“Ah, my two favorite ladies.” Elsie’s son, James, sidled up to Pari snatching her champagne from her hand and downing it in one gulp. Pari glared at him as he grinned back at her, flashing his charming smile that made it difficult to be mad at him for long. “That Thomas better keep his hands where I can see them.”
I rolled my eyes. I grew up with him since Elsie lived in the manor. He looked so much like her. They shared the same vibrant green eyes. Except, according to her, he got his dirty blonde hair and his devilish charm from his father, who hadn’t stuck around to see his birth. He was like an older brother to me, and he certainly picked on me like one too. Though if he heard anyone else pick on me, he didn’t hesitate to intervene. He got in a lot of fights because of me, but my father saw it as an opportunity and had him join the Society as soon as he was old enough. He was the only Society member I could stand.
“Oh please, James, women don’t need chaperones anymore.” She swiped her empty glass back from him. Pari and I had been friends since birth, so she grew up with him too, which meant he was like a brother to her as well.
“Of course.” He raised his hands in surrender. “But there’s no harm in a little backup if you need it. Just say the word, gray, and I’ll lead him to some fresh air, if you know what I mean.”
My face scrunched up. “I don’t think that I do.”
“Miss Windsor.” My head snapped towards his voice.
“Sir Woolworth.” My face ached with the effort to keep my smile.
Thomas stood tall before me, his bronzed hair groomed neatly, brushed back and curling slightly down his neck. He was a very handsome man, with sculpted cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. But his forest green eyes were distant and so was his demeanor. None of that mattered. I had accepted his call because he didn’t express interest in violence. And he was likely my last chance at a normal life.
“A dance?” He held out his hand. I placed my fingers in his warm palm.
I gave Pari and James one last glance, the latter who had his eyes firmly fixed to Thomas’ hand in mine. He looked back up to me with a nod of approval. I shook my head trying to mask my smile. Though my amusement quickly died at the shadow that stepped out from behind them, absorbing into the light.
I kept my expression placid. It was the only expression I could manage with the numbness that spread through my body. Thomas’ face was equally as placid, though much about him was always, well, dull. But that was what I liked about him. It was far better than the alternative.
I had always had a consistent line of suitors since I was a child, but it was certainly not because of me. I was peculiar looking, and no one let me forget it. With my gray hair and eyes, I was without color, lackluster. I knew I was only wanted because of my father’s status. Every family of Kilthorne wanted a part of the Society, of the man who protected us from what plagued our town. My father had discovered that black tourmaline, if plunged through their heart,would kill the vampires. It was the only way to kill them, except for decapitation, but that was far more difficult and messier. I cringed at the thought. For his discovery and creation of the Society that protected us, everyone looked up to him as some sort of god.
But with each person that tried to impress me, my disdain only grew.
When I was eight, I met a boy that my mother was eager to introduce me to. His father owned a fleet of ships. In other words, he was wealthy. That was all that mattered, apparently. I was playing with my dolls, and he had grabbed a stick and impaled my doll through the chest. His sick grin still haunted my nightmares. “This is how I’ll protect you from the demons,” he had said. I begged my mother to never see him again. He was now one of the leaders within the Society.
My father saw my aversion to violence. He had his ways of convincing me it was necessary. By the time I was ten, I saw my first sacrifice. That was what my father called it, a sacrifice to Brennus, a plea to remove the demons from our world. He thought it was time I saw the monster he had instilled within me to fear. He had said they preyed most on young girls because we were most vulnerable, easily manipulated.
But when I looked into the demon’s face, as he was bound to the altar, no more than eighteen, I saw fear. Father said he was just manipulating me, but I was not so sure.
It did not feel right.
Thomas was safe in that he had no interest in the violence. He wouldn’t want to get a speck of blood on him. He was always so neat.
I didn’t really have the luxury of being picky anymore. Suitors could once look past my odd appearance, but once the hauntings started, it was one too many peculiarities. And no one wanted to catch a demon from the gray girl.
We danced in silence for so long, I started to feel itchy.
“Are you enjoying the ball?” I asked, desperate for him to give me anything.
“Mm.” He nodded once, not even meeting my eye.
I pressed my lips together.
“Are you excited for Samhain?” I tried again.
He frowned. “I don’t have time for silly celebrations like that.” He met my eyes as if he wanted to ingrain his meaning into my brain.
Well, that’s quite bland.
I nibbled on my bottom lip as I searched for more words. The clinking of glass spared me as Wilfred, our head of staff, got everyone’s attention.
“Sir Arthur Windsor, founder and leader of your Kilthorne Vampire Hunting Society,” he said stiffly and walked off as my father took the stage.
My father stood proud, as he always did, at the head of the crowd. He donned the Society’s signature uniform: a burgundy tailcoat with fitted black trousers tucked into unnerving, black, leather boots. Atop his left breast sat a silver amulet with the symbol for Brennus, the Raven God. A raven with its wings outstretched and intertwined within a barren, spindled, oak tree. The sight of it instantly made my mouth dry.
He ran a hand through his dark hair. His blue eyes caught the light as he relished in the attention. “Thank you all for joining me and the Society for tonight’s initiation.” His voice was smooth and controlled, as it always was. “Tonight is quite special. I will be introducing my new secondhand that just so happens to be one of tonight’s initiations. He is the most exceptional prospect I have ever seen, and his pledge to the cause is unbridled, which is exactly what we need to face the threat among us.”
