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To my surprise, the crowd was captivated, their eyes fixed on my nimble fingers as they danced across the strings. But I only had eyes for Jordan, and she held my gaze until the very last note.
As the final chords of the violin trembled in the air, the audience erupted into thunderous applause and Jordan, her face flushed with pride and adoration, stepped forward to take my hand.
“So that’s what you were planning,” she whispered, coiling her arms around my waist. “You have a terrible poker face.”
“It’s a little difficult to hide anything from you.” I lay my head on her shoulder, my adrenaline spent now that the show was over. “You’re far too nosy for your own good.”
“True, very true. But seriously, Sky.” Jordan touched her nose to mine. “Thank you. I’m not even queen yet, I don’t deserve half of what you’ve done for me.”
I smiled, touching my lips to hers in a soft kiss. “You are my queen, with or without the title.”
The applause began to subside, and the vampires went back to their mingling. But amidst the elegant atmosphere, chaos was brewing in the form of two terrible twins.
“Oh god,” Jordan said over my shoulder, her eyes fixed on two small figures in the crowd. “They’ve escaped.”
“What?!” I twisted in her arms, spotting the telltale wild locks of Hazel and Hilda as the two disappeared back into the crowd. “Godammit. Sigrid was supposed to lock the door!”
The guests, caught off guard by the sudden addition of two excited children, watched in both amusement and apprehension as the twins weaved through their legs, their frilly dresses already rumpled and tattered. They seemed determined to make this grand ceremony their own playground.
“Jordan!” I pushed the vampiress toward the murmuring crowd. “Do something!”
Hazel, her eyes twinkling with a familiar glint of mischief, decided to make a game out of stealing the noble vampires’ prized possessions. With surprisingly nimble fingers, she snatched a jewel-encrusted brooch from the suit of a startled guest, only to hand it off to Hilda, who promptly hid it behind her back.
The guests, though momentarily taken aback, seemed to take a liking to them. Chuckles and smiles spread through the crowd as a few vampires played along, pretending to search for their lost treasures.
Meanwhile, Hazel and Hilda continued their escapades, expertly evading capture. They darted around tables, their laughter ringing through the hall, leaving behind a trail of perplexed and amused highborn vampires. Even the most stoic of the noble attendees couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sheer audacity.
“You taught them to steal,” I muttered as Jordan and I hurried after the two twin torpedoes. “This is what happens when you train children to pickpocket their own grandmother.”
“It was a one-time occurrence,” Jordan whined, nearly tripping over her gown as she made a grab at one of the twins. “We were bonding.”
Hazel dodged her aunt’s flailing arms, disappearing under a table with a wicked cackle.
Behind us, Hilda managed to snatch a gentleman’s pocket watch, causing him to splutter in disbelief.
The chaos escalated when Hazel discovered the dessert table, a fine display of decadent treats for the various human contractees who were present. With a devilish glint in her eyes she grabbed a cupcake, and in a daring move launched it toward the ceiling.
A cry of dismay could be heard from Sigrid somewhere to our left when it fell and landed on an expensive rug with a big ‘squelch’.
This spurred another bout of laughter and applause from the guests who seemed far more amused by the pandemonium than Jordan and Sigrid were.
“Got you!” I managed to scoop Hilda up in my arms before she could totter under another table, hauling her under my shoulder like a sack of potatoes while she squealed in delight.
Jordan nabbed Hazel before the toddler could launch another cupcake, this one aimed at a prestigious looking vampire who stood by, unaware of the sugary missile.
“Sorry about that, folks!” Jordan addressed the crowd, handing a squirming Hazel over to River who appeared at her shoulder. “The tyrants will be returning to their beds now.”
“I guess the secret’s out now.” River held the girl under her armpits, like Jordan had just handed her dirty laundry instead of a living child. “I’ll keep an eye on them until the ceremony is over.”
Tucking Hazel under one arm, and taking Hilda’s hand with the other, River led the children back to their bedroom.
“Does she have any experience with kids?” I asked Jordan, watching the woman struggle to keep her hold on a flailing Hazel.
“None at all.” Jordan chuckled. “And I slipped an extra cupcake into Hazel’s pocket.”
Only hours later, I watched with my heart in my throat as Jordan stepped onto the podium in front of the crowd. The Grand Ceremony was almost at an end, the Black Moon perfectly in position to welcome a new queen.
The air crackled with anticipation as Sigrid, her voice resonating with power, began the sacred ritual that would seal Jordan’s place on the throne, finally crowning her as the true leader of the Leyore clan.
