Moth would hate it, but those girlsareawful…
“There you are!” I charge forward, causing the butterfly sisters to spin on their heels, gaping at me. I assume they’re thinking,Nother again.
King Magnus—with his bright red hair and pearly fangs—retreats behind me. Considering he’s about a foot taller than me and a literal vampire, it’s kind of hilarious.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, as if I’ve only just realized they’re standing there. “King Magnus’s presence has been requested by the queen. You will excuse us, won’t you?” And they do, with bows and apologizes befittingroyalty.
“You will save a dance for us, won’t you King Magnus?” Vanessa shouts as weinch away.
“Of course, my ladies.” He lightly bows before allowing me to lead us to safety. “Shall we?”
“So nice to meet you!” I call back, watching their sweet faces turn sour. It’s good to be the drama sometimes.
“I thank you, my lady.” He sighs. “Thosetwo are…”
“A lot, I know.” I nod. “No big, okay?” I scan the ballroom for any signof Moth.
“No big...” His lips part in a grin. Oh my god. I just helped a literal vampire king out of an awkward social situation.What is my life right now?I gulp at the memory of Holly mentioning that he could “bleed me dry” and take a cautious step back. At dinner, things felt different, but in a room this crowded, no one is paying attention to me.
“Heather,” he begins, snapping me out of my hazythoughts.
“Yup!”
“It has only been a short while, but I would like to ask for your hand.”
Like a favor? I mean, I did kind of just do one for him, but ugh … sure. Yeah, I could do that. His sharp canines flash at the edge of his smile, reminding me of exactly who I’m talking to.
“Uh, right now?” I ask. Trading a dance with one stranger for the next isn’t exactly the kind of helpI needed.
“I will find you when the timeis right.”
I raise my eyebrow. God, is this one of those “help make my exes jealous” things?
“Is this you asking to drink my blood because that’s a no.”
“Your blood is not necessary,” he says with a deep inhale. “But thank you for considering it, howeverbriefly.”
You know what? I take the gratitude back; the vampire is worse than an angry court of bumblebees—at least they seemed straightforward.
“Okay, yeah … sure.” I nod. “But nothing weird, okay? I havea boyfri—”
And he’s already gone.
Great.
Whatever. I’m sure this won’t have consequences later.
As I continue to weave through the crowd, I catch sight of Ruby wearing a shining gold ballgown that pops against her dark skin. Her hair is up in a large bouffant decorated with faux crystal bees and honeycomb shaped gems.
“Oh, I’m so glad to see you!” she says, flashing an enormous grin. “When Moth mentioned you were unwell, I was bitworried.”
“Just exhausted.” As if trying to really get my point across, a yawn escapes me. “I would sell my soul for a cup of coffee.”
A few fae spin their heads in my direction, a chilling reminder I need to watch what I say in the middle of this crowd.
“Oh, my god, it’s a figure of speech.Calm down!” I groan as Ruby bursts into laughter as the gawkersdisperse.
“There is some strong tea at the refreshment stand.” Ruby loops her arm in mine. “Why don’t we grab ourselves some cups while we watch the festivities?”
