Night After Day

Chapter 27: One of Us

Servants milled around the crowd desperately trying to stay out of the way. Though I knew Owen wouldn't be there I couldn't help but look around, straining my neck as I looked out over the number of heads. Angeline was dancing in the middle of the room with Cole, their moves as fluid as water and the space around them was slowly filled with the vampires who wanted to get closer to their new queen.

As much as I tried, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I had been betrayed. When I found out that Angeline was a vampire my first response was disbelief. But Riley a werewolf? The unnerving thing was that now I had gotten over the outright shock that both of my friends had been a part of this world and not thought to tell me, I was beginning to connect dots that I hadn't been able to before. Riley's monthly disappearance and Angeline's apparent dislike for her now made so much more sense.

I wandered around the outskirts of the party and sat down by myself on one of the many tables set up.

After a while of contemplating throwing a plate or something so that I could escape from all of the noise and people that I used to know I stood, and made my way back through the crowd to where I had last caught sight of Riley. I needed to understand what was happening.

When I was nearly there someone caught hold of my wrist, yanking me back. I skidded to a stop, nearly taking out a stand of food, and turned to see Jason standing there. He stared at Riley.

"Jason? What the heck? I'm a bit busy right now!" He glanced at me then back at Riley, "I think it's best you don't go over there at the moment. Things are about to get a little heated."

I stopped trying to escape his grip and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Lizzy!!!!!!!!!! Heyyyyyy!" I turned back to see Riley walk over to Angeline's mother and shake her hand grinning. Along with everyone else who saw, my mouth fell open as Lizette smiled slightly.

"Hello Riley. I do hope that you will send my regards to the council."

Riley grinned. "Sure! I'm just happy that they let me come! You know, I asked for this task."

Lizette's eyes flashed and she gave a strained smile. "Oh really? Why would you go to such a risk to enter such a place?"

Riley smiled and turned to where Angeline had just finished dancing. "Just to oversee matters. And to ask Angeline to return something of mine."

Lizette gave a smile which never reached her eyes and sipped from a wineglass as Angeline came over to see what all the talk was about. "Mother?"

"Oh I was just having a talk with your... Friend." At the last word both Riley and Angeline froze and then the werewolf said drily. "Oh I think that ship set sail a very long time ago."

Angeline shifted slightly and Jason pulled me a bit further into the crowd, almost out of sight.

"Angeline, I have also come to ask about someone quite close to me that I really would like to see again. But she seems to have disappeared off the corner of the planet?"

Angeline's eyes flashed to mine and I took a step forward, shaking out of Jason's grip.

"I'd like her back, if you don't mind."

Angeline stood still and I realized what Riley was here for. Though I wasn't sure why she was being so cryptic about it. This must have been the "escape plan" Jason was talking about. But why was he so set on not letting me forward? I took a few more steps forward but neither of them seemed to care or even notice that I was there. It was like I was invisible, even though they were talking about me.

"You can't have her." Angeline licked her lips nervously, a slight panic showing in her eyes.

"Yes I can, I claimed her long before you."

"What the heck are you guys talking about?" I looked between both of them but they both acted as though I did not exist.

Angeline began to laugh. A high, nervous laugh. But when she stopped she seemed a lot more confident. "Oh Riley, you come in here intending to take back what is "yours" but you seem very much alone right now. I don't really think that you could make it out that door."

"Angeline, you know very well that I am not alone."

Just then Jason appeared at her shoulder, giving a guilty little smirk.

"You're a traitor to your kind." Cole appeared at Angeline's side and I got restless. This was getting tense.

"I can hardly move without being deemed a traitor." Jason smiled, "I follow my own path Cole. while you're stuck following your mummy and daddy's rules."

Coles eyes grew darker and then I finally snapped.

"Everyone shut up!"

Everyone went silent and all eyes turned to me. "I demand to know what the fuck is going on. Right now."

Angeline took a threatening step towards me but her mother stopped her, watching me curiously.

"Hayden." It was the first time Riley had spoken to me. "I need you to come with me, you're not safe here."

"Really? Not safe? Where exactly were you when I was thrown into a cell for weeks? Where were you when she kidnapped me and-" I took a step closer to her, all my anger about how no one came looking for me was flowing out. "Where exactly were you these past few months when I had to spend every waking moment trying not to piss anyone off because if I did then I would be killed!"

Angeline gave a small smirk as I walked closer to Riley.

"Why exactly should I come with you?" I wanted so badly to believe that I would be safer going with her but my ability to trust had been reduced to the bare minimum.

"Hayden, I need you to trust me. You're one of us. You don't belong here."

"None of what you just said made any sense." I took a step back.

"Hayden, you have a crescent scar on your arm."

"How does that have anything to do with this?"

She continued, moving closer. "You are able to do things that you never could before. You are kept under the control of a poison."

I took another step back to match her forward one. "The poison was to make sure that I couldn't leave."

"No, the poison was to suppress your abilities. And to keep you from shifting. You're a werewolf Hayden."