Chapter 6
Esiree
Ari squeezed my arm tightly as we walked back to my tent following the opening festivities.
“You’re hurting me,” I said, yanking from his painful grasp.
“What were you thinking?” he chastised me as quietly as his voice could manage. “How could you make a remark like that? You can’t afford such costly mistakes.”
“When did you last try to attract a man?” I challenged him.
“Last time I checked, Es, bees prefer honey.”
“A bee that only eats honey might crave something savory, dear brother. He likes a challenge, trust me. I’ve got this,” I rationalized, trying to convince myself I hadn’t compromised our chances.
But there was something undeniable about the way he matched my wit blow for blow that gave me confidence in my approach.
“You can’t take a chance on something this important based on, what? Your gut?” Ari’s tone grew more worrisome.
“Dear brother, I have seduced and bedded more men than you care to acknowledge. When I say I have him where I want him, I mean it,” I declared, trying to regain his faith in me.
“Tell Father all is well. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get my beauty rest…
Unless, of course, you’re worried I might have a visitor?
” I fixed him with an accusatory glare as I walked away and into my tent, not giving him the opportunity to respond.
When I entered, Preet attended to me expectantly. She helped me remove my gown and hung it safely with the other garments before handing me a soft, thin robe to wear. Afterwards, she accompanied me to the nightstand to begin taking down my intricate hair style.
“How did you fair, m’lady? Do you think he found you suitable?” Preet asked excitedly, fussing with my hair, eager for the details of the evening’s proceedings.
I wanted to tell her I didn’t care how he felt.
I was still grappling with the fact that I had to dance with a vampire in front of all those people.
His cold fingertips woven between mine. My skin crawled at the thought.
He was dead. I had literally danced with a dead man.
But Preet could not know of my family’s true motives for my involvement, so I played along.
“I believe we’ve made a positive impression,” I offered, as if this endeavor were a team effort. The attendant’s role was an honorable one and, for Preet, her participation in possibly crowning the future queen was one she took seriously. I didn’t have the heart to begrudge her that honor.
“And what do you think of him?” she inquired further. “He’s quite handsome, even if he isn’t our kind.”
Before I could answer, there was a rustling at the back of the tent near the entrance. To our utter surprise, King Vastion himself emerged.
“Yes, Esiree. What do you think of me?” he drawled.
Preet dropped to the ground. “My King.”
“Rise,” he commanded her, not unkindly.
I remained frozen to my seat, still in shock that he had entered my tent uninvited and unannounced at such an hour. Not to mention the complete lack of respect for my privacy. I could have been nude for all he knew.
He hovered over Preet’s meager stature and said, “I’d like a moment with my Tribute.”
Preet glanced nervously back and forth between me and Vastion, unsure of what to do before she quivered out, “I…I’m not supposed to allow—”
“It is my Harvest, is it not? And I wish to have a moment with my Tribute. She’ll call for you when she’s ready for you to return.”
Vastion did not wait for Preet to cobble together a reply before he gently placed his hand on her back and began to usher her toward the exit.
He walked back toward the nightstand and positioned himself behind where I sat.
I went to stand in protest, but he placed his hands atop my shoulders and pushed me back down just as my rear rose from the chair.
He then grazed an icy finger down the side of my neck.
My mind raced at the reasons why he would be here. Was this even allowed? Was I safe?
“I can hear your heartbeat quickening. You have nothing to fear.”
I mustered a response. “Of course not. I am only taken aback by your unexpected visit.”
Suddenly, I felt Vastion’s fingertips move to touch my hair, and then they began to slowly unpin the braids from each side of my head.
“What…what are you doing, My King?” I asked nervously.
Without hesitation, he continued to methodically release my hair, letting the long red braids drop down my back one by one. The feeling of my hair finally unleashed from the tight updo it had been in was divine, and I exhaled deeply at the relaxing sensation.
“After we parted, I considered that, like all rare gems, their true beauty is often concealed until they are free of the surroundings that mask their real potential.”
