Matt cleared his throat. “Conor will come back to get her. I’ll just see her there.”
Mom’s brows drew together in confusion as she looked between us. “Oh? I thought…” She shook her head. “Nevermind, I guess. Let’s go, Ash.” She left the room carrying the dress.
I turned to Conor and raised on tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. His hands on my waist, he squeezed me briefly before letting go. He leaned into my ear. “I’ll be back, we’ll get through this. You need to talk to Matt right now.”
He pulled away, dropping a quick kiss on my forehead. Talk to Matt? Why? Conor left, giving Matt’s shoulder a squeeze on his way past him. Okay. What was going on here?
Matt stood, hands in pockets, focusing on the floor.
“Matt?”
When he raised his eyes to me, I saw everything. Love, concern, anger, resignation. I wasn’t sure which emotion was winning at the moment.
“I’ll be there tonight.” His voice was low, gruff.
“Okay,” I said cautiously. “And…”
“And, we’ll talk after. I don’t want to upset you now.”
I forced a smile. “Matty, knowing what you have to say is going to upset me later upsets me now.”
“I know,” he whispered, focusing somewhere to his left, anywhere except on me.
“So, what does it mean that I only have control when you’re there?” I ventured.
He shook his head. “Nothing good, Ash.”
More forced laughter from me. “Come on, it has to be something good. I actually had control. Good, right?”
He tried to smile, almost made it. “I gotta go. I’m picking up Victoria in a half hour.”
That fist was back in my stomach and squeezing harder this time. “Victoria?” Was that my squeaky voice?
He still wasn’t looking at me. “My date.”
My chest constricted and I found it hard to talk past the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. “Oh. Well, that’s…cool.” Had he moved on from me already? I knew I had no right to be upset. I was the one who was going to be bitten by one of his friends in a few hours, pledging to be Conor’s familiar instead of Matt’s. And yet.
He sighed and stepped to stand in front of me, still avoiding my eyes. Woodenly, he pressed lips to my cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
I resisted the strange urge to turn my head and catch his mouth on mine. Where were these thoughts coming from? I blamed that crazy dream I’d had. It had put weird thoughts about Matt into my head. I didn’t like this serious, morose Matt. I wanted my fun, joking Matt back. When would he resurface? He turned to leave.
“Matt.” My voice came out desperate.
He paused, not turning around. I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around him. He turned with a sound of desperation and his arms crushed me to him, his face pressing into my hair. Calm washed over me. All the tight, panicky feelings inside went away and I breathed easier. As long as I had Matt, I was good.
All the talk of his possibly not being there for me at some point had made me crazy. As he held me, though, I knew he’d never leave me. He couldn’t. It was so obvious we needed each other. He tore out of my grip and left before I could say anything else. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. My life wasn’t complicated at all. We’d get through it. Matt and I would survive this. Really.
“Honey, you look beautiful.” My mom pinned another curl on top of my head and rested her hands on my bare shoulders. She grinned at me in the mirror. I took a deep breath before returning the smile.
My pulse sped at the sight of my reflection. I did look pretty, even to me. My hair was pinned in curls on top of my head, leaving my neck bare, easier to be bitten.
The dress was the one from my dream, which freaked me out more than a little. The exact emerald green of Conor’s eyes, strapless, with a square neckline. It pulled in at the waist, the shiny material wrapping around in pleats. The skirt flared from the waist and fell to the floor in shiny folds. The material was gathered at random places, making more pretty pleats and folds.
My mom helped me with my makeup and, somehow, my skin looked glowing. I didn’t get many chances to really dress up, and I had to admit, I liked the results.
My heart raced at the sound of the doorbell. Mom squeezed my shoulders and left to let in Conor. I stared into my eyes in the mirror, more blue than gray tonight. Did I know what I was doing? Did I have a choice? Would Matt be there? What was Victoria going to be wearing? Why was I thinking these things? Closing my eyes, I shook my head.
“Ashlinn,” Mom called.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat, comprised of both nerves and something else unnamable. I managed to smile at myself. “Coming.” I left the room to meet my destiny.
