Chapter Thirty-Seven
That night, I awoke three times with a racing heart and mind knowing that Gwenn was probably trapped with Serena and Nero. The fact that I was in the comfort and safety of the Mary, Queen of Scots trapped the guilt in my heart. The fear of Serena taking Bastian was so strong that Ravenna had asked him to stay until we knew Greyhaven was secure against Serena; it seemed to suit him. The next morning, Ravenna tried her level-best to distract me while Tristan and Blake searched for the immortal that was keeping Serena alive. I tried on about twenty of her dresses for the masquerade before she finally gave up and chose one for me. I sat on the bed and allowed the guilt of Gwenn trapped somewhere wash over me. By the time Bastian, Ravenna, and I were ready to leave for the masquerade, Blake and Tristan hadn’t returned, so as the last remnants of light fell beneath the sky, welcoming the night, the three of us left for the Verto Masquerade. I could barely breathe or walk down the stairs; the fabric of my dress was so stiff around my body I might as well have been wrapped in a mile of bandages. Bastian wore a black suit with a white shirt and bow tie and looked so sweet that both Ravenna insisted on taking photos with him.
“Ladies.” He tried to grin, offering us both an arm once we got to the landing of the stairs. No matter how hard we had tried, none of us could shake off the yoke of Gwenn being trapped and alone. We passed the entrance mirrors, and I glanced at my reflection. I had managed to arrange my hair and makeup elegantly enough; my hair was pinned up, which showed off the array of diamonds on the back of the dress. I noticed that Bastian couldn’t take his eyes off Ravenna, who was wearing a beautiful silk forest-green backless dress.
To say that it took me five minutes to get into the Range Rover would be a lie. Bastian had to lift me because I could not part my legs wide enough to take a step up. When I was finally seated, I could take only short, sharp breaths. I tried to lean my back on the seat, but the diamonds dug into my skin.
“Do you want to change into something else?” Ravenna asked before starting the car, her eyes dancing with amusement.
“No,” I protested immediately, throwing an annoyed glance her way. “This one was the only one we liked on me.”
“You know we have to stay for more than five minutes, don’t you?” Bastian said from the back seat, clearly bemused.
“I’ll be fine. I can feel my bones molding to it already,” I breathed, crossing my arms.
He snorted, and Ravenna started the car.
“I wonder if Gwenn knows we’re all going to the masquerade?” I asked, a tingle of guilt making its way down my spine.
“She knows we won’t be out looking for her because of a cloaking spell,” Bastian whispered, his voice as full of guilt as mine.
“Gwenn would realize that the masquerade is the safest place on earth for you right now; she wouldn’t want either of you getting hurt on her account,” Ravenna replied as we drove through town.
Ravenna parked the car outside the town hall; there were hardly any people arriving as we were, and I wondered if we were running late.
“Is Blake already here?” I asked. I had been trying my best not to think about it through the day, and my worry for Gwenn helped, but now that we were here, I wished it were Blake, not Ravenna at my side, especially in a room full of immortals I didn’t know. My heartbeat accelerated at the thought. Without Gwenn there, Bastian and I would be the only mortals in the room, and they would all know it.
“You okay?” Ravenna asked, probably noticing my sudden despair as Bastian hopped out of the car.
“I’m fine. Just distracted,” I lied easily as Ravenna turned off the car engine. Everything went deathly quiet. I was getting better at this lying thing.
“Ready to go?” I sighed before she could say anything else. She nodded and got out of the car as Bastian immediately pulled my door open to help me out. There was no getting out without him, it turned out, because even with his help it was a struggle. When we finally started moving toward the town hall, every inch of my body had mild pins and needles, and my muscles constricted in my shoulders.
“Here,” Ravenna said, handing me a mask. It was entirely constructed out of hundreds of tiny crystals, which would cover my forehead and half my cheeks, only leaving my mouth area open.
“I forgot this was a masquerade,” I whispered as both Bastian and Ravenna pulled their masks on.
