25. Livy

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

LIVY

T he party was only just beginning and well-dressed guests spilled into the ballroom. After a few minutes, the room was almost at full capacity. When it seemed most who were coming had arrived, the doormen closed the double doors.

"My goodness, is that Elias Green? I haven't seen him in ages. He's more scrumptious than I remember." Ferina bit her fingertip, staring longingly over at the tall blond chewing snacks by the buffet table.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" I nudged her in the side.

Ferina's mouth gaped as if my idea were more than crazy, it was dangerous.

"Did I mention how gorgeous your dress is? Rollin really outdid himself." Her eyes scrolled up and down my flowing red gown.

"Don't change the subject."

"I can't just walk up to him." She ruffled the hem of her frilly sky blue gown. "That would make me look way too eager. I need to be aloof, randomly bumping into him by accident. That's how a princess approaches a suitor she's interested in. "

Suddenly, demon high class society took on an all new level of strangeness to me. Where I came from, if you liked a guy then you could just tell him so. But here everything was like a pageant. This party, filled with hundreds of young, well dressed, affluent demons gave me a peek into the secrets of demon social classes and courting culture.

To the naked eye, the guests are socializing, dancing and enjoying themselves. But really, they were navigating a complex social structure, like pieces on a chessboard. According to Ferina, this was the first party Malek had ever thrown in the palace and these noble demons were ready to make the most of the chance to rub elbows with choice dignitaries.

Malek had been by my side since the start of the party, only recently being dragged away by some senior politicians desperate to chat with him.

"Come, let's get a snack." Ferina took my hand, and we maneuvered through the guests, getting closer to the buffet table and to Elias.

I'd been feeling just a bit out of place in this arena full of high-class demons. I was the only wolf shifter here. It didn't matter that Malek and Ferina bent over backward to introduce me to just about everyone here. I still saw the apprehension in most of their eyes. Like all they saw was the ‘other' in me.

We reached the table and Elias was only a few steps to our right. He helped himself to the turkey sandwiches while Ferina and I took a few lobster quiches onto our tiny plates.

Ferina stole a peek at him.

"God, just look at those eyes," she purred like a cat in heat.

"You'd better talk to him before he finishes that sandwich then." I took a big bite of lobster.

"Can't. Nervous. Too." Ferina jumbled her words. I'd never seen her nervous before, her cheeks were so red, she resembled the lobster on her plate .

"Come on. We're not just going to stand around here. What kind of wing wolf would I be if I let you miss out on a chance at love?" I hooked my arm around hers and shepherded her closer to him.

"Wing what?" she asked with a full mouth.

"Oh, excuse me." I rammed my shoulder into Elias.

"No, excuse me. I really should watch where I'm eating." Elias said with a friendly smile. He took a dry swallow as he saw Ferina.

"P-Princess. H-how how are you?" He was tongue tied, stammering so much he could barely get out a clear sentence. "I- you. You look amazing."

He grinned innocently.

"It's been a while." She tossed her flowing blond hair behind her shoulder. "I'm glad you could come. I was hoping you'd be here. I mean if you didn't come it would also be okay, I mean I wanted-"

I tapped her foot with mine. "Relax Ferina, this isn't an interrogation." I said with unmoving lips.

"I'm great and it's wonderful to see you again, Elias." She fluttered her lashes, swaying her hips flirtatiously.

Atta-girl. Now you're back in the game.

"This is my friend, Lady Sunny." Ferina introduced.

"Hey, how are you doing? Oh look, Malek is calling for me. I'll be right back." I pretended to see Malek in the crowd and walked past Elias.

Ferina had just gotten into the groove. I didn't want to third wheel her and Elias.

I turned back to make sure she was playing. Ferina blinked furiously, her eyes saying, ‘where the hell are you going?'

"You got this," I mouthed giving her the thumbs up,

She and Elias continued chatting. The party was really starting to hype up as I searched for Malek .

The band on stage stopped playing and the vocalist ended her song.

The ballroom doors opened, and the guests quieted, seeming to wait for something to happen.

A band of drummers stormed in, a troupe of leotard clad dancers twirling in after them. Half the dancers were demons, the other half demonesses. They made the open space near the door their own, twisting and twirling to the infectious beat.

