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I thought back to the man who’d bumped into us as we were leaving. He appeared sober enough. “What if it was one of Kalon’s men who spilled that goblet of blood on you, so he could get you out of the way? Kalon was waiting for me when you left to shower.”
He fixed his top button and threw the blazer over his shoulder, hanging it from one finger. “If that’s true, then his goal was only to get you alone. I won’t leave you next time. Had I known you weren’t going to go back inside, I would have stayed, blood-soaked shirt and all.”
“I have a bad feeling.”
“Have a little faith in us, Olivia.” He swept me into his arms before I could argue my point and sped for the door. “Let’s go find your friend and get back to the ball,” he said as his wings extended and he flew down the wide, open staircases.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Astor saw us first as Sebastian landed in the foyer outside the ballroom, but he turned his back and disappeared before either of us could say anything. I peered inside as the music loudened, champagne flowed, and masks were lowered. Sangaree feasted on the necks of mortals on benches. Most seeming willing. Perhaps they liked the feeling that came with being bitten because while it was agony at first, that quickly turned into ecstasy.
“Nothing’s happened yet,” I said with a breath of relief. “How long do we have left until midnight?”
He turned over his tattooed wrist, checking his watch. “An hour and fifteen minutes until midnight. Where are you supposed to meet him?”
“Our bedroom, but I worry Kalon’s people will be waiting for him there. I want to get to Draven before then.” I looked around manically, my heart racing as the vastness of the castle became far more daunting. He could be anywhere.
“Careful,” Sebastian said, grabbing my hand before I crashed into a tray of drinks carried by a server. I shook my head, muttering an apology as I darted through small crowds of vampires, finally bumping into Kalon.
“Young Olivia and her betrothed,” he taunted, looking Sebastian up and down. “I am just stepping out. I have a young lady to entertain, but I am glad I could bump into you first. I thought I wouldn’t see you again.”
I gritted my teeth. “You thought wrong. I have no plans on escaping.”
He lowered his voice to a whisper, smirking at Sebastian as he leaned down to my ear. “You have no reason to be afraid. I have no plans on stopping you from leaving. In fact, it would only be a good thing for me. I see you told Sebastian of your mother’s plans. She would be most disappointed, especially after sending your friend looking for you. I don’t imagine it will be long until he’s climbing the staircases to your room.” He scoffed, containing a smile. “Hmm. Well, enjoy your evening. I have somewhere I must be.” Looking far calmer than he should, he strode away.
“There’s no way he was ever going to just let me get away. He sent the entire order to find me,” I snapped, confident no one could hear us over the rising chatter and music. Even with their hearing, it was too much noise all at once.
“Don’t worry, he was just trying to get to you. We’ll find Draven.”
I turned, almost walking into a large ice statue of an anatomically correct mortal heart stationed above a river of red running down metal tubes from a box and into empty glasses. “Blood on ice,” I said, my nose scrunching. “Are these things always so decadent?”
Sebastian nodded, making his way back into the foyer. “He’s not in there.”
I ran to the double doors and pushed them wide open to snow-flurried oblivion. The gusting wind caught my hair, freezing my eyelashes white. My lips trembled against the iciness until Sebastian reached my side, shielding me from the climate with one wing.
“Sebastian, if you have any idea where he could be, please, tell me.”
“I’m not sure, but if we can’t find him in the next five minutes, we’ll need to stop. It is imperative we are in that ballroom, and in the king’s line of sight, come midnight. It’s bad enough we’re not in there now.”
“I can’t leave my friend,” I scolded as snowflakes landed on his wing, whooshing against them. “Unless…” I thought back to what Kalon said. “Of course, Draven will need to go up the stairs before going to our room. If we can intercept him there before, then Kalon’s men won’t get a chance to hurt him.”
“We can’t wait around on the stairs for the next hour.”
“What if we go back inside and make ourselves seen? Then we can leave in half an hour. Draven should be close to going to our room by then, and we can grab him, and you can fly him down here, and we will still be here for midnight.”
“It’s not a good idea.”
“Please.” My fingers splayed over his chest, and I smiled, feeling his heartbeat race under my touch. “If I lose Draven, then I’ll never be the same again. I’m already giving up everything. Please don’t make me give him up too.”
He hesitated, looking around, then finally closed the doors on the cold. “You’re not going anywhere. At least one of us should be seen in there. I will leave, in forty minutes, and fly up. It’ll only take me a minute to get to our room, and I’ll search the stairs until I see him.”
“Really? You’ll do that?”
“Yes.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he stiffened against my touch, then relaxed, draping an arm around me. It was the first genuine moment between us where I wasn’t thinking about scheming or hating or politics. I was just grateful. “Thank you.” I pulled back. “I thought you needed to be accounted for too?”
“I won’t be long, ten minutes at the most, and besides, no one should suspect me. When the princess dies, she will have been in the company of Kalon. He left to be with her now, to entertain her.” He gave me a knowing look. “He’s always enjoyed her since she first came to the castle. It’s why I chose her, amongst other reasons.”
