Page 13 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
Alexander flips so that he’s walking backward but directly in front of me. “I knew you would be. So… what should we do for the next four weeks to ‘better acquaint’ ourselves?” He wiggles his eyebrows, grinning.
Is he being serious? I can’t ever tell if he’s joking or not. It feels like Alexander is always putting on a show, but there’s no audience right now. I’m confused. “Um… well, there’s a path I like to walk out past the gardens—through the woods. It leads to a field of lavender. We could go there and talk? The bloom is drying out since it’s so late in summer, but it’s still nice. Or I could show you the greenhouses where I take a lot of photos? The great library on the southern side of the estate is also very nice.”
These are some of my favorite places to hide away. Sharing them with him would be strange, but maybe it will help?
He puffs a breath and turns so that he’s walking beside me again. He doesn’t say anything.
“What is it?” I ask.
“You’re such a nerd. I’m not talking about looking at flowers or going to boring libraries. We’re past all that! We need physical practice for the mating ritual, Ollie. I was thinking we should spend time together in your room.”
“We are distinctly not supposed to do that—”
“Everyonecheats like this. It’s how we work the system. How else are we going to get past this? You’re being a cold fish again.”
“I really dislike it when you call me that. Please don’t.”
Alexander frowns. “Well then, stop being a cold fish. Lighten up already!”
The two waitstaff standing outside the banquet doors pull them open as we approach. Inside, there’s a sea of vampires elegantly dressed and milling around—a myriad of muted auras and energies radiates in the atmosphere. The Gothic-style room is warmly lit with sparkling oversized crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It is a vibrant scene brimming with activity.
“Take my arm, please.” Alexander bends his elbow so that his arm is in the shape of a triangle, then waits for me to slip my hand through. I hesitate, though, because I’m suddenly feeling contrary. Why is he so dismissive when I speak? Just like Lord Blakeley.
“Oliver.” He’s smiling through clenched teeth because people are watching us. Not people. Vampires. Other purebreds and high-ranked creatures from my realm and Central Eden, looking on expectantly at the latest politically arranged couple. A highly anticipated union between two realms.
Buckling to the immense pressure, I slip my arm into his, but I don’t smile. I’m a vampire. Smiling is superfluous.
We walk forward, greeting and nodding, stopping occasionally for snippets of trite conversation and congratulations on our upcoming union. Many express that we are an attractive couple. Alexander likes this particular compliment, because his smile widens every time and his golden-brown irises seem to light up.
I am arm candy incarnate. Sasha was right. It isn’t a hard job at all.
The night goes on like this. Later, I sit at a grandiose table with my and Alexander’s families at the head of the room, and in every way, I shut myself off. I am polite and smile when I am expected to do so. I laugh when it’s appropriate. Alexander leans into my side, so close that it feels and probably looks like he’s about to kiss my cheek—a candid, intimate moment between the excited young couple. But he whispers that everything is going brilliantly. I’m doing a great job. I grin, because I guess I should. When he leans away, I’m relieved.
I hate my life.
After the second course has been served and I am internally contemplating the true likelihood of spontaneous combustion (is there something I can do to promote this phenomenon? Something I should eat more or less of?), a particular scent wafts against my skin and shifts my attention toward the double doors we entered through earlier.
Everything aligns—the lighting, the spacing between the members of the crowded room and the tables and chairs—it all shifts, just right, as if by magic, and my gaze instantly finds him.
Aries enters the banquet hall, marvelously dressed in a teal suit. The color is dark, but warm enough to make him stand out against the sea of boring black and gray. He strides forward, but then his midnight eyes meet mine and he stops dead.
I inhale a breath, because my nature is speaking to me again, telling me that we like him. Yes, we like the way he looks—particularly in this beautiful suit—but we like more than that, even though I don’t quite understand what that means. Regardless, my energy bubbles up inside, and we can’t look away from each other. Aries and I are locked in the magnetic tension of this isolated moment.
For the first time in my life, I feel the burn of my nature climbing up my spine, to my brain and up to my eyes. It’s so strong, I can’t breathe.
“Ollie? What are you staring at?”
The sound of Alexander’s voice severs the hypnotic trance. Swallowing hard, I blink and force my energy down. God help me. It suddenly had a mind of its own. I look over at Alexander, and his brow is creased in confusion.
I shake my head, breathing. “I—Nothing. I wasn’t…” I look back out into the crowd. Aries is gone. He’s still on the grounds, of course. I can sense him. But the intensity of his scent and energy has dissipated—drifted away so that it’s a gentle hum in the distance.
“Why did you fan your energy out?” Alexander asks.
“Did I? I didn’t mean for it to.” I rub a palm against my forehead. Wow. I have to rein this in. It caught me off guard and I’m not accustomed to feeling like this at all.
Alexander sits back slightly. “But what triggered it? Why would you—”
“Please just drop it? I wasn’t paying attention, alright? I’msorry.” I exhale a breath, calming my heart rate. I wish I could leave and go find him. I just… I want to talk to him.