The guests looked on, mesmerized by their fluid effortless movement. It was the kind of synchronized motion that could leave you feeling utterly hypnotized, especially if you'd had a bit to drink.

The dancers formed four neat lines of five each. The front line performed water element aerobatics, shooting geysers of liquid into the air in intricate patterns that left the audience in jaw-gaping awe.

Up next was the second line who used their air element to fly through open space above the guests. They were twirling and rhythmically twisting all the way to the ceiling. I'd never seen anything like this, the absolute control they had over their elements was so great I envied them.

If I could control my chaos element half as well as they could, I would be unstoppable. Not even alpha wolves would dare challenge me.

The fire elementals came last, stealing the show by juggling fireballs. The higher the balls went, the louder the audience cheered.

A finger tapped my shoulder, and I turned to face someone. "Excuse me, Lady Sunny. I don't mean to interrupt you. I finally caught up with my daughter, Vanessa and I'd love for you to meet her." An older mustached male with breath that smelled of wine and whiskey said.

I recognized him. Malek had introduced him to me earlier. He was the friendliest demon I met tonight. The one with the most genuine smile.

"Sure, I'd be happy to meet her." My head tilted to peer behind him.

A demoness in her early twenties sidestepped the man. She had striking good looks with high sharp cheekbones, a tiny button nose and a figure that would make a model jealous. Her long brunette curls spiraled all the way to the hem of her frilly, yellow nightgown.

"Nice to meet you." She offered me a hand.

Her father was as warm as summer, but his daughter was as cold as ice. From the tone of her voice to the way she scrutinized me from head to toe.

"The pleasure is all mine." I took her hand and shook it.

"Where did King Malek run off to?" Her eyes scattered about.

"I'm not sure. I'm looking for him." I said, and her brow raised with visible interest.

"Interesting that he would throw a party in your honor just to leave you all alone." she said with a smile that didn't touch her eyes.

There was something in the way her dark eyes pierced me that told me she was looking for any weakness in me for her to exploit.

"The princess and I were just separated. Malek would never leave me alone at a party." I said gingerly.

"Good to know." She curtseyed like a cute little princess, but I wasn't fooled. I'd seen the devil in her eyes.

The elemental performance ended and the dancers left the room.

Malek appeared on the platform, borrowing the vocalist's microphone. "I hope you all enjoyed the show." Malek's gaze skimmed the masses, searching for someone.

Cheers rose in the room.

"Excellent! Then you'll be happy to know there's much more entertainment in store." He said before looking at someone by the door and saying. "Bring in the baskets. It's time for the games."

Malek and my eyes met. He handed the microphone back to the vocalist.

Malek sifted through the guests, splitting the room in two to get to me .

"I've been looking everywhere for you. Did you see the show? Did you like it?" His eye contact was long and unwavering.

"It was jaw dropping! I've never seen anything like it. I mean, they must have been practicing for months."

"Years. They're professionals. The state sponsors all the most talented artists and athletes." He arched his back proudly.

"Oh, King Malek! It's me Vanessa. It's nice to see you again." Vanessa gushed, drooling over Malek like he was a deli platter.

"Hello. I hope you're enjoying the party." Malek barely spared her a glance and didn't wait for her reply before taking my hand and escorting me over to the game baskets.

Vanessa glared murderously at me. I didn't mind. It was obvious she wanted Malek. This room was probably filled with girls who wanted him.

Uniformed men rested five baskets near the stage. They were stocked with everything from darts and cards, to green apples, dominoes and a bunch of other random things.

"What are all of these things?" I removed an apple from the basket.

"These are traditional games dating back to our time in the underworld, modified to suit earth sensibilities of course."

"By that, I assume you mean there's no blood or sacrifices involved?" I asked.

He turned to me, dazed. "You're far wiser than your years."

Those interested in playing, downed their drinks and shuffled closer to the baskets.

"As is customary, we'll start with the rose apples," Malek announced for all to hear, and the bartenders sprung into action.

They set twenty silver pans down near the baskets, filling each pan with red wine. Ten apples were tossed into the wine, and we were instructed to bob for them. First to get all ten wins .

So, basically, it was bobbing for apples using alcohol instead of water.

Malek kneeled in front of one of the pans. I took the spot on his right. Vanessa shoved another girl out of the way, planting herself next to Malek on his left. Various other guests got in formation behind the other pans.

