Chapter 14
CHRISTOPHER SEPHTIS
A day prior. . .
R aphael was the first one to enter the library, his presence a soft brush within the dense air, adding the slightest shift that may go unnoticed if not focused on. Had his presence always harbored such sheerness?
Deep auburn eyes stumbled on me, his body suddenly freezing then instantly bowing, each motion faster than the last. Round lips parted but ultimately shut and stretched into a fine line as he stepped toward the spiral staircase that met the ceiling. His inclusion was one I failed to grasp. Raphael was the puppet in our schemes who lived in the shadows, called upon only when necessary. This was no place for him. Why had Alek dragged him to this?
Realization twisted in my abdomen. The answer was in the very role we enacted on him.
Alek entered the library shortly after with a crisp white button down, in which matched Raphael’s paling skin. The two shared unspoken words as Alek rested his hand on Raphael’s shoulders and lightly squeezed. When Mr. Amelle and Ms. Eli settled into the room, his attention fell on all of us.
I had agreed to Alek’s request to meet before the Christmas Ball due to its impending arrival. With less than twenty-four hours, each minute ticked away further from our grasp.
“The plan will go as such. . .
Katerina and Tristan will retrieve the notebook. During the Ball, Raphael will keep a close eye on Kaleb to ensure that he does no heinous acts. Christopher will also be monitoring Noah and the twins.”
His voice was the same, yet, there, in the depths of his words, echoed a resilience I never heard before as he filtered through our roles and designations.
“I will be focusing on the main entrance of the ballroom for Mr. Amelle’s and Ms. Eli’s secure arrival. If one doesn’t arrive, it will represent the failed attempt at obtaining the notebook.”
Kaleb had gone against my commands after his insignificant and senseless scheme, stomping on my cemented authority. Yet, his assertion and manipulation of Alek was accomplished by my failed observance. He possessed the ability to implement a new scheme—one as an act of revenge to Ms. Eli who’d shattered his inflated sensitive ego on her first day when all in our society treaded carefully—due to my negligence.
Alek’s newfound role—a role I never thought him to be the right fit for—possessed enough stability to rescind the authority of Noah, Kaleb, and I.
The three of us have continuously thrown Alek into the pits of hell. In turn, Kaleb’s demands and ego amplified, the unbecoming of him too large to control, too grand for me to cease as he harbored the notebook that could tear the Ministry and Bureau alike.
Another matter I had failed to acknowledge.
I’d known of its existence. Kaleb had a habit throughout the years of baiting it, particularly before Noah within our private interactions, but never did I think it would become what it was now.
Pages on pages of entries with tracked affairs, schemes, and underhand deals. A notebook harboring not just any leverage, but an upper hand no one else could conceptualize. In the wrong hands, it would lead to destruction.
By tomorrow night, it had to collapse and the notebook had to fall in the rightful hands.
A sense of pride surged when Alek cleared his throat. “Is anyone worried about their role?”
The formulated plan was meant to calm the torment that haunted my mind, but it did nothing as the crushing weight of what has occurred and what is to come burdened my shoulders. The leather-bounded literature was a feather in my hold as the pressure within the library intensified.
Synchronously, Ms. Eli, Mr. Amelle, Raphael, and I shook our heads.
Mr. Amelle straightened his shoulders. “Then Katerina and I will leave to discuss some protocols for the night.” The two bowed and disappeared into the outer hallway until footsteps ceased.
“Raphael, excuse us for a moment. I must speak with Alek.”
Raphael’s gaze traveled to Alek’s, the two sharing more unspoken words. Alek nodded, and he left after bowing at me. I instinctively removed my glasses and twisted the legs apart and closed them together, forming the key to my study.
Alek trailed behind me with careful steps. Distance was placed between us as I stepped away from the beaming light pouring through the main alcove and into the nearest bookshelf. When Alek paused amid the space, I tugged inside my trouser pocket, retrieving papers and unfolding each one. I laid them on the light blue cushion against the bench before us, coordinating the four of them by oldest to earliest discovery. The newest one was closest to me.
Alek drew near, his presence flaring.
“I discovered it during my early reading sessions.”
He studied them with an attentive, trembling gaze. “Where did you find this?”
“In my study,” I said as I peered at our surroundings. This room bore a singular entrance. Besides the three windows which plastered the bordering walls, each one was bolted shut. How could one enter if there were no signs of breaking? Furthermore, the entrance was obscure to the common eye.