He pulled the last tie from hair, freeing the final braid. He casually placed it on the table in front of me and began to unfold the braids woven between the emerald ribbons.
“Well, look at that,” he said, handing me the mirror to hold up and admire his work. I tilted the mirror ever so slightly, framing his face so I could watch him. After all, my back was turned to a vampire.
In the privacy of this tent, there was admittedly a softness to his features that was unnoticeable at the dance.
Vastion’s dark, wispy hair hung across his brow, meeting at the edges of his sideburns.
His short beard framed his sharp jawline.
The king’s serenity could be considered attractive, compared to that rigid face he wore when in the company of his subjects.
For a moment, I might have believed he wasn’t a monster—if I hadn’t known better.
He ran his hand gently through my hair, admiring it.
“Who will you visit next?” I muttered uncomfortably, trying to distract myself from the intimacy of this moment he had forced upon me.
He continued to twirl a piece between his fingers, answering melodically, “Who says I’m visiting anyone else?”
“Isn’t that the fair thing to do?” I questioned, truly seeking to understand if he would be visiting my other competition and trying to assess just how aggressive I was supposed to be, given this opportunity.
The irony was not lost on me regarding Ari’s concerns, but I imagined if he knew I was visited by the king, he wouldn’t be criticizing my methods so quickly.
“Who said I’m required to be fair?”
“I only mean that I am sure the other Tributes would hope for equal attention.”
Vastion pushed all my hair to one shoulder and hovered over the bare side for the briefest of moments before inhaling deeply and drawing back to his full height.
I turned in the seat to face him and watched as he pocketed one of the emerald ribbons.
“Esiree, it is disappointing that your attention was elsewhere as recently as, I’d wager…last night. From the smell of you, pleased but not satisfied. I hope to rectify that.”
Vastion turned away from me, exiting at the back of the tent from which he came.
Leaving me shocked in his wake. I didn’t know if I was more appalled by his crude assessment, or the fact that it was true.
Those very unfulfilled desires ached in my core as I thought of Rorik struggling to bring me to the brink.
But even more than Vastion’s smug comment, the fact that he had the last word infuriated me.
The next day, all of the Tributes were instructed to convene in the same tent as the evening prior.
Luckily, I was able to eat my breakfast in peace with the company of my family.
Ari must have convinced our father that things were moving in a positive direction since he did not conduct any sort of interrogation during our meal together.
Part of me knew that, although my father had put me in this position, there was a piece of him that remained concerned for my safety.
Being selected meant significant time apart, difficult years.
He hated the Vampyr even more than I did, and I’m certain he was disgusted by the idea of his daughter wedding one of them.
After we had finished our meals, King Vastion arrived with his commander in tow, along with a few other nobles and the host from last evening, who I’d learned from Ari was called Lord Elek. An older vampire who had presided over the very first Harvest, and every Season since.
Vastion’s eyes did not meet mine as he entered, but I let my gaze linger on him, assessing his attire.
His outfit was more casual this time, with beige trousers and a loose-fitting crème blouse that accentuated his tan forearms. I thought back to last night’s festivities, conjuring the image of him in the smartly tailored, burgundy doublet with tight trousers and tall leather boots shined to perfection.
His jacket had been covered in ornate, metal embellishments, appearing like armor but not intended for any actual protection.
I suddenly resented him for his ability to look equally dashing in both.
While I looked him over wholly, performing admiration for his physique, it was obvious the other Tributes had received coaching overnight.
Mircea kept her head down, innocently staring at the ground during his arrival.
Roxelana appeared disinterested, fiddling with one of her leather bracers, and Alius smiled at him briefly, but quickly returned to conversation with her escorts.
Despite being the only Tribute to watch him intently and offer a flirtatious smile, he did not react.
Maybe I had squandered my opportunity already?
Perhaps I should have been more aggressive last night in making my affections known?
Lord Elek instructed the Tributes to join him at a table where Vastion was already seated. His commander stood behind him, posture relaxed but one hand always resting on the hilt of his sword.