The Celestial Kiss Page 21

  He was a powerful speaker, and so the words did not come across weird at all. Otherwise, he might have been precariously close to sounding like a political office campaign...which, I supposed this kind of was. Still, it didn’t seem like an empty-promises speech aimed at giving his people a sense of false security. James swore a promise to them, and the truth of his words was evident in the strength and quality of his voice.

  James was silent a moment and I wondered whether he’d lost his train of thought. Apparently not, though, because the crowd erupted with a chorus of cheers and ‘yeahs’ and whistles. A few seconds passed and then James stepped down into the crowd to be swallowed whole by them all.

  Janna managed to find her way to me. “That’s it?” I asked her. Thankfully, my voice only held a small note of disappointment.

  “There’s more.” She assured me. “But from here on out it’s just like yesterday. You stand around looking pretty while James goes around shaking hands and kissing babies. Then we eat.”

  “That is...anticlimactic. And possibly sexist.”

  “You wanted something more eventful?” She guessed.

  “I don’t know. After the funeral yesterday, I was kind of expecting something...big.”

  “Well, no promises but I’m thinking something big will happen, alright.” I questioned her with a simple look. “Yesterday was about my father.” She explained. “Out of respect to him, everybody held back. But today...well, it’s a bit of a no-holds barred thing, really.”

  Despite Janna’s grim prediction, the day swept by in a blur, for which I was grateful. Mostly, I stood around awkwardly, pulling discreetly on the hem of my skirt as if it would magically grow, while people talked to James. On occasion somebody would stop to talk to me, and Janna would fade into the crowd, taking with her all of my knowledge about religion and politics, leaving me with a smile that was as fake as the stories I told the few people who bothered asking me questions.

  It was not until lunch that anything of note happened, when a man took the briefest lapse in conversation to pounce upon James.

  “So, let’s hear the plan.” He said obtusely. His dark eyes gleamed with mischief. After a moment, I recognized him as Olias, the man Janna had pointed out just a few nights ago.

  “Which one?” James only missed a beat. His mouth hinted at a smile for the effect of the guests, but I noticed his spine straighten in tension.

  “For the vampires. Surely you have something up your sleeve. Look at what they did to her.” His eyes settled slowly on me, daring me to speak, and though I’d never said ten words to him, I decided I didn’t much like him. “They attacked a human. You of all people will make them pay, James, if only because of what they’ve done to your family.”

  “I’d have never met Lilith under other circumstances.” James said, tight-lipped.

  “Oh, you can’t believe that. You’re a man of faith, with some belief in destiny.”

  “What will be, will be.” James agreed. “But I hate to imagine that I’d never met her, and I fear that without their intervention, she’d not be sitting here today.”

  “So you’d condone their violence?” Olias looked as though he’d struck gold. He was trying hard not to smile, but he was no actor. “It’s okay if they attack a human, as long as it makes you happy?”

  “I know it’s probably hard for you to believe,” I said quietly, trying to keep my voice level. “But I am happy. This is a better life than what I had before.”

  Olias fixed me with a would-be sympathetic look. “Right. It really must have been hard for you. All those years you were with the vampires...”

  The room had gone quiet as a crypt. Nobody spoke and not even the sound of the dishes clanking together could be heard. Time had all but frozen at this chance for gossip.

  “What are you talking about?” Janna asked with an airy laugh.

  “Her neck.” Olias said simply, his eyes showing her the way to the proof that would back up his claim. I shrugged a shoulder, discreetly allowing my hair to cascade over my chest. It expertly concealed the spots his eyes were looking for. “She doesn’t have just one scar. She wasn’t bitten one time. There are many.”

  “I’m sorry,” My voice was cold, and I imagined the small smile I put on reflected that. “But this isn’t a subject for the dinner table.”

  “Afterwards, then?” Olias smiled.

  I squeezed my glass so hard I was sure it would break, but was spared the need to answer because Julius intervened. “Grisly stories of pain and torture might appeal to you, but not everybody wants to recount them.”

