so with a strength I didn’t know I had. Luke looked at me with wide eyes filled with awe—and desire. I whipped away, fleeing down the stairs, a trail of skirts behind me.

  When I got downstairs and far enough away, I pressed my back against the hallway wall to catch my breath. With my palms flat against the wall behind me, I squeezed my eyes closed against intrusive thoughts. My body had betrayed me once again. This had to stop right now. Things were complicated enough with Hayden as it was. But while my mind was telling me one thing, my body was doing something completely different. Now I just had to figure out which side my heart was on. So long as I could help it, I would stick to the plan. Out of sight and out of mind, right? It was one of the many reasons I was thankful that he would not be coming along tonight.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I looked up at Hayden, feeling even guiltier as I saw the concern in his handsome features. Hayden looked powerful and confident in a black suit, black vest, with a dark purple ascot tie that matched my dress. His hair was slicked back in a way that, combined with the suit, made my stomach flutter.

  “This is a normal high school dance, for normal high school students, who do normal high school things. I can do this, okay?” My voice sounded a little more panicked than I wanted.

  Hayden chuckled. “All right.” Hayden held out his arm. “Shall we?”

  I nodded and linked my arm in his.

  He leaned over, burying his nose in my hair. “You look beautiful. “ The heat of his breath on my neck caused me to shiver. Hayden led me away from the garage to the front door.

  “Where are we going?”

  Before he could reply, he opened the front door where a man was waiting patiently on the porch. His posture was erect, and he was wearing a suit which didn’t match how young he looked. I’d seen him before in passing around the house and knew he worked for Hayden, although I didn’t know what he did.

  “Mr. Boudreaux, Miss Alexander,” he gave us a curt nod.

  “Troy,” Hayden greeted back. That is when I noticed the car parked in the front of our circular driveway.

  “Hayden…” I tried my best to scold him. “I said normal.”

  He gave me an impossible look. “This isn’t normal? I thought students took limousines to dances.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “You’ve never been before?”

  “Not really.”

  “Why start now?” He said, like he already knew the answer.

  Yes, a part of me was going for the wrong reasons. But also I just wanted to have fun and forget about everything else. I could feel things were changing. Whereas I used to embrace my differences while longing for something more, I was now desperately trying to cling to the stability of my former self, my life before all of this.

  “Maybe I just want to show you off,” I teased.

  He pulled up one side of his kissable lips. “Believe me, that pleasure is all mine.” Troy opened the door to the limo and Hayden helped me—and my skirts—inside. Hayden slid in beside me and the door was shut behind him.

  It was quiet and pleasant inside, like we were in our own little room. The black leather was comfortable and the mood-lighting calming. This was the second time I had ever been in a limo. The first was when I was caught by a rival gang of mortal Hunters called the Vasquez. I'd endured a seven-hour drive in a limo with four of them. I had been hit on, insulted, and threatened. It was the worst day of my life. I thought I would die that day, but it turned out that would be the first of many times I would think that. I looked over at Hayden, feeling uneasy from the memories. I felt the car start moving.

  “You okay?”

  I swallowed, feeling a little ill. “Just bad memories.”

  “The Vasquez?” Of course he had figured it out.

  “It’s no big deal.” I brushed it off.

  “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have arranged this.” He remained where he was, perfectly still except for a scowl on his face, and I found myself hoping he would put his arms around me. He still was cautious with me and I hated that. Ever since he found out what I was.

  “Make me forget, Hayden.” I didn’t know where this wickedness inside me came from. It was entirely new to me and just as shocking to Hayden.

  He leaned toward me but it was too late— I had seen him hesitate. I leaned back in my seat, heartbroken.

  “Stop.” He looked at me with a groan. “I can sense your pain.”

  “You can sense my pain?” I mocked.

  “Yes, every emotion is distinct. I can tell when your joy
, fear, pain…”

  “It doesn’t take supernatural instincts to know that I’m hurt, Hayden,” I scoffed.

  I could feel his eyes burning into me but I kept staring straight ahead, refusing to look at him. Because he still hadn’t closed the gap between us and even though I could tell he was longing to touch me, he didn’t.

  “You’re going through a lot right now—“

  “What does that have to do with us?”

  My eyes slid closed and a tear was forced out. It slid down my cheek, veiled from my mask. “I get it.” I had become numb; emotionless and calm. “You think I’m vulnerable?”

  “Why are we here?” I looked at Hayden, wondering if this was some kind of joke or if he really just had something else planned for us.

  We were pulled up out front of the Le Petite Theatre Vieux Carre.

  “The ball…” he looked at me suspiciously.

  “I just thought it would be held at school.”

  “The gym at Ecole is still under renovation since Katrina—is everything okay?”

  “Yes,” I nodded, recovering from my shock. “Of course. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

  He pressed a button on the console above him, “Give us a minute, Troy.” He looked back at me. “Are you sure?”

  Was it too much to hope that this was a coincidence? Probably not. But what else could we do? Go home, and let the underworld, once again, dictate our lives? Or possibly leave my entire class vulnerable to a ghost? No, it would definitely be better if we were there. In case Christine decided to pay a visit again…

  “Are you worried about your dream with Christian’s murder?” Hayden’s words brought up another predicament. He didn’t realize I had already been to this theatre. Both in my dreams and in real life after trying to investigate what it was trying to tell me. No, he was referring to the dream I had of the ball, where Luke ended up murdering Mr. Christian.