7. The fattened calf

7

THE FATTENED CALF

W hen my father announced that I could take Friday evening off, I should have been suspicious. But it's not until Eden knocks on my door and tells me to ‘wear comfortable shoes' that I begin to wonder what kind of evening off I'm getting.

As soon as breakfast is over, Eden whisks me away to go shopping—as if I don't already have enough clothes in my closet. But I'm also not going to tell her no . We had a pretty shaky first meeting already and I want my dad's wife to like me.

Pulling into the parking lot of the store, I notice that normal store operational hours aren't a thing. Here, some stores don't even open up until ten at night. I guess that is one of the perks of living in a town full of vampires.

The first store Eden brings me to is an upscale clothing store. Beautiful dresses line the windows.

"Why do I need a new dress?" I unbuckle my seatbelt and reach to open the door. Before I can, one of the security guards my father sent with us opens it for me.

There are an insane amount of guards with us. Though, maybe it's to be expected since they're not sure what happened to Lucien. And, technically, Eden is a queen and I'm… whatever I am.

I may have been a princess before I came here, but it's not the same. I never had any guards and I never needed them. I wonder if this is going to be a permanent thing that I need to get used to or if it'll stop once Lucien comes back and takes over as heir.

Eden links her arm with mine, walking with me toward the store. "Michael is hosting a ball to introduce you to vampire society. You will be introduced to our allies and other monarchs."

Her words are said so casually that it takes a few seconds to register her words. I stop abruptly. Eden stops and turns to me.

"Are you okay, dear?" she asks.

"Everybody?" I put a hand to the base of my throat.

She grins and waves me for me to follow her through the door that the guard holds open. I follow, but my heart is pounding way too fast.

"Look," I say, coming up beside her as she looks at a dress on display. "I know that I'm a hybrid and succubi probably seem confident, beautiful, and outgoing, but I didn't get any of that. I'm anti-social and awkward. I'm the least charming person I know. And I'm afraid I'll embarrass Dad, you, and every vampire who is coming to gawk at me."

Eden laughs, lighting up her entire face. I swear, even her shoulders relax. "Madeline, I assure you that you will not embarrass anybody."

I don't know about all that…

"Now, come and let's get your measurements so we can get whichever dress you choose altered," she says.

"When is this ball?" I ask as a worker comes over to get started.

"Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" I squeak, air leaking out of my lungs painfully as I stare at Eden.

Her eyes sparkle with excitement. This is the mother of two boys and she's excited to have a girl in the family to shop with.

All objection leaves me as I realize that this is her way of accepting me into the family. If our roles were reversed and I was the one having to accept my husband's love child, I'm not sure I'd be so gracious.

I can handle one night of shopping—how hard can it be?

My feet ache.

After four hours straight of shopping for a dress, shoes, and accessories, Eden and I go to get manicures and pedicures. I nearly sigh when I put my feet into the hot water. Eden, on the other hand, looks like she's just getting started.

"Your dress is fabulous," Eden coos, looking at the picture she took on her phone. "I'm going to send this to Michael. He's going to love it."

I chew on my bottom lip, wondering how to approach the subject. "So, the ball tomorrow… is it just to introduce me to other vampire clans?"

Eden puts her phone down and glances at me, her eyebrows furrowed. "You are twenty three, yes?"

I nod, confirming my age.

"It's customary, at your age, to start seriously thinking about the future," she says.

The future? What is she talking about? My entire world just got turned upside down and my future was abruptly changed. All I've been doing is focusing on my future.

She clears her throat. "There will be a lot of princes coming to the ball."

"Cool," I say, still unsure what she wants me to say.

" Eligible princes."

"Eligible for what?" I ask.

Eden heaves a sigh. "For marriage."

My phone slips from my hands, straight toward the bucket of water at my feet. The only thing that keeps it from going under the water is my quick vampire reflexes.

"Marriage," I squeak, once my phone is safely on my lap again. "But… but… I…"

She grins. "Nobody is asking to marry you tomorrow, sweetie. They'd just like a chance to see you. And I have a feeling you're going to be very popular."

I sink further into my seat, letting out a groan.

So much for a nice, relaxing trip to get my nails done.

"Dad wanted you to break the news so he wouldn't have to, huh?" I ask, glancing at my stepmom. "Because he knew I wouldn't yell at you?"

Eden's eyebrows scrunch together. "He didn't say. He just said I should take you to get ready for the ball. Now that I think of it, you're probably right about his motive."

I reach a hand over to touch her arm. "Still, I am glad you brought me. I know you must have conflicted emotions when it comes to me, but I'd like for us to get along. We're family."

Her face softens. "I'd like for us to get along too. I know you have a mother, but I wouldn't mind taking the role of your stepmother."

My heart swells at her words. "Good. Because I have a feeling I'm going to need a second mom during my time here. I am in a whole new world here, but knowing that I've got family helps."

Her smile widens into something dazzling.

Is Eden part succubus? Because she's charming. It's easy to see why my dad married her. However, I still wonder about his affair. Right now doesn't seem like a good time to ask, though. Maybe once I get to know Dad and Eden better, I can question them.

After spending all of Friday night getting prepared for the ball, I thought Saturday would go a lot smoother, but I am woken up before the sun even sets.

