"So which one of you is willing to explain what this private meetup is really about?" Adriel inquired.
Another puff of smoke ripped the night's air, and this time I coughed. An awkward silence followed before General Xhao spoke up.
"I was just telling the Princess here that I had already sold the villa,he answered begrudgingly. You could sense there were issues, unresolved but yet unspoken.
Another inconsiderate puff of smoke from Adriel, and then silence. It seemed that even though Xhao's men were armed, they were scared of Adriel too.
"And?"Adriel asked a bit more impatiently.
Xhao shrugged. "She offered to pay double, and that's all."
"Well then,Adriel started with the same smoothness and subtle underlying danger he started with before he began to sound ugly. He lowered his head near my ear. "Your business is with me."
I had turned my head before I had time to think. It seems like I jerked at just how awfully pleasant his breath against my neck felt. My not-thought-through move positioned our faces close to each other. I quickly realized that seeing him this dangerously close didn't help with the sensation; it heightened it. My entire being screamed a message I didn't understand.
I turned my face and released my breath. Xhao looked at me sternly, and I swallowed.
"Let me go get some water; I'm parched.'' I said cooly and politely excused myself. It might seem like a lie, but it wasn't. I honestly felt dried up.
Air passed through my lungs more easily with every step I took away from him. What in the hell was that? Nothing good came from such things; that invasive and powerful rush wasn't normal, and I was already as abnormal as it was.
The guests were already seated and drinking gleefully.
A few condescending stares from around the ballroom reminded me of why I was here in the first place. To protect people like me from looks like that. I sat on a table with something that looked like a folded card of both our family's symbols. It must be ours; I just despised how it was in the middle of the room. I would be on public display. I shut my eyes and counted to ten to reset. Ten wasn't enough, so I extended it to twenty. I opened my eyes at sixteen because I heard, smelled, and felt him approach. I tried to keep counting, but he sat down and cleared his throat. I opened my eyes and smiled politely at him.
He, in turn, raised his eyebrows and made no comment. I looked at the drinks on the table and happily picked up the water and drank it slowly. I didn't reach twenty, but I felt more controlled, more normal—or at least I hoped so.
"So,how desperate are you for that little villa?" he asked.
I breathed, "I am willing to pay double what it was originally sold to you. Your highness."
"Obviously, she is also desperate enough to not care to be seen alone with a man in the dark."
I sat silently to analyze and think of an answer. I didn't realize what it could have meant if someone else had come outside to see us. For heaven's sake, it was just an open garden; someone else would treat the scene as if we were both striped naked on a bed. I shook the disgust of the thought out of my head. My eyes met his briefly, and I realized that I had taken way too much time to answer. I brought the half-glass of water to my lips and sipped. Another cautious breath.
"It wasn't exactly one man; there were several guards." I said finally.
A corner of his mouth was raised lightly and quickly dropped. It was like a half-smirk.
"Well, that makes it way worse, Princess." He paused a while before continuing, "I am aware that this might be your first official ball and all,but to avoid such unpleasant scandals and rumors, you must let your escort be aware of your every move."
I scoffed, "I am well aware; I just imagined the rules didn't apply to us since you disappeared the second we set foot in here. So please don't try to lecture me on etiquette when you don't follow the mere basics."
His eyes were steady on me. Angry perhaps, but steady.
What was I doing? What I came here for was in his name. I can't be sassy with the man who was supposed to sell the property to me. I should be charming, respectful, and polite.
"I didn't mean to sound harsh. My apologies."
"Ah,I see,he said sarcastically.
"It's probably the drinks." I said it defensively.
"Water makes you drunk?" His eyes ran from me to the glass in front.
"I drank a few glasses of cognac earlier."
"It was half a glass,he corrected almost too quickly.
My shoulders dropped in defeat. "Do you want me to say that I meant to sound harsh?"
"I want you to admit that it was not the effect of any liquor, and in fact, it was a pretty meditated thought that had been lingering in that petite head of yours. I want you to drop this facade of you being a saint who can do no wrong unless under the influence of alcohol."
I scoffed. I had a facade. Was I the one faking? He literally pretends to be a respectful gentleman while he is actually a ruthless demon with the worst history of all the royals. His stories had reached as far as my court, and yet it was I who was faking something. To prove what exactly?
