Deryck looks up, his lips pursed as though he’s thinking. Then he grins. ‘Please. A few hours watching you snore isn’t going to change my mind.’
‘What will, then? And do not say kissing.’
‘It’s not going to change my mind because I was never against you. My parents went along with Ilias Ravenko and Artos Ravenna because they convinced them to do so. But your mother has already been in my mother’s ear about it. You don’t need to worry about Vindhof. But if you did want to throw in a few kisses, just to make it look good, I wouldn’t say no.’
‘Oh! You are outrageous.’ I laugh, my head going back as he sweeps me around the room.
‘I am. And that Jaguar of yours looks like he wants to tear my head off. Want to make him even more jealous?’
‘He’s not my Jaguar. And no, I do not.’
Luckily, the music ends before Deryck can do anything else. We slow to a stop and he releases me, stepping back to bow. ‘Just one dance, my lady? Perhaps we could wander the gardens, as well.’ He winks as he straightens up.
I narrow my eyes at him. ‘We can dance again in a minute,’ I say. ‘And I’ve no desire to see any more of the gardens.’
‘Not even with me?’ He flashes a shit-eating grin. I laugh out loud.
‘Even with you.’
‘Until our next dance.’ Deryck bows again.
I do like him. Perhaps he could be a good lieutenant, though I’ll need to know more about him, and whether or not his family are definitely out of the Challenge. I spot my mother beckoning to me, my father bringing Joaquin into his conversation with Artos Ravenna. Good. The blood dancer with the tray of drinks is nearby, and I grab one before heading over to my mother.
‘Are you having fun, my darling?’ She pulls me close. ‘Good work with Jaguar,’ she breathes, touching the diamond flower in my hair in a pretence of adjusting it. ‘Seeing you together has made Vindhof repledge to Raven. They’ll no longer support Mistral in that ridiculous challenge.’
‘I am having fun,’ I say, conscious of watching eyes, preternatural hearing. ‘And that’s good,’ I add under my breath.
‘I think your dance partner is waiting.’ My mother winks at me, actually winks. It’s such a human gesture I stare at her for a moment. She takes the glass from my hand and gives me a gentle push. I turn to see Deryck waiting, one arm outstretched.
I take his hand, and step into the dance once more.
ChapterTwenty-Two
WHY CHOOSE?
We’ve been at Versailles for three days and, despite my initial qualms, our plan seems to be working. Vindhof are back onside, and my parents are working on Artos Ravenna. Maybe I should have been kinder about Stella, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. Stella could have been kinder about me, too. I’ve seen Ilias Ravenko a few times, and he’s always been polite; apparently, he and Father used to fight together, so Father is leaning on that relationship in the hopes of changing his mind.
I miss Sophie, though. She’s staying on the coach – it felt safer than bringing her into a palace filled with vampires. We’ve been messaging and calling whenever we can; she screamed with delight when I told her about Joaquin. I can’t wait to be back on board, travelling with her, laughing in the cockpit. But there’s still work to do, so I’m making sure I’m seen, every moment I can be.
I woke the day after the ball to a still shuttered room. No crowds of gawking vampires at the foot of my bed this time, though. Instead, just my mother, sitting on her gilt chair, a curious expression on her face. And Joaquin, lounging in long-limbed splendour on a silk-covered divan, watching me. I blushed, clutching my covers, feeling stripped bare.
‘He sent them all away,’ my mother whispered later, as she brushed my hair to smoothness. ‘Told them they’d seen enough, that you needed to be left in peace.’ She smiled at me in the mirror. ‘I think he may like you.’
I think I might like him, as well.
However, more importantly, I can see how useful he would be. It sounds cold-blooded, but I’ve been burned twice, first by Kyle, then Michael. Both of them choosing someone else over me. I remember standing in the Costume room, next to my mother’s wedding gown, thinking about love, and whether or not Michael was right for me. And how alone I’ve felt, since he left. I don’t want to be at the mercy of love again. It’s time for me to choose. And I mean to do so for power, this time.
I’m also conscious of time passing. The next Gathering, where I’ll be declared the official heir, is in a couple of weeks. I’ll be anointed on the first night; the second night, fealty, when all the families pledge their allegiance to Raven. On the third night, I choose a lieutenant from those assembled. Deryck is a possibility, but he reminds me so much of Michael I’m not sure it’s a wise choice. But I don’t really know anyone else, despite making the effort to talk to people these past few days.
I wonder whether Mistral will show up at the Gathering, especially as support for their Challenge seems to be collapsing. Not coming to the heir’s anointing is tantamount almost to a declaration of war, so it would be a bold move. But showing up to a Raven event, when you’ve made a big public challenge like that, is also a bold move. I try not to think of Michael, of what he might be enduring with his brothers.
I’m trying not to think of Michael at all, especially when Joaquin’s around. It’s not difficult to return his obvious affection; his beauty and the magnetic power of his personality are alluring, but I’m still cautious. I don’t want to be hurt again.
Yet, as he and I and Deryck lie on more of the ubiquitous silk cushions in yet another glittering salon, both of them feeding me food from silver dishes, I wonder what it would be like. I’ve been with a vampire before, of course. And I remember how it was when things were good between Kyle and me. How he used to touch me.
‘A penny for your thoughts, my lovely.’ Joaquin leans forward, a grape held between his long fingers. He pops it into my mouth, his touch lingering on my lips. I chew and swallow, wishing my heart wasn’t beating so wildly.
‘Oh, they’re not worth even that,’ I say, heat in my cheeks.