“You didn’t see who left it?”
I shook my head. “I visited Mother’s grave right before my session.”
It was something that had sprung out of the blue, a visitation that I hadn’t planned. My body, on the other hand, had instinctively taken me to her after Lorenzo’s confession.
My words echoed in my chest into a hollow cave.
Why would you curse me with such a phrase that now imposes itself on the man I love? With this, he will meet the same fate as you. I cannot bear that.
Alek’s voice pitched as he asked, “You visited Mother’s grave?”
Lorenzo’s face appeared in mind, his body covered in mist as the memory of his visitation to his mother’s grave reemerged. It had haunted me the closer our mother’s death anniversary drew, instilling a desire that had always existed, yet had never tightened around my throat.
“I may harbor my own faults, but I never forgot her. But this will be a matter to discuss some other time, Alek.”
His shoulders lowered as his head turned to the notes.
“What are we trying to uncover?”
“A hint. In a span of weeks and right before a grand event, we’ve obtained four different sets of notes—all of which must pertain to each other.”
The recent note unveiled itself when I had escaped my chamber in the late hours of the night, when the depths of darkness cascaded upon me and tugged at the words I implored my mind to neglect. The gruff voice reverberated in my bones.
I love you.
More dire matters pressed before me. Despite such, those three words held power. They stirred all sorts of sensations within me, ones I couldn’t think clearly with.
“How?”
I attempted to bury the feelings far from reach. They persisted as a thrum nestled in my throat, and in turn, my tone lowered. “The writing, for one, is the greatest indicator. Though there’s a slight difference in sizing on half of them.”
“They seem to have been written on the same type of material, too.” Alek grasped the oldest and newest, leveling them before our gazes.
“Yet, two hold messages that contradict each other.” I seized the one in Alek’s hand, studying each one closer as I assembled them.
Alek pointed at two. “These oppose each other. Then what about the other pair?”
A light flickered in his gaze. “One led to the other. All placed within differing ends of the household and timeframes.”
“The puzzle within the children’s books was from our mother. The other three have been strategically placed for us to find.”
Memories of each one flashed in my mind, a picture slowly unfolded, yet the contents themselves remained blurry. “There’s no denying it was recent, too. Someone on these grounds knows what we’re devising.”
“Tristan can investigate this,” Alek suggested.
I firmly rejected his offer as an exhale escaped me. Folding each note, I hid them in my pocket once again. “There is too much at hand currently. What’s been set in stone can’t be interfered with.”
Alek suddenly turned to me. “The first and latest notes were found here, which means they had access to your study. The only other person to have the key is That Man.”
The idea had briefly crossed my mind in the early hours, however. . .“Though it’s a slight likelihood, That Man hasn’t meddled in our affairs for the past five years. We’ll revisit this at a later time.”
We exited with careful steps, and once I reassembled my glasses, my gaze fell on Alek—who attentively watched me.
A thought occurred. “Have you thought about your alternative plan to take down Kaleb?”
“Not yet.”
“I suggest you get to it.” Though Alek’s plan appeared to possess all the attributes needed to succeed, it didn’t prove to be efficacious. If he sought to see this through, it was best he was prepared.
Alek’s expression softened, his shoulders lowering. He nodded, and as a swift knock bounced from behind us, he uttered, “Are you still deciding who to appoint for the marriage proposal?”
The question was unexpected, one I couldn’t bear to properly respond. In turn, I replied with what honesty I could endure. “Yes. It’s been a vexatious process. Sonia has been assisting me ever since the month arrived due to my indecisiveness.”
“Will you elect yourself then?”
For vampires, we inhabited facades more than our authentic selves. Through the years, I'd adopted a mask that had become one with myself, the reflection that everyone saw, taking residence without deliberation.
I never had to wear such a thing with Lorenzo. Nor Anabella.
The thought brewed a spur of disorder, twisting and aching within me.
“Anabella and I underwent the process three years ago when we came of age. Our blood compatibility concluded with very poor and inauspicious results. Though she was prepared to continue with the marriage proposal, I promised it under my own terms. She rejected it.”
Alek stood motionless.
“She wants a husband who will only love and lust for her. But I can only care for her as a friend. She understands I cannot be with women.”
