Killing Softly ✞ (gxg)

14 | not afraid

Settling into her seat, Lily folded her hands in her lap and carefully watched as William entered the dining hall, his gelled blonde hair bouncing as he did so.

He gave her some sort knowing grin, one that she couldn't quite decipher. His fangs glistened towards her as if they were threatening her. There was something in his golden eyes that made her skin crawl, that made anxiety bubble up in her chest. Her heart pounded as he slowly took the seat in front of her, his grin staying plastered on his face like a sticker.

"Your presence seems to be having the Queen in a good mood," he spoke as he scooted himself up. The way his eyes bore into hers with such force made her feel uncomfortable. "We never have this many dinners."

"Considering we don't even need to eat food," Giana finished his sentence as she entered the doorway, having picked up William's words before she entered. "But it's a nice stimulus to our taste buds. Kind of cleanses our pallets for our real meals." She glanced behind her to Peter who shuffled in after her, his eyes more droopy than usual.

Her red eyes flashed towards the girl as she sat right beside her, but Lily kept her eyes trained on Peter as he took a seat next to the vampire, sitting down slowly and clenching his jaw as if it hurt his body to move in such a way. He practically fell into the seat with a thud, not bothering to scoot himself in. He leaned his head back as his body slumped against the chair.

Lily felt fear strike in her when he slowly turned his head towards her, barely opening his eyes but enough for Lily to see how glazed over they were. She could tell he had recently been bitten.

Grinding her teeth, she glared at a sneering Giana. She wanted to say something, to spit at her about how much of a monster she was, but something else caught her attention—Jasmine's absence.

Before she could ask about it, a familiarly tall figure entered. "Good evening," Rose called out into the room as she sauntered to her regular seat, sighing as she sat down and tugged on the hem of her black sweater. "I apologize for my tardiness. Lady Patrice is quite the talkative beast." Lily could hear the aggravation in her tense voice.

"Oh, God, that one?" William replied to her as a servant entered with a glass pitcher filled to the brim with dark blood. "She is a pathetic excuse for a royal."

"Well," Rose sighed, her attention immediately turning to the blood. "She is quite influential, unfortunately." She tapped her fingers on the table nervously, her chest rising faster than usual, as she watched the servant pour the blood into her glass. As soon as it was full, she took the glass and brought it to her lips, throwing her head back and gulping it down.

William watched her, noticing her unusually high thirst but saying nothing about it. "Only influential because she has more property and possessions than most. Everyone sucks off her like a leech."

Rose set the glass down, sighing deeply and bringing a cool hand to her temple. She closed her eyes, rubbing her head as she tried to soothe the anxious feeling inside her that she was not used to feeling. Ever since she had retreated to her office after her moment with Lily, she had fallen in a monstrous pit of ruminations where the same concerns kept swirling around her mind and refusing to leave her be. She felt so torn, so agitated and confused. She had let her and Lily get too close; she had been too lenient with her; she had allowed herself to feel the forbidden feelings that were causing her such struggle. She was failing as Queen and that was her upmost priority.

William cast a glance to Giana who matched his concerned look.

Lily could see the stress in Rose's neck, a vein bulging from it as her jaw seemed incessantly flexed. She still had her eyes closed, her hand over her forehead as if she was suffering from a migraine. She knew she couldn't press whatever issue was troubling her at the table, so she pressed the next most pressing issue. "Where is Jasmine?"