‘Emelia! Come downstairs.’
Damn. Kyle releases me. My shoulders back, I start down the stairs, trying to look as though I wasn’t eavesdropping. Or kissing. My father is standing in the foyer, his arms folded, his eyes glittering gold slits. Mother is still up her ladder, looking annoyed.
‘Um, we have the garland,’ I say, holding it out. ‘And the decorations.’
‘Leave them there,’ says my father, his tone dismissive. ‘Your mother and I are talking.’
‘Go and rest,’ my mother says, sounding distracted. ‘Or perhaps spend some time in the library. I think there are new books.’
‘But—’
‘Kyle, escort her.’ My father is already half-turned away, his focus on my mother. She descends her ladder, graceful as though she were floating.
‘Come, my lady.’ Kyle, his hand on my elbow, moves me towards the stairs. I catch a smile curving his mouth.
‘Just a minute,’ I say, throwing his hand off my arm. ‘What are?—’
‘Emelia! Do as you are asked!’ My father’s voice thunders through the foyer. I freeze, as does everyone else in earshot. Kyle takes my arm again. I let him. I’m fighting tears, though, as he guides me up the stairs once more. There’s no hint of a smile on his face now.
ChapterNine
HALLOWEEN
Ilie on my bed, staring up at the carved and painted ceiling. I know every mark, every shape on it, the shadows it creates as the night passes. I know them like I know how my skin feels, or the sound of my breath in the morning.
I can’t stop thinking about Kyle.
Despite the fact that I know I shouldn’t, despite the fact that I’m crossing a dangerous line, I haven’t been able to stay away from him.
I know I should remember who I am. But that’s just the problem. Every single night that I wake, that I join the rest of the house, none of whom need to sleep or eat breakfast or have candle-lamps to light their way, I remember who I am. I’m the heir to Raven, and I’m human.
But with Kyle it’s different. I can’t believe he used to annoy me so much, or that he seemed to dislike me. Now I can’t wait to see him. He just makes me feel like… Emelia. A girl he likes. And he’s just a boy I like. With him, unlike with anyone else I’ve ever met, I can forget who I’m supposed to be. And focus on who I want to be.
The bonus is that, despite his initial protests, he doesn’t seem to be able to stay away from me either.
Except he’s gone.
The week following the Halloween decorations was a haze of stolen, violet-scented kisses, hidden in alcoves and darkened rooms, trying to avoid the watchful eyes of both Bertrand and my parents. Of running across the estate, his arms around me, of getting to know each other. I was waiting for the perfect moment to tell him about my plan, to put things in motion, but it was hard to remember anything much when his hands, his mouth, were on me.
Then I woke up one morning and he wasn’t outside my room. ‘Called away, Mistral’s orders,’ was all Bertrand had said when I asked him, his gaze so kindly and wise. I’d panicked, going to my mother, asking for assurances that they hadn’t got rid of him, while trying to hide my own desperation. But the fact he didn’t tell me he was leaving pulls at me, like a scar beneath my skin. Him leaving means my plans are on hold. And I miss him, so much.
I need to get past this. He’s a guard, and I’m Raven. I’ve been alone before, so I don’t understand why it hurts so badly this time. If he doesn’t return I’ll figure out another way to get to the Safe Zone. The hot prickle beneath my eyelids tells me I’m lying to myself. I laugh, but it turns into a sob. I roll onto my side, pulling my blanket over me, the hum of soft velvet under my fingers comforting.
I wish I could stay here.
But tonight is the Halloween ball. The shutters have already risen, guests are arriving, all the most powerful vampires of Raven under one roof for the biggest party of the year. Bigger than the annual Gatherings, when all the clans loyal to Raven meet for three nights under the moon, loyalties pledged and matches made, the great dynasty ensuring its future. My parents will expect me to be there, just like they do every year. One of the very few spaces where I can be in public yet still be safe, flanked by guards and the walls of my home. I used to love going when I was younger, thought it was a special treat. Now the thought of it is exhausting. Because this is the last year I will attend as just Emelia. I know everyone will be thinking about it, as soon as they see me. And about how unsuitable I am to be Raven. Politeness, I suppose, will stop them from gossiping about it under my parents’ roof. But the way Stella and her friends reacted to me at the Dome tells me everything I need to know about what vampires really think of me.
My dress is hanging on the door of my wardrobe, the silvery silk like ripples on water. Ready for me, the next Raven, to wear. I sit up, then flop back down again.
There’s a knock at the door. ‘Emelia?’
Damn.
I slide from my bed, rubbing my face and yawning. I pull on my robe, tying it tight. ‘Come in.’
The door opens to admit my mother. She’s wearing a long full robe, deep red and embroidered, her hair rippling loose down her back. Her face lights up when she sees me.
‘Gorgeous girl! Happy Halloween!’ She holds out her arms. I go to her, reaching for her hug. She kisses me, her spicy perfume mingling with her violet scent. I hang onto her for a moment, wanting to remember this, remember her.