  “Of course,” Olias nodded his head, his fathomless eyes assessing the eldest brother. “I didn’t mean to upset you. How callous of me, to bring to mind those memories.”

  “Yes,” Julius said through gritted teeth. “Callous.”

  “I merely wanted to hear Lilith’s brave battle recounted.” I’d basically just met him, but already I could tell that Olias was like a dog with a bone when it came to outing me. What I didn’t understand was why?

  “Shut up.” Julius warned, his body rigid.

  “I’m sorry.” He raised a hand, like he was swearing on his good name in court. “I’ve forgotten my manners.”

  “Apparently you’re not the only one.” Trilled Delilah, who sat next to Olias, her beady eyes transfixed on Julius.

  “Let’s talk about something happier.” Janna suggested.

  Olias didn’t miss a beat. “Certainly. So, what are your intentions? Do you wish for a continued state of peaceful coexistence with the vampires?”

  I looked down at my plate, gathering myself before I lost my patience with him. I waited for James’ response, but when it didn’t come I ventured a glance up to see that all eyes were on me. Olias said my name, prompting an answer.

  “I do not believe in war.” I said slowly, making sure that he really had meant the question for me. It gave me a moment to deliberate the rest of my answer. Things right now were as peaceful as I imagined they’d ever be, but neither party was content with that.

  “Even after all their injustices? You know what they’re capable of.”

  “Awful things,” I nodded. “But they do not require war.”

  “Don’t they?” Olias looked stricken. “You don’t want revenge for what they did to you? That’s hardly human.” I watched his finger swirl absently around the top of his glass. “I know that there is more to your story than you’ve told. You have a past with the vampires, and maybe that has made you blind to their faults. Or are you a fool who would stick to your vices, no matter what they do to you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You would be tortured to the edge of insanity and still believe that they have a rightful place in the world?”

  “Perhaps I am a fool.” I was stubborn. That much was true. “I do not believe that they belong here. However, I can only see that a war would be entirely too devastating to the werewolves, the vampires, and the humans. I can’t see where it would be worth the risk.”

  “Let me tell you where it’s worth the risk.” He said, as if I truly cared. “Every human life has value, where theirs do not. The humans outnumber them, and us for now, but all it would take is for one of them to go on a rampage. Already they are worse than ever before. You are not the only person to have been bitten and left for dead, Lilith. The first human, yes, if you really are a human after all. But make no mistake that this has happened before. The king’s own sister was attacked by vampires. They bit her and left her for dead—”

  I didn’t hear how that sentence was going to conclude because Julius stood up in a violent flash and threw his chair across the room, demanding silence. Once he’d had it, he only stalked out the door, furious. His mother looked to be on the verge of tears, and she ran after him, her long dress sweeping against the cold floor. Janna’s mouth formed a tight line. Next to me, James looked capable of murder. But I wasn’t deceived. I could see the sorrow there.

  I took advantage of the pause. “Disregard the
injustices they are capable of and look at this as a matter of survival. If we choose to wage war against them, we face a definite disadvantage. We cannot go out and create an army of werewolves to fight for us, as our moral codes are of a higher caliber. The vampires can go out easily and create others, make more and more and more until even the greatest amount of power would fall under their numbers. And with our race obliterated, the humans would follow close behind.”

  Olias was grinning, and I wanted to jump up and at least throw a punch at him. But I held myself perfectly in place, my head still high, and commanded every muscle in my body to stay at rest. I saw Delilah place a hand atop his, quelling whatever retort he had, and the rest of dinner followed in a sort of stilted silence.

  Janna disappeared the moment the dishes had been cleared, and though I longed to follow, I stayed at James’ side, scared of what he might do if left alone with Olias. He still hadn’t lost the dangerous glint in his eyes, and it gleamed ominously as the hall cleared. I wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but we sat still. I had plenty to think about, and my mind kept turning to Olias’ story. The king’s sister. Had he meant James’ sister? It didn’t seem to be. Julius had appeared more bothered by the whole exchange than Janna had. Perhaps the woman Olias had intimated had been James’ aunt, the sister of the previous king. It made more sense than the alternative.

