Twelve
Adelasia
My eyes burn with unshed tears, and I hate it. I hate that Kaius keeps me here with no evident reason. What have I ever done to deserve this? What is my crime? Dancing in the town center? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
I slam open my bedroom door and wipe the lingering sweat off my brow. Iphigenia is in the room, waiting near the bathroom with a fresh towel in her hand.
“Miss Adelasia, Lord Kaius has asked me to help you get ready for tonight.”
“There’s no need. Please leave.”
“But–”
“I said get out!”
Iphigenia cringes at my tone, sets the towel down on the vanity, and leaves with her eyes glued to the floor. I feel bad for the poor girl. She didn’t deserve the butt-end of my frustration, but there's no need for her to help me bathe or dress when I’m not going to this moonlight party the rest of them are so excited about.
I quickly change out of my leotard and tights, pulling on a long-sleeved beige tunic and a pair of fitted trousers. As I run my fingers through my hair to smooth out my bun, I realize as I look at myself in the mirror, that I look just like my mother. She often wore my father’s old tunics when she worked on clothes or in the garden germinating the herbs and mushrooms my brother would bring home. She’s always been a simple woman–giving her family so much while asking for so little in return.
I begin to feel a sense of shame. How much more comfortable could our lives have been if my parents hadn’t sacrificed everything to keep me in dance school? How much more food would we have had on our table?
How much less would my father and brother have gone into the forest? And then it hits me, after all these years of denial.
It’s my fault they died.
If I hadn’t been a dancer, and we didn’t have to hunt and gather for extra food and money, then the two of them would still be here. My passions, my ambitions, my desires are the reason they were in the forest that day.
When I turn away from the mirror, my dead pointe shoes sit on the edge of the bed. I use a finger to feel the worn-out satin and the fraying ribbons. I hold the shoes to my chest, and I watch as a tear falls from my face and lands on the fabric.
I choke back a sob as I turn and toss them into the fireplace, watching my life’s purpose burn to ash before my eyes.
There’s a biting chill in the air as I quietly make my way through the underground tunnels connecting the palace to the dungeon where Saddiq is kept. True to my word, I’ve brought him extra food, water, and clean clothing every day.
I don’t usually linger for fear of Dravon finding me here–but today I am not afraid. Saddiq is shivering under a thin blanket when I sit in front of his cell, and he smiles when he sees me. He’s missing another tooth, and a cut over his brow trickles blood into his eyes.
He makes a dismissive noise when he notices me looking at it. “Pay it no mind,”
he says with a soft grin. “It looks worse than it feels.”
“You say that every day,”
I point out, sliding the provisions I brought through the enchanted door. Saddiq bows by touching his head to the dirty floor, even though I’ve told him a dozen times to stop.
He claims it’s a mark of respect in his culture–that he could give me his neck and trust me not to step on it.
I always tell him that I don’t deserve his respect, for I’ve done nothing but earn him beatings. No amount of food or water could erase that suffering.
“You’ve been crying,”
he points out quietly, biting into a crisp apple. When I look down but don’t respond, he adds, “Did the Vampire King hurt you?”
“No,”
I say, and though Kaius is not on my list of favorite people right now, the thought of him hurting me seems preposterous. “I just had a funeral for my dance shoes, is all.”
“The ribbon shoes?”
he asks. He calls them that because the common tongue isn’t his first language, and the proper word usually escapes him. “My daughter Habiba would find a fine friend in you. She would sing ‘Baba! Baba! I want to dance for you!’.”
He lets out a wistful sigh at the memory as tears gather in his eyes. “She would cut ribbons out of my shirts and tie them to her own shoes to pretend she was…oh, how you say?”
“A ballerina?” I ask.
He nods. “My wife Anya would scold me for allowing Habiba to ruin my shirts, but I never stopped her. I would be gone for many long months, you see, hunting the demons and sending the money home for them. I never wanted her to feel like fabric meant more to me than her happiness. Oh, I wish you could meet her, Adelasia. She would never stop talking about how she met a real balina. We don’t have such classes in Cambouri.”
I give him a smile and a small laugh. “Your family is very lucky to have you. I hope one day to meet them.”
Saddiq reaches through the cell door to take my hand in his. “I pray for it.”
He squeezes my palm. “Now tell me why you were really crying.”
