My brother raised his glass, a forced grin on his face, and the other vampires followed suit, lifting theirs in unison.
He looked dapper in his Romanian outfit, the spitting image of our father, he could've easily passed for him.
"Tell us, Darcia" a female vampire spoke, lightening the conversation. "How hard must it be to have an entire human staff serve your family without any of you feeding on them?"
My mother smiled and replied "Self-control, Layla, honed over quite several years"
"I don't see the point though" she muttered, raising a glass of wine to her lips "Why not have vampires work for you instead of humans?"
"Hiring humans helps us blend in with the neighborhood. Too many vampires would raise suspicions we can't afford." My mother replied.
Before the female vampire could speak any further, Flavius interrupted.
"As we all know, our Alesul shall need a woman by his side when the time has come for him to take up his duty… which I trust will be soon" he paused to fix me a hard stare, before continuing "And I believe my daughter, Elizabeta, is the perfect candidate" He announced proudly, then proceeded to drink from his wine glass. "She would do well to serve you, Chosen One"
I rolled my eyes in frustration and it was at that moment Dawn entered to refill the glasses of everyone.
I grimaced, fixing my attention on Flavius. "I'm going to have to decline that offer, sir"
Expecting quite a positive response and getting the exact opposite, he almost choked on his wine.
"But why? She's quite the gem, Alesul. Not only is she intelligent, but wise beyond her years" he bragged "Her skill on the harp is mind-blowing and that's not all. She possesses lots of hidden talents yet to be discovered. I assure you, your marriage will be enjoyable. A blessed union it shall be"
He stared at his daughter "Rise, Elizabeta, rise, reveal your beauty to him. Approach him," he urged.
The girl eagerly complied, offering me a practiced, radiant smile as she made her way to my side of the table, where Azrael willingly vacated his seat so she could sit beside me.
I shot my brother a steely glance, exhaling in exasperation. This was why I hated grand dinners.
Meanwhile, Dawn was staring at Elizabeta as she refilled another elder's wine glass, her gaze drifted to mine but she looked away quickly and moved on to the next person.
"Flavius" I spoke. "The last thing on my mind now is taking a wife" I turned to his daughter "No offense"
She batted a coquettish lash "None taken, Alesul"
Elizabeta's father was insistent "Is this still because of the girl? Cea care te-a făcut să dormi timp de secole? (The one that caused you to slumber for over a century?) What was her name again?"
I stilled in my chair and Flavius glanced at my mother. "Remind me again, Darcia, what was the name of the young gal he was so taken with back then?"
"Rose" she answered reluctantly, stealing a glance at me.
"Ah, yes. Rose" his eyes met mine "Is it because of her? She's been dead for a long time, Alesul. It's high time you moved on and Elizabeta here will help you. Right, Elizabeta?"
"Right, Father"
I squeezed my wine glass tightly, my fingertips exerting a pressure that threatened to shatter the glass.
As I opened my mouth to speak, Elizabeta placed a hand over my thigh and leaned in close, whispering seductively into my ear.
"Why don't we leave these people to discuss whatever business they came here for while we busy ourselves with something far more... pleasurable?"
The tip of her tongue stretched out to lick the outer part of my ear.
I fought the urge to reach for her head and brutally snap in the other direction, but as I struggled to tame my festering rage in order not to ruin the dinner for my mother, I instead, removed her hand from my thigh and replied sternly "My answer's still no"
The smile on Elizabeta's face withered, and with a very distinct, displeased frown, she turned away from me and started to pick at her food.
"Aren't you a pretty one? Tell me, what is your name?"
"Dawn, sir"
I frowned as I watched Variel, leader of the Árpád clan press a light kiss to the back of her hand.
For some unknown reason, I wanted to drive my hand through the leader's chest and rip out his heart, but again, it would ruin the evening for my mother.
I didn't understand why I was suddenly feeling protective of Dawn.
It annoyed me. It confused me.
She was blushing at the compliments he whispered to her and I found myself growing more and more infuriated as the seconds ticked by.
My patience waned, and my anger bubbled to the surface. "Dawn" I snapped, directing a command at her "I'd like a refill now"
The harshness of my tone broke whatever spell was going on between her and Variel that he was forced to leave her hand and make her come rushing to my side, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, Lord Dragos"
As she filled my wine glass, refusing to look at me, I kept my eyes trained on her, watching her every move.
I didn't know why she refused to meet my eyes, but it didn't stop me from looking away.
The vampires continued their banter, but I was uninterested. One of them was telling a joke, "...and I said to him, 'Oh, come on now, Teo, must you suck the humor out of the situation?'"
The others erupted into laughter, but I remained stoic, finding no humor in it. Instead, my gaze followed Dawn as she moved around, filling other empty wine glasses.
As soon as she finished, she excused herself and left the room.
For some stupid reason I couldn't quite put my finger on, I felt the urge to go after her, to abandon this damn table and just follow her, even though I had no reason to.
It was strange and unsettling, to feel this way, but I couldn't shake it off.
Traianus leaned back into his chair, staring at me "Surely, we should address the elephant in the room, should we not?" He asked, glancing around. "Or is everyone going to pretend like it isn't a pressing issue that demands our attention?" his gaze led back to mine "You've been awake for a year now, Alesul. When do you intend on taking action?"
"I'll act when I see fit," I replied, my eyes locked on his until he finally looked away.
He grew agitated. "Haven't you wasted enough time?" He snapped. "How long do you intend to stall?"
I frowned at his tone, crossing my arms. "Perhaps you'd prefer to bear the title of Alesul. Perhaps you'd like to shoulder the responsibility..."
Before I could finish, Traianus slammed his fist on the table, causing the rattling of dishes and cutlery. Everyone at the table gasped silently at the outburst.
"You know it doesn't work that way!" Traianus yelled "You know if it did, I would have. He would have…" he pointed to Azrael. "What are you waiting for?"
I remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a low, controlled voice, anger simmering beneath the surface. "I think you've forgotten to fear me, Traianus. Remember your place," I warned through clenched teeth.
The second-in-command fumed but relaxed into his seat.
"Let's not get all riled up now, shall we?" Azrael spoke up "We came here to feast, not fight. How about a supply of blood bags to calm our raging nerves? Most of us here after all journeyed from covens far and wide for this gathering."
"I don't want blood bags, I want the girl," Variel said. "Give her to me"
"You're going to have to be more specific, sir. We have quite several female staff working here" Azrael answered.
"The serving girl with the red hair" he responded, a smirk on his face "Smells vibrant and looks delicious. Give her to me"
Azrael looked at me from across the table, a mischievous smile playing on his face.
I saw my mother grow uncomfortable. She stole a glance at me, as I was on the brink of losing my composure.
"The girl is off-limits," I said coldly, and every pair of eyes in the room assessed me.
The leader looked surprised "Why?"
I smiled caustically, my eyes hinting at my barred rage. "If you wish to keep your head, Variel, you won't question me any further"
Some vampires started to murmur in reproach.
Azrael laughed nervously "I must apologize for my brother's..." He glared at me "...petulance. The girl serves directly under him, hence, the reluctance in letting her go" he fibbed.
"I see" Variel nodded in acquiescence "Then it is in my place to apologize" he bowed his head slightly, his right hand on his chest. "Please accept my apologies, Alesul. I had no knowledge she was your pet"
I gave no response, but simply just glared at him.
As the evening wore on, and with only a few hours left until dawn, the vampires knew it was time to bring their gathering to an end. They bid each other farewells, looking forward to the next feast, and then went their separate ways, vanishing into their respective vehicles.