Page 64 of Midnight Whispers
We enter a room with four empty chairs, or thrones rather, sitting on top of what appears to be a stage. The four of us are stopped just a few feet from the first step. Not including the vampire who escorted us in, there’s four others strategically placed around the room. Two of them stand next to the door and the other two against the wall beside us. A chill that flows through the room and everyone tenses.
Octavia, Griffith, Eudora, and Balthazar glide into the room one by one in their floor length robes. Each of them is beautiful in their own way, but ridiculously strong in ways far more dangerous.
The females were both turned sometime in the 1500’s.Octavia had honey blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. She is the shortest of the four, but her face held the most anger and truthfully, she was the scariest. Eudora has crimson hair that she allowed to flow down in its naturally curly state. Griffith, being made sometime in the late 1600’s, was the newest but also the youngest in age before he had been turned at only sixteen. His shaggy light brown hair adds to his youthfulness. The oldest, Balthazar, was made sometime in the 1400’s during his thirties. He’s the tallest out of them, but also the one with the most intense stare.
They’re all terrifying, but the woman who walks in first is the most intimidating. Besides being breathtakingly beautiful, there’s something about the intensity in her eyes that makes me feel uncomfortable maintaining her gaze. I let my eyes drop to the ground, staring at my feet and for some reason the only thing I can think about is how much I wished I painted my toenails.
“Hello Asher, old friend.” The older male says.
“Balthazar.” Asher bows.
“Ready to join us, yet?”
“You know me, Zar. I’m too restless to tie down.”
“Finnian,” the woman next to him says sternly. “Wereallyneed to stop meeting in this manner.”
“I understand, Octavia. I am sorry for the disturbance.”
“Again,” she corrects. Finn adjusts his shoulders, straightening his stance.
“Yes. I realize I’ve made this mistake before.”
“What is your excuse this time?”
“He…” Finn quickly looks at me from the corner of his eye, inhaling deeply before continuing. “He took my mate and hurt her for revenge.”
Mate.
“Yourhumanmate?” Balthazar asks with an obvious disgust in his voice.
“That is correct.”
I stare at the side of his face, his jaw flexes and it’s obvious this isn’t something he wanted me to know right now.
“Was it worth the life you took? Taking the life of one of your own for this human?”
“Absolutely. And I would do it again. I will do whatever it takes to keep Lillia safe until the day someone rips the heart out of my chest.” A small gasp erupts from the vampires that stand around us and it doesn't take me long to realize how he just spoke could be considered disrespectful.
“So, I think it’s only fair that she gives her life for the oneyoutook.”
Flora chokes on a sob and steps forward.
“I volunteer my life in exchange for her safety. Let me be the one who is changed, not Lillia.” She looks back at me with tears welling in her eyes.
“Flo. No. I won’t let you.” I choke back a sob.
“It was already decided.” She whispers.
I look back and forth between Asher and Finn, both staring forward refusing to look back at me.
“Before we left France… You three were talking,planningthis weren't you?” I say toward Finn. A slight dip of his chin gives me the answer I need.
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Her anger radiatesoff her in what could only be described as the heat from a blue flame. I know she’s angry now, but soon she will understand. If she must hate me right now, I’ll accept it.
“I don’t think that will work forus.”Octavia responds.