Bound By Blood: The Pureblood Prince

Chapter Twenty

The following week zipped by in an exhausting blur. I juggled back and forth between meeting families, tutoring, and making decisions for the party. Servants and helpers would consult me for every little thing. "What color linens do you prefer, Lady Delavine?" "Which menu, Lady Delavine?" They rarely approached Gabriel regarding the ball. I began to get the feeling that Gabriel was somehow behind this shift in dynamic. People were turning to me to make the decisions, and calling me "Lady". It felt impossible to get used to, and made my cheeks burn every time. 

Claire wasn't helping my nervousness, either. She had sized me for a custom gown, but refused to tell me what it looked like until it was finished. It will be a wonderful surprise, Miss Cora! Surprises always make things more exciting.

Sabine had grown very attached to me in a short amount of time. She was full of energy, and captivating. A quality she and her brother shared. She was startlingly intelligent, and answered questions before I even had time to process them. She wanted to know everything about me, and what humans did. I spent an hour just explaining the concept of Facebook to her.

Meanwhile, Gabriel barely slept anymore. He hadn't had any blood in weeks. It took ages for me to convince him to finally feed on me. I had just returned from dinner, after our last meeting of the day. I didn't mind the pain at all when he did it, it was just such a relief.

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We were learning new things about our bond every day. Sometimes I could feel precisely what he was feeling, and it was nearly as if I could hear his thoughts. Only for a moment, like a fleeting breeze against your skin. And just as quickly, it was gone. 

We stole an hour on Friday morning, and took a bath in the giant, porcelain bathtub. Gabriel decided it would be a wonderful idea to blow bubbles into the water, like a toddler. It was ridiculous, but I couldn't stop giggling. The childishness rubbed off on me, and I decided I wanted to play a game. I told Gabriel to close his eyes, and try to guess the color I was imagining in my head. I knew it sounded ridiculous, but Gabriel went along with it happily. He closed his eyes and I closed mine, and I decided to think of my favorite color in the world. Gabriel laughed softly against me.

"Green? That's your favorite color. You made it too easy."

I opened my eyes, blinking up at him. "There's no way that worked" I said, peering up at his upside-down smile.

"You try."

I closed one eye playfully, then the other. My vision was instantly filled with light, and color. One very distinct color- a cool, sweet blue.

I sucked in a sharp breath, and my eyes jolted open. "I can't believe that worked."

"I'll believe just about anything these days." he murmured.

"Claire told me once that you liked the color blue." I noted half-mindedly. Gabriel sunk into the water slightly.

"It was the shade you were wearing when I first met you."

I chuckled. "That would sound more romantic if we had met under different circumstances."

Gabriel sighed. "I'm sorry, you're right. I was only remembering how beautiful you were."

I smirked, knowing he was trying to butter me up. I lifted myself up, turning to face him. He lifted his head, watching me.

"The ball is tomorrow." I whispered, like it was an omen. Gabriel nodded. "I'm a nervous wreck. What if they all think I'm a joke?"

Gabriel laughed. I furrowed my brow, annoyed.

"If I've learned anything over the past few weeks, it's that you are more fit for the crown than I am."