I struggled to tie the ribbon at the back, and Bastian took over, gently tying mine, folding the silver ribbon in a bow behind my head. The mask was incredibly heavy, so on top of not being able to breathe or walk, I could now barely see or talk.
“Mmmm,” I said, too scared to open my mouth.
“Boy, you’re going to be fun this evening,” Bastian joked as he led me into the doorway that the immortals were streaming into.
“It’s hard,” I hissed. Ravenna linked her arm into mine so that she and Bastian could both lead me in. I missed my jeans.
We reached the massive double doors, which both stood open to welcome guests. Gold statues and massive bouquets of flowers, which rested on tall circular tables, lavishly decorated the entrance hall. People crowded around them in smaller, more intimate groups.
Waiters circulated the room carrying champagne and canapes. I looked around as they led me to a larger table in the center of the room. Immortals wearing masks walked around, some smiling, others crying. Some masks had dazzling jewels on their cheeks and mouths, and others were just big enough to cover people’s eyes.
I was suddenly relieved that we were all disguised and hiding from each other; there was something comforting in the fact that none of these people could see my face. All the women wore beautiful dresses, some garish, but others just as striking and simple.
We reached the table Ravenna and Bastian had led me to, and I recognized Victoria’s long hair and Tristan’s controlled chaos style. Even with the mask on, Tristan looked extremely bored, sitting straight, snapping his fingers in irritation.
For some reason, seeing them both there spread joy through my chest and then the rest of my tired body.
“America.” Tristan grinned. “Heard you survived a lightning storm.”
I take it back, I didn’t miss you at all.
I rolled my eyes, hoping he could see my disdain through the mask.
“Victoria,” Ravenna said simply as she sat down.
“Ravenna, you haven’t been to one of these in three hundred years,” Victoria said, barely turning to look at Ravenna.
“Not that you would know. I’m pretty sure you’ve never been to one of these,” Ravenna said, smiling at her.
Victoria got up, took one last glance around the table, and walked away.
I looked around the buzzing hall one more time as Bastian pulled my chair out for me. How was it possible for these people to enjoy this?
At least it’s only once a century. Not that you’ll ever be coming back. I lowered my eyes to the ground. As crazy as it was, everyone here was starting to feel like family, even with everything going on. How was I going to turn and walk away from them all and never come back. You have to, if the prophecy is real, you have to.
“God, this gets more boring every time,” Tristan muttered.
“Hey,” Bastian whispered to me. “I’m just going to go try to find my parents, I’ll be back before the dinner starts.”
I turned my head to smile and nod. He grinned and locked eyes with me for a few minutes.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. He had a strange expression on his face, some sort of sadness.
He nodded. “Be back soon,” he confirmed before walking away.
I turned my attention back to the table, wondering where Blake was.
Ravenna passed me a glass of champagne, downing hers as she did.
“You clean up well,” Tristan said, looking directly at me.
If Tristan’s noticed,
maybe Blake will too. Wait, not this again, Ev. You cannot have feelings for Blake, you just can’t. For the last time, Blake Greyson—oh my God, is Tristan able to hear this?
I caught Tristan’s eye, and sure enough, he was fighting a smirk.
“Can you not do that?” I hissed, feeling my cheeks set on fire.
“Do what?” Ravenna said, turning to me.
“He’s reading my thoughts again.”
“Tristan, you unimaginable jerk—wait, what were you thinking? Why does Tristan have that stupid look on his face?”
“So, do they just serve us food?” I asked, hoping that this did not involve any dancing. Considering I could barely breathe and walk, chances of me being able to dance were slim at best.
“No, they’re going to bring out some unicorns in a minute, and we’ll all have a practice round before the races commence,” Tristan said, shaking his head at me and feigning genuine disappointment.
“I am trying to make conversation with you,” I snarled. “God, I cannot believe that of all the immortals in this room you have to be the one to read minds and be seated at my table.” I crossed my arms and glared at him.
