Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

DB Chapter 23 - A Question

VIVIENNE WOKE UP in an unfamiliar bed as sunlight peered through the thick velvet curtains of his bedroom. She rolled over in bed, and her hand landed on a head of curly blond hair. She nearly jumped up in shock, and in doing so, she backhanded him across the face.

He rolled over sleepily and wrapped his arms around her.

"Why do I have a pounding headache?" Vivienne asked from under him.

"The wine."

"We drank wine?" Vivienne asked. She vaguely remembered leaving her bedroom after they made love. She had thrown her grey dress back on, and she recalled dancing on a couch. She must have eaten something because she still had crumbs on her dress.

"You've never drank before?"

"No!" Vivienne gasped. "What else did we do?"

"You wanted to go dancing."

"So you took me out? While drunk? To dance?"

"Yes, you don't remember any of it?"

"No! I don't drink." Vivienne snapped. As she stood up, she noticed her heels were caked in mud. She must have taken a wrong turn in the garden and ripped her dress. Vaguely, she remembered him catching her before she could fall. The garden grounds were covered in invisible ice. "You took me out, into the city, while drunk. Weren't you afraid I would set innocent people on fire?"

"No, I told you back in Remin that you can control your gift." He sat up and sighed. Vivienne saw him wince as he banged his injured shoulder into the headboard. Somehow, his naked torso looked even more gorgeous in the morning sunlight. It wasn't fair that he was so incredibly beautiful and so genuinely kind. There had to be a catch.  "Trust me, you won't lose control."

"Won't lose control again," Vivienne corrected.

Vivienne looked into a nearby mirror and saw that her dress was ripped up to her thigh. She sighed and threw it off. His closet was open, and she snatched a black shirt out of it. It was long enough to wear as a dress.

"Do you wear any color other than black?" Vivienne joked. Then she picked up a pillow and threw it at his face. "And what kind of a gentleman lets a girl drink by herself?"

"I did drink. But it wasn't my first time." Blake laughed as he threw the pillow aside.

Vivienne stuck out her tongue at him. "Always bragging. I know, I know, you're so much better than me at everything."

"The other things we did, that was my first time, and second, and possibly third."

Vivienne felt her face grow red. "Did I really behave so badly?" she asked. "You must think I'm completely out of control."

Vivienne shrieked as he caught her by the wrist, and she fell back onto his lap.

"No, you're exactly what I need." He pressed his forehead against hers and brought his voice down to a whisper. "From the beginning, you've been the only joy I've known in my life."

Vivienne wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him close. She took in the scent of him and buried her face in his hair. For a second, she believed she could come clean to him that she knew about Aethon. If there truly were a curse that afflicted him, why not allow her the chance to save him?

What was wrong with Maglania approaching her with that proposition? Wasn't she the perfect candidate for the job? Why all the secrets? Why all the lies?

"There's something I need to ask you," he began slowly. The boyish smile on his face tugged at her heart. He reached for an object on his nightstand. "You don't have to answer right away. Just know that I've been sure for a while now."

Vivienne's head jerked up. She heard a knock and then a familiar voice.

"Vivienne? Are you awake?

Allison was knocking on her bedroom door across the hall. Vivienne was surprised she heard her. She must have something really urgent to discuss to come around here yelling so early in the morning.

Vivienne gave Blake a peck on the cheek.

"You can ask me later. Whatever it is, the answer is yes. I'll do anything for you, fight any number of demons."

"Yeah?" Vivienne asked as she slipped out of Blake's room and shut the door firmly behind her. Allison turned and stared.

"What are you wearing?"

"A shirt," Vivienne laughed. "Isn't this the latest fashion? Shirts doubling as dresses?"

"Where were you sleeping?"

"I drank some wine. Wandered into the wrong room by mistake," Vivienne apologized.

"You two are literally the most chaotic couple I know," Allison said. "Did you really get black-out drunk? That's so not like you."

"The only time I blacked out before was in Remin," Vivienne admitted. "In Satan's Hollow. I hated the feeling. And my friends ended up dead."

"Did you kill anyone while drunk last night?"

"No!" Vivienne insisted, insulted by her friend's questioning. "He told me it won't happen again. I'm learning to control my gift."

Allison scoffed. "Be careful, Vivienne. Just about everyone in Manna City has been exposed to Nectar in some form. It's not harmless fun if you can turn them into human torches with your mind."

"Where did you go last night?" Vivienne asked, changing the subject. She noticed Allison was now wearing jeans and a sweater. Her friend hadn't taken the duffel bag with her when she stormed off last night.

"With my friend Belig. I'm going to move in with her. I'm here to ask William if he can remove the thread from my neck for good."

"Must be a relief to be free of Maglania finally," Vivienne remarked, making casual conversation. Allison paced, looking angrier and angrier. Vivienne didn't understand why everything that came out of her mouth seemed to rub Allison the wrong way. Allison stepped into Vivienne's room and motioned for her friend to follow her.

"I'm sorry about what I said yesterday about your soul," Allison apologized, and shut the door behind her. "I was angry, and I didn't mean it. I want you to really think it over. Not only is going into Aethon a trap, but you also don't have a chance of making it out alive in the best of circumstances. You have raw power, but you don't understand anything you're doing down there. William and I don't agree on many things, but I do know we would both do anything to keep you from that place."

"But if going down there is the only way to break the curse."

"What curse?" Allison demanded. "Do you even know what you are talking about, or are you just repeating what Maglania told you? Listen, Vivienne, you are my friend, one of my best friends. To William you are his fi—girlfriend. The only thing you prove by acting reckless is that you don't belong in Manna City."

"He said he was going to ask me a question. Do you think he was ready to tell me about Aethon?" Vivienne asked hopefully. All she wanted was for Blake to finally speak to her openly. Allison wouldn't understand. Allison was always invited into every club and every room where decisions were made. Vivienne was sick of being left out.

"No," Allison sighed. "That wasn't the question he was planning to ask you."