"Indeed she does," chimed in another voice behind me. Ari's shoulders visibly stiffened as I looked over my shoulder to see who it was that spoke.
It was Bernard, the owner of the apothecary, his wife Lorena in tow. Both were as overdressed as the rest of those present, Lorena in a low cut, navy blue velvet gown that flared out past the hips, large diamonds hanging from her neck. Bernard, like all the other men inside the first floor of the party, held a cigar in one hand and glass of alcohol in another, his grey tuxedo fitted and sharp.
"Ah, Lilix, I thought you weren't the type to dally in these sorts of social events?" Bernard took a drag of his cigar, blowing smoke straight at my face.
I did my best not to cough, but couldn't stop my eyes from watering at the musty cloud. "Not typically, no. Ari convinced me it would be best to get some air for the day."
Bernard's face darkened, eyes refusing to look at Ari. "Mixing bad blood among the crowd, I see."
"You know I have no problem with them, Bernard." A familiar pit of fire sired in my gut. While I would have been okay insulting the oaf and jabbing him in the eyeballs, I knew Lilix took the high road. "It's best we agree to disagree on this one."
"Yes, well, I guess we will continue to reach an impasse on this discussion." He took a sip of his drink, followed by another puff of his cigar. Almost instantly his mood lightened. "I do apologize you didn't get to see Jessica tonight. I know you both had been working hard at finding something to cure her... aliment."
Jessica? My blood went cold. Could he had meant Jessica, the girl who had a seizure before vanishing from Belfast the night Kayden arrived? I mentally shook off the idea, inwardly laughing at myself. There were tons of girls named Jessica in the world. Chances of this Jessica being of one and the same were slim to none.
I played along with the conversation. "Yes, it is sad. How is she doing?"
"Well, given the circumstances. We plan to bring her home as soon as the female Nephilim is caught by the Queen."
If I had been cold before, it was nothing compared to how I felt now. A family, torn apart because of my existence? What did this Jessica have to do with me? "Why not bring her home now?"
"You know why." Irritability etched into his face.
"Surely there must be another way," I tried, frowning.
Lorena cut in, her mood having darkened worse than her husband's over our conversation. "You know there is not. As long as Essallie lives, Jessica will continue to have prophesies of the Queen's fall by her hand. Until Essallie is in the Queen's grasp, Jessica's life in danger."
A snippet of memory called in my mind. Abigail hadn't denied Jessica was a part of the tangled web surrounding me, but she hadn't said just what role she played. Was this it? A prophet, marking me as the Queen's slayer? I had more questions than answers, and they were all the same piece of the puzzle, unwilling to fit with each other.
"Yes, well, as I had said to the gentleman beforehand, I promised Lilix a spin on the balcony. Excuse us, please," Ari took me by the arm, pulling me away faster than I could say goodbye. Within a minute he had us on the balcony, breezing past people in a blur of dresses and lights spread across the expanse.
A soft, gentle song began, and Ari began to move us to the soothing sounds of violins playing in harmony.
"Ah, wait a second," he stopped us, pulling out a dead flower from his pocket. Within seconds, the bud bloomed back into full, vibrant life, pink petals richer than any I had ever seen in the wild. Tucking it into my hair just over my ear, he gave me a soft, crooked smile. "Much better."
"Will I ever be able to do that?" I asked curiously as we danced, my skirt swaying with the movement. "You know, bring things to life."
"You could," Ari gave a light, fluid movement of his shoulders. "I don't know exactly what you're capable of. History tells us that all Nephilim have a different gift. Some can create life, like me, and others can do things like manipulate elements, or procure the truth without violence. Things like that."
"Do you think I'll find my gift before I die?"
His footing slowed, jostling me into him. He quickly resumed pace. "I'm sure you will."
"Let's try a new topic, like how exactly you're attached to that demon, Kayden."
Now it was my turn to slip on the footing. I accidentally stepped on Ari's foot. "Sorry- what about Kayden?"
"How are you connected to him?"
"It's a long story."
"I've got time."
"It's not something I really like to talk about, okay?" I snapped, instantly regretting it. My head shook and I sighed. "He was summoned to kill me by my ex-boyfriend."