I give him a playfully annoyed glare, but I confess. “Kaius wishes for me to attend a celebration with him tonight…but I hate feeling like a pretty thing he gets to parade around at his leisure.”
“Adelasia–”
Saddiq says, squeezing my hand again, “Kaius holds you prisoner. You may not have chains as I do, but no man who steals a young woman from her life has pure intentions. I sense the heart in your chest is fragile. Do not trust the Blood King to handle it with care.”
When I return to my room after ensuring Saddiq has everything he needs for the night, I begin to remove the pins from my hair, using the vanity mirror to brush out the lingering knots. In the reflection, I see a rectangular box sitting on the edge of my bed. I set down my comb, walk to the bed, and open the lid.
Inside sits a new set of pointe shoes. My mouth falls open in shock. I take the shoes in my hand and observe them. Imprinted on the shank is the same eight-pointed star that sits on my skin. They must be enchanted. I slip them on and rise up on my toes. They’re incredibly stiff at first, but almost instantly, they wear to the perfect comfort for me.
I bite my lip to hold back a smile. I doubt Kaius knows I burned my other pair out of disdain for myself. I was ready to give up dance entirely because I felt I didn’t deserve that joy anymore–but when I stand in these shoes, I can’t help but feel that losing dance would only send me into further despair.
My arms wave at my sides gently, like a morning tide as I flutter from side to side at the foot of the bed. I even close my eyes to let my mind wander to a softer, warmer setting as I hum quietly to myself.
I bring myself back to reality and remove the shoes, vowing to sew ribbons to them once I finish my bath. I use my limited magic to fill the tub with warm water and dried lavender. I relax for a moment before using a washcloth to clean myself and rinse the day out of my hair.
After I drain the tub and fasten a robe around myself, I enter my room. Something cracks inside me when I step into the bedroom. The boxy, soulless walls have been changed entirely. Now there’s elegant crown molding. The walls are still black, but the embellishments are a beautiful shade of gold that reflect the warm oranges and reds of the braziers. The old wooden bedframe is now equally ornate.
But most notably of all, on either side of the bed are two floor-to-ceiling windows. I cover my mouth as I gasp in awe at the first glimpse I’ve had of a sunset in a month.
I’ve never seen anything more magnificent. My eyes gloss over with a thin mist.
I stand at the window until the sun falls behind the horizon and the sky bursts into glittering stars and an admittedly beautiful moon.
“Do you still hate me?”
I jump at the voice behind me and turn. Kaius is standing near the door looking…splendid. His usual plain tunic and trousers have been replaced with black finery trimmed with silver embroidery. The feathered cloak he always wears truly makes him look like a king. His hair is loose around his face, but somehow it fits with the elegance of his attire.
I clear my throat, grab a comb and begin working through the non-existent knots in my hair. “I’d hate you less if you gave me a straight answer for once.”
“Then ask me something, and I’ll give you a straight answer.”
I don’t hesitate to ask, “What do you want from me?”
He crosses the room to take hold of my hand. He takes the comb, sets it on the vanity, and kisses my knuckles. “I want you to accompany me to the feast tonight.”
I roll my eyes and tug my hand out of his grasp. I don’t know why I expected anything different from him. I keep holding out hope only to end up disappointed every time.
“Adelasia…please. I–”
He reaches for my hand again and clasps his palm against mine, bringing our interlocked hands to his lips.
“I swear on my immortal life that there is nothing I want more on this night than to spend it at your side.”
As soon as his words flutter into the air between us, a golden line appears, encircling both of our hands and wrists so that the pattern is only complete when our fingers are intertwined.
“What is this?”
“It’s a vow,”
he whispers. “On my life. If my words at any point in the night become untrue, then the vow is broken, and I’ll die.”
My lips part as I hold up my hand in the space between us to examine the markings. If what he’s saying is true, then the cost of his lie would be more than I can possibly comprehend. He’s proving that I can trust him, at least in this. His vow combined with the thoughtfulness of his gift easily breaks through the lingering anger and disappointment I was harboring.
“Thank you…for my shoes. That was,”
I sigh and try my best to give him a genuine upturn of my lips, “very thoughtful.”
