Mark of Betrayal (48 page)

“
Yeah. Is my hair okay?” I motioned to the ornate pile of curls on my head, falling softly over my ears and neck.

“
You look perfect. Most beautiful queen we ever had.” She shook her head a few times, slumping on the foot of my bed. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that we found you, Amara. And how lucky it is that David and I used to date because, Your Majesty, if I hadn’t loved him once, I’d have tortured him, and you—” Her face went a little pallid, her dark eyes round. “You’d be dead.”

“
I know.” I smiled, feeling my curls tickle my neck as I nodded. “I guess it’s just…destiny.”

“
I guess so.” She shrugged. “Are you okay?”

“
Yeah. I'm just really tired.”

“
Well, plenty of time for sleep later.” She held up a small, grey gun-looking thing and grinned. “You wanna wear earrings tonight?”

“
Um.” I looked at the silver box David gave me the night before our wedding. I did have a nice pair of black coral earrings that’d go great with this dress. “Maybe. But, my ears are already pierced, Morg.”

“
Uh, no, they’re not.”

“
Uh, yes, they are.” I turned back to the mirror.

“
Amara, you’re a vampire. If you don't keep your earrings in, your holes close over in a matter of seconds.” She stood behind me with the gun.

“
Oh.” I touched my earlobe. “Didn't think of that.”

“
How terribly human of you,” she said. “So, you want me to pierce them or not?”

I looked at the box again then opened it and, seeing the moonstone bangle, decided against earrings. “Nah, I think I’ll just wear this and my key tonight,” I said slipping it on.

“
Okay then.” She glanced over her shoulder at my balcony for a second. “And, Arthur’s waiting for you, by the way. He requested the first dance.”

“
Oh.”

“
What’s wrong?”

I stood up, being careful not to step on my skirt, and wandered over to Morgaine. “It’s just…does it have to be the
first
dance?”

“
Only with your permission, Amara.”

My head rolled slowly down as I bunched a handful of fabric in my fingertips.

“
Shall I give you another minute or two?”

“
Please.” I nodded, not looking up.

I heard the door close, and stood in the middle of my room for a few breaths, feeling the loneliness weigh me down. My dress felt too tight and the heat outside seemed to creep in through my windows and wrap my shoulders, making it hard to breathe. I ran for the cool air of the balcony and grabbed the railing, thrusting my shoulders past my hands, leaning out into the night.

The moon above was only inches from the full circle it had been last night when I made my torturous walk. Its soft, silvery glow turned everything out here pale and white—as if I were in a mystical painting, with sequined sparkles glistening on a blanket of jet-black sky. The only other colour was the golden warmth from flickering candles on the other side of my curtains. It was a nice setting for a ball, really. Magic happened on nights like this.

With a deep breath of dewy air, I closed my eyes, imagining that the moonlight touching my face was actually David's fingers, his lips—his breath. “I miss you, David,” I whispered into the wind, believing he could hear me.

“
I miss you too, my love.”

I squealed, covering my mouth to hold it in when I turned and set eyes upon the tall, grinning vampire, leaning casually against the railing across the way. “David. What are you doing here?”

“
I missed you,” he said simply, shrugging, and I flew into his arms, feeling them wrap me up so safely—their grip controlled by a tight band of longing and separation. And silently, his embrace told me all he’d felt while we were apart, because I felt it too.

“
You smell so good,” I cried.

He leaned out from our embrace and smiled down at me, his eyes becoming small with adoration, pride and so many other emotions. “My love, you look beautiful.”

“
You don't think the whole full hoop skirt is too much?” I ran my fingers over the fitted waist of my dress.

“
Not at all. You are a queen now, my beautiful girl. And you look the part.” He smiled down at my teary gaze, taking my hand. “Would my lady care to dance?”

“
I’d love to.” My voice broke into a quiver, which David noticed, but gave no more attention than a quick, secret smile, then led me to the centre of the balcony and positioned our hands, sweeping me closer by my hips.

“
You didn’t honestly think I’d let you give away our first dance, did you?” he said.

“
I didn't think it mattered to you like it did to me.”

He shook his head, that same smile staying on his lips as we danced circles over the moonlight on the marble floor, stepping to the rhythm of music lilting up from the Great Hall. “Ara, everything to do with you matters to me.”

I tried not to cry, but I was so happy to hold him again that the tears came up anyway, making it hard to see. I hid my face against his chest, sniffling, breaking the romance of this magic little moment. I’d waited so long to dance like this, in his arms, as husband and wife, with nothing between us but the simplicity of our love—something I’d questioned so often since being here at Loslilian. But in his arms, I didn't need words or promises to know he loved me and I loved him. And that was all there was to it. It was simple; in his arms, I was home.

“
David?” I closed my eyes.

“
Yes, my love?”

“
Don’t ever let me go.”

He pressed his hand over my ear and breathed cool air against the top of my head. “I never have.”

The song in the Great Hall ended and another began with a familiar, sorrowful stroke of the bow across the strings of a violin.

David bowed and kissed my hand, stepping back. “It has been a pleasure, my love.”

“
Thank you, David,” I whispered. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

He kissed my hand again, smoothing the wetness away with his thumb. “Yes, I do.”

I placed my other hand over his. “I miss you.”

“
I know.” We walked back to the edge of the balcony and David turned to me. “Don't ever think being apart means I'm not here with you. I will
always
be with you.”

I nodded. “I love you, David.”

“
Come here,” he said, and with my eyes closed, I flung myself into his arms once more—dress, makeup, perfect hair and all—then squeezed him as tight as possible. He kissed my hair, his lips lingering. “I love you, too, Ara. I will miss you in every breath I must take without you.”