Ari paused, watching me intently as the seconds ticked by. "Summoned to kill? As in-"
"As in I was the intended sacrifice." Saying it out loud made it feel like I was reliving it for a second time, watching the blue fire dance off my skin for the first time. "When I didn't die, Kayden's charge wasn't fulfilled. The end result, he's still here."
"Waiting for you to die."
No sound came out, but my lips still formed the word. "Yes."
"And he hasn't tried killing you yet?" Ari asked, spinning us for a moment before carefully dipping me low. With a quick, smooth move he pulled me up and against his chest. When I refused to meet his eyes, he pressed further with the questions. "Or he has, and you're still keeping him close for some stupid reason."
My heart leapt into my throat, pounding faster than if I had been sprinting from an enemy. I thought of Kayden's lips, warm and inviting, the heat he created in my body that had nothing to do with the fire in my veins. "It's complicated."
"The hell it is, Essallie. You have a demon following you who can turn on you at any moment."
"And he hasn't," I lied. I wasn't going to offer the complication with Leo to the argument. "He told me from the start that the Queen was no good, and I chose her words over his. For what? For two dead relatives, two attempts on my life by her personal Vens, and needless strife."
"I don't trust him," Ari's tone was sharper than a new blade, eyes bordering on black. "And neither should you."
My voice became cold, icy. "Then why did you let him join us in this?"
His contempt turned to hurt in a heartbeat, the sting of his sadness worse than his anger. "Because of the look in your eyes."
My body went rigid, the breath gone from my lungs. I didn't dare answer the statement, not if I wanted to break Ari's heart. Or my own.
Pulling free from his arms, I moved to the edge of the balcony, pressing my hands onto the cool metal fencing lining the end. Below, a drop of at least twenty feet rested, small shapes of bushes and bunches of flowers standing out amongst the dark.
Ari's words burned at my insides, making my squirm where I stood. Had he seen the look I gave Kayden when I wanted nothing more but to lay in his arms and let the world melt away? Had he read my mind and knew how I wanted Kayden to come to bed with me, rather than sleep alone?
I knew better than to say my inner thoughts out loud. The last time I had acted on my feelings, Kayden had used me like a cheap parlor trick, pushing some kind of persuasion on me to forget about the bond forming between Leo and I. A bond that, with a little more time, would have saved me and my life. But I couldn't deny that his kiss had brought out something within me I hadn't felt before, something raw and untamed, something that made me want to love him more than stay in love with my own misery.
"Pretty sure I'm supposed to be the only one who can make you look that torn in two."
I didn't have to look back; there was only one person in the world whose voice could bring me to tears and a fist fight in the same breath. "Not sure if I'd be proud of such a notion, Kayden."
He came closer, standing beside me, careful not to touch me. Sneaking a small glance, I saw he was still perfectly dressed, playing his part well.
"I saw you left your shining angel over there," he said, giving a small nod of the head to where I had abandoned Ari. A quick look over my shoulder told me he was gone, probably hovering nearby and giving me space. "Take it he didn't like that you don't kiss and tell on the first date."
"Kayden, please," I begged, closing my eyes to fight back tears. "Not tonight."
"Maybe you should tell him you don't want to get into anything with an expiration date posted on your soul." His thoughtful muse was lost on me, but he continued to smile sarcastically. "Everyone knows pity is given to the dying chick."
Something in me snapped. I turned to face him, fire blazing in my eyes. "When do we see the Queen?"
"I can take you now, the guards are all here. Why?"
"Because I've decided enough is enough," I said, hands clenched in tight fists at my sides. "I'm ready to kill her or by damn I will die trying."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IN THE END
Kayden look startled by my sudden demanding revelation. His black eyes lightened to a molten hazel, flecks of green standing out among the dark.
"Not that I'm not for suicide or anything," he said, still blinking in shock. "But why the big need to kill her? I thought you said you couldn't."
I walked past him, keeping to the edge of the balcony as not to bump into couples dancing past us. Sweet, cheery music continued to play, a far cry from the way I felt inside.
