Breathe, Danika, take a slow breath. This can’t be happening to me now.
Not now. Just breathe.
“Can you stop pacing already? You would make me have indigestion,” whined Nadia. I couldn’t stop. I managed to stop long enough by the window to look outside at the blackness and the single bright moon shining across the sky for distraction-which didn’t seem to work. I shook my head and resumed.
“Danika!”
“I’m trying! I can’t help it.” I splayed my hands, “Can’t you see that the vampires are back again? To get me,” I emphasized for her to get wind of why this is overwhelming for me.
“It’s not like we didn’t know they would come back…”
“But I wasn’t expecting it… we all know death is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean we accept it with open arms, do we?” I cupped my face to still my breathing and resumed pacing.
“That’s it!” She jumped off the couch and came toward me. “Come here and prepare for dinner. The King made me promise to bring you down…” She dragged me toward the bed where the duffel bag containing the clothes we packed from my room was sitting.
“Are you not bothered about this?” I asked her in worry.
“More than you, but the pacing and giving yourself a headache won’t be the solution, would it? The King said he would handle it.” She sampled the first dress which I followed with my eye and shook my head when she made to drop it. Red, not now.
“I know, yet, I feel I should do something about it. Maybe…” An idea struck me. “Maybe I can try to go to the vampire kingdom and reason with the King. The-”
“No! No, I won’t support you on such a foolish venture, Danika. How could you say that? That would be like delivering yourself on a platter of gold to the enemies. The King would never forgive you and that would be after he must have killed us; your friends, for giving room to that…”
I bit my tongue and slowly nod my head. That was an absurd thing to think. I can’t go to the Vampire kingdom even though I wanted to end this thing by all means.
Nadia huffed and bestowed me a gown. “Here, wear this. It’s more cozy and presentable for the evening.” I looked at it. It was a rainbow blue simple evening short gown. Very simple, just the way I want it.
“Thanks,” I said and began wearing it. If not that Lance would be around and the King had instructed I come down for dinner, going down wasn’t part of the plan at all. I felt like coiling up on the bed with the pillow or better off, sitting on the Elfie couch by the window, looking at the cold starry night. It would give me a better perspective on everything going on around me, staring at the luminous stars.
Nadia came to the mirror and gently tugged me down on the chair. She started working on my hair. “You need to relax and focus, Danika. We have a plan, right? The King has set up a spy to uncover Paisley’s lover and then he would bring an end to all this.”
“It’s taking too long. The vampires are back, what if they…”
“They would not. Spies are very fast in this part, especially the royal spies.”
“And then the King would have to speak to her father about not marrying her anymore… and then… who knows what would be his reaction…?”
“It’s not like he has a choice-” I yelped. She had tugged my hair forcefully-not intentionally. “Oh, my… I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I have been feeling a little bit under the weather and little things ping me these days.”
“It’s alright. It’s the stress of everything going on.”
“Yeah.”
“Here we go.” She bent over to smile at me through the mirror. “Now that Beta Lance is back. He and the King would form a formidable force against the enemies. You need not worry yourself.”
I nodded and patted her right hand on my right shoulder. “I will be fine.”
She sat up and went to start rearranging my stuff scattered in distinct directions of the room. “I think we need to be very cautious of Alfred. I have a very odd sensation around him. I think he doesn’t mean well, even if we don’t know what he is capable of.”
I watched her back while she spoke, having been of equal sentiment which makes what she is saying very comprehensible. Alfred is a like a tortoise, very cunning. It would be hard to dissect what he is up to. However, as far as he is not on my way anymore and has gotten the message to stay away from me, I have nothing to worry about him. I have my cup full for now.
“I will see you later, Nadia.”
“Wait!” Nadia called as she deposited the clothes she was holding and smoothened the bed, hitherto running to me. “You want me to garner the wrath of the King or what? Didn’t you hear him tell me to bring you down for dinner?”
I rolled my eyes with a snotty drag down my throat. I had thought she wanted to tell me something significant. It’s not like the enemies would capture me at the quiet dark halls and even if they do, would I allow them hoist me away like some weak damsel. I’m past that now.
When we made it down the hallway, which all the way down, I kept glancing around, expecting a masked man or perhaps a tall hunky man to materialize and grab me, we saw none. Just me, Nadia, and the empty dim-litted hallways.
“Will you go now or follow me into the dining?” I asked sarcastically. “You can tell Mary we are meeting tomorrow morning at the infirmary by nine o’clock prompts. Thanks.” I kissed her cheek and made my way in.
Everyone was present. Including Alfred. I divested my mind of what Nadia said earlier and went to sit down close to… It appears not everyone! Lancelot isn’t here and also… The King!
Where are the lots?!
I didn’t want to look too downtrodden- being left alone with the hounds- well, Paisley smiled at me. I smiled back and sat away from Alfred, despite seeing Paisley as an enemy, I can handle being a fake friend to her right now. Pretending to have a friendly face in the midst of a glaring fiend of a Queen and a scathing smirking one of a mate’s brother, would help keep me afloat from drowning.
I dug into my bowl of pork soup after it was served, and began waiting earnestly. I numbed my mind from thinking of the present and everyone sitting around me. The less I thought of Theresa’s hatred and Alfred’s insolence, the more it made the dinner less disconcerting.
My head whipped to the entrance when the guards stood aside and in walked the King and his Beta in grandiose. Without meaning to, I let out the breath I have been holding in and somehow relaxed back on my seat. In the process, my eyes met with Alfred and quickly averted.
It was unsettling when I felt him still ogling me, but passed away when Lancelot blocked his view by sitting directly by my left. I nearly kissed him in gratitude. I twisted to face him and smile at him.
“You look gorgeous,” he said, and then when I was about to respond, the guards at the entrance moved away, and someone entered, a lady. A very elegant lady. Very beautiful.
Lance went to her and he stood up with a broad smile. It turned out every other person in the room was fascinated by her. Who is she? Was the only question ringing in my head. And why is Lance looking at her with so much affection? As if… No!
“I want to introduce everyone to the love of my life, Rebecca Noris. She is my… mate. We met during my mission,” Lance said, leaned close and pecked her.
My chest constricted. I was… astounded. His mate? I was having mixed emotions right then… I’m very happy for him. I should be happy that he found his mate, right? Yeah, I am. But, I feel so betrayed, yet again. Why didn’t he tell me? He had all the time in the world to inform me at the infirmary but he didn’t!
He knew the circumstances surrounding my presence in this mansion. He knew they thought us mate, he knew everything and yet he couldn’t inform me of this great news so I could prepare for it?!
Theresa chuckled. Dropped her utensils and clapped her hands devilishly. “You know, Lancelot, you were like a son to me. In fact, I used to think very highly of you.” My heart beat thundered. I knew she would rub it on our faces. Far be it from her not to rub it in, not minding if it is in the presence of his real mate!
“So after deceiving us all into believing she…” Theresa pointed at me, “was your real mate… Now you bring someone else to showcase to us…” She chuckled further. “You should be ashamed. All of you!”
“Mother…” Alonso who I now took notice of is still standing, gave a warning growl and took baby step towards us… “Don’t…”
“Don’t what? At least if you have come to introduce someone to us, Lancelot, I hope you have told her you have another mate?”
“Mother…”
“He told me about it,” the new lady’s raspy voice erupted from the chaos.
…