Sonia entered, breaking the moment between Alek and I, and as quickly as it came to be, it vanished when Alek took his leave.
“Sonia.”
“Christopher.”
“Anything to report?”
“The paperwork has been submitted and confirmed. Lorenzo Devon will be leaving back to the CEG after the Christmas Ball.”
Pain blossomed in my abdomen. Lorenzo never recounted an inkling of information regarding his reassignment back to the CEG. But it was one I wasn’t deserving of.
Lorenzo’s drastic lack of proximity possessed me during hours where sleep disregarded my pleas. All I wished to reveal to him about mates—about us . . .hovered. Yet, with the days wedged between us, no will mustered within me.
It was best for him to remain unaware. It was the only safety I could offer him—far from me.
The Christmas Ball was a demonstration of sorts. Although the underlying theme consisted of collaboration and distinction, it was nevertheless a facade for the true objective: power. Despite vampires ruling alongside humans, our kind held a firm establishment of power through the Regal Families that humans could never requisite.
Within the elaborate ballroom, each family stood distinctive within the crowd of bodies. The Puleluas roamed near the bar at the far end, opposing where the Nings stood alongside the main stage. The Lautaros hovered throughout, similarly to my brothers, but they didn’t match the Ambrogioses who were truly scattered. Thankfully, Alek and Raphael settled into their rightful places as smoothly as possible. As did I.
I stood by the entrance, keeping track of Noah and the twins as I greeted incoming guests. Conversing with them when it called for it. Tiresome, but necessary as Anabella bore the same task.
“How are you?” I finally asked as we broke away.
Satin wrapped around her lean frame, exposing broad shoulders and her top-heavy chest, gathering at the waist into a layered train. Wisps of fabric sleeved around her toned arms and flared at her wrists, complimenting each light movement she exhibited. The muted, arctic blue her dress harbored aligned with my suit, highlighting our blonde strands and her boundless, obsidian eyes.
Her nostrils slightly flared as she exhaled, her mask intact. “Fine. Ready for tonight to be over.”
“And what of your mother? Did you let her know of your acceptance?” Although Sonia never reported if Anabella had moved forward or not, it was only reasonable to assume she did.
“What are you talking about?—”
My senses sharpened as a sudden tug in my chest, weakening her voice in my ears. No, it couldn’t be. Lorenzo wasn’t supposed to be here, yet the shadow that approached was one my body recognized before I could register as such. Anabella wavered as she was pulled into surface-level conversations by members of the Human Bureau.
Although Lorenzo bore the same suit as he did on the household’s grounds, here, amongst others, he stood out in beauty and roughness. My body instinctively pulled me to him. We met by the Ning family, where I easily fell into their conversation. The eldest, Ai, took the lead as the younger sisters, Fen and Yan, interjected. . .particularly when Liu, the sole son and the youngest child of the Nings, was spoken about since he usually vanished during social events.
Lorenzo’s gaze was glued to the staircase, his back nearly to me. His heat was a blanket on my flesh. Eyes wandered, many remaining enthralled in their own conversations and liquor. Those who snuck a look at our direction settled on the muscular build shadowing me, obstructing the sea of rich clothes.
He’d always been a sight, but the gravity he held on me multiplied with an unyielding tug.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered for his ears, forcing my expression to remain neutral. Never was it a struggle in the past. It came second nature. But somehow, in this moment, it faltered.
“There was a last minute change. I couldn’t deny it.”
“What do you mean?”
Uncertainty hardened his jaw, but he pulled an envelope from his pocket and dragged it into my palm. My mask remained in place as I didn’t turn to him, though it was difficult to not face Lorenzo. “I was going to finish what I had started with Mallory, but I decided against it. His location is here. It’s up to you now.”
“Was that all?”
His jaw hardened from the corner of my eye. “I had to see you again before I left.”
“Lorenzo. . .”
Tristan came into view and suddenly yanked Lorenzo a few steps behind me. In an instant, I found Alek’s gaze already on me and I excused myself, my feet following without a second thought.
“What’s happened?” I gritted as Alek flashed to my side and we turned to Lorenzo and Tristan.
“Katerina vanished. Tristan thought it best to question her cousin.”
“Why?”
He hesitated for a second before revealing, “We believe Lorenzo’s the intruder.”
I froze. “What significance does that hold?”
