"Finally done in here." Nemia called from her bedroom. She was standing near the middle of her room, her eyes fixated on the body length mirror in the corner of her room. Staring at herself. The dress was perfect and Julia had changed the blue of her shoes to the same emerald color of her dress. Her makeup was light and natural, only accentuating her natural beauty. Her long, curly red hair was forced into a more tamed, solid curl. Pinned half up, half down with a few curled tendrils strategically pulled down in the front to frame around her face. Julia had given her a hair ornament to hold the curled bun. A solid gold stem and jeweled emerald leaves with a gold chain connecting on either side, placed around the half up, curled bun.
Nemia turned at the small gasp coming from Julia that was now filling her doorway. Her hand was slightly covering her slightly gaping mouth before she blinked and let the shock subside. "You look absolutely gorgeous."
Nemia smiled softly and took in Julia's own finished appearance. "Thanks, but so do you." She replied, waving her hand to Julia to emphasize her dress.
Julia's pale green, free flowing corset bodiced dress fit her to a T. The dress has a short front that turned to a trail in the back to help show of the knee high tied ribbons from her shoes. Her blonde hair was flat ironed to be pin straight and her makeup was light and natural, much like Nemia's.
Julia smiled cheerfully for a moment and gave a quick twirl to show off. "Why thank you, I sure do try sometimes." She giggled semi jokingly. Though the giggles and smiles stopped soon enough when a knock sounded on the door. The two stared at each other for a moment, neither one of them wanting to answer. But after the third knock, Nemia sighed.
"I suppose that's for us.. maybe I can pay the driver to speed there?" Nemia suggested as the two made their way to the front door.
Julia snorted softly. "Do you really think a council members driver would do that?"
"Wishful thinking." Nemia bit back softly and gave a small laugh. Of course she knew it wouldn't be possible to coerce the driver. She just really didn't want to open that door. But, everyone does things they don't like to do and she's no stranger to having to do uncomfortable things. This reasoning in her had her hand reaching for the door and pulling it open.
The person on the other side was a younger gentleman in a tuxedo. Light blue eyes and short dark blonde, spiky hair. Nemia had seen him before with Donovan but has never met him. She immediately caught the scent he was a vampire however.
"Miss Bohdan, Mr. Donovan sent me to escort you and your friend here to the formal. He sends his apologies and said that he would be meeting you there instead." He turned to Julia then and bowed slightly. "Mr. Donovan also said you would need a date. My name is Mikael Kingsley, and you are?"
There was a hint of that same slime Nemia could hear in Donovan's sleazy voice, but Julia seemed transfixed on the man in a good way so she kept quiet.
"Julia Florence, pleasure to meet you." Julia responded with a bright smile. Extending her hand out to take his. Which he grabbed gently and brought it to his lips to kiss the back of her hand as if in an old courtship greeting. He inhaled her scent in this time and Nemia seen his eyes darken slightly.
"Fairy?" He breathed, his hand still entrapping Julia's near his mouth. Loosely though, as Julia immediately retracted her hand from his.
"Yes." She held her head up high but froze along with Mikael as a deep, low growl came not from, but through Nemia as her wolf let out a protective warning.
Mikael's eyes brightened back up and he cleared his throat. Taking a step back, he waved his hand to his side to usher them out of the apartment. "We should be getting to the formal." He wouldn't look at Julia or Nemia now, keeping his gaze cast down at their feet.
Julia and Nemia looked at each other for a moment, silently exchanging their own worries but both stepped out and made their way to the car with Mikael following on behind them until they got to the car where he would rush around them to open their doors. They only exchanged small pleasantries during the moment and stayed rather silent as they started off down the road heading to Bran Castle.
It didn't take to long till the car was pulling into the drive of Bran Castle and Nemia had her eyes glued to it. This was the first time she'd ever been this close to the castle, to the king. Even though she remained stoic on the surface, she couldn't deny the ball of nerves that had wormed their way to that pit in her stomach.
Nemia pulled her gaze from the window for a moment when the car had finally came to a stop. Giving Julia a quick, fleeting glance before her door was opened. When she turned she was met with Donovan's toothy grin, though Nemia noticed it was fake and just plastered on for show.
"Apologies for the sudden change in riding arrangements. As Mikael must've mentioned, something had came up and placed me here earlier than intended." Donovan bent his head lightly in his apology and held a hand out to aid Nemia in getting out of the car, though Nemia hadn't cared either way for an apology. She was rather thankful she didn't have to deal with him during the ride here. Donovan knew that too, but was conceited in himself in thinking he would ever be able to win her over in any way.