I was tired of being labeled; first it was the freak, then the nosy Nephilim, now the dying girl. If I wasn't being ridiculed by my dance with the devil, Kayden, I was gossiped about by the likes of Bernard and his wife. I had a feeling they weren't the only people whispering things behind my back, spreading lies and rumors about me.
Killing the Queen would put an end to all of this, for she was the source. It was her who sunk her claws into the people I was surrounded by, her who moved them all like puppets to the tune of her play.
Too bad she didn't factor me standing up. Too bad she didn't factor me not going down without one hell of a fight. I wouldn't let her steal my life, what little of it I had left to claim. I wasn't going to stand there helplessly and let her kill me.
I had made it inside the castle, sparing no time to admire the old decor and pleasantries the Queen wanted to familiarize herself with. I wanted to feel her cold, dead fingers try and fight back as I squeeze the life from her until nothing remained.
Kayden appeared instantly beside me, keeping pace against my shuffle of skirts with ease. "Why can't you be in a hurry like this when anything else goes on?"
"Take me to a half off everything sale at Abercrombie and you'll see me speed like I was on drugs."
"I know a good dealer in Charon, but I can't promise you'll still have hair."
We approached the end of hallway leading to the grand foyer, where just beyond the landing connecting to the steps lay the Queen's quarters, empty and dark. Two Vens, dressed in typical all black, stood guard at the grand French doors leading to the dark half of the castle.
Kayden was the first to react. "Essallie, they will take one look at you and see right through the potion."
Fire blossomed over my knuckles, blooming into my palms with a raging fury. "Fine. Let them."
I started forward, pre-planning to take out the one on the left of the doors, when something in the corner of my eyes caught my attention. Fair, platinum blonde hair and the sound of a soft, lilting voice. I stopped charging forward and looked down the stairs, breath catching in my throat.
Ursula looked regal, dressed in a tightly wound gown of all black. The top half was patterned lace, barely covering her pale skin underneath, the bottom half flaring out in a fishtail shape. A tiny gold locket rested against her chest, while two small gold teardrops hung from each ear. Her hair had been piled high above her head in gentle curls, revealing her beautifully shaped face that needed no makeup to appear flawless.
She chatted animatedly with a gentleman at the entrance doors, a hand placed on his upper arm in a gesture of affection. Then, with a small nod, she didn't make her way up the stairs like everyone else, but to a small door on the west end of the wing, to the dark half of the castle.
My fire extinguished in a gust, and I looked at Kayden with a growing, dark glee. "We don't have to fight. I just saw another way in."
"So did I," he said, and I knew he meant that he too, had seen Ursula. "Quick- follow the one with too many chemicals in her hair."
I ignored his jab and ran down the stairs, holding my skirt up to avoid a full on face-plant. No one stopped Kayden or I as I opened the small, grey door to the other end of the castle, and followed inside.
The door shut behind us with a quick click and snap, leaving both of us shrouded in darkness. Only the sound of my breathing filled the silence pressing between us.
"Did you bring a candle?" I asked in a hushed tone to Kayden.
"Do I look like a pack mule to you?"
"I'm sure you can mutate into one if it tickled your fancy."
"Let me just pull one right out of my-"
"Oh for crying out loud." I held out one of my hands and watched the fire spark to life from my skin, swimming over my fingers and palm. Light from the blue flames created an eerie, aqua shade to everything, giving just enough light to illuminate the way.
I pushed past Kayden in a hurry, darting down the wide hallway without a care. My heart hammered in my chest, pounding with enough force to burst from my rib cage. Behind me, I could hear Kayden's soft footsteps keeping up, the only noise to show he retained a solid form.
Turning to another hallway, I stopped short, Kayden bumping into me, cursing as fire crackled over his outfit.
"Essallie, we're never going to get anywhere with every little bump setting me on fire," he muttered angrily in a low tone, but I shushed him.
I could barely speak the words. "Kayden, we have company."
"What?" He peered over my shoulder, one of his arms reforming from black smoke. The hallway looked much like the last one we'd run down, only this one had six figures unfamiliar to the last hallway.