Mystique( Formerly Forbidden Love)

Chapter 16: Dining with Vampire Royalty

I reeled back in shock, my girliness sadly chose this time to manifest. And I screamed bloody murder.

It was written in blood.

After that there was a minute of excruciating silence before Zephyr Trish and I burst out in laughter,

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"It's a bit too tight don't you think ?" I asked Trish as my fingers roved over the corset performing a little pirouette before the full length mirror before me.

"Oh come on mi'lady you look dashing." Trish dipped her head in a mock bow before we both chuckled softly.

I was about to be presented to old vampire royalty, to say I grew butterflies in my stomach didn't even begin to cover it.

"No Trish you have to be the belle of the ball, I mean you look like an exotic princess." I announced in my mock gentlemanly accent.

She really did, I looked into the mirror fastening my bobby pins to my hair, she was swathed in little makeup that made her seem to glow from within and her brilliant red glossy hair was in a mass of corkscrew curls that piled up in an elegant up-do atop her head.

The light caught on her beautiful emerald gown that started with a squared in neckline similar to that of a Tudor dress.

Intricate beadwork on the bust of the dress led of to sleeves that clung to her arms like velvet. The corset itself looked like it could as well squeeze the life out of the Big Show. It was interlaced with a thousand glimmering emeralds that shone in the light like a thousand stars.

It further flared out to graze the floor lightly not drawing attention away from her killer pumps.

I stood up once I heard the arrival of our guests downstairs. I could hear them all, their snotty nobility like accents filling the space of the whole ballroom and I was required to dance and mingle with everyone of them.

A necessary show of power Zephyr said.

I stood up from the seat of my vanity in my temporary bedroom in the Royal Court and rose to full height. Trish helped me to clasp on my pendant which held a mother of pearl that shone with iridescence and a soft pinkish cream hue.

I faced the mirror for a last time looking at my off the shoulder dress that shimmered like liquid gold. Hopefully it doesn't get stained with blood tonight.

And on that sour note Trish and I departed from my room and headed down the hallway to the entrance of the grand stairway which showed a direct view of the ballroom below.

Zephyr sat at the head with her white gown and her bejeweled crown looking every bit of the Ice queen that she portrayed herself to be.

Every vampire regent in the world was here tonight with a person of their wish, they all danced and chatted about passing around champagne flutes which were being passed around by servers with tuxedos on.

It was ridiculous, all of it. But then again vampires did thrive on pretense and a false sense of normality while we try to cling to the sliver of humanity we have left taking refuge with the monster within.

My casual observance with Trish didn't last long. Soon enough we had aroused the attention of all of the vampires in the vicinity and the boisterous noise of festivity had been replaced with dead silence.

"My dear children," Zephyr said in a quiet voice that carried about the large mansion.

"It is with great pleasure I bring to you my progeny Princess Chelsea Assyria Black and her werewolf who stands beside her." She paused for a weighty emphasis as she smiled a chilling smile and looked about everyone here.