Nemia thinned her lips into a thin, forced smile. "Not a problem." She didn't take his offered hand and instead, brushed his hand away and got out on her own. Causing Donovan to be forced to take a few steps back. She looked back to see Mikael letting Julia out on the other side and then proceed to walk her around the car to meet with them before heading up the front steps. Mikael gave the hired valet the key to the car and then up they went.
Julia's hand was curled gracefully around Mikael's leading, bent arm. The two looked seemingly natural and proper. As for Donovan and Nemia on the other hand, though she kept professional, the two still exuded forced energy. There was nothing about the two of them being arm in arm natural.
It didn't help either when Donovan leaned his head over slightly and let his slimy mouth open. "You look absolutely..." He paused for dramatics. "Exquisite, Nemia. All for me? When did I become so lucky?"
Nemia shuddered involuntarily and snarled her nose as her eyes cut daggers up to him. She didn't give him the satisfaction of verbally responding to him and she didn't need to either at the audible gasp that came from Julia followed by her swatting at Donovan's shoulder with a look a disgust.
"Don't you dare say something to her like that again in my presence." Julia responded, getting Donovan's attention. She didn't sould threatening at all, her voice was too soft and gentle for idle threats. Not that she's defenseless either, her voice just isn't very commanding.
Donovan cocked a brow at Julia for a moment before a sleazy smile slithered onto his face. "As you wish." He stared at her for a moment longer and then turned his head back straight and didn't say another word.
Nemia leaned her head back to steal a glance at Julia before letting her gaze go back to Donovan's side profile for a moment as her brows knitted together. Her wolf shifted uncomfortably in her mind. Yeah, she found it suspicious too. A moment later, she swatted the suspicions away to look at the view of the main hall as they passed through the front doors finally.
My oh my was the inside just absolutely amazingly, beautifully wonderful. The marbled floors were glossed over to perfection in order to see ones own reflection in the floor alone. The walls were laid with a marbled white stone with all sorts of portraits nailed into them. A red rug was laid down the main hall and another was laid turning down into what she could only assume would be the ballroom as that was where everyone seemed to be congregating around. Some had already disappeared inside, others were idly standing by seemingly waiting on other party members.
As the group got closer and rounded the corner, the hall opened into one of the largest rooms Nemia had ever seen. Murals were painted on the white ceilings and large white columns came down evenly on both sides of the ballroom. The room was already filled with more people than she had ever seen at these gatherings before and people were still piling in. Some looked and sounded as if they had came from another country just to be here.
What if they had come from other countries? She looked around, now searching faces and creatures. She stopped on a creature for a moment, "Is... is that and actual centaur?" Before she could get an answer, her eyes landed on an elven lady laced in greens and gold, much like Nemia, but had a lizard-like winged creature wrapped around her shoulders. "Is that really a baby dragon?!" Her hand that had been nestled into Donovan's arm uncomfortably flexed in excitement, forgetting it was Donovan she was holding onto and not Julia.
Donovan glanced down at Nemia and gave her a genuine smile for once. "Yes and yes. People and creatures from all around the world comes to the decade formals simply to socialize with the king... and hope the king chooses one of them as his mate. Which is why you can only join the formals at 18." He snickered lightly and for a moment Nemia seen something more in Donovan other than just a sleazy vampire. Only a moment though.
"They come to hope he chooses one them as a mate? So he uses these parties to find a mate.... and obviously hasn't succeeded..." Nemia scoffed and shook her head. "He's a king, he needs to focus on that. Not in finding a mate. A mate would only get in the way of making proper judgments in his duties." She snarled, slightly disgusted. Seeing this formal now as a breeding pin for the king and ashamed in him even more and yet she still hasn't met him. "Let's add that to the list." She mumbled to herself. Thinking of everything she has to say about the king, to the king. If she could even call him a king...
Donovan relaxed his arm and dropped it enough to allow Nemia's hand to fall from it position and down to her side as he turned to look fully at her. "You act as if mates are pointless, useless. Our king has spent over a millennium searching for his mate. Are you trying to say that his search was and is pointless?"
This was the first time she'd ever seen Donovan show this much emotion at any given moment. He was enraged at her accusation as well as baffled and somewhat fearful. Though also still maintaining his arrogant ignorance.
