Abigail Gibbs - Dinner with a Vampire

‘Quite agreed,’ Eaglen said. ‘We carry on as normal and give them no reason to suspect we know of their plans and no reason to attack. Meanwhile, I suggest we keep Miss Lee as sheltered as possible – there is no need for her to know of the other dimensions with all these prophecy rumours circulating among the Sage. A human knowing the strength of our seers and the Prophecy of the Heroines is the last thing we need. I’m sure the inter-dimensional council will agree to that.’ He waved his hand dismissively. ‘I also propose, Your Majesty, that to ensure her life and her blood are not threatened, you place the King and Crown’s Protection over her.’

Father nodded. ‘It will be implemented with immediate effect.’

‘I think it might be wise not to let her know of that, or about anything to do with her father,’ Sky added. ‘She strikes me as the sort who would act rashly if she knew. Neither do we want to give her any hope of leaving Varnley. She would never turn if that were the case.’

Finally, some sense!

My father cleared his throat. ‘Agreed. Nothing that we spoke of today leaves this room. But for now, this meeting is adjourned until we receive further news.’

I sighed again, exasperated. Chairs scraped and people began to leave the room, bowing and curtseying. Charity skipped off after them, exclaiming excitedly that she was going dress-shopping for the Autumnal Equinox.

‘Try and stay focused next time, Kaspar,’ my father scolded from the opposite side of the room, where he stood waiting for me to join him. Reluctantly, I walked towards him, waiting for the lecture I would undoubtedly receive.

‘Five hours, Father! Five hours and the only thing they could agree on was that Violet should choose to turn. You do know that is not going to happen, don’t you?’

‘That is where you come in, young Prince,’ Eaglen chuckled, limping around the table towards us. I frowned. Eaglen never usually had a limp. He might be old, but he wasn’t frail. Yet he had aged over the summer. His hair was whiter and the fine lines that appeared around the corners of his eyes didn’t disappear when he stopped laughing. ‘And you too, young Earl,’ he added, addressing Fabian who was hanging back, waiting for me. He came forward.

‘You two interact with her on a daily basis, correct?’ my father asked. We nodded.

‘Then you are what she sees of our kind. Give her a reason to believe we are not murderers, which is doubtless what she thinks. Convince her that this is a life she could lead,’ Eaglen instructed. Fabian nodded, almost eager, but I scowled, sceptic.

‘It will take more than that to persuade her to turn.’

Eaglen smiled. ‘When she has lost hope of returning home, it will take far less leverage.’

‘I won’t do it.’

I saw my father’s eyes become black. ‘You will do it. It’s time you took responsibility for your actions—’

‘And accept the consequences of my rash escapades. Yeah, I’ve heard it before. It’s getting old,’ I snapped, turning on my heel and leaving the room. The door slammed behind me with a satisfying bang. But it opened just as quickly again and Eaglen appeared, limping after me.

‘Give it a try,’ he said, patting me on the back. ‘You might have more in common than you think.’

I arched an eyebrow, but said nothing, walking away before I really did get angry. Yet I couldn’t resist one glance back at the aging, but by no means foolish, man, who watched me retreat with a knowing smirk.

What are you playing at, Eaglen? I thought. What do you know this time?

August 28th brought my eighteenth birthday, and with it little reason for cheer. I had kept my mind well-guarded since I made the connection between the Queen’s death and my father, so nobody realized I was a year older.

I should have been out partying, enjoying my first legal drink of alcohol; instead I was stuck in a living room full of vampires, because sitting up seemed a better option than running the risk of experiencing yet another dream. They were endless, and I didn’t believe Fabian for a single second: they were real. The chill I felt every morning told me that.

The fire flickered lazily in the hearth, the warmth burning my legs. The long red-and-black drapes were pulled across the windows and whistling could be heard outside as a faint chime on the wind. The moon was at half, dully lighting the pond at the edge of the grounds.

I walked away from the window where I had been peeking through the curtains, watching as yet more clouds rolled in. I had never known an August like it, weather-wise. Storm after storm seemed to persist in ruining the summer and any thoughts of hot days had been given up long ago. Not that the vampires minded . I collapsed into the squashy armchair by the fire, the only person in the room to realize just how much heat it was throwing out.

I listened as Cain, Charlie, Felix and Declan played poker in the corner, occasional exclamations of ‘Cheat!’ breaking through the quiet. Lyla lay with her phone on the sofa, her fingers darting over the screen, smiling to herself. Kaspar sat in the darkest corner, aimlessly plucking strings on his guitar and averting his gaze whenever his name was called.

I looked back to the fire, seeking solace from the tongues lapping at the grate. Mesmerized, I gazed at it for a minute before I sensed someone watching me. Fabian, sat in the chair opposite me, stared at me through curious eyes, as though he was trying to decipher something.

‘You haven’t had a very good birthday, have you?’ he asked, keeping his voice low.

‘How do you know that?’ My mind was guarded, wasn’t it?

He smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. ‘Looked you up online.’

I slumped back into the chair, which moulded to my back. ‘As you ask, no, I haven’t.’

The grin remained. ‘I think I might know what will cheer you up.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s not dinner, is it?’

He chuckled. ‘No, nothing like that. There’s a royal ball coming up in a couple of weeks’ time. Humans can go if they are invited,’ he gushed. I narrowed my eyes, having a sneaking suspicion of where this was going. ‘It’s good fun and there is dancing and all sorts of music and it will cheer you up; maybe you’ll even see a different side to us and the Kingdom. Anyway, I was wondering if you would maybe like to go? Possibly?’ he finished.

I raised an eyebrow again. ‘Do you mean go with you?’ I asked.

‘Well … yeah.’

I grimaced. ‘Well, I have a very busy schedule of avoiding being sucked dry, so I will have to check my diary. But I can pencil it in, if you like?’

A huge beam spread from ear to ear on his face and he laughed, getting to his feet, pulling me onto mine too. The four boys had stopped playing poker to watch and Lyla peered over her phone, her lips parted a little in surprise. Even Kaspar looked out from his dark corner, studying me with his piercing gaze.

‘I would like that … I would like …’ He swept down into a bow and took my hand, planting a kiss on my knuckles. My eyes widened in embarrassment. ‘I would like you, Miss Violet Lee, to do I, Lord Fabian Marl Ariani, Earl of Ariani, the honour of accompanying me to the ball? Glass slippers and all?’

There was a pause as I digested his overkill. ‘If I must,’ I replied, rolling my eyes. His smile became wider and he jumped up. I glanced over at the others, who were all smiling, save for Kaspar and Lyla, whose faces were totally blank.

My heart fluttered for a moment, both in fear, disbelief and a little in excitement. ‘There is only one slight problem,’ I said.