Chapter 4

“Not at all,” Alexandra agreed. She took a seat and straightened up.

Adrian laughed again, “Please, there’s no need for you to act with me, Alexandra. I would be exhausted, too, after all that. Relax, please. I insist.”

Alexandra hesitated, but then he posture crumbled. She was all too relieved to stop pretending for a little while. “How have you been, Councilman,” she stopped herself. “Sorry, how have you been, Adrian? It has been a while since I last saw you.”

“Not since Aiden’s swearing-in ceremony, I believe,” Adrian thought.

Adrian was referring to her father’s younger brother, Aiden Bliss, the Head of the Celestial Council and now the most powerful man in all of the Celestial Realm. He’d been in his position for the last three years, and back then, more than enough people were upset that a Bliss had gained the title of Head of the Celestial Council. Though most of the seats were occupied by people of royal and ancient blood, Aiden’s ascension to his seat on the Celestial Council placed a second Bliss among them. Alexandra’s aunt, Alicia Bliss, had assumed her place on the Celestial Council a year before Aiden.

Rumors swirled that the Bliss siblings had executed a hostile takeover by many in the High Council and the Celestial Council. Never in the history of the Celestial Realm have siblings occupied a throne, the Head of the Celestial Council, and a seat on the Celestial Council simultaneously. It was a tough pill to swallow for the rest of the Celestial Realm because Vampires had the largest population and, therefore, more power than the rest.

The rumors of their “hostile takeover” quickly died. But there were plenty of outlandish theories. Some seemed plausible, and others were outrageous. The three of them hadn’t bothered to entertain any of it and let their work speak for itself.

“That long?” Alexandra thought, “Time really does fly, doesn’t it?”

“It most certainly does,” he agreed. “Though it seems to be favoring you well. You’re turning into quite the beauty, just like your mother. Ser Drake is quite the lucky man to have snatched you up when he did.”

“You flatter me, Adrian,” Alexandra smiled, “but thank you.”

“I pay compliments to those who deserve them, and you, my dear, certainly deserve all the praise,” he assured her. “But, how are you doing this evening? I know these ‘Coming-of-Age’ ceremonies can be quite taxing.”

Alexandra scoffed and rolled her eyes, “It truly has been. Aside from the ass-kissing and constant chit-chat, I am doing better than I thought. It’s getting easier, so to speak. But, I am hopeful that things speed up a bit so that it won’t be too much longer before I finally get to go back to bed.”

“Aren’t Vampires supposed to be nocturnal?” Adrian teased.

She chuckled, “You know better than anybody to believe those old folktales from the Old Age, Adrian. A lot has changed since then.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he shrugged. “I commend your ability to maintain the act for so long, though. King Lafayette is the worst storytelling I’ve had the displeasure of meeting. And then Nobleman Reynolds would be dead if his life depended on a good joke.”

Alexandra couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ah, a genuine laugh,” he praised. “Good. I hear they’re good for your health. Those fake laughs will surely put you in an early grave. Especially those ones you pulled from King Baptiste.”

She nodded in agreement, “I must admit that might’ve been my best work.”

He chuckled, “I would have to agree.”

“Are you enjoying the evening? I see you rarely attend parties like these,” she noted.

“Oh, then you haven’t been paying attention,” he teased. “I’ve never missed a party. So many interesting things happen at parties like these, and I absolutely adore them. I rarely miss a party, and if I do, you can assume the extenuating circumstances are quite severe.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I fully understand what you mean?”

He nodded, “Ah, yes. I forget that you’re still young. Actually young. Not like these older fellows who parade around in their younger forms to make themselves forget they’ve aged. I suppose I can’t talk, though. You’re young and don’t honestly know how parties like this work. For every party like this, there are about fifteen – maybe even twenty – genuine people, and the rest are frauds.

“If I may speak so plainly, parties like this are swarming with liars, thieves, adulterers, and exemplary sinners. And if you pay enough attention, you’ll hear quite a few interesting things.”

“You don’t say?”

“Yes. Parties like this serve several underlying purposes. You get to lie to the people you see only at parties like this or official political-based functions. You get to talk politics. Yes, many hosts make the rule where you’d not even supposed to think about things like that, but rules are meant to be broken. And, parties like these are absolutely perfect for obtaining leverage.”

“Leverage? Like what?”

“Say you were trying to strike a trade deal with the Faeries. In preliminary talks, things turn sour, and now they won’t take your call. But, come to one of these things and rub elbows with the right people and listen carefully, and you’re bound to pick up a nugget or two that’ll get them sitting at your table and begging for your cooperation.”

“So, blackmail.”

“That’s such a crass word,” Adrian warned, “but yes. Blackmail. Everyone has skeletons, and everyone has a set of unclean hands. It’s impossible to be in this echelon of society without them. At the end of the day, things get done based on what you know about someone else.”

“Ah.”

“You’re still young, though,” he reminded her. “You’re destined to do great things, and if I’m ever so lucky, I hope you allow me to ally myself with you.”

Alexandra wore a slightly confused expression on her face, “You already have an alliance with my father, don’t you? And Shadow Walkers and Vampires have always been friendly.”

“Yes, but an alliance between nations and an alliance amongst friends is much more valuable,” he explained.

“Friends?”

Adrian nodded, “Why, yes. You’re young, so you don’t have anyone to lean on in the world you’re about to enter. I suppose you have quite a few invaluable friends, but those friends don’t hold any power yet. I, however, do. Plus, I have an excellent feeling about what you’ll accomplish. I just want to be a helping hand whenever necessary and be able to say we’re friends.”

“Adrian.”

Alexandra hadn’t even noticed another person had approached them until it was too late. She stood up quickly and curtseyed to the best of her abilities amid her exhaustion. Adrian was slow to stand on his feet and regarded the man standing at their table with a sly smile.

“Osiris.”

Celestial Councilman Osiris Pierce had been one of the last people she wanted to talk to. He once was slated to succeed his father, the former King of Werewolves. However, through a series of events that Alexandra couldn’t remember, his younger brother Orion became their father’s new successor and ascended to the Carrion Throne. Since then, it was rare to see Orion and Osiris within ten feet of each other at any given time.

And, as long as Alexandra has known Osiris, she’s known him to have a permanent scowl on his face. She’d only known him in passing, seeing as he made it a point to avoid any family gatherings between the Pierces and Bliss actively. Their families shared a history that predated the Celestial Realm, and they’d managed to stay close several millennia later. Despite their closeness, Osiris had developed into a Purist and loathed the relationship between their families.

But, if it weren’t for the scowl and his dated beliefs, Osiris could be considered handsome. He was tall like many of the men in the Pierce Family and had medium-length black hair against tanned brown skin that seemed weathered with age and hardened dark brown eyes.

“I’m surprised to see that you’re still here. I was sure you would’ve left shortly after the opening ceremony,” Adrian commented.

Osiris simply huffed, “Were you over here prattling on some idiotic nonsense again?”

Adrian pretended to be offended, “Idiotic nonsense? I’ll have you know that if you listened to me even a little, you wouldn’t be in the situation you’re in now, Osiris. I am mch wiser than I lead you to believe.”

Osiris tightened his jaw while Adrian’s smile broadened.

“Well, it’s getting late, and my wife complained about a headache not too long ago,” Adrian announced as he turned toward Alexandra. “Alexandra, I’d like to wish you a happy birthday, and I wish you nothing but the best. Oh, and I do hope you think about what I said a moment ago.”

“I will.” Alexandra nodded, “Thank you for coming, Adrian. And please give my best to Queen Naomi.”

“I will.” Adrian turned back towards Osiris and walked toward him, “Good night to you as well, Osiris. And though I know you don’t always take my advice, I suggest you stop scowling so much. Your face is going to get stuck like that.” He paused just a few steps past Osiris, “Oh. Forgive me; perhaps it’s already too late?”

Alexandra stifled a laugh, then covered it with a cough when Osiris shot her a dirty look. Adrian snickered at Osiris’s irritation before walking away and disappearing into the crowd.

“You would do the right thing and avoid Adrian Ghastly, Lady Bliss,” Osiris warned. “He has been plagued with misfortunate since he first manifested, and he’s passed that misfortunate onto those who attach themselves to him.”

“I’ll consider your words, Councilman Pierce,” Alexandra muttered.

Osiris eyed Alexandra for a moment before letting out a low groan and walking away. Alexandra took a seat and thought about what Adrian had told her about the way of things. She hadn’t worried about it before, but now that things had been put into perspective, she saw it clear as day.

It was exhausting to think that things weren’t always what they seemed, but she slightly enjoyed the idea of the underlying scheming. That had been a bit of her favorite part about these parties when she was a kid was overhearing the adults have hushed conversations amongst themselves. Alexandra hadn’t fully understood what they were talking about then, but it finally made sense.

“Sorry,” Drake apologized as he approached with a plate of food and two glasses of champagne. “I got stopped by Sander. He scolded me for leaving your side.”

She smiled, “That sounds like Sander.”

“Was that Osiris I saw over here just now?” Drake put down the plate and champagne flutes before handing over one of the two forks he’d tucked into his sleeve.

“Unfortunately.”

“Yeesh.” Drake sat beside her, “When was the last time you had an actual conversation with him?”

“Never,” she admitted.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” he confessed. “Eat. You still have people’s asses to kiss, and you can’t do that on an empty stomach.”

Alexandra happily obliged and indulged herself. Drake had done his part in stuffing the plate with as much food as possible and allowing her to eat first before he ate his share. People seemed to respect Alexandra’s little break and never stood at her table longer than a few minutes before moving on.

“Slow down,” Savannah warned as she approached with a young man close to Drake’s age trailing behind her. “You’re going to choke if you keep wolfing down food like that.”

“Ha-ha.” Alexandra’s feigned a laugh and dabbed at her mouth. “Are you off-duty?”

“Officially, yes. Unofficially, no,” the young man spoke as he leaned over and kissed Alexandra’s cheek. “Happy Birthday, Alex.”

“Thank you, Cain.”

Cain Adler, one of Alexandra’s oldest friends, had grown up alongside her with Drake and Savannah. He was slightly shorter than Drake, with pale skin, pitch-black hair, and dark green eyes. Like Drake and her father, he wore a formal knight’s uniform, but a sword was sheathed on his hip.

While Cain took a seat, he picked at Drake like he’d done a million times in the past, and Drake countered with his own digs. It was their way of showing affection to one another, and Alexandra always enjoyed their back and forts. While they bickered at one another, Savannah scooted close beside Alexandra and shared all the little nuggets of information she’d gathered while on patrol out in the gardens.

Alexandra listened intently and was shocked by more than one piece of information that Savannah reported. While in the middle of delighting in their gossip, Shaun and Erik joined them. Evidently, they’d been stuck with Uncle Harold for significantly longer than anticipated, but fortunately, Shaun hadn’t needed to break his hand.

“I threatened to snap his fingers and make him beg for mercy if he even attempted to grab me on the butt,” Shaun confessed while snatching up a glass of wine from a passing waiter.

“You threatened a noble?” Drake was practically pale in the face, “You could be arrested for that.”

“Yeah, well, Uncle Harold doesn’t know that I caught him playing ‘Doctor’ with someone that wasn’t Aunt Maggie,” Shaun cooed while taking a sip of wine. “He can have me arrested if he wants, but I doubt he’d want Aunt Maggie to find out he’s playing pretend with her sister.”

“I knew it!” Alexandra exclaimed. “I called that years ago. I could never catch them together, though. Who’s sister hangs around that much?”

“Aunt Maggie’s does,” Erik said, and they all laughed.

Alexandra was grateful for these few moments where she didn’t have to brown-nose or pretend for people she honestly could care less about. It was nice to feel like it was just another night where they all just happened to run into each other and spend the next few hours talking.

But the normalcy didn’t last long. Savannah had been in the middle of sharing a conversation she overheard between two of Alexandra’s cousins when a shriek pierced through the music. Axel, Savannah, and Drake were quick to their feet at the sound of it.

“Someone must’ve let Aunt Darlene drink too much,” Erik thought as he stood up and tried to see over the sea of people near the direction of the shriek. “She starts seeing shit if she drinks too much, and everyone knows she carries that hallucinogenic with her.”

“No, that’s not it,” Cain noted. “Something isn’t right.”

“We need to go.” Drake grabbed Alexandra’s hand and started pulling her away from the table. “Shaun, Erik, let’s go. Now!”

But it was already too late. One second the party was halted due to the initial scream, and the next, there was nothing but screams. The party broke into utter chaos, and Drake pulled Alexandra close as a stampede of people rushed by. Though Alexandra couldn’t see much with her face pressed against Drake’s chest, she heard the unnatural crunch of bone and the sound of something wet splattering against the walls and floors.

Then she smelled iron.