I swallow the burning in my throat and rest my hand gently against his chest, carefully avoiding the ruby. “I’ll attend the celebration with you,”
I concede. His hand squeezes mine, and the moment feels intimate, unlike anything we’ve shared before; even more than when he revealed his worst memory to me. “But there’s one problem,” I add.
“What’s that?”
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
He chuckles in such a way that his fangs are on full display. “Are the dozens of dresses I had made for you not to your liking?”
“None of them match you. We wouldn’t want to clash, would we?”
His face falls as if he’s taken aback by my response. “I see.”
He turns over his shoulder and motions behind him to reveal three dresses on mannequins. Each of them are striking, matching the black and silver details of his attire, with a matching feathered cloak.
The one on the left has a plunging neckline and long sleeves. The one in the middle is sleeveless with an elegant high neck and a keyhole between the breasts, and the one on the right is completely strapless and has a perfect sweetheart neckline.
I walk towards the middle one, calling to me because combined with the cloak, it's the least revealing. If I’m going to be at Kaius’ side all night, I’d rather not draw more attention to myself. Especially since I have no intentions of letting anyone near my neck, having it exposed seems like I’d be asking for trouble.
“Dress. I will wait for you,”
he says softly, then leaves to wait out in the hall. I take a deep breath and shed my robe before slipping into the gown. A perfect fit.
I use magic to dry my hair, twisting it into a neat chignon at the base of my skull. I have no jewelry and no makeup other than a light pinkish balm for my lips, so I apply that and look over myself in the mirror.
I feel so…plain. Out of place. Like I don’t belong here.
I suppose I don’t.
I’m a human living in a palace full of vampires, and the only place I’ll ever truly belong is strewn across the dinner table with fangs in my neck.
But somehow, I know that Kaius won’t let that happen. Not tonight or any other night.
I fasten the cloak to my shoulders and when I open the door to meet Kaius in the hall, Cassius has joined him, coiled around his right arm. Cassius perks his head up when he sees me, as if in approval.
And Kaius…well he seems as disappointed as I felt looking into the mirror. I take a step backward, tears of humiliation welling up in my eyes when Kaius uses a finger to lift my chin.
“I am so jealous of the sun,”
he whispers.
“Why?”
“Moonlight is just reflected sunlight, which means the sun gets to admire your beauty twice as much as I can.”
He runs a knuckle along my cheek. “It gets to caress you, to kiss your cheeks and warm your skin.”
He sadly chuckles. “How can I compete with that?”
“I didn’t realize you were competing with the sun for my affection.”
“Neither did I,”
he whispers, as if it’s a secret we now share. He holds out an elbow for me to take, to escort me to the celebration. Cassius is still tightly wrapped around his other arm. I’ve never known snakes to be affectionate creatures, but I also have never understood magic and how casually one wields it either. Kaius uses it as an extension of himself, and I often find myself curious about what that kind of power feels like and how it might have changed him through the years. I can’t imagine sharpening a skill for centuries upon centuries as he has.
Of all the power that he’s shown me, there must be more he has yet to reveal.
Does he do that for my sake, or his own?
“You’re nervous. I can smell your terror,”
Kaius says, breaking through my racing thoughts.
“Normally you keep me hidden away from other vampires, and now you’re taking me right to them.”
I wish I could ask him why, but I know he’d only return a non-answer. The only thing keeping me at his side is the vow he made earlier. Surely someone with the wisdom a thousand years gives wouldn’t make such a pact lightly, nor would he risk something so permanent if he didn’t mean it.
Kaius leads me to the other side of the palace, where a large ballroom is already bustling with chatter. In the background, unsettling notes on stringed instruments vibrate throughout the hall, and it makes me feel like a lamb being led to slaughter.
As Kaius leads me through the crowds of red, hungry eyes, they simply nod in greeting as we pass. Their eyes stay fixated on me with chilling smiles, like they know a secret I don’t. Like they’re waiting for their king to give them permission to finally taste me.
The scene within the ballroom isn’t as gruesome as I imagined it would be. There aren’t human sacrifices laid out on the tables and there isn’t the pungent metallic smell of blood in the air. Candelabras burn strategically around the room to light it enough for poor human eyes to see clearly. The ceiling is red-tinted stained glass, and it’s no wonder this chamber has always been sealed tightly when I tried to enter it before. Other than the windows newly added to my suite, this is the only glass in the entire palace.
