Twelve Years Earlier.
The palms of my hands won't stop sweating any matter the numerous times I've brushed them against my hips. And this dress, it's eating me alive. Why in the hell did I agree to do this again?
"Will you quit fidgeting and just relax?"
It takes physical effort not to roll my eyes and kick him where he stands, though I'm sure he'd enjoy that. "You're not the one wearing a corset. I can barely breathe in this thing let alone stand still."
Raj entwines his left arm with my right, but keeps his eyes ahead of him looking over the crowd of people gathered at the entrance, "It's just for a few hours. You'll live."
"It feels like an eternity already, " I mutter.
It's difficult to see his eyes under the mask and standing outside in the dark doesn't help, so I can't exactly tell where he's looking overhead. Luckily the crowd starts to loosen as people began shuffling into the mansion. My stomach tightens, and I feel as If I'm about to throw up. Before I get the chance, Raj pulls me alongside him, with all smiles of course, and leads me inside. Regret sinks deeper than a vampire's fangs into human flesh and grips at my throat far worse. What have I gotten myself into? Well, it's too late to turn back now.
I swallow every gut-wrenching feeling down and put on a pleasant smile instead.
Inside the mansion, I eye the lavish decor and numerous chandeliers hanging from a beige marble ceiling before even thinking about staying in character. I quickly shift away and straighten myself up while walking alongside Raj who had no problem at displaying a different person.
In my mind, I recall his words precisely. You are Lady Amelia Darling Harpwell, a bitten vampire, married to the Lord Gaston Ross Harpwell the third, a half-vampire, born of pure blood and a human father. Your husband is close friends with King Henry William Snare as well as the pureblood King, Parmis Kejnash. You are most close with Caroline Jaine Snare for she knew your mother Diana well. You and your husband live a little further southeast in your city of Balin with humans as well as other vampires.
I pause at a sudden thought. Oh, and you have three sisters and a brother you don't talk to because of their allegiance with the Red Kingdom. No, forget that. It sounds too suspicious. I might as well have been an only child. God, it's hotter than hell in here.
Raj leads the way, gently pushing through the crowd of masked figures wearing beautiful yet frightening costumes. A lot of the Duke's guests have on masks that cover only half of their face, but just like myself, I catch glimpses of people with masks hiding their faces completely. They look like dolls stuck in the same expression, and I look just like them. I look ridiculous.
One woman, with wavy auburn hair that ran past her waistline, is wearing a purple dress stitched together with golden silk thread. There are also flowered patterns stitched into the dress by the same thread. Her full breasts, I will admit, catch my eye mostly for the fact they are nearly moments from popping out of her chest, but I don't think she minded the attention one bit. A group of men dressed in black with goblin-like masks surrounded her, all with lustful movements. A golden cat mask covers her eyes. Her sable cheeks flushed red, and her lips an even darker shade. A pair of fangs greet me as her lips part into a devilish smile, and then her eyes find mine.
Instead of immediately tearing my eyes away from the sight of her, I let myself linger under her gaze, lost in her long black lashes and fiery eyes. I stare at her lecherously to blend in with the crowd. Then with one wink, I turn my attention back to Raj who had brought me a glass of red liquid other than blood. It's a wine glass if I had to guess, and an expensive one to the Duke's liking but whatever it is that's red inside it, he didn't pour me that much.
"Here," he offers me the glass while holding one of his own and I take it without pausing. "It's called vipers kiss, so don't get too tipsy on me."
I smirk and run a finger along the top of the glass's rim while asking, "I assume vampires aren't very fond of human booze? Isn't vampire alcohol dangerous for humans to consume?"
He gulps down half of his drink before leaning down to whisper something in my ear, "Not if you drink a small amount. Gotta act the part, dear."
"Hmm." I gently remove my finger to look down at the glass then up at Raj with a fake smile. "Cheers, then," I say before drinking half of my serving and handing him back the glass.
For the first half-hour, we danced over the marble tiles with everyone else until Raj decided to chat with some of the nobles and lords that had also attended the Duke's Masquerade Ball. Standing at the edge of the ballroom, I grab a few jumbo shrimp along with a stick of crab meat and take a small bite from both as I listened to Raj and four tall men laugh. Hearing them talk filth about my people nearly sent me into a rage, but I held my tongue. I can't lose my shit now, not here. So I continued acting as the Lady Raj had shaped me into for tonight and endured the next hour until it was close to midnight.
When the Duke finally makes his presence known, I move into position. The Duke walks with Grace, his Mistress, through the two tall doors connecting the ballroom to the rest of the mansion. He's dressed in an all-black suit with a crow mask covering his face while his mistress is dressed in all white, matching her pale completion. I grimace at how thin she's become since I last saw her. I clench my jaw, biting the side of my cheek hard enough to taste blood, but stop when I notice I had crossed my arms over my chest. I had dug my nails into the sides of my arms while trying to control the rage festering inside of me. It wasn't enough to draw blood, but I immediately set my arms to my sides and took a deep breath to steady myself. I can't let the past control me.
Taking another deep breath, I focus on the task at hand.
Accompanying the Duke and Grace are several large men dressed in the traditional uniform of the Vampire King, but with some modifications to blend in with the Masquerade party, I assume. They are most likely the Duke's personal guards. His appearance brought on a lot of attention making him the perfect distraction.