Someone announced for us to start and we began bobbing.

I'd only gotten one apple out when someone rang a bell, declaring Malek the winner. In under a minute, he managed to eat all 10 apples and drink half the wine.

Clearly, I'd misunderstood the point of the game, still there was no way I could have out eaten Malek even if I hadn't.

"You're so talented, my King!" Vanessa said in an exaggerated tone, her chest now so soaked with wine, her breasts were now almost entirely on display, one of her nipples were even peeking out.

"Oh, pardon me, my King." She blushed, faking embarrassment as she tucked her goodies away.

"How many did you get, Sunny?" Malek asked, completely ignoring Vanessa.

"Only one this time. But I managed to drink most of the wine, mostly by accident though." I hiccupped.

"Then you're the real winner." He nestled his hand in my hair, combing his fingers through it.

He rose to his feet, helping me to mine.

A bartender congratulated him, handing him a small bottle of rum crème as a prize for winning the game. Malek thanked him and gave it to me.

An older demon who appeared to know Malek well patted him on the back. His words slurred like he'd had too much to drink as he told Malek about something funny that happened to him a few days ago .

"Only one rose apple?" Vanessa laughed scornfully, "Elementary school children could do at least three. Are all wolves as impressive as you?"

"Are all demonesses as desperate as you?" I placed a straightened finger to my chin. "No, Princess Ferina isn't. So, I guess it's just you."

Done with his conversation, Malek called for me to join him as the next game was about to start.

Vanessa raced for his side before I could fully straighten my knees.

Vanessa hugged so close to Malek that she was almost under his armpit.

He barely seemed to register her presence, but I couldn't help but notice how well they matched.

She was way taller than I was. Her strong build went well with his. Their scents complemented each other's while ours clashed. They just looked like they both belonged.

Malek called for me again, his eyes dripping with unease. Like he sensed something was wrong.

"Are you alright?" He took my hand to Vanessa's chagrin.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. So, the next game is called pin the snout on the hell worm. You'll need a blind fold for this." He covered my eyes with a handkerchief handing me a snout attached to a pin.

We played for a good half an hour, laughing as I and other blindfolded guests wandered the room aimlessly, missing the target by several feet.

It was a lot of fun, with Malek and I bouncing into each other several times during the game.

For the next game, a large circular table was brought out. The moment the table was set in the middle of the room, everyone went silent. We'd all been drinking a bit too much.

But tipsy or not, the mood morphed from one of light, playful humor to one of sternness .

Apparently this game would be more serious than the others. Malek invited me to sit next to him at the table. Ferina and Elias sat across from us chatting and I was glad to see they were hitting it off.

The other seats filled in quickly. In total it was about twenty of us. Each player had three pies set out in front of them on the table.

By the smells they were an array of fruit pies, with a few meat pies thrown in. Some of the scents I didn't recognize.

"I like where this is going," Licking my lips I picked up the fork on my right. "I love pie eating contests."

"Wait. It's not quite what you think." Malek explained taking my forked hand. "This game is called ‘pie luck'. The game has three rounds. At the start of each one, you take one of your pies, handing it to the person on your right. You in turn, accept a pie from the person on your left. Then you eat one of the pies you currently have. You repeat this again for the next round. The game ends in victory when you have eaten at least three pies."

"And how do you lose?"

"One of the pies has horse dung mixed into it. Eat that one you lose."

"Dung?" I choked. "You mean, like shit?"

Malek nodded gravely.

Two seats down from me, on my right, Vanessa took her fork, giving me the side eye in an unspoken challenge.

Malek declared the game open. I chose one of my three pies at random, handing it to the man on my right. I then received one of Malek's pies as he sat on my left.

We all had a heightened sense of smell, but with so many different types of fruits and meats all on one table it was next to impossible to sniff out which one had the dung. The game was well thought out, the perfect way to fool even the keenest of noses.

I put the fork in, cautiously sampling one of my pies .

"Cherry," I said, relieved.

"Chocolate. That was close." Malek's eyes slid closed and as he exhaled.

"Still in the game!" Ferina declared loudly from across the table.

Vanessa patted her lips with a napkin having thoroughly enjoyed whichever flavor she'd gotten.

The next round started as nobody had lost yet. I retrieved one of my two remaining pies. Before I could hand it over to the man on my right, Malek stopped lightly elbowing me, his eyes flickering over to the other pie with a sugar-coated crust.