Kaius leads us to a table that’s been set just for us. There are only two chairs, one significantly more ornate than the other, obviously meant for him. To my surprise though, he insists I sit there while he takes a seat in the smaller, more plain chair. Dravon immediately comes to greet him with a golden goblet of wine.
“My Lord,”
he says casually holding up his wine in toast, suspiciously eyeing me in the seat at his side. Kaius gently clinks the rims together. “A toast to your most lovely…guest.”
I stupidly meet Dravon’s feral eyes, and suddenly the cloak fastened around my shoulders and neck feels far too tight and suffocating. I touch my hand to my throat to attempt to relieve some of the pressure, but that only makes it worse. Kaius uses a dismissive nod to send Dravon away, and then he turns slightly to face me.
He reaches across the small space between us and unfastens the cloak from around my neck, letting it fall over the arms of my chair. Instantly, I can breathe better.
“Thank you,”
I whisper.
“You look like you’re going to be sick.”
I turn my head and glare at him. “You sure know how to make a woman feel beautiful.”
He simply smirks in response, and my eyes find Dravon across the room. “I don’t like that one,”
I admit quietly, afraid he’ll hear me.
His eyes float to Dravon too, and he leans over to be closer to me as if we’re simply gossiping. “I’ve warned him that you are off limits.”
I give him a sardonic scoff. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? You’ve claimed me, is that it?”
“Adelasia, please don’t,”
he says, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he sounds almost like he was begging. “I brought you here because I thought the music and dancing would make you happy.”
I ignore him and let my eyes continue to search the room. A human servant brings me a plate of turkey and small potatoes seasoned with rosemary and lemon butter. Some of the help and other humans have lightly bleeding fang marks at the curve of their necks, though they don’t seem bothered or in pain. In fact, they seem proud.
“Do the humans really enjoy being fed on, or is that a lie your kind has spread to lure us in?” I ask.
“Yes and no.”
He motions his head towards a couple–both women, one vampire, one human. The vampire licks along the human's neck before biting. The human woman’s face twists painfully for a few seconds, then her entire body relaxes. Her face quickly melts into an expression of very obvious pleasure. She’s enjoying it. “See how she licks her neck before biting? Our saliva acts as an aphrodisiac, to make humans less resistant. Something as simple as a kiss could flood the human mind with lustful thoughts. So yes, they enjoy being fed on, but their willingness? Questionable in certain circumstances.”
My cheeks turn bright red as I watch the couple. They’re touching each other and grinding their bodies together. The human moans softly, undeterred by the attention their display is bringing. I feel like I’m intruding, yet I can’t look away.
I’ve never been touched by anyone other than myself. I’ve always been so concerned with my dance career that relationships and intimacy just weren’t priorities for me. I’ve been on no dates, and I’ve only shared a kiss with one man in my entire life. He was my dance partner my first year at the company. It was a sloppy, uncoordinated kiss. He was a pleasant man, but there were no romantic feelings between us. The kiss was a quick moment after a show, and we never spoke of it again. Watching people be so open with their sexual desires is as intriguing as it is foreign to me.
“Adelasia,”
Kaius says softly, pulling me out of my trance. “Your dinner will get cold.”
I nod and spend the next few minutes focusing solely on my plate, eating the entire thing and then even asking for seconds.
“I’m glad to see you’re eating,”
Kaius says as I eat the last few bites. “I was afraid you’d starve yourself to spite me when we met.”
“I thought about it,”
I admit. I lift my goblet to drink some wine to wash it down, but my cup is empty. I reach for a decanter placed between us to pour more, but Kaius places his hand over the top and gently forces me to set it down.
“Not that one,”
he explains, then waves over a servant who pours me a glass from a separate decanter.
I drink heavily for the next few hours, let the wine soak into my bones and allow my body to hum with a warm serenity. Some of the chatter has quieted down as the vampires find their own meals around the room. Soft cries of pleasure have filled the space, but through the influence of the wine, it no longer bothers me.
The music has turned a bit more melodic, and after a few moments of people-watching, Kaius offers me his hand. “Would you like to dance?”
I don’t know if it's the drink or because I need something to do other than stare at vampires while they feed, but I don’t hesitate, placing my hand in his.