“You do know that I was here first, right? This is my table. I happen to be magnanimous enough to share it with you.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned. “I don’t understand how you can be so nice and so annoying at the same time,” I said in an undertone that resembled a hiss.
“That’s because I’m not a one-dimensional person, Evelyn,” he replied slowly, as if talking to a five-year-old.
“There is a distinct difference between being a multifaceted individual and being a complete—” I started.
Ravenna leaned forward to block our view of each other. “All right, children, let’s just be nice for five minutes, shall we?”
I sighed and looked around the room again. I had never been to something this lavish before, and I could already tell that it definitely wasn’t my thing. I looked around to see if I could recognize anyone and wondered where Bastian had gone.
“So, what are you—” Tristan started saying, but before he could finish his sentence, we heard a delighted scream.
“Blake,” a girl’s voice cried from the other end of the room. Blake was here? Both Tristan and I turned to face Blake, who had been making his way to our table and stood a few feet from my chair. I bit my bottom lip as my heart jumped, turned back toward the table, and looked down at the cutlery. Why did he have to be so good-looking? I felt Tristan’s eyes on me and knew he was reading my thoughts again.
Get out of my head, Tristan Cavendish!
I turned back to look at Blake again as a short girl ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck. I raised my eyebrows, and a flare of jealousy coursed through my veins. Who was she?
“Miyuki,” he said, smiling and embracing the little Asian girl. Victoria returned to the table and made a face of revulsion when she noticed Miyuki hugging Blake. Apparently, he’s nice to other people besides me. Evelyn, get a grip.
“I haven’t seen you in ages,” Miyuki said in an American accent, finally letting go of Blake. I wished that I could see her face, but her sapphire bejeweled mask covered any hope of knowing how beautiful she was.
“I’ve been here. It’s not my fault that you refuse to set foot in Greyhaven on any other day besides this one,” Blake said, still smiling. He seemed completely relaxed around this girl, something that I hadn’t seen before.
“Miyuki,” Ravenna said, standing. “They let you out of that prison you call home I see?” Ravenna smiled, clearly joking.
“Well, all of The Enlightened were in awe that the great Ravenna herself was going to be at a Verto.” She smiled and hugged Ravenna.
“And who is this?” Miyuki asked, looking down at me and smiling.
“Miyuki, this is Evelyn. Evelyn, this is one of my oldest friends Miyuki; she lives with the Enlightened,” Ravenna explained. I smiled and shook her hand with my free one.
“Evelyn Sinclair?” she asked, raising her brow and glancing at Blake.
“The very one,” Ravenna interrupted. I still couldn’t get used to people calling me Sinclair after my mother’s family.
“The prophecy girl, wow, you actually exist.” She smiled.
Before I could respond, I noticed a man walking toward our table, and I couldn’t help but glance at him. Compared to everyone else, he was thin, emaciated; his sallow skin and small frame stood out like a sore thumb in the rest of the room. He glanced at me with his yellow eyes, and I immediately looked away. Yellow eyes. Was this one of the Dark Soldiers?
“Blake,” the boy said, reaching our table. He refused to break Blake’s gaze, and therefore ignored the rest of the table completely.
“Lyle,” Ravenna said, now standing in front of my chair and blocking my view.
“Ravenna,” Lyle replied. “I heard rumors that you were back, and I am surprised to find them true. What brings you to Greyhaven?”
“My brother, of course,” she said, glancing at Blake and forcing a grin. I noticed Blake look at Miyuki and then over at me.
“Evelyn, would you like to come outside with me? I have a really bad addiction to nicotine, and I’m feeling a sudden urge to feed it,” Miyuki suddenly announced. “My mortal boyfriend insists that it will kill me one day.” She took my hand and pulled me away from Blake, who threw one more glance in my direction before turning his attention back to the yellow-eyed soldier. “But he doesn’t know that I could smoke every cigarette in the world and still have the most beautiful lungs.” We wove through the crowd and back outside.
