“Close the door behind you when you leave, will you?” Lydia asked.
All right, message received.
When I got back to my room it was past 6.30 and I decided to take a quick nap. Unfortunately, the conversation between Caelan and Lydia kept playing on repeat in my mind. Theywere right not to trust me, I hadn’t exactly been forthcoming about my past and the things I had seen and done. But it still stung. After tossing and turning for over an hour, I got up in frustration and started getting ready for dinner.
I opted for the simple mint green dress Caelan had mentioned and combined it with thick tights and my light brown boots. The sleeves were long, but the dress was cut to shape and had a simple, but slightly plunging neckline. All the outfit was missing was a pair of earrings, but like all of my other stuff, they were safely tucked away under my mattress at home.
There was no time to dwell on my feeling of being homesick, so I quickly shut off the lights and made my way to the rooftop. I had never been to the second floor and when I reached the top of the stairs, I had no idea which way to turn. I felt a slight breeze coming from the corridor to my left, so I decided to follow the breeze. There was an open door about halfway down the hallway and I could hear voices. The room in front of me was empty as I entered, but the wide patio doors were open, and I saw the big terrace laying beyond the doors.
I heard Theo then, his deep voice doing funny things to my stomach. He was actually laughing, being way more chatty than I had ever heard him before. There was another male voice and to my surprise, a female voice that chimed in from time to time.
“I am beginning to think that you made her up, Theo,” the woman joked.
“Oh I assure you, she’s as real as it gets,” Theo responded, and I couldn’t decide whether that was a good or a bad thing. “She has been practicing with Lydia today, she was prettybanged up earlier,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to stay in her room tonight.”
I peeked around the corner and saw Theo sitting with his back towards me, a bottle of beer in his hand.
“It worries me that you seem to be disappointed at that thought, my friend,” the man standing next to the barbecue grill said. His skin was as black as the night and he was wearing some kind of uniform. I was too far away to clearly see his face, but he smiled at Theo, his bright white teeth a contrast to his black skin.
“No need to be worried, Malek. I know the role I have to play in all of this and what’s at stake if I fail,” Theo said.
I couldn’t stop the flicker of disappointment that rose in me. Was it selfish to hope he might feel the same way I did? That he would care enough to linger in thought about me, as I did about him? Instead, his words were all duty and responsibility, and I wasn’t sure how to read the distance behind them. My curiosity warred with caution, and I couldn’t get myself to walk onto that terrace. I was intruding on a private moment, like walking in on my boss’s birthday party. Maybe it would be best to go back to my room.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
But the Fates had no interest in deciding this one for me.
I heard someone clearing their throat behind me and turned around like a pupil who had been caught peeking at their neighbor’s sheets.
“Don’t worry, dear, it’s only me.” Lydia smiled. “I will not tell anyone about your secret little eavesdropping session if you promise to sit between Lythandra and Malek tonight. These two are always fighting and getting on every last oneof my nerves.”
I sighed in relief. “You have yourself a deal. And for your information, I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was still deciding on whether I should attend this dinner or if I should go back to sleep and recover from the beating you gave me.”
Lydia smiled and took my arm.
“Nonsense. You are already here, looking lovely. Let’s eat some nice food.”
We walked towards the group of people at the end of the terrace and the conversation stopped while every head turned towards me. Theo got up from his spot, and turned around and the moment our eyes met I swore I could feel the pulsing of energy between us again. His gaze shifted to Lydia, and he gave her a nod and a wave.
“Thank you both for joining us tonight, I wasn’t sure if you would be too tired for company,” he said smoothly.
“Aah, hogwash,” Lydia said, “as if I’d ever be too tired to have a good meal with my family.”
She kept her distance with Theo, but went straight to a big hug when greeting Malek and Lythandra. The latter now came over to me with a bright smile on her face and took my hands into hers. She looked like a literal angel with her long blonde hair and her striking light brown eyes. Fittingly, she wore a white flowing gown that rounded up her ethereal appearance.
“It is so lovely to meet you,” she said happily, “my brother has told me so much about you.”
I looked over to Theo in surprise.
“She’s not my sister by blood, but in every other sense of the word,” he supplied, motioning for me to take a seat on one of the sofas that were strategically placed around afireplace in the center of the terrace. Before sitting down, I went over to the man who had been introduced as Malek and reached out my hand as a manner of greeting.
He had the most striking appearance. Malek’s eyes were just as dark as his skin and he had fangs for teeth. He seemed surprised by my greeting, but took my hand with a strong handshake.
“Nice to meet you, Maelis,” he said and smiled, exposing his fangs even more.
Behind me, Theo cleared his throat and said “Maelis, meet Lythandra, Goddess of War and Malek, the commander of the Dreadshade Legion.”
Well, this was going to be an interesting evening for sure.