Nemia sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I'm not saying it's all together pointless. I'm saying there is other things more important than finding a mate. Like escalating the situation with the rogues that has been destroying more and more packs. Or atleast sending extra men out to packs that could potentially be next. And that's just one of the many. There is crisis in the here and now with his people suffering, he should focus on helping his people rather than finding his mate. Especially considering it's been this long, if this party was going to bring in his mate it already would have atleast half a millennium ago."
Donovan opened his mouth to retort, but closed it before anything could escape. A forced smile appeared on his face and his eyes focused on something, or someone, behind her. Her brows furrowed as she turned to see what he was looking at.
Mikael's recognizable face instantly appeared in her field of view as he came strolling in through the opened double doors to the ballroom. Arm in arm with Ms. Delano. His suit a plain black with a red tye to match the ruby red dress laced with black that Alex was wearing in essentially the same, Victorian ball gown style as Nemia's.
Nemia put on a friendly smile as the two casually strolled directly to them. Though Mikael's eyes were trained solely on Donovan in an unsettling way. He was seething, but looked extraordinarily calm. Alex's eyes were flickering between Donovan and Nemia's.
Before they had even come to a stop, Mikael was barking at Donovan. "You. Front office. Dorian needs another quick meeting." He was speaking low and through gritted teeth.
Donovan momentarily froze and turned even paler than Nemia thought possible. Then, as if snapping out of it, Donovan gave a stiff nod and shot out of the ballroom without so much as another glance.
Nemia's eyes caught Mikael's then as he slowly trained his onto her, still seething and was working a tick in his jaw. "I would like to mention firstly that you did see Malcolm last night. Shortly after you left the bar last night I got a call from one of our guard towers saying another tower had been abandoned. After finding the ones who left their posts, they ratted out Donovan in saying he paid them each a substantial amount to abandon their positions. Malcolm slipped in shortly after and is at large in the city as well as Veera still is. There's reason to believe this is no coincidence." His hands flexed as he spoke, his eyes unwaivering from Nemia's.
This time it was Nemia's turn to freeze. She was speechless for a good, long moment as she steadily tried to work down the lump that instantly formed in her throat at hearing the information. Then, a unfamiliar euphoric relief washed through her at the thought of being so close to revenge. "Whatever you find out, I need to know. No matter how small the detail. I want that bastard brought to justice."
Mikael did nothing but give her a stiff nod in agreement, but still didn't relax much. "Now that that's out of the way. Who the hell do you think you are to judge YOUR king in his pursuit of finding his mate?"
Ah, there it is. He had overheard her previous rant and wasn't thrilled. Nemia couldn't help but roll her eyes at his question and started to shake her head. "There was no judgment, just blatant facts. If that sounded judgy, then you know it's true. He should be there for his people. Not off chasing a fantasy gift from the gods. The chances of people finding their given mates are slim to none, even if you can live forever."
There was reasoning in her tone and she could tell that it was working on Mikael. His eyes softened slightly. "Dorian only wants to sit his mate on the throne next to him and has lived a life of partial solitude and complete celibacy in hopes that one day, at one of these formals, his mate will walk through those doors. Every other day of his many, many years he does nothing but help his people in any way he can."
Nemia shook her head again and sighed. "How can he hold his mate on such a high pedestal without even knowing who she is? As far as him helping his people, please show me where he helps because not once have I ever seen him on the front lines or out in desolated camps picking up and burying our dead?"
Mikael blinked. His brows coming together to display their pained confusion. "He... I..." He stopped trying to find the words and sighed heavily, gathering himself. "We shouldn't be discussing this. This is encroaching on his privacy."
Nemia scoffed. "A true king has no privacy." She took a deep breath then, about to go on another rant but as the air filled her nasal cavities she froze. Stopped breathing altogether for a moment. That scent. Earthy, masculine with a hint of honey. God's she could bathe in the scent, just bottle it up. Her wolf started to rouse inside her. Grunting and panting. Then, the rough wolfish sound of her wolfs thoughts crossed through her mind as her eyes snapped to the source of the scent. 'Mate. Mine.'
The man was in a well tailored suit, though the sleeve were undone and rolled up, revealing the tanned skin of his veiny, muscular forearms. Her heart puttered as her eyes trailed up to meet the mystery man's gaze. Piercing blue eyes that electrified her senses was staring at her with such intensity. The charge between the two could have been cut with a knife. She let her eyes drift to take in his other facial features. The strong nose that gave her eyes a pathway down to his bold, thick lips. Those lips were surrounded with the dust of a five o'clock shadow the stopped a small ways past his prominent jawline. Gods he was stunning. But....