When I saw Conor standing with my mom and dad in the foyer, I pulled up short, my heart speeding so fast, it threatened to burst out of my chest. He wore a black tuxedo, a freaking tuxedo. His black hair was gelled into an artfully messy style that only enhanced his sexiness. When his eyes fell on me, they widened, his mouth falling open slightly.
“Ash, you look…” His eyes drifted to my parents before settling on me. “Really good,” he finished with a raise of the eyebrows.
A warm flush washed over my skin and I smiled. “Thanks. You look good, too.” Lame, but my parents were looking at us and beaming.
“Good luck tonight, sweetheart.” Mom gave me a hug and Dad followed suit. I returned the sentiments and tried to tell myself I was not nervous.
Conor held his hand out to me. I gratefully took it and let him lead me to his car.
* * * *
Tre’s house was as big as Conor’s, if not bigger. It was all glass and metal and sprawling. Lights flooded the manicured lawn from practically every window. Through those large windows, I could see people moving in various rooms, all dressed formally, as Conor had said. The driveway circled in front of the huge double doors and Conor pulled to a stop in front of a couple men wearing red jackets and bowties. They had valet parking at their dinners? After putting the car in park, Conor looked at me, face neutral. I couldn’t see his eyes in the shadows of the car. What was he thinking?
“Ready?” The first word he’d uttered since we’d left the house. Talk about a tense ride; neither one of us wanted to bring up the huge elephant riding in the back seat.
I took a deep breath, pressed my lips together with a nod, and opened the door. He followed suit and took the ticket from the valet.
As the car drove away, Conor crossed the driveway and offered me his arm. I felt foolishly formal tucking my hand into the crook of his elbow as we walked the lit pathway up to the doors. Another man in a red jacket opened the large, metal front door from the inside and nodded as we walked in.
The first thing I noticed in Tre’s house? Light. It was flooded with it. Mirrors, steel on everything, and walls of glass helped spread it, bathing the surroundings in a warm glow. Even the floor was a shiny gray, almost reflective, though it sounded like marble as we crossed the foyer. A handsome couple stood at the entrance to a room.
Beyond them I saw dozens of people in formal wear, mingling, drinking from champagne glasses, and eating little finger foods off trays from circling waitresses. Conor stopped in front of the couple, and my eyes focused on them for the first time.
The woman wasn’t tall or beautiful, but she was regal. The way she stood and held herself spoke of power. Her brown eyes raked me from head to toe, appraising me. Her white blond hair sat coiled on the crown of her head in a complicated updo. Before I could peer at the man next to her, she laughed a rich, velvety sound that left my skin itching, like it was too tight. Next to me Conor tensed, his arm coming around my waist possessively.
“So this is the little witch we’ve heard so much about?” She spoke softly, but her words rang in my head like she’d shouted. My guess was she was on the Council, Tre’s mom, maybe?
“Mrs. Davis, Mr. Davis. This is Ashlinn O’Hara.” I was right, point for me.
Tre’s mom sniffed me, her long fingers wrapped around a champagne flute filled with thick, red liquid. Oh, blood. Was that blood? It was the same color as her manicured nails.
Conor squeezed my side, jolting me to focus on Tre’s dad. He resembled an older version of Tre. His long hair was the same light brown color, only he wore it pulled back in a low ponytail, which didn’t quite go with the tux. The eyes were the same cold, icy blue, and focused solely on me. As he glanced at me, they filled with something akin to hunger. I pressed closer to Conor as Mr. Davis’s lips twisted into a cruel grin.
“Powerful, is she?” His low and resonant voice struck a chord in my head and panic vibrated throughout my body. “You’re going to bite her tonight, Conor?” His glare finally left me. But his voice had me trembling. What was with his voice? Familiar. I’d heard it before, hadn’t I? Where? Or did it just sound like Tre’s?
“She will be my familiar before the night is done.” Conor spoke formally, standing straighter and meeting Mr. Davis’s glare with one of his own. I didn’t like the calculating stares coming from Tre’s parents, but I didn’t want to appear weak either.
Raising my chin, power surfaced within me. I had gotten better at sensing and controlling it in the last couple days and I used that control now to show them I wouldn’t be intimidated. Mrs. Davis’ perfectly arched eyebrows lifted and a look, perhaps approval, passed over her face.