Stepping away from a couple dressed as jesters, Raj made his way back to me. I had conversed with multiple women moments before the Duke had arrived, mostly hearing gossip about the Duke's son who hadn't made an appearance yet. Funny what a simple spell can do to fool even the most powerful vampires.
"Are we having fun yet?" Raj asks while reaching over my shoulder and picking a grape from the fruit bouquet.
I pluck the grape from his fingers to eat and answer, "Oh yes, I'm having a glorious time my Lord. I could drink a man dry right now; I'm so darn thrilled."
He smirks and leans in close to my ear, "Sarcasm my Lady. Nobody likes a bitch with a sharp tongue. Now, the Duke has settled in the drawing-room with a few of his important guests."
I step back from him with a slight nod, "Yes, well I'm sure you're eager to talk with him."
"I am."
His eyes linger on mine as we exchange a secret message of understanding. I break away first and walk past him, but not without lifting my mask and kissing the side of his cheek. "Pardon me, my love, while I go freshen up."
I pause for his reply. He smiles charmingly as always while a finger of his runs down my jawline, "Be back before the speech, dear. You wouldn't want to keep me waiting."
"As you wish." Finally, you don't need to tell me twice.
Settling my mask back into its place, I escort myself out of the ballroom from the west side. I push open a door that leads to a long corridor lit by gold engraved torches. Along the left side are high windows that could tower over a man as if he were a halfling and the glass a giant. Through the window, I could see the darkness of night that felt eternal, like I was staring into the void. The moon had left us tonight, but its darkness doesn't bring me any cover. If any of the Duke's men are outside, I won't be able to see them, but they will surely notice me. I sure hope this 'friend of Raj' has a hell of a good distraction for the guards outside.
And just as I suspected, a single man clothed in the same traditional uniform as the men from inside the ballroom steps inside from at the end of the corridor. Within moments he's standing right in front of me. I can tell his eyes are showing something more than the stern expression in his features. Blood lust is a powerful feeling that still unsettles me, but luckily I'm wearing a mask.
"You aren't permitted to leave the ballroom, miss. I'll have to escort you back." Only a naive girl would fall for a man with such a rough voice and handsome face, and yet I find myself aching to shove a stake through his chest. If only I had the guts to do so, that is. I pretend, for the moment, I'm actually speaking with another human being just to calm my pulsing heart.
Gently raising my mask, I move closer and smile, "Actually I was hoping to find some generous gentleman who could show me where the closest restroom is." I let my fingers trace up the man's uniform before falling across his muscular shoulders. "You wouldn't mind escorting me there and bringing me back to the ballroom after, now would you?" My eyes flutter up to meet his red cores, and I bite my lip as any naive girl would do. At least pretending to be attracted to this man would convince him as to why my heart wanted to burst out of my chest. As I wait for an answer, I step even closer to him and put my hand on his arm, softly stroking it. His breath hitches at my sudden closeness and touch. I can even feel the tension in his arm before he pulls away awkwardly. Now that makes me grin.
Clearing his throat, the man nods, "Very well. Follow me if you would please."
Right when he starts turning to walk, I entwine my arm with his making him even more uncomfortable. "You're quite friendly for a guard."
His brow raises, "I-um...Thank you, miss."
"Call me Amelia."
~{🌗}~ Present Day.
Kate bounces into the thicket and turns her head, "Well, aren't you coming?" The gleam in her eyes reminds Ethan of an innocent child wishing to play. She even smiles, yet the sight of her teeth only brings shivers down his backside.
Not knowing what else to do, Ethan swallows and began following her slowly. Then, without warning, she takes off running. Kate shot as fast as a stag on rut through the woods and because of his limp, Ethan struggles to keep up with her. He tries to call out to her name, telling her to wait but he only barks. Still, she keeps on running further and further ahead until Ethan loses sight of her grey pelt. The woodland chatters seem to amplify all around him as he slows to a stop, and looks around. A loud clicking passes overhead momentarily distracting the brown wolf from all the noise.
"Kate!" Ethan calls out after taking in steady breaths. When he doesn't get a response, Ethan continues to travel in the direction of where the shewolf was running. The dense thicket soon became lesser as Ethan enters into a grove, displaying unusual trees with twisting trunks and crooked branches. Their leaves glimmer with golden orange hues lit from the radiant sun. Beams of light are dispersed everywhere mixing with the few shadows. Ethan's eyes stare in awe at the heavenly spectacle before him. Its beauty is beyond captivating.
Ethan jumps, startled by the sound of bitter snorting. A small group of deer with spotted pelts are all staring at him with keen eyes. Their ears flicker and or rotate back while the remaining portions of their body remain as still as the trees around them. What the Huntsman finds strange is that all seven deer held wide and thick, flat antlers that branched out from the opposing ends of their skulls. It's not unusual for a few bucks to band together, but he doesn't know what to make of this gathering. He passes by them carefully with his eyes never parting ways.
"You are very slow for a wolf," says a giggly voice at the end of the grove.
Ethan looks at the she-wolf with narrowing eyes and gradually replies, "You run too fast."
If a wolf could smile like a man, Kate was doing an excellent display. Creepy, he reckons.
"We are nearly there."