I averted to the sugar crusted pie, handing that one down instead. Was that the one with dung or was he just guessing? It smelled fine to me but Malek's nose may have been keener than mine.

I received Malek's pie, and it was a scrumptious orange cream. A quick glance around the table told me everyone was still in the game.

Ferina, a tad too drunk, started hooting. Elias, visibly amused by the gesture, mimicked her.

It was the final round, and everyone only had one pie left. We did our exchange. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Eying my pie with suspicion.

Malek dug into his, completely unafraid.

"Blueberry." He licked the filling from his lips and waited for me to dig in, revealing what was inside.

After a moment's hesitation I took a bite.

It was sweet and sour. "Rhubarb!" I cheered.

Malek adjusted himself in his seat to face me. "You know, I lost the first time I played this. It was almost 4 hundred years ago and…"

A chilling scream rent the air, cutting Malek off mid sentence. Vanessa tossed her pie on the ground. A mixture and dung soiled the hardwood .

She scowled at me so harshly that if looks could kill, I'd be dead. Immediately I knew what had happened.

Malek had given me the dung laced pie, knowing that Vanessa would likely be left with it in the final round.

"Nobody insults my bride." Malek leaned over to whisper in my ear, tightly clasping his hand around mine.

"I didn't realize you noticed that." I whispered back.

"I notice everything."

Vanessa raced out of the room. I wished I could say I felt sorry for her but we all took the same risk when we started playing.

The orchestra began playing harmonious, bassy music and everyone took to the dance floor.

Malek held me into his chest, and we slowly danced our way through the room.

The world around us fell away as we swirled and twirled together, claiming a little circle of space, a few feet from the bar for ourselves.

He hugged me closer, his eyes warm and bright and we swayed from side to side. Even without words, I could read his emotions. Tonight was perfect. Everything was perfect, not because of all the demons, but because we were here together.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight? Were we alone, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back." His fingernails grated up my thigh, his hands greedily cupped my backside. Lust swam across his eyes. "You are the most important person in the world to me."

"I think you made that clear when you made Vanessa eat the shit pie."

"I won't allow anyone to ruin this for us. Tonight is too important." He spun me around before drawing me back into the firmness of his embrace.

We danced for what felt like seconds but had to have been close to an hour as the dancers dwindled. Most going over to eat, drink or sit down and chat. Soon, only Malek and I were left dancing.

I glided my hand up and down my side. Something in the dress had been chafing my skin since we started dancing but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Will you come with me? I want to show you something." He whispered, his tipsy voice light and sweet like honey.

I went with him, and we briefly spoke to the demons we passed on our way to the door.

We were almost at the ball entrance when the chaffing got more noticeable. I scratched my side near my bra as a politician's wife greeted me, telling me how much fun she was having.

I thanked her for coming, twitching my hand to my side so she wouldn't see my itching. Malek and I continued toward the exit when I continued scratching the spot.

My heart jumped as my finger touched something hard, something I recognized. It was long, flat and very curvy. The Angel Song Dagger. It was in my dress.

I left it under my bed. What the fuck was it doing tucked into my bra strap? Thank God my dress was too thick for anyone to see the outline.

We were almost at the door and I kept smiling so no one could tell I was shitting bricks.

This dagger had to be enchanted. It had more than just the power to kill ancient demons. It had the omnipresent enchantment on it. I learned about this at Pennington Academy. The owner of an omnipresent object can never lose it or leave it behind. It is always with them until they pass it to a new owner.

That sneaky, treacherous Varcus. I should have known he would pull some crap like this.

This enchantment could only be done by the most powerful of mages. How in the hell did Varcus get his hands on something this dangerous? And why didn't he warn me? Because he was a bastard. That's why .

Malek and I departed the ball and soon entered another wing of the palace, one I'd never been to before. I wanted to figure out what to do about the dagger, but while I was still with Malek I couldn't risk him seeing it. So I was stuck with it for now.

He took me into a room with a few pieces of antique furniture and portraits of demons hanging on all four walls. The room was lonely and quiet with nothing but the scent of wood polish to keep us company.

Checking to ensure we weren't followed, Malek drew the door closed. Removing a long skeleton key from his pocket, he locked the door.