Page 14 of Cursed Lifeline (Eternal Love)

Thirteen

Esme

Song: La Vie En Rose | Edith Piaf

Ballgowns swirl across my vision. The ruffle of the lady's fabric adds to the tension in the room as it swishes past me, and their men lead them into a waltz. The music echoes off the walls, making it almost too loud for me to think straight. I grab another glass of champagne from a waiter as he walks past, and immediately catch the questioning eyes of Alfred as he glares down at me from his stiff position to my right.

"This is a horrible idea," Silas mutters from where he stands on my left.

In front of us, Caelum twirls his partner into a dizzying spin across the dance floor, and I can't help but agree a little.

I raise my glass to my lips, but Alfred reaches over before I can take a sip and stops me, "Better not add poor decisions to desperate measures."

He grabs the flute from my hands, and I give him an annoyed glare as he takes the sip I so desperately needed before downing the rest of the contents before I can object.

"The only desperate thing in the room is you, brother," I hiss as I smooth out the front of my soft pink silk gown and focus back on the party in front of us. I try to take a deep breath, but my corset is tied too tight, and it lodges in my chest. It burns as I swallow hard and attempt to calm my nerves. I bite my bottom lip with worry, then catch the eye of Lord Laurent across the room and frown. "As for poor decisions, I'd say Father is to blame for tonight's events and everything that comes after it, for that matter."

"Let's hope nothing comes after tonight," Alfred scoffs, "And a truce of sorts can be made."

"A truce," I mock as Caelum finishes his dance and bows to his lady. "With whom? Lord Laurent? Or the Queen of the damned? Either way, many will suffer."

Caelum eyes me with mischief as he turns his focus our way, strides confidently off the dance floor, and briskly walks toward us. A figure in black enters the far left corner of the ballroom, and my heart rate spikes. The hairs on my neck stand up just like they did the first night I felt his presence. My head grows dizzy. A headache starts to set in.

"Let's just hope it's not you who suffers," Alfred says as Caelum continues to close the distance between us.

My skin prickles with the knowledge that I'm being watched. My heart beats faster, knowing who is doing the watching. I suddenly grow more lightheaded, absent-minded, as if someone is searching my thoughts, desperate to find answers.

"Guards up," Alfred whispers as Caelum stops before me and bows, offering me his hand.

"Is this absolutely necessary," I ask annoyed, not only at myself for going along with this asinine plan, but because of the part I'll be forced to play.

"You wanted another way," my brother says quietly. Caelum reaches for my hand, and I willingly give it to him. "This is another way. With any luck, the distraction will buy time for Felix's coven of brothers to devise a plan for Lord Laurent's demise, and in turn, prove how loyal the Prince of the Damned is to you."

"Since when do you side with the coven?"

"Since my sister is intent on making poor choices."

I give him a scowl as Caelum places a kiss on the top of my white-gloved palm, and I swear violent, jealous rage shoots through the room from the brooding man standing on the other side of the party and keeping to the shadows.

"Lord Laurent is making his way over here," Silas groans.

"He's not the only one who's taken notice," Alfred mumbles quietly. His voice is stressed, worried, as he watches the dark figure I saw earlier emerge through his cloak of darkness.

I stand tall on my tip toes and look over Caelum's shoulder, attempting to steal a glance at the man in black. I frown when I don't get the satisfaction of meeting his eyes before Caelum playfully pulls me towards him.

"You know, this also puts Caelum in danger," I ridicule, but my comment falls on deaf ears, except for Caelum's.

"Love is danger," he winks. "Besides, if I knew this is what it would take to get you in my arms, I would have prayed for God to make you fall in love with the Prince of the Damned ages ago, Es."

His cheeky remark results in a swat of my hand on his left shoulder as his arms wrap tighter around my waist. He fakes being hurt and then gives me a devilish grin that somehow calms my nerves. I give him a vexed, sisterly glare as he glides me toward the center of the room and into the dancing crowd.

"Excuse me," Lord Laurent's voice calls out. He pulls back on Caelum's shoulder, attempting to get his attention. "I'm sorry, but she's..."

"My Lord," Alfred sternly interrupts as Caelum, and I begin to drift away, "I overheard others talking about your victory up north. I beg you, please, regale me with the heroic tale."

"I, uh..." Lord Laurent stammers as we attempt to waltz out of sight.

Caelum pulls me closer and teasingly whispers, "Remember, you love me, you need me, and you can't live without me."

Goosebumps prickle my skin. Not not from his words but from the intense gaze anchored on us across the room. Although it's not just Felix's threatening stare that promises violence, it's also the persistent Lord who tries to follow us onto the dance floor. One who could make this all go up in flames if we're not careful before we light the final match to this charade. Lord Laurent reaches for me again, intent on tearing me from Caelum's arms, when Alfred interjects, "You know how rumors go; the men I overheard talking said you didn't deserve to..."