"Well,I won't agree with your perception of me since you know so little of me." I replied calmly.
"What I do know,I don't like,he chuckled mockingly.
My wild tongue itched to be let loose. The last intense verbal battle I had was with Aunt Lydia, who forbade me from visiting her quarters. If anything,he just wanted to anger me. I didn't know why, but I wasn't going to let it happen tonight.
"Oh well,let's get to business." I said.
The man in front of me turned me out and stared at the opera singer so intensely that a little knot formed in my stomach. He didn't seem to be listening to me at all, so I decided to sit down and organize my thoughts. I needed a ploy to hasten the sale. I probably shouldn't have turned to watch him while clearing my head; he clouded it all again. I gazed at him,only realizing then that his cloak was gone. You will think I will notice it at first glance, considering how obvious and large it is. Any normal person would. Then again, I'm not normal.
I directed my attention to the stage, or at least I tried to. My body begged me to turn and keep staring wide-eyed at Adriel. It took so much willpower to resist the urge—so much so that I didn't even have any interest in the people in front of me.
There was a sudden applause, and I joined in with the others.
"It is far too boring to sell the estate to you for mere money." Adriel said, nonchalantly returning to the conversation like he had never left. I also decided to pretend that I wasn't ignored.
I glanced at my father before I replied. Thankfully,he was invested by a silver-headed lady who seemed to be flirting while narrating a story.
"It could be like a valuable exchange. You can have Mount Isabella if and only if you agree to sign full ownership of the estate and all surrounding areas to me."
"I must admit,that's a sweet offer. What if I don't fulfill my half of the deal, Kiara? What will be my punishment?"
"You wont. You are a man of honor." I said with a smile, "However, if you prove to be not of such,I will announce to everyone that you tried to persuade me into your bed, and when I begged you to reconsider and think rationally,you hit me. And then threatened to kill me."
I avoided his eyes as I reached out, and I took a sip from his glass. It tasted better at the thought that he drank from the cup.
"It's a perfect lie—the sudden interest in me,bringing me to a ball for no apparent reason." I let the strong alcohol dance around my mouth before swallowing it. I licked the remnants on my lips and continued,Idiots will busy themselves by putting so-called two and two together and instantly side with me. I can just imagine the head lines.The ruthless Adriel tried to sexually assault the helpless Hybrid. People will believe anything as long as it is followed by a face full of fright, tears, and fear—the illusion of fragility."
I lifted my eyes to meet him, and his curious, advertised stare caught mine. He wasn't the least bit phased by my words. It wasn't exactly the sort of threat I imagine he was used to, but still. I felt like I had wasted my efforts.
However, I did see an interest in glitter in those gray eyes. I am not sure what that implies in the situation, but his bubbling mischief under the expression cautioned me not to look deep into the matter.
I placed his glass back before him,feeling a sting of embarrassment. How pathetic did that sound? I had no edge over him at all. If he decided to breach the contract, that story might not exactly ruin him; he would get his honor and title back, and I would still not have the castle. That still barely makes a nice temporary solution, yet I spoke with so much pride as if, with a quick pause,I wasn't trading with just anything. I was trading with my father's favorite property. The Whitman Alpha will go to war if he must retrieve it.
I eased down a bit. I had nothing to fear; the night couldn't get weirder from here.
"So youre saying that if I do invite you to my bed,I should expect a stern no?" Even the way he asked made me doubt my own words.
"P--Pardon?"
"Your whole story is based on the fact that you rejected me." He said this, picking up the glass I placed in front of him a minute ago. He seemed to check it for where my lipstick touched and then placed it there to sip.
I stared, and he drank the wine as if he were drinking from heaven's cup.
"Does that hurt your ego?" I asked, trying to take the focus and heat off myself. "Is this the first time you realized you could be rejected?"
"Hell no,especially for a man of my history,its quite common in fact. Luckily, I enjoy the chase. Quanto maior venatio,tanto autores gemitus."
My eyes narrowed a bit, but no matter how much I squinted,the power to understand Latin would not be granted to me.
