Chapter Twenty: Caldric

Caldric stood at the bottom of the sweeping staircase, waiting for Aralyn. This was it, the night of the ball.

And any moment now she would appear at the top of the stairs looking like a princess from a fairy tale.

His princess. A smile tugged at his lips, but his nerves got the better of him and chased it away.

Despite all their planning, there was still so much that could go wrong.

He flexed his fingers, hoping that his nerves would not sever his newly restored ability to play like he used to.

He closed his eyes and pictured Aralyn in the tavern, tears on her cheeks, as the music…his music…moved her. As it had once moved so many people. He never thought he would see that again.

The door creaked and his eyes flew open as he strained to get a first glimpse of the woman who owned his heart.

Yes, it might still be frozen, but that didn't stop him from knowing that it belonged to her. And it always would.

Whether or not Aralyn broke the curse, she had captured a part of him.

A soft gasp escaped his lips as she appeared at the top of the stairs. If this was her effect on him when his heart was frozen, what would it be like if she succeeded in thawing it? The thought both thrilled and terrified him.

He'd lived so long numb to the world, that he wasn't sure how he would handle the intensity of feeling everything again. But as Aralyn descended the stairs, Caldric knew he'd risk it all for her.

With her hair swept up into an elegant knot, adorned with delicate crystal pins that sparkled like stars, Aralyn looked every inch as if she belonged at the Tolioni Ball. He'd even go as far as describing her as a vision.

Draped in a deep crimson dress that clung to her figure like liquid fire, the rich fabric shimmering with every movement. The dress was daring, elegant, and utterly bewitching. It was a color that spoke of passion, power, and danger—all things she embodied in this moment.

No one at the ball would be able to take their eyes off her.

Which, honestly, might be a problem.

For a moment, he was consumed by the idea that this was a mistake. Last night she'd asked him if he wanted to change his mind, and he had said no. But now he wasn't so sure.

If the Tolioni family discovered Aralyn stealing from them…

"How do I look?" Aralyn held out the skirt of the dress and spun around as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Stunning." Caldric sucked in a deep breath. "All eyes will be on you."

"Maybe I should have gone for something more understated?" Aralyn asked as she stopped twirling and approached him. "This isn't exactly cat-burglary attire."

"You've got your mask, though, no?" Caldric asked.

Aralyn held up the red masquerade-style mask, complete with large trailing feathers. "This isn't the kind of inconspicuous disguise I had in mind."

Caldric chuckled as he looked down at his own, its entire surface shimmering. "Remember, auspicious is inconspicuous where we're going."

He looked back up, straight into Aralyn's smile.

For a long moment, Caldric could do nothing but stare, his gaze tracing the curve of her neck, the delicate line of her shoulders, and the way the dress flared slightly at her hips before cascading down to the floor. Her hair was swept up, revealing the graceful arc of her throat, a sight that sent a shiver of desire through him. His heart—or what was left of it—seemed to stutter in his chest.

He licked his lips, aware that his fangs were beginning to protrude.

She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his with a confidence and fire that only deepened his desire.

"Aralyn," he breathed, stepping closer to her, his voice low and reverent. "You are…exquisite."

Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile, and he felt the air between them charge with an unspoken electricity. "I'm glad you approve."

"Approve?" Caldric echoed, his eyes darkening with desire. He would love to stay here, just the two of them, and make love to her all night.

But that wasn't why they were here. It wasn't why he was dressed in this suit, and she was dressed in that dress.

He took her hand in his, lifting it with a gentleness that belied the strength in his grip. "Aralyn, you are a vision, a masterpiece beyond anything I could ever compose. The stars themselves would pale beside you tonight."

Aralyn giggled. He wasn't sure if she was laughing at him, or if she was being coy. Which was not a side of her he'd seen before. But then he hadn't known her for long at all. There was so much he had to learn about her.

He turned her hand over, pressing his lips to the delicate skin of her wrist, lingering just a moment longer than necessary. The touch was light, almost imperceptible, yet it sent a pulse of heat through both of them. Aralyn's breath hitched, and Caldric's gaze flickered to her neck, the pulse there quickening as her heart raced beneath the surface.

"Do you have any idea," he whispered, his lips brushing her skin as he spoke, "what you do to me?"

Her smile softened, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes as she looked at him. "Perhaps," she murmured, her voice a caress. "But it's something we are both going to have to fight. We have a job to do, remember?"

