Dinner with a Vampire. Abigail Gibbs

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      EIGHTEEN

       Violet

      August 28th brought my eighteenth birthday, and with it little reason for cheer. I had kept my mind well-guarded since I made the connection between the Queen’s death and my father, so nobody realized I was a year older.

      I should have been out partying, enjoying my first legal drink of alcohol; instead I was stuck in a living room full of vampires, because sitting up seemed a better option than running the risk of experiencing yet another dream. They were endless, and I didn’t believe Fabian for a single second: they were real. The chill I felt every morning told me that.

      The fire flickered lazily in the hearth, the warmth burning my legs. The long red-and-black drapes were pulled across the windows and whistling could be heard outside as a faint chime on the wind. The moon was at half, dully lighting the pond at the edge of the grounds.

      I walked away from the window where I had been peeking through the curtains, watching as yet more clouds rolled in. I had never known an August like it, weather-wise. Storm after storm seemed to persist in ruining the summer and any thoughts of hot days had been given up long ago. Not that the vampires minded. I collapsed into the squashy armchair by the fire, the only person in the room to realize just how much heat it was throwing out.

      I listened as Cain, Charlie, Felix and Declan played poker in the corner, occasional exclamations of ‘Cheat!’ breaking through the quiet. Lyla lay with her phone on the sofa, her fingers darting over the screen, smiling to herself. Kaspar sat in the darkest corner, aimlessly plucking strings on his guitar and averting his gaze whenever his name was called.

      I looked back to the fire, seeking solace from the tongues lapping at the grate. Mesmerized, I gazed at it for a minute before I sensed someone watching me. Fabian, sat in the chair opposite me, stared at me through curious eyes, as though he was trying to decipher something.

      ‘You haven’t had a very good birthday, have you?’ he asked, keeping his voice low.

      ‘How do you know that?’ My mind was guarded, wasn’t it?

      He smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. ‘Looked you up online.’

      I slumped back into the chair, which moulded to my back. ‘As you ask, no, I haven’t.’

      The grin remained. ‘I think I might know what will cheer you up.’

      I raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s not dinner, is it?’

      He chuckled. ‘No, nothing like that. There’s a royal ball coming up in a couple of weeks’ time. Humans can go if they are invited,’ he gushed. I narrowed my eyes, having a sneaking suspicion of where this was going. ‘It’s good fun and there is dancing and all sorts of music and it will cheer you up; maybe you’ll even see a different side to us and the Kingdom. Anyway, I was wondering if you would maybe like to go? Possibly?’ he finished.

      I raised an eyebrow again. ‘Do you mean go with you?’ I asked.

      ‘Well … yeah.’

      I grimaced. ‘Well, I have a very busy schedule of avoiding being sucked dry, so I will have to check my diary. But I can pencil it in, if you like?’

      A huge beam spread from ear to ear on his face and he laughed, getting to his feet, pulling me onto mine too. The four boys had stopped playing poker to watch and Lyla peered over her phone, her lips parted a little in surprise. Even Kaspar looked out from his dark corner, studying me with his piercing gaze.

      ‘I would like that … I would like …’ He swept down into a bow and took my hand, planting a kiss on my knuckles. My eyes widened in embarrassment. ‘I would like you, Miss Violet Lee, to do I, Lord Fabian Marl Ariani, Earl of Ariani, the honour of accompanying me to the ball? Glass slippers and all?’

      There was a pause as I digested his overkill. ‘If I must,’ I replied, rolling my eyes. His smile became wider and he jumped up. I glanced over at the others, who were all smiling, save for Kaspar and Lyla, whose faces were totally blank.

      My heart fluttered for a moment, both in fear, disbelief and a little in excitement. ‘There is only one slight problem,’ I said.

      ‘What’s that?’ Fabian asked.

      ‘I don’t know how to dance.’

      Fabian smirked, his eyes twinkling with mischief once more. ‘Oh, we can fix that.’