Mr. Davis narrowed his glare and, if possible, grew even hungrier. Something in him was off; he definitely gave me the willies. Conor nodded and pulled me past them into the room full of people.
“I see why Tre is so charming,” I remarked dryly as we mixed in with the well-dressed crowd. There was a good combination of adult vampires and kids I recognized from school. Though, no one looked over thirty.
Vamps aged normally until around then and, if they maintained their blood supply, they remained young and beautiful for centuries. Once Conor and I were bonded, he would share his blood with me and I would age the same as he did. Witches already had a longer life span than normal humans, but nowhere near the immortality of a vamp.
Conor took my hand. “Are you okay?” He stopped us near a wall-sized window looking out onto an expansive lawn, illuminated by the lights in the house.
I sighed and took stock. Still a little shaky from the confrontation with Tre’s parents, I sighed. Though overall, I was fine. Of course, anxiety from the forthcoming bite remained, making my stomach knotty, and my heartbeat rapid.
“I’m fine. Do I know anybody here?” Changing the subject was a sure way to take my mind off everything. Though something niggled in the back of my mind. Like I’d forgotten something, yet I couldn’t for the life of me put my finger on it.
Conor looked out into the crowd. “Matt and Victoria are here. Tre, of course, and some other people you might recognize from school. Oh, and there’s Cora with Steven.”
I turned in excitement. Cora was here? Yes. She rushed toward us, dragging an amused Steven behind her. Her mahogany curls were piled on top of her head, her long neck and shoulders shone bare above a strapless red dress that hugged her body until it flared out at her knees in a feathery skirt. She pulled me into a hug.
“How are you? Matt said you were ready. I’m so excited for you. Are you excited? Nervous? Did you still want me to be there? Do you not just love this dress? And you look amazing!”
I laughed at her exuberance. “I’m good. I’m ready. Yes, I’m excited. A little nervous. You didn’t have to come. I’m glad you’re here. I love your dress. You look gorgeous and thank you.” I think I covered them all.
Laughing with me, she dragged me away from the boys and gestured across the room. “Did you see Matt with Victoria? It’s kind of weird.”
“Uh-uh. We just got here. He probably just had to have a suitable date for tonight. You know how the Council is.”
“True. Steven brought me. He had to convince his parents to let him. Just because mine aren’t Council,” she scoffed.
We grabbed some little meat things on toothpicks from a passing waitress and surveyed the crowd some more. “I forgot Steven’s parents were Council.” I stuffed the food in my mouth and chewed. It was surprisingly good.
She nodded, her mouth full, and pointed across the room to a couple, who talked to another woman. Everyone in the room seemed similar: beautiful, young, fancy dresses, hair pulled up to expose necks. There even seemed to be a color scheme of black and red. I wore the only green dress in the room. Actually, it was the only dress that was not black or red.
“Uh, Cora, was there a color scheme I was supposed to follow?”
“What?” She grabbed another meat-laden toothpick off a passing tray. “Oh no. The adult women are wearing black and the young vamps are wearing red. It’s a Council thing. I don’t know really why. You’re not a vamp. You can wear whatever color you want.”
Nodding, I glanced around again, and noticed the younger-looking girl vamps wore the red dresses, like she’d said. All the guys had tuxes, though. Guess they didn’t need to be distinguished.
I was contemplating all the red dresses when I spotted Victoria. How could you miss her? Her hair was dark and shiny and up, like everyone else’s, and there was just so much of it. Her dress was tight and short and sequined, showing a lot of olive skin. Impossibly long legs ended in ridiculously high and skinny red, sequined shoes. Her appearance wasn’t what caught my eye, though. No. She was holding onto the tuxedoed arm of a tall, broad guy whose sandy blond hair was gelled and styled. Matt.
“Victoria looks like a total ho.” Cora’s observation startled me. She pointed across the way with her toothpick. “Doesn’t she?”
I nodded my agreement, not able to take my eyes off Matt. Their heads touched as they shared a conversation not meant to be heard by any around them. She said something that made him laugh, his smile changing his face from serious to radiant. My stomach dropped a little as she responded and leaned in even closer to him.
“You’re staring,” Cora said softly, leaning in close to me. Startled, I tore my gaze off Matt and turned to her. She grinned at me knowingly. “Told you Matt was a hottie.”