“
Then don't go.”

He laughed once and stood back, closing his eyes as he traced his fingertip in a cross over his heart. “I wish I didn’t have to—believe me.”

I rested my hand over his wish. “Me too.”

That small moment, just a breath of silence between us before the inevitable farewell, would last a lifetime, as long as my eyes stayed closed. But I felt David lean in, his warm lips on my hand, and a cool wash of air where he stepped away. I opened my eyes and the moment was lost.

“
Until we next meet, my love,” he said, and evaporated, saturating me in the emptiness he left behind.

My heart sunk into my belly. I stood reaching into the darkness, as if I might feel some of his lingering energy. “Love you,” I whispered once more, sure this time he would hear me.

“
Ara?” Morgaine stepped onto the balcony.

“
Hey, Morg.” I sighed.

“
Are you ready
now
?”

“
Not really.”

“
Well, ready or not, you have a room full of handsome men waiting to dance with you.” She grinned, and the beaming light radiating off her, with the contrast of a deep purple dress on her milk-white skin, made me draw a breath.

“
Morg, you look so beautiful.”

“
Well—” she took my hand as we started walking, “—I have a special date tonight.”

“
Who?” I asked, then smiled. “Is it Blade?”

“
How’d you know?”

I shrugged. “Intuition.”

“
Hm,” she said, closing my bedroom door. “Well, I don't need intuition to smell a certain individual all over
you
.”

“
Oh.” I looked down at my dress, then at a piece of fabric she held out to me. “What's this?”

“
It’s a stole.”

“
A what?”

She grabbed it and wrapped it over my shoulders. “It’s like a shawl.”

“
Oh. Why am I wearing it?”

“
It has David's scent on it. It was Arietta’s; he kept it after she died.”

“
Do I have to wear it all night?” I touched my fingers to it; it was delicate, black, transparent, and it looked nice against the red of my dress but kept slipping off my shoulders.

“
It’s either this or garlic. You choose.”

“
The stole it is,” I said. “So, will this really be enough to disguise his scent on me?”

“
No,” she said, as we strolled through the corridor to the stairs. “But it will be enough to stop questions being raised.”

“
You hope.”

She smiled back at me. “I hope.”

From the balcony, overlooking the room of ball gowns and tuxedos, I spotted Arthur, laying his violin aside. He looked up, his eyes meeting mine as if he sensed me across the room.

I waved at him, and he bowed, closing his eyes for a second, then started toward us. Mike watched Arthur move, tracking his gaze, and when he looked up and saw me, placed his wine glass on the piano top, farewelled his comrades and moved swiftly across the floor, taking sideways glances at Arthur.

“
Is he actually racing?” I asked Morgaine.

She laughed when she looked at him. “In a gentlemanly fashion, but yes, I believe he is.”

“
Oh dear. If they both get to me at the same time, how do I choose which one to dance with first?”

“
The one on the right,” Morg said. “You offer your right hand, so go with the one on the right.”

My dress tugged lightly around my hips as I took each step, the skirt flowing out behind me like a shadow. When I stopped on the last step, the room came to a standstill, aside from my moving counterparts. I bowed my head to the crowd and ushered them to continue, giving a wave of my hand.

“
Good job,” Morgaine reassured under her breath.

“
Thanks,” I said through a smile, not taking my eyes off the room.

They all moved again, joining to dance as a song began, and Arthur stepped up, beating Mike to the queen, and took my hand. “Amara, may I have this dance?”

“
It would be my pleasure,” I said, refusing to look at Mike.

We wandered, hand in hand, to the middle of the room, and Arthur took me in his arms like a delicate treasure. “You are a picture of beauty, Amara.”

“
Thank you.” I smiled, turning my cheek to hide the flushing.

He leaned in and kissed me gently where the heat in my face burned, but as he drew a breath against my skin, his eyes shifted to one side, like a thought escaped him, making his body slightly stiff. He stood taller and looked across the room, then to the doors leading onto the balcony.

“
Are you okay, Arthur?”

“
Of course.” He relaxed then and held me closer, guiding my careless feet into a gentle glide. But I felt the tension in his shoulders still, and it made my heart beat a little too fast, hoping he hadn't smelled David on me. “You ask of
my
well-being, Amara, but something seems to be troubling
you
.”

“
Oh, um, no.” I forced a smile. “I was just thinking how much I love the way all you old vampires dance. It’s so…formal.”

He laughed, his cool breath brushing the corner of my eye. “Well, I don't imagine the Nutbush would go down too well at one of these events.”

“
You can do the Nutbush?”

He just laughed again. We passed Mike then, who still looked like he’d lost his best friend, so to speak. I felt bad for him, but Arthur did, after all, make it to me first.

“
This was Arietta’s,” Arthur noted, touching my shoulder.

“
Yes.” I looked up from his hand. “David kept it when she died. Morgaine thought it might make missing him tonight less painful.”

Arthur held me a little closer; I could feel a delicacy to his energy, like he was charged with the kind of adrenaline you get when you have to say something you don't want to. “I wish I could make a potion that would ease a broken heart.”

“
Friendship helps.” I squeezed his hand; he squeezed back.

“
You're very much like her, you know.” He nodded to the bracelet on my wrist—the one David gave me the night before our wedding.

“
Like who?” I asked inquisitively.

“
Like his mother—Elizabeth.”

“
Really?”

“
Yes.”

“
How so?”

He rested his chin against the top of my head. “She was petite, like you—pretty, with remarkable eyes. But it’s mostly your personality which reminds me of her; your passion, your girlish confusion.” He smiled fondly, looking down at me. “When I'm with you, it makes me miss her.”