The look he gave me afterwards didn't ease my curiosity either. It seemed like he was deeply pondering something in his head,and in a flash, his gaze darkened and his pupils became withdrawn. He set the empty glass down and returned his dark expression to the stage, where another woman was playing the piano. His quick flip scared me and honestly hurt me a bit. I tried to focus on nothing but found myself stealing glances at him,and yet his glance had the same cold aura. And it wasn't pulling me in like before; it was repelling me, far away from him. I stared down at my hands, and for the first time since the night,I noticed that there were tiny black lines that formed roses in my gloves. But even the realization of such detailed beauty could really take my mind away from him. I glanced at him again. Same thing,but at least he was staring at whoever was on stage. I couldn't barely believe myself at his point. I was craving a mere look from a man who had taken me to one ball. This might be the reason I don't get courted. The final strokes on the keys sent applause sweeping through the air. That seemed to mess with my brain a little more as I got up from my seat and walked to the stage. I instantly felt his eyes pin on me—exactly what I wanted. I counted my steps to the podium to meet one of the siren princesses. I greeted her and quickly told her I wanted to play before the courage escaped me. Her electric blue eyes stared into mine sternly, and she quietly scribbled something down in her notebook.
"It's a bit late, but I will make a special exception and include your name with the other competitors."
I smiled as my heart jumped into my throat. I should pay more attention to such events,at least to know if it was a competition. I heard the murmurs and felt them cloud my thoughts. I counted to ten and walked to the piano. Yes, I know I count a lot. Bear with me.
I sat down and took a deep breath. The place was eerily silent. I had not seen a more judgmental crowd.
"I will be playing Claire de Lune by Debussy." I said,sounding more confident than I really was. ``Blindfolded," I added, and I satisfied myself with the whispers of doubts that would be disproved. With the help of Princess Teressa,I was blindfolded with a black handkerchief that belonged to someone unknown. That was the least of my worries. I steadied my trembling hands over the keyboard and started to play.
My fingers were in sheer harmony with the keys; hearing myself play did wonders for calming me, and as I predicted, I played magnificently.
I slowly removed the handkerchief as the silence became unbearable. The crowd began to clap in unison, and for a full eleven seconds,the applause roared up the ceiling. I smiled and bowed before getting down.
"That was beautiful." Teressa praised me as I walked past her.
"Thank you. My name is Kiara, by the way."
"I know," she said, walking away and throwing her ultimate attention to her book. It seemed like I was a popular name then.
I waved to my father at the far end of the hall, who was still slamming his hands together for me. The silver head from earlier was watching him with utter surprise, probably finding it hard to believe how unmannered my father could get when he was excited.
I went back to my table and couldn't resist a small smile when I saw Adriel's face. His left eyebrow was shot up, and his eyes were slightly impressed. There was the face of an annoying bastard who was making the evening fun. I missed those.
"Shall we discuss business?" I asked, knowing very well our tendencies, that we would not be discussing business.
"Was the performance meant to hasten the discussion?"
I sat down and poured myself a drink from the new bottle that had just arrived on the table. Maybe they served this while I was playing. Every table seemed to have one.
"The performance had nothing to do with the affairs of this table." I lied easily.
"Oh really?"
I took a sip from my glass and nodded.
"You are not as annoying as I thought." He said it casually, and I frowned a little.
"Neither are you." I returned, and a sly smirk crawled up the corner of his lips. I took a longer sip as uneasiness built up inside me. It wasn't because of his smile. It was mostly a slight discomfort. I felt a drumming in my chest and loud pangs in my head.
The uneasiness quickly turned to plain pain that heightened with every breath. God no. This reminded me of the times my body tried to shapeshift, but vampire genes refused to be silenced. According to the doctors, there was a severe internal war that could have led to my death. I cleared my throat and excused myself for the ladies room. The real panic hit me when I realized that I had somehow gotten paralyzed from the waist down.
"Kiara."Adriel called my name, but I couldn't answer. I gathered strength and got on my feet. My vision blurred as more voices called my name. A sharp pain hit me, and my eyes clouded in tears. Good Lord,I didn't even know when I began to cry. A few more wobbly steps, and my legs betrayed me. I fell, but I knew I did not hit the ground. I felt myself being caught. I didn't even have time to think about who it might be.
Everything turned pitch black, and I felt time stop all together.