Caldric groaned as he straightened up, his hand still holding hers, their eyes locked in an intimate, unbreakable connection. The large hallway seemed to shrink around them, the tension of their unspoken desires making the air thick and heavy. But beneath it all, there was also a sense of excitement about the possible danger that awaited them at the ball.

He couldn't deny that he had missed this thrill of deviousness.

He stepped closer, their bodies nearly touching, the warmth of her presence washing over him in waves. "I can wait," he said, his voice a low promise.

Aralyn nodded. "Then let's get this done. Together."

"Always," Caldric whispered, his thin lips curving into a smile as he leaned in, his mouth hovering just above hers. The temptation to kiss her, to claim her as his, was overwhelming, but he resisted, savoring the tension between them instead. He pulled back just slightly, his lips moving to her ear. "Shall we go, my love?"

Her breath shivered against his skin as she nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

With a final, lingering kiss to her hand, Caldric stepped back, offering her his arm. She took it without hesitation, her fingers curling around his as if they were made to fit together. As they moved toward the door, ready to step into the night and the danger that awaited them, Caldric couldn't help but steal one last glance at her, at the woman who had stirred something within him that he thought long dead.

Together, they left the house, the cool night breeze ruffling her dress as Caldric led Aralyn down the stone steps of the house and toward the waiting carriage.

"What is this?" Aralyn glanced at Caldric.

"I thought we should arrive in style," Caldric replied.

"It's a good thing we are not trying to keep a low profile." Aralyn stepped away from him and went to the horse, and stroked his neck. "Hello there. And hello to you."

The coachman, dressed in a classic suit, tipped his bowler hat at her.

"You've got to remember that the more audacious we are for this gathering, the less noticeable we shall be," Caldric said as he joined her. "Do you ride?"

"I have a couple of times." She ducked her head as she turned to look at him. "All in the line of duty."

"Never for fun?" Caldric asked.

"No," Aralyn replied. "You?"

"There's nothing like it. The wind in your face, the feel of power beneath you." Caldric gazed into the distance. "When this is done, will you come riding with me? For fun."

"I will." She threaded her arm through his. "There are lots of fun things I'd like to try."

"You sound as if you are contemplating retirement." Caldric placed his hand over hers as they walked back toward the carriage.

"I'm not sure about retiring," Aralyn said. "This is what I do. What I am." She stood by the side of the carriage while Caldric opened the door. "But I am thinking it might be time I settled in one place for a while."

"You mean a desk job?" Caldric teased.

"I don't know if I would go that far. But I'd like to…set down roots." She glanced at him, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. "For a while."

"Well, if you ever tire of staying with your uncle, you are always welcome at my house." Caldric helped her into the carriage and then climbed in beside her and tapped the door with his hand.

With a flick of the reins, the coachman urged the horses forward, and the carriage began to move, the wheels turning as they set off into the night. They passed by houses and stores. The rhythmic swaying of the carriage lulled them into a comfortable silence as they made their way through the city streets. Aralyn gazed out the window, her eyes reflecting the flickering streetlamps they passed.

"Are you sure?" Caldric murmured.

"I feel it's a little late to say no now." She sighed. "Besides, this is how I get the desk job."

"Ah." He nodded and leaned back in his seat. "Then we'd better make sure we pull it off then."

"But if we don't," she said. "Well, I'd rather I went back to my old life than take too big a risk. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I can look after myself. I have been for a long, long time," he assured her. And he planned on looking after her, too. For as long as she needed him. And maybe longer. Aralyn might be a vampire hunter, but he was sure she had no idea what she was walking into tonight.

As the carriage climbed the winding road up into the hills, the landscape around them transformed into something almost otherworldly. The trees arched over the road like a natural cathedral that steepled far overhead, and someone had cast a spell over them so that a million tiny lights twinkled among the leaves, creating the illusion of stars within reach. The effect was breathtaking, a magical pathway leading them to their destination.

Aralyn gasped softly, her eyes wide with wonder. "It's beautiful," she whispered, leaning closer to the window.

"Aralyn." Caldric put a hand on her arm. "Don't get swept away by all this."

"You mean the pretty lights?" Aralyn asked as she turned to look at him.

"It starts with the pretty lights…" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Point taken." She nodded. "But remember, this is not my first rodeo."

"But it is your first Tolioni Ball." Caldric rolled his shoulders. He could not afford to tense up if he wanted to play well tonight.

As the carriage continued its journey, the landscape grew wilder, the trees giving way to rocky outcroppings and steep cliffs that fell away to reveal breathtaking views of the town below, now just a twinkling sea of lights in the distance. The road wound higher and higher, until the carriage seemed to float among the stars themselves, the world below a distant memory.

