The moment the words left Lilith's mouth, the world seemed to stop. A heavy oppressive silence descended the ballroom, as if the air had been sucked out of the room. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, each beat a drum against the quiet. I glanced around, hoping for some kind of reaction from Alexander, be was just as frozen as I was. The guests did not move, and the orchestra did not continue playing. All of the attention was on us.
"How could you insult me like this!?" Lilith demanded.
It was as if we had all been struck dumb by the weight of Lilith's revelation. The silence was so intense it felt tangible, pressing against my skin, making it hard to breath. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no sound came out. The silence swallowed everything, leaving only the echo of Lilith's words hanging in the air, a ghostly reminder of the shock we all felt.
"Insult you?" Alexander frowned at her with confusion. "What makes you think I would purposely insult you?"
"You knew this was our engagement party, and yet you had the audacity in bringing somebody along with you!" She hissed.
"Lil..."
She cut Alexander off. "But what makes it even worse is that you brought your blood servant!"
I couldn't help but feel like an intruder as the argument between Lilith and Alexander escalated. Their voices, sharp and venomous, cut through the air with a palpable intensity.
Phoenix cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should discuss this matter in private?"
He ran a hand down his face. "Forgive me, but am I not the only vampire with a blood servant in attendance tonight? No, then why should I be of any different?" Alexander muttered.
"It is the principle of it!" Lilith shrieked.
Lilith stood with her arms crossed, eyes blazing, while Alexander gestured wildly, frustration etched on his face. Words flew between them like arrows, each one hitting its mark and leaving invisible wounds.
"Believe me when I say that I had no idea that this was our engagement party!" Alexander uttered. "I apologise if I have insulted you this evening. It was not my intention to do so."
I could see the anger in their eyes, the way her jaw clenched and his fists tightened at his sides. Every accusation was met with a defensive retort, neither willing to back down.
"It is too late for apologies." Lilith whimpered. "Do you know how stupid you've made me look tonight, Alexander? And to do it in front of our family and friends nonetheless...how could you!?"
Their words overlapped, a chaotic symphony of hurt and misunderstanding. There was a moment when Lilith threw her hands up in exasperation, turning away from Alexander, and I caught a glimpse of the tears welling up in her eyes. Alexander saw it too, and his expression softened for just a split second before hardening again.
Alexander glared angrily towards Phoenix. "You couldn't mention this last night?"
Phoenix shrugged. "I delivered my end of the bargain." He eyed me up and down. "Your slave can vouch for that."
I scowled. "I have absolutely no intention of helping you."
"Do not speak out of turn, slave!" Lilith said roughly.
My stomach tightened into knots as I stood there. The air around us seemed to grow heavier, almost suffocating. Her voice, sharp and unwavering, cut through the silence like a knife. I could feel my face growing warm, the heat creeping up from my neck, flushing my cheeks with embarrassment from speaking out of turn.
"I apologise on her behalf, but you..." Alexander's quiet voice made it all worse. The disappointment in his tone was palpable, more painful than if he had shouted. He turned to Phoenix and glared. "You couldn't tell me what the invitation entailed?"
Phoenix smirked. "And miss this spectacle? I think not. I gave you the invitation. Wether or not you chose to read it is of no fault of mine."
Alexander huffed out laugh. "Even so, I knew nothing of this."
"Do not lie! Our parents have been planning this for months, Alexander." Lilith gritted out. "Do not act as though you knew nothing of this engagement."
Alexander growled his disdain. "I have made it very loud and clear that I do not wish to marry."
Lilith scoffed. "And that's your decision, is it? If it is what our families have decided, then so be it! It is not our choice."
"Lil…" Alexander trailed off.
"We are merely pawns in our families affairs. I have known your desire to not marry for years, but is marrying me really that bad?" She asked, brushing the tears from her face. "I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I know that I've made some mistakes, but please do not resent me for them."
I wanted to slip away, to give them the privacy they so desperately needed, but my feet were rooted to the spot. I was a silent witness to their pain, caught in the crossfire of their battle. The room felt smaller, the walls closing in as their argument raged on, and I wondered if they even remembered I was there.
"And you..." Lilith turned to me, snatched the champagne flute out of my hands and tossed the contents into my face. "Speak out of turn and disrespect me like this again, and I'll drain you dry and feed you to the wolves myself."
With one hurtful glance towards Alexander, she stormed off.
There was a collective gasp from the guests that was followed by a burst of laughter. I felt my stomach twist into a knot as I realised who they were laughing at. Me. I could feel the sweat starting to gather on my palms and my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
I looked up to Alexander who was trying to hide a sympathetic smile but it offered no comfort. All I could think about was how everyone saw me, how they laughed and pointed. I felt exposed, vulnerable and utterly humiliated. It was a moment I wanted to erase from existence, but I knew it would haunt me for a long time.
I moved my attention over to Phoenix to see him draining the contents of his drink which was followed by a heavy sigh. "Well, that went better than I expected."
Alexander's eyes narrowed at Phoenix. "Are you mad? How exactly did that go better than you expected?"
Phoenix shrugged. "Nobody died."
I tried to swallow, but my throat had closed up. I kept my eyes on the ground, wishing silently it would swallow me up.
Alexander ignored him, took out a red handkerchief out of his suit pocket and handed it to me. "Here."
Avoiding his gaze, I took it from him and began dabbing it on my face and dress. The embarrassment was overwhelming, a heavy weight that pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Phoenix clicked his tongue. "It's a shame about that dress, human. Before it became ruined, I thought you looked rather dashing, but now you look like a soaked rat."
I swallowed hard, trying not to gasp at his hurtful words.
"Phoenix!" Alexander warned.
But he was already sauntering away in the same direction as Lilith.
Alexander and I stared after him for a moment.
Turning back to me, Alexander ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "Jane...I..." Suddenly he faced the guests and shouted. "Don't you all have dancing to do!?"
Immediately, the orchestra began to play again, and all of the guests in attendance scrambled to dance with their partners as though nothing had happened.
I handed the hanker-chief back to Alexander who took his gently from my palms. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly