Chapter 41
I emerged from the bedroom wearing the dress I had chosen out of all the beautiful dresses I had tried on.
It was a floor length ballgown, gray in color with spaghetti straps.
It was backless with a plunging neckline, and the bodice was made from lace with intricate beading that worked its way into the full skirt.
Layer upon layer of tulle folded and was sewn at angles to give it a cascading appearance.
The dress had a slit that was very high but only noticeable as I walked.
The shoes were silver and all straps; they laced—almost to my knees.
Claire, the woman who did my hair and makeup, was fantastic.
The front part of my hair was pulled back, and the entirety of my hair was curled in large ringlets that all fell down my bare back.
I wore diamond drop earrings with a matching tennis bracelet.
My makeup was done in darker, smoky tones.
I felt so beautiful as I gazed in the mirror.
I couldn’t wait to see how lovely everyone else looked, and I knew that Maddox would have me internally drooling—if not outwardly.
Charlotte and Maddox both stood near the couch waiting for me so we could make our way over to the gala. She looked amazing in the dress, and those shoes were just as spectacular as I had imagined they would be.
Maddox was looking in the other direction and from the back I could see he was wearing a dark navy colored suit; his shoes were brown, and his hair was pulled back the way I liked it—in that knot at the back of his head.
As he turned, I could see his shirt was light blue in color and he was wearing a grey tie.
He had trimmed his beard and sharpened the lines on his jaw.
The way he made me feel—my heart beat between my legs.
Wearing that and looking in my direction—I could easily shove Charlotte out the door and lock it.
I would gladly peel his clothes from his body and glue myself to him.
That wasn’t going to be an option—not now at least.
“You look absolutely delicious—I mean, beautiful.”
Maddox moved slowly in my direction as his eyes moved up and down my body. The dress covered most of my body but standing in front of him now—I felt naked. He walked around me as though he was circling prey.
“I may have to keep my territorial nature in check tonight. Of course I might not even try.”
He offered me his arm, and I placed my arm into the crook of his. I snatched my small, beaded clutch from the counter as we passed by on our way out the door.
* * *
We entered the party through the complex, library, and finally through the solarium.
I noticed a few people talking amongst the foliage as we proceeded down the steps and out into the lit garden area.
Maddox was right beside me, holding my hand in his.
Charlotte followed closely behind us. She knew none of these people outside of Maddox, Ronan and Alexander—the latter two I had yet to spot amongst the partygoers.
As we drew closer to the location of the event, I could hear classical music playing softly.
The round tables were arranged around the perimeter of a wooden dance floor that had been placed for this occasion.
It would be gone by morning, that I knew for sure.
The tables were adorned with the dishes and stemware that Bonnie and I had chosen.
The tablecloths were black, and they made the scene very pleasing to the eye.
The other colors were vibrant against the dark color.
Lights hung from trees with lanterns strategically placed to cast a romantic glow over the dance floor.
We found our seats among the tables, and I noticed each table was set for eight people.
I assumed Charlotte and Alexander would be seated with us, but I was unsure about the other four.
It was very near eight o’clock as people started to fill the tables.
Charlotte was practically bubbling over with excitement.
She was only waiting for Alexander—no one else mattered to her.
Oscar, Lex, and Uryah ended up being three of the four remaining seats, while Ronan was the fourth.
Lex’s dress was strikingly beautiful; the simplicity of it made it stand out.
It was a strapless black corset top with a sheer torso, and the skirt was just like Charlotte’s.
Long, full, satin, and with a slit that practically went to the hip.
The only difference was her skirt was emerald green.
It looked amazing against her tan skin. She wore large emerald and diamond earrings and a diamond tennis bracelet.
Uryah’s dress was entirely black lace with a sheer layer underneath letting the lace cover only what needed to be covered on the bodice.
A mermaid design; it hugged every curve of her body.
Her hair was pulled away from her neck and piled on top of her head.
This woman would be turning more than one head before the evening was over—she was hot.
The men each had on a suit. Oscar’s suit was the same emerald green as his wife’s skirt and his shirt was black.
He bore no tie and with the color of the suit I had to agree with the choice.
The way he wore it—like it was designed just for him.
For all I knew—it was. Ronan’s suit was light grey, and he wore a traditional white shirt underneath.
His tie was darker grey, and with the red hair he looked young and innocent in comparison to the cryptids that surrounded him.
Thank goodness, Bonnie had at least put Ronan on the other side of the table from Maddox and myself.
“Please boys, no work talk tonight. Save it for tomorrow when it won’t be wrecking the fun,” I said, placing my hand on Maddox’s thigh and squeezing gently. He looked at me and smiled.
“That is not at all what I am thinking about tonight.” He leaned over and I met his lips with mine.
I noticed Ronan shift in his chair, from the corner of my eye.
If I had noticed it, then I knew Maddox had too.
Although, there was no indication that he had.
Charlotte squealed and jumped up from her chair.
I turned quickly to see what had caught her eye, even though I was certain that I already knew.
“Here comes Alexander. Are you going to be okay with that, O?” Maddox said, leaning toward Oscar.
“Yeah, I’m good—think I got it out of my system earlier.”
Charlotte ran right to Alexander, and he swept her up. He twirled her around as she laughed. She looked so happy—it was really a beautiful sight.
“The way you light up when you see people you love, happy. It makes you glow from the inside out. Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more beautiful.” His breath was heavy on my ear.
I loved it when he whispered things in my ear, like our love was still a secret—while also being on display for the whole world to see at the same time.
My smile widened and I leaned into him, reaching up to put my hand against his cheek.
I was genuinely happy, and it seemed as though everyone around me was happy too.
I turned back around in my chair as Charlotte and Alexander started toward the table.
Everyone looked happy—except for Ronan. I still felt guilty.
I needed to get over it too; my conscience was going to have to move on.
The eight of us sat at the table and talked about Charlotte and Alexander’s crazy love story, which led to the story of how Oscar and Lex came to be. Uryah informed the table that she was very single and not interested in dating.
“Even with the ‘fuck me dress?’” I couldn’t help myself. The girl was gorgeous, and I didn’t doubt that more than one man had taken a second look as she passed by. She blushed slightly but regained her composure instantly.
“I said, I wasn’t trying to date—never said I didn’t enjoy company once in a while.”
Oscar was beginning to look uncomfortable in the direction of the conversation. I decided that I would change the subject to something a little less sexual.
“So, Oscar, can you tell me about the first time that you turned into a wolf? Did it hurt?”
Relief spread across his face as his eyes met mine.
“Actually, yeah, it hurts, like hell the first time. You don’t have control of anything at that point, so it’s like being an infant all over again.
Until you learn it all. Well, maybe infant is the wrong word to use.
It’s more like learning how to control when you change, and how to manage the wolf, so it isn’t managing you. ”
“That makes sense, I guess no one wants to be governed by an animal.”
The conversations continued through dinner and dessert.
Everyone had eaten their fill of lobster, prime rib, risotto, and every type of cake imaginable.
People started to disperse around the area; abandoning their tables to mingle with other guests.
Many people wanted to talk to Alexander and congratulate him on getting justice for his maker.
I could see him introducing Charlotte to everyone as they approached.
Maddox excused himself to get us drinks from the bar, and I got up to wander among the guests. Ronan came up next to me.
“So, I got to learn about de decision between Scott and Alexander wit everyone else?”
“I guess so. It wasn’t done on purpose. I didn’t call everyone up and tell them the news before Alexander found out himself.”
“So, what is going to ‘appen with Scott?” I wasn’t sure that I cared for his tone. It sounded as though he was demanding answers. Maybe he was just upset from being out of the loop.
“Scott will be executed for his crimes.” I turned to face Ronan.
“Jesus, Joslyn, did ye guys even discuss it, or did ye just jump right to dat?”