Aralyn leaned slightly against him, her shoulder brushing his as she gazed out at the night. "It's like something out of a dream," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of wonder. "I had no idea vampires were capable of such…beauty."

Caldric nodded, his gaze never leaving her face. "It is," he agreed, though for now, his thoughts were entirely on her. "But this isn't a dream, it's a spell. A very carefully crafted image by very powerful people."

"A spell." Her head jerked backward as if he'd thrown a bucket of water in her face.

"Yes. It's like a glamor, only cast over a wider area. It helps get everyone in the right mood for the ball." Caldric nodded as the carriage rounded a last bend, and the large house came into view, perched high on the hill like a sentinel watching over the bay. It was a grand, imposing structure, its tall spires and wide balconies bathed in the pale glow of the moon. The sound of distant music drifted down the hill, carried on the night breeze, an eerie melody that promised a night of both elegance and danger.

"It's like a fairy tale." Her voice had a dreamy note to it once more.

"Keep your senses keen," Caldric warned her.

"Don't worry, I will." She shook her head and inhaled deeply. "But that is some powerful magic."

"Only the best for the Tolioni Ball."

The carriage slowed as it approached the grand entrance, the horses' hooves clattering on the cobblestones as they drew to a stop. Caldric glanced at Aralyn. There was so much at stake, so much that could go wrong. And yet…he had faith in her.

He reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips as he had done earlier, but this time his kiss was slower, more deliberate. He savored the moment, the warmth of her skin against his cool lips, the way her pulse quickened ever so slightly at his touch.

"Are you ready, my love?" he asked, his voice a hushed caress.

Aralyn met his gaze, her eyes filled with determination and something deeper, something that made his chest tighten with longing. "So, do you think we're going to pull off this whole fake dating thing?"

Caldric threw his head back and laughed. "So that's why you jumped my cold bones last night?"

"As I recall, you jumped mine," Aralyn said. "And they were not all that cold."

"You warm my heart." Aralyn sidled up to him and kissed his cheek.

"All right, we're here. Let's soiree." Caldric reached for the door and opened it. He stepped down from the carriage and then turned to help Aralyn out of the carriage as the heady scent of roses enveloped them.

"Why, thank you, kind sir." She flashed him a smile as she got out, and he chuckled as he helped her down the steps.

The wide courtyard outside of the manor was exactly as he remembered. Exactly as he remembered. The angelic figure within the softly trickling fountain had not eroded away at all over the decades, the ivy running up the side of the manor still just about reached the second-story windows, giving the building the feeling of tasteful maintenance instead of immaculate obsession. He was sure if he had a photograph of the courtyard the mossy patches on the cobbles would still match how they were a century ago.

The crowd of well-dressed people milling about on the lawn of the manor looked just as it should have as well, and Caldric was pleased to see that it had been a good choice to choose the old clothes they were wearing—they fit right in.

"Wow, there's a lot of people here," Aralyn said in a low voice. "And an awful lot of vampires."

"Were you expecting anything different?" Caldric asked as he waved to the coach driver that he could depart.

"No, but being faced with spending the evening surrounded by those things makes my skin crawl." Aralyn shuddered.

"Luckily, I won't take offense at that." Caldric led them toward the large open front door where people were slowly filtering in.

"Sorry." Aralyn winced. "Force of habit."

"Just don't go saying something like that too loudly. Or at all, ideally."

As they began to approach the group near the grand entrance to the manor, a tall, willowy woman in a dark blue dress materialized from the crowd, drifting toward them. "Ah, Caldric. I was delighted when Silas came to tell us that you would be needing an invitation for tonight.

"Sylvi. As always, you are as alluring to all as a flame would be to a moth." Caldric nodded and reached out for the hand she offered him, placing a kiss on the back of it. "How could I deny you?"

"Caldric, I was so happy when I heard you had agreed to play for us this evening. You had become more elusive than a black cat on a moonless night, Especially, after the sonata scandal" Sylvi said, her eyes fixed on Aralyn as she spoke. "It's good to have such guests of honor among us tonight." There was an undertone to the vampire's voice as her bright eyes watched Aralyn.

And in that moment, Caldric felt something he hadn't experienced for years. A flash of anger.

Followed by the desire to tear Sylvi's throat out if she touched one hair on Aralyn's head.

Caldric glanced past her to see that there was a lull in those entering the manor.

"Come, my dearest. Let us don our masks and make our way inside."