  An older woman came up and offered James a glass which he took with a curt ‘thank you’. I accepted a glass of champagne and drank it slowly. The room emptied at a glacial pace, with some of the guests seemingly reluctant to leave. James refused a refill of his drink, which I was certain had some alcoholic content, and I nervously sipped from my goblet until my lips went numb.

  At last, the room cleared...all except for me and James, Olias and Delilah. They stood together talking, but they were throwing glances at us, daring James to come over. And that’s exactly what he did. I followed him across the room, nervous, and assessed them. “Your highness,” Olias greeted, still wearing that infuriating smile of his. Delilah smiled also, but it was a cruel twist of her glossy pink lips.

  “Leave here, and never come back.” James said. It was short and simple and caught me by surprise. I had expected a verbal assault of some sort. Judging by the rage I’d seen pent up in his eyes, he’d intended to hurt him.

  “Not very hospitable,” Olias’ mouth turned now to a frown, but it was entirely for effect.

  “You’ve worn out your welcome.”

  “How so? By speaking the truth? Or was it the political questions? Were you not prepared to answer those?” He grinned and took a sip of his drink, all without moving his eyes from James’.

  “Go.”

  I was beginning to suspect that James’ answers were short only to prevent him from losing control.

  “Or was it the story I was about to tell? You know, Lilith never did get to hear how it ended.” His eyes flicked to me. “She was on her way back from business in the city when he attacked her. She smelled him, of course, but he was quick and smart. He chased her down, tripped her up, and bit her as a distraction. Others smelled the blood, and they came too. And when they were done with her, they left her. When she had been gone for so long, the others began to get worried, and so they went out to look for her. I found her. Do you know what it’s like to see the one you love, reduced to less than a person by the cruel intentions of another?” He shook his head, answering for me.

  “A week passed and she was okay, back to her strong, esteemed self. She refused to seek vengeance, and refused to let anybody else seek it on her behalf. She was very much herself for the weeks following, and we were just beginning to accept life was going to go back to normal when she got sick just before the full moon. She was hot and cold, shaking. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Her skin was pale and her eyes were dull. We don’t get sick, Lilith.” He paused for just a second and his eyes locked onto mine. “She died the night after, when the moon hung in the sky.”

  I was cold, disgusted with the story he was telling me. But I had the feeling I was missing something. James’ rage had started to fade, subdued by sorrow. A few tears shone in Delilah’s eyes. I looked back to Olias.

  “When the full moon came, her body began to turn. See, we have no control over that night. Other times we choose when we turn, but without fail on the night of the full moon, we all transform. And as she did, her body turned against her. The genes of the vampires had spread enough. They were trying to take over. It was like watching a person go crazy, and try to kill herself. She ripped at her hair, screamed in agony, clawed at anything she could get her hands on. Her mind was gone, eaten away by the disease of the vampires you wish to protect. But just before she died, she seemed to have a moment of clarity. She ran to the kitchens, grabbed the largest knife she could find, and plunged it straight through her heart.”

  It was so quiet I could hear James’ ragged breathing next to me. The champagne curdled in my stomach. I was uncertain how much of the story was truthfully represented and how much was just the brutal truth, but it was all awful.

  “Do you know what it feels like to be split in half?” Olias mused. “That’s what happened to her. Her body was splitting right down the middle, the two sides of her fighting to get free. She wasn’t the only one who died that night. Me and Julius... She took us with her.”

  I was confused, but I didn’t have to say as much. My heart was hammering, and I didn’t doubt that everyone could hear it in the moment of silence. “Let me ask you again.” He said. “Do you know what it feels like to be ripped in half?” He was just inches from me now, having closed the gap so that he could probably feel my heartbeat falter.