'Claim him.' Her wolfs thoughts crossed her own mind. She back pedaled on her feet then, her head starting to shake from side to side. "No." She groaned then grunted as she stepped back into Julia. Who immediately was putting a hand on her shoulder as her voice rang out.
"Nemia, honey. What's wrong?"
Nemia heard the concern in Julia's voice but couldn't produce any other sound but "No." Freezing yet again as the strong pull of the mate bond wanting so badly to make its connection. Her body was on fire and leaving her lightly panting. She couldn't seem to tear her gaze from the unknown male and she could see a look of pain etched into his expression. He still hadn't moved a muscle since they've locked eyes.
Though after a moment, Nemia noticed the pindrop silence that had fell across the room. Only noticing the silence by the sudden intrusion of a barking laughter that Mikael suddenly erupted with. "Of course it is." He managed through breaks of laughter.
Nemia's brows furrowed and was finally able to look away from the man to turn her confused gaze to Mikael. "Excuse me?" Gods, that sounded more hoarse than she would have like in the given moment.
Mikael's eyes were twinkling with humor, though he sobered his laugh and instead of responding to her he directed himself to the other man. "Well, are we going to give a formal introduction to your newly found mate, Dorian." His eyes moved back to Nemia's as Mikael said Dorian's name.
Nemia's head snapped back to the man. The king. Her king, her... Mate... "Dorian..." She barely whispered the name and just as soon as she did, he finally moved. Covering the short distance between them in just a few long strides. There was still pain in his eyes, but also hope and excitement had started to shine. His lips twitching to stop from giving, what she could only imagine being, the cheesiest grin possible.
But the closer he was, the stronger the pull. She felt like she was drowning inside herself as all the strong, unexplored emotions started flooding her senses. Not to mention the mental struggle she was undergoing, trying to keep her wolf at bay that was fighting for control. She already felt like she was losing control, spiraling.
The crowd closely around them all gasped simultaneously at the suddenness of Dorian's mate. Each one inching closer, trying to get a closer look at her. The murmurs started and the ballroom erupted with more gasps and awes as well as some more negative comments of "Why her?" or "I would have been better."
Dorian's eyes flashed with a quick anger and a deep rumble vibrated the floor as Dorian growled. "Silence!" Commanding the large room to quiet their snickers, his eyes unwaivering from Nemia's. There was fear in them now. His hand reached out for Nemia's though she drew herself back and crossed her arms over her chest. His hand dropped sadly back to his side. "Dorian, Dorian Volkov." He bowed at his waist slightly, greeting Nemia somewhat formally aside from him excluding his title of power.
Nemia barely even nodded her head, she was stiff with trying to remain in control. She didn't like this feeling, it was too intense. Being overwhelmed with such emotion only added to the earlier conversation of being mated. Then, a switch seemed to flip inside of her. She won the current struggle for power and felt her wolf subside. She straightened her back and lifted her head, a blanket voided of emotion slipped across her face. "Nemia Bohdan at your service, my king."
Dorian shook his head slightly. "Please, just call me Dorian." A simple plea, but one she would have to refuse.
She couldn't call Dorian by his name, not when she planned to reject him. 'Reject?' The wolf whimpered. 'Yes, reject. But not here.'
Nemia didn't address his plea verbally, only nodded slightly and gave a small, empty smile. "I uhm... think we need a..." She made a show of glancing around at all the people hovering around them. "... a bit more privacy to discuss this."
Confusion flashed across Dorian's eyes for just a moment. "Why? We are mates, what else is there to discuss? Or..." Realization struck and his eyes widened slightly with panic. His head started to shake. "No."
"Privacy." She quipped back at him.
He gave an exasperated look and then looked around the room. A moment later, he hung his head lowly. "Follow me." He mumbled defeatedly as he turned on his heels and motioned her with a hand to follow him and she did just that.
Everyone was staring and she could feel her skin heating again, this time out of embarrassment. She scoffed at herself in her mind. Why would fate make such a cruel joke and give the king her as a mate? He may not see it like she does, but she is doing him a favor by rejecting this before it has a chance to develop even more.
Soon enough and with an uncomfortable silence, the pair of them had made their way to an office in the west wing of the castle. Far from the ballroom. Dorian's main office, since Donovan was left behind in the office near the ballroom.
He opened the door and guided her inside before walking in himself. He turned and started to shut the office door behind him, but stopped mid-reach. He glanced over his shoulder at Nemia before dropping his hand back to his side and walked away from the open door.
