A Hymn of Snakes

THIRTY FIVE

The second I accepted my fate, the game began. The Queen had drawn it out in the most simplest form, in a place where I would be presented like a trophy. Dressed in the Vampire Royal colors, put on a pedestal. A whole week of parties and dinners, tonight was the final banquet. Alex has been the cheeriest man I've ever met. It's almost laughable, as the night descended, I stood at the balcony. Watching the moon lower against the world, I longed for the sun. A testimony between my lips as a low implied voice spoke again the darkness of behind me, "You don't like the festivities?" Kazimir Belova asked me, his voice in a whisper against the horizon.

I jumped under my skin, pressing the champagne glass to my lips as he watched me. There was something that crossed in his eyes, that I didn't quite catch. "Hound." I said on accident, in a form of forgetting his name.

"Why you act like you don't know my name?" He chuckled as if he read my mind, he stepped closer to me but didn't break the boundaries we both put up. His hair was long now, he had it pulled back into a blue ribbon, the kindest blue I've ever seen. His hands in his pockets as he stayed out of sight from all in the corner. "Say my name Delia." He told me.

A breath escaped my teeth, a shudder of autumn wind rolling up my arms. "Kazimir."

He didn't tempt me much, not speaking with his voice but rather his eyes. The most dangerous trade of the morning, his eyes scanned my appearance. Dressed in a lavish red gown with it's fabric hugging my hips until it drew out and touched the ground. He didn't undress me with his eyes, he just watched... expressionless. "You look different." He simply said without a moment to agree.

My fingertips skimmed the plunging neckline, looking down at my drink as my gaze flickered back up to him for a quick moment. "Is it that weird to see me in a dress like this?" I asked him, Ithe in the back of my head sending forms of my imagination. "I don't really think red is my color." I said almost entirely convinced.

Kazimir took a step closer, almost regretting his decision. He shook his head, "No, you look beautiful- luchik." I didn't know what he said, but the way his lips hugged the world caused butterflies to drop into the base of my stomach.

"I don't recognize that language." I stated, trying to ignore the dangerous feeling.

The corner of his mouth upturned to me, a gracious poise about him. Kazimir lifted his chin,"It's russian." Russian. Well that made more sense than the world, but my justification for his existence was absent. The Queen hated Russians because of the Congregation, Night Court held no power in their country. It was a language I never tried to learn, a language I probably never would.

There was a million things on my mind and I still hadn't decided if I could trust Kazimir. The Court of Six had tied each other in secrecy, we had crossed and all agreed that to include someone into the group would have to be something voted on. It was the only way it would work, I forgot my words for a moment- but then collected myself. "You're russian? What did you say?" I asked as curiosity flourished.

He blinked. "Nothing important."

Even if it wasn't, I still wanted to know. There was a thousand little different things I wanted to know about the Hound. How he got his nickname? Why he was in court? Why didn't Alex know about his existence? Just who was he to the Queen? However the longer the list was the more I knew he'd never answer it for me. I wanted to know why he looked out for me, why he seemed to care. My brows creased to the center of my face, "Kazimir, I don't think I understand you." The words fell from my lips, I quickly sealed my mouth shut. Embarrassed that I just said all of that out loud.

"Do you want too?" He said quickly, pulling his face down closer to me. As if it was the worst thing he could have done, Kazimir tried to forget what he just did. Standing back up straight and looking through the window where the banquet led on. "One day you will, you should return to the party. It's for you anyway." He implied, I looked inside the castle as bile rose in the pit of my stomach.