  I couldn’t breathe, much less speak, and so I only shook my head no. A cold smile crossed his face, but it was not happy or humorous. More like...pitiful. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  I shut the door behind me and watched as James paced the room a couple of times. He was pale and had looked to be on the verge of a breakdown, so I’d taken control and led him to the privacy of his own room. My plan had been to get him away from Olias as soon as possible. Now that the mission was accomplished, I wanted to demand answers, but I was still cold all over with the information I’d just received, and James didn’t seem like he’d respond to any questions I asked, much less any that I demanded. The bed beckoned to me, but I leaned against the door, barring James’ exit and watched him walk the length of the room before turning around and starting again. After a whole minute had passed, he finally stopped. His sorrow had transformed back into rage, and it seared in his eyes.

  “That bastard!” James said through gritted teeth, his fist clenched at his side. “He just had to show up here. He had to tell you that!” James turned and kicked the wall. I made a conscious effort not to draw back against the door any further.

  “I’m sorry,” I offered, not sure if that was the right thing to say.

  “You’re sorry?” He laughed and polished the effect with a roll of his eyes. “You can’t apologize for him. You don’t get to do that.”

  “I—” I shut my mouth before anything else could come out. I had been about to say ‘sorry’ again. Apparently when my brain was on autopilot, it resorted to apologizing. I realized my mistake before I made it, and hopefully prevented another outlash.

  “Don’t, ok? Just stop.”

  I held my hands up in a show of surrender and edged away from the door to sit on the bed. He sighed before coming to sit next to me. I didn’t look at him for fear of scaring him off. “I guess you’d like some answers now.” They were the words I’d been so desperately looking for since we’d met, but now I wasn’t so certain I wanted them.

  “Whenever you’re ready.” I chanced a look at him and saw the vestiges of anger disappearing. He looked like he’d aged since this morning.

  “You’ve been staying in her room. Jocelyn.” I blinked. Jocelyn. The girl in the picture with Julius. The girl who’d been through the same thing as me, the one wh
o I’d been too scared to ask James about. “She was four minutes older than Julius, and she never let him forget it. But they were best friends. I guess that only came from the territory...it was weird, though. Like they were the same person sometimes. Obviously they weren’t; they were very different too, for all their similarities. Julius never wanted me around and Jocelyn took every chance to let me tag along. He was short tempered...still is...and she was so damn patient it was infuriating.” He smiled and bit his lip. I didn’t doubt that the memories were painful to think of, never mind discussing them with me.

  “I always felt kind of like an outsider, being three years younger. But I got to have more fun than them. Jocelyn was eldest and so she was going to be queen. Julius was groomed into perfection as the eldest son. You know, growing up you don’t really think about when you’re going to die.” There was no need to point out that I had spent many hours fretting over it, and so I only continued to listen. “We just went through the motions, did our jobs. We knew she would be queen one day, but we weren’t worried about it. Father was in good health and she had no problem finding a suitor. Olias had been her friend since his family relocated here when they were barely teenagers. They were inseparable, and they were good together. They were already matched and marked. Our job is never done, though, and Jocelyn had gotten wind of a massive trafficking. The problem was already resolved when she went out, and she only had to help deal with the aftermath, tying up loose ends. We never thought anything of her leaving on her own. She’d always been more than capable of taking care of herself, and all of us. ”

  He paused and drew a ragged breath, trying to absorb from it some sense of courage to keep going. “She was gone a couple hours too long, and when Olias got back from his mission he decided we should look for her. So we did. And he found her. At first he thought her dead, but she was only unconscious. He refused to leave her side, and when she woke up she remembered everything. Everyone acted the way you’d expect. Olias, my father, and Julius all hoped for bloodshed. I wanted nothing but to never hear mention of the vampires again. I wanted them gone at any cost…I still do. And Jocelyn just said to let it go. She was back to herself almost immediately, giving orders and talking to us like normal. None of us had any idea what was coming, except maybe her. She was so clever. And that night, the full moon...she was so calm, like she’d expected it all along. Seeing her like that...” His voice broke off and we sat in the quiet room together for a moment. I didn’t need to hear anything else. James looked up at me after a few moments, his eyes boring into mine. “You reminded my dad of her. It’s why my mother pretends she hates you so much. She can’t stand the thought of you replacing her.”