"Deserve!" Lord Laurent exclaims, turning his attention finally to Alfred. "Why, I deserve more than France has ever..."

Lord Laurent's words become faint as Caelum wastes no time and hastily pulls me further away into the throng of sweaty, slightly inebriated dancers.

My feet lightly stumble. My hands begin to shake.

"Act your part, Esme or all of this is for nothing," Caelum whispers harshly.

"Shut up," I hiss through a forced smile. "Or I make no promise not to step on your feet. I'll warn you, I sharpened my heels just for the occasion."

"Sharpened heels," Caelum chuckles with a devilish smirk. "Is that the latest fashion these days?"

"It is if you plan to use them as a weapon later."

“Touche, mon cheri,” he grins.

The way he says mon cheri causes my breath to catch and makes my steps falter. Once again, I trip over my feet. Caelum gives me a concerned look just as the heat of Felix's stare draws closer.

"I'm worried, Cal," I confess a moment later. He raises his brow, questioning why as we glide through the crowd. "What if all of this is for nothing?"

"The choices we make will never be for nothing," he smiles reassuringly. We'll always put your best interest and chance at survival first, Es. Trust me when I say the cost of losing you would surely kill us all—not just Alfred, Silas, and yours truly. "He gives me a wink to lighten the conversation, and I roll my eyes. "But others as well."

His eyes lift and lock on a dark presence nearing in behind me.

"Thanks for putting the weight of all this on my shoulders," I roll my eyes, which earns me a laugh as Caelum twirls me out of his arms, and then pulls me back closer than before.

His mouth rests at my ear. To anyone in the room, it would look intimate. Loving. They'd never know that inside, I'm cringing, acting a part, because Caelum will always be nothing more to me than a brother.

"The future of the world has always been a weight on your shoulders," he whispers. "The only difference is, before you met your dark prince, you had nothing to lose."

He kisses my cheek and slowly pulls back. My eyes catch his, and he frowns at whatever truth he sees hidden in my gaze.

"That's what I'm worried about," I softly cry. "Something tells me, no matter what I do, I'm doomed to end up losing everything in the end."

The burden of it all rests heavily on my soul as my gaze falls to the floor.

"Hey," Caelum attempts to comfort me as his knuckles softly knock the underside of my chin, and my fearful gaze lifts to his. "Just because you went and fell in love with the enemy doesn't mean you won't win."

"Who said anything about love?" I roll my eyes.

Caulem smiles, an all-knowing, older brother type of smile, but his grin is quickly replaced with suspicion as his eyes rise and latch onto someone over my shoulder.

Our dancing slows as we maneuver our way to the far end of the crowd.

"Remember what we talked about," he whispers, leaning in and kissing my cheek. He gives me one final twirl as we come to a stop at the far side of the dance floor. "Invitation. Submission. When the time is right, if you need to, don't hesitate. Strike and conquer the darkness. If we fail, and your premonition is right about losing, Silas will never let us live down the fact that we used you as bait."

His hands briefly tighten on my hips, and he pulls me closer into a brotherly hug. The coolness of night through the large French doors to my left causes an eerie, prophetic tremble to rush through my body as Caelum attempts to comfort me before the chase. Glancing out at the full moon, I take a deep breath as Caelum steps back, gently picks up my hand, and whispers, "This will only hurt for a moment."

I close my eyes, feel the prick of metal piercing my skin, and suck in a sharp breath. When I chance a glance back Caelum's way, his eyes grow wide as they watch the shadows move in quickly behind me. My blood calls to Felix as it pools in the center of my palm. Caelum pinches my hand harshly, coaxing more plasma out of the wound he just inflicted. A low growl can be heard growing with savage rage through the ballroom.

Caelum brushes his fingers against the inside of my palm, smearing the blood and causing more to spill out of the cut. His eyes flash up to meet mine.

"Don't back down," he insists. "See where his loyalty stands."

I give him a stiff nod.

"Whoever said women were the weaker sex never stood in the slayer's shoes," he grins. I force a sarcastic laugh as he pulls me close and kisses the top of my head. "Be safe, Es."

Before I can respond, he releases me and stalks off into the crowd. Darkness closes in from all sides. My breathing quickens as my hand falls and blood drips from my fingertips onto the ballroom floor. My heart hammers as I put one foot in front of the other, reach out with my bloody palm, and grab the doorknob to the French doors that lead out onto the veranda. They open for me on a foreboding breeze that screams for me to pay attention to its secrets.

"Esmerelda," my name is a carnal growl as it falls from my predator's lips, but I don't turn around.

Raising my skirt, I take off running and pray that choosing Felix over everything and everyone else wasn't the worst mistake I've ever made.