Nemia stood in the center of the office, staring blankly around. Taking in the papers scattered across the desk. The expensive leather that wrapped the desk chair matched the same leather on the small couch that was flush against the wall next to the doorway. The wall directly to her left was made completely into a bookshelf that was filled to the brim all the way across. The bookshelf wall was enough to draw Nemia in and she found herself walking down the length of it, her fingertips grazing over a few of the well worn spines.
"Do you like literature?"
Nemia turned slightly, glancing over to Dorian who was leaning against his desk, arms crossed as he just watched her. She knew that, while he was asking a legitimate question to get to know a small bit about her, the question was just a way to prolong the inevitable. But she decided she'd play along for a moment. She couldn't help that she wanted to prolong this just as much as him, though she'd deny it in a heartbeat if asked.
She gave a small smile, one that wouldn't reach her eyes as she nodded her head. "I do, though I don't get much time to enjoy it. By this.." She motioned to the wall of books. ".. I would assume you like it as well... Do you have a favorite?"
Dorian though for a moment, scratching his chin lightly. "I'd say my favorite is 'The Adventures in Immediate Irreality' by..."
"Max Blecher." Nemia finished with a bit more of a smile. "He definitely was a great author. But why that specific book?" She asked curiously, tipping her head to the side slightly causing some of her red curls to fall down over her shoulder.
Dorian's eyes trailed the path her hair had created and flexed his fingers. Struggling with himself to not reach out and snatch a lock of her hair between his fingers to see if it was just as soft as it looked. Instead, he just smiled and answered. "Too many authors nowadays paint everything in black and white, good and evil. Even in their own biographies. Blecher didn't do that, he portrayed the realism in everything he was going through. Every change that happened mentally or physically in his downfall. He gave the world his truth and all the colors that entailed, not just a bland half truth. That's why him and that book specifically."
"That's..." She blinked. "Exactly my same thoughts on the matter." Cruel, that's what fate was being.
Dorian's eyes sparked with a twinkle of hope. "Have we just found out first common ground?"
The smile fell from Nemia's lips immediately and she withdrew I side herself. Putting on that blanket of impenetrable strength, she lifted her chin defiantly. "No. We found a mutual interest. Which can be found between any two people..." She took in a deep breath, readying herself to initiate the rejection but Dorian cut her off before she could even begin.
"Nemia, please... Don't do this, you don't have to.... I.. I overheard the tail end of your conversation with Mikael. You were right, I have been overly focused on wanting to find my mate. To find you. I haven't been doing everything I can to help my people because of that as well. I haven't been on the battlefield, standing along beside my people at the front lines in over 200 years. I am ashamed of that, I truly am."
He paused for a moment to breath and Nemia took the moment. "So you agree you've not been the king your people needs because of your selfish need for finding a mate. Dorian, your people has NEEDED YOU for years. Your people has died time and time again for you and you reward them with selfishness. They need a king, not a lovesick puppy." She spit the last statement out a bit more venom then intended and instantly felt a pang of pain in her chest as she watched his face fall into a look of pain. Pain that she caused.
Dorian lowered his head slightly and cast his gaze down to her feet. "Your right..." He murmured hoarsely. Before long though, his gaze was sliding back up to meet hers with conviction help firmly in his eyes. "And that's why you can't reject me. I need you, you will be the queen our people needs."
Nemia opened her mouth only to close it again as no words were coherently forming inside her brain. A moment passed and then another as she just stared at him with widened eyes and he took that as a, please do continue.
"Atleast give it a thought. Better yet, I'll give you an ultimatum. Give me one month, a chance for us to get to know one another. I'll become more involved with the people and send aid to everyone who needs it first thing in the morning. Just one month. If you still feel like you should reject the bond at the end then I will regretfully accept the rejection. But at least give it a chance, give us a chance. I've waited for you for over a millennium, what's another month?"
Nemia blinked and Dorian breathed in deeply, awaiting her answer. After a long moment, Nemia opened her mouth. The evidence of her answer on her tongue. But instead of her answer reaching Dorian's ears, another much more sinister noise reached them and the ground shook under their feet. The echo of an explosion rattled the walls and a few books shook loose and fell to the ground.
A deafening silence fell into place before screams started to erupt from the opposite end of the wing of the castle. Nemia's eyes snapped to the open door of the office then back to Dorian, fear flashed through her eyes. "Julia." She mumbled and then she was racing out of the office with Dorian right behind her...