A loud knock on the door wakes me up and I groan as I look at the clock and see that it's four in the afternoon. What good vampire gets up this early?

Still, I push myself out of bed and make my way to the door. When I open it a crack, the light from the hallway comes in. I squeeze my eyes shut as they water at the bright light.

"Madeline, I have a team coming to help you get ready for the ball. They'll be here soon. You may want to shower and have breakfast first. I'll meet you in the dining room in thirty minutes," Eden says, her voice sounding bright.

I force my eyes open. "You're much too cheerful."

She chuckles. "I'm always up at this time during the winter months. I haven't always been a vampire, you know? I was born human and I find that I miss the sun."

Born human?

My eyes widen. "You were born a human?"

She nods. "I'll tell you about it over breakfast. Get your shower."

I turn to do as she says. As I shower, I wonder exactly what else there is left to do.

Yesterday was an all day ordeal. It started with shopping, we got our nails done and even visited a spa to get a facial. I've never been so pampered in my life. Though to be fair, my mother did try to take me to a spa once. It was run by a succubus and she kept making comments about how I must've gotten my looks from my vampire father because my mother was so gorgeous and I didn't take after her. I never wanted to visit a spa after that, but now I know that I've been missing out because that was great .

Since I imagine somebody will be fixing my hair for me, I slip on a dress with a loose neckline that will make it easy to take off later. I slip my phone into my pocket and head to the dining hall. Eden gets there about the same time as me. Dad and Julien are both missing, but I doubt they have to get up quite as early as us.

Uh, boys have it so easy. I imagine all Julien has to do is shower, run his fingers through his hair, and put on a suit. Meanwhile, I'll be tortured with curling irons and hairspray. Yippee.

I slide into the chair across from Eden and a servant brings us both a plate of food.

"You were going to tell me about how you were born a human," I say, taking a bite of my eggs. I'm not hungry, but I know I'll regret it later if I don't try to eat something. I have a feeling that it's going to be a long day.

Eden takes a long sip from her wine glass which is full of blood. "It's not that exciting. My father was a vampire, my mother was human. He fell in love with her and they got married. My mother didn't want to be a vampire—I think the idea of drinking blood turned her off. They had my older brother first, then me. My brother was born a vampire, I was born a human."

"I didn't know vampires were compatible with humans in that way," I admit, knowing a succubus or an incubus can't have children with humans. I thought it was that way for most supernaturals.

She shrugs. "It's possible but it's not exactly safe . My mother died during childbirth when I was three. My father didn't want me to fall victim to the same fate, so he changed me when I was sixteen."

"Against your will?" My eyes widen in horror.

She nods. "I think if I were given the choice, I would've eventually chosen this life. It's all I knew. But being turned against my will made me bitter. It wasn't until after Lucien was born that I forgave my father for what he did. I realized, when I held Lucien in my arms, I would do whatever it took to ensure his safety. It's why my dad forced the change on me. Humans are fragile."

I grin at that.

Humans aren't exactly fragile, though maybe they are compared to supernaturals. They don't have our increased healing and are more impervious to accidents as they don't have our magic and increased speed and strength. Though, to be fair, succubi and incubi don't have those things. The only magic they have is their charm and beauty.

Eden clears her throat and leans forward. "I know that I told you why this ball is being held, but I want to make sure that you truly understand."

My stomach sinks. "It's about introducing me to eligible men. I'm the fattened calf, right?"

She chokes on her sip of blood.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She holds up a hand while she coughs a few more times and then she laughs. "Madeline, I assure you, you're not a fattened calf. Michael loves you very much."

"So much that he's trying to marry me off to the highest bidder?" I let go of my fork and it clanks loudly against the plate. I've lost my appetite.

She gives me a sympathetic look. "You're new to this life. I understand that the succubi do things differently than vampires. So let me assure you that your father isn't auctioning you off to the highest bidder. He is doing what is best for you and our clan. Besides, it's not like you're getting engaged tonight. You're just meeting… eligible men."

Okay, that doesn't sound so bad when she puts it like that.

She continues. "And if you meet a guy you happen to have chemistry with, your father will make moves to align us with his clan. You have the power, Madeline."

Right. Now I feel like I'm in a bad reality TV show where I have to meet eligible guys and weed out the men from the boys before I choose a husband in the end after only going on a handful of dates with them. Sounds like a really good basis for marriage.

I groan, letting my head flop back.

"It could be worse," I muse, keeping my eyes focused on the chandelier over the dining table. "They could be incubi instead of vampires."

"What's wrong with incubi?" Eden asks.

I lower my head to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "They're good looking and they know it. One time I went out with an incubus when I was in high school and he spent half the time looking at himself in the camera app on his phone and the other half talking about how much he could benchpress. I didn't have the heart to inform him that as a hybrid vampire, I could put him to shame."

Eden laughs. "Oh, you poor thing. Your father did tell me you said you don't have dating experience."

My cheeks grow warm. "Well, I am a hybrid. Most incubi find me incredibly unattractive."

She reaches a hand across the table and squeezes my fingers. "The princes tonight will be lined up to have a chance to talk to you, Madeline. You are beautiful. Don't forget it."