“He attacked Katerina during our hospital visitation in October,” Alek noted.
My negligence continued to disgrace me. Though it was absurd for them to think Lorenzo could do such a thing, I still hadn’t known about the speculation. Had Sonia? Impossible. A matter of this grand extent should have been reported to me.
“What?” Lorenzo growled as he stepped to my side, his tone sharpening around the edges. Tristan was at his feet and paused before us. Lorenzo’s fiery gaze probed Alek as he tried to collect himself by closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. “You think I could hurt my cousin? My blood? She’s the only family I have fucking left!”
“Then why are you here and she isn’t?” Alek rebutted, vexation oozing into his slouched shoulders.
“Sonia sent me,” Lorenzo muttered through gritted teeth as his gaze fell on everyone.
Tristan raised an eyebrow as he inched closer on Lorenzo’s side, further huddling us all. “She never misses an event. How can we believe that?”
“She gave me a note.”
“A note?” I asked. Lorenzo unveiled it from his pocket and Tristan unfolded it, my hands taking it to read.
We all fell silent as Alek took a step back, his expression hardening with thoughts. I, on the other hand, did what I could to cool down Lorenzo with a slight touch. His anger simmered behind me, our fingers brushing alongside each other.
“This is ridiculous,” he whispered into my ear with a scowl.
“I understand, but you need to also see their perspective. The evidence pointed at you.”
“Yes, but the evidence is fucking wrong. I didn’t even know she got fucking attacked. I’m fucking fuming that she?—”
“Katerina?” Tristan interjected as his eyes fell on the staircase. Ours did the same.
Lorenzo tugged forward, my touch instinctively wrapping around him and keeping him to my side as Alek stepped to her. “You must control your anger. This is not the place to display it.”
His nostrils flared as he rolled his shoulders, his height realigning as he craned his neck to follow Alek and Katerina. The two walked from the main staircase to the center of the dance floor, seemingly a natural fitted pair compared to what Davina had chosen for him and her. Though the two were paired in deep plum attire, Alek’s velvet suit complemented Katerina’s flaring yellow, tulle dress better.
Alek’s attention was solely on Katerina, gazing at her as if she was the only being in existence, unaware of how eyes took in the scene. He showed no care to what could be potentially whispered as he smiled at Lorenzo’s cousin, fangs fully protruding. When had he grown the confidence to showcase them? Like our younger brothers, he would conceal them. Up until. . .he was next to Katerina.
A sense of lightness, leaning toward a newfound feeling, one of optimism and agency, coated my body at the sight of them. I glanced at Lorenzo, hope flickered ever so slightly in his sturdy eyes.
Music poured, bodies surging the grand dance floor, following the slow strides of the thrumming instruments. Yet, the music didn’t meet my ears as a pair caught my attention and the sounds tuned out.
Ms. Hoko hid in the shadows of the ballroom, a towering male figure beside her with a cloaked appearance. His head whipped away, yet the twist in my chest confirmed the silhouette I recognized from my youngest of years.
That Man’s.
Lorenzo’s nostrils broadened as his eyebrows furrowed. “I smell him.”
“Who?”
“Mallory.”
The fluttering harmony suddenly halted, and Lorenzo strode to Alek as Katerina and him finished their dance. Words left Lorenzo's lips, yet all that was heard was the echo of a microphone.
Davina took the stage with an ever-growing presence that drew eyes to her.
“I wanted to begin tonight’s announcements touching upon this year’s underlying theme by showing our gratitude toward all the high-ranking guardians that have joined us at this lovely Christmas Ball. This night is the representation of those that have brought together both kinds within and beyond the Ministry and Bureau. Let’s give them a well-deserved round of applause.” Claps and cheers exploded, amplifying the sudden sharpness in my chest.
One similar to the night of our mother’s passing, five years ago today.
“But, this isn’t the grand news for tonight. Everyone, I’m proud to announce that I, Davina Ambrogio, am now engaged!”
How is this possible?
Heads turned to Alek, but my own settled on Lorenzo.
“A toast for those who have brought our kind together and to the one that has gifted me with the greatest act!”
The same hope I felt flashed in Lorenzo’s gaze, but it vanished when murder jabbed into the air and a shattering explosion blasted. Glass speared around us like rain, the dense weight of regret and an impending doom swallowing me whole.
Not again.