“You’re dating a mortal, a real one?” I asked, following her as quickly as I could, navigating our way through the crowds of people.
“Oh, yes, I love the variety.” She laughed. “There are only so many immortals one can date before running out of flavors.” She glanced over her shoulder to grin at me just before we walked out of the main doors and into the cold night. I breathed a sigh of relief; it was nice to get out into the silence of the evening for a minute.
As soon as we got out of the door, she took her mask off. “I hate these things,” she mumbled, placing it on the wall next to us. She was incredibly beautiful, and her eyes were the deepest blue I had ever seen. With her long, thick black hair and Asian profile, she was absolutely striking. “So, do I get to see your face, or are you going to be a mystery all night?” she said, lighting a cigarette.
“Right, I forgot I was even wearing this thing,” I admitted and took my mask off, feeling the instant relief of the cold wind on my face.
“Christ, you look just like Mirena,” Miyuki hissed, her eyes bulging.
“You knew my grandmother?” I asked excitedly, taking a step forward.
She laughed. “I knew her all right. We were best friends.” She seemed amused at my sudden enthusiasm.
“What was she like?” I asked, suddenly grateful that Blake was friends with Miyuki. Would I finally be able to learn more about my family?
“Oh, she was vicious,” Miyuki replied, still grinning. She probably noticed my surprised expression and added, “But in a good way. She knew exactly what she wanted and exactly how to get it.”
“Did you know my mom?” I asked her quietly, not sure if I really wanted to hear the answer.
“Lucile? Yeah, I did. It’s so sad about her. That is about the worst ability to develop ever,” she said, shaking her head.
I frowned. What was she talking about? “Why?” I asked lightly, trying to find a way for her to admit to me what it was without knowing that I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
She raised her eyes. “Well, having an ability that sucks the life out of other immortals doesn’t make life easy,” she said, looking at me like I was a little crazy.
My chest constricted, and Miyuki narrowed her eyes.
; Say something before she realizes you didn’t know.
“Um, yeah, but she could still live with mortals,” I replied, thinking quickly and trying to coax her to continue the conversation.
“Not for long. They started getting sick around her after a few hours. Can you imagine being isolated from every living being on the planet?” Miyuki said, looking at me with sympathy in her eyes. That’s why she killed herself. I took a deep steadying breath.
“I’m actually not immortal,” I replied, distracted.
Before she could respond, we heard what sounded like a sack of flour hitting the stone pavement next to us. I felt my eyebrows rise, turned to look at the pile on the floor, and my entire body convulsed. I lifted my hands to my mouth and screamed.
Bastian’s body was crumpled on the floor, blood pooling around his head.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Within seconds, Blake was at my side. He placed his hand protectively on my arm and pulled me closer to him. With Blake close, a rush of serenity came over me. He’s forcing you to calm down. Looking at Adam’s lifeless body, I was grateful for it.
“How did this happen?” he asked Miyuki after checking that I was okay.
“I didn’t hear a struggle. I think he jumped,” she said, looking down at the body with wide eyes.
“Why would he do this?” I mumbled, shaking my head.
Before Blake could reply, Ravenna and Tristan walked out. “He actually did it,” Ravenna said, seeing Bastian’s body.
“You knew he would do this?” Blake said, narrowing his eyes.
“No, I mean, he wouldn’t stop talking about how he felt useless as a mortal,” she explained, crossing her arms over her chest.
He said it last night.
I felt the same way but hadn’t even thought about turning immortal yet.
“Ravenna, take Evelyn back inside. Tristan and I will wait until Bastian returns.”
“I want to stay,” I said, probably more harshly than I needed to.
Ravenna stepped forward, and I felt her hot hand on my free arm. “Come on, love, he’ll be okay. He’ll be back in a few minutes. Tristan and Blake will be able to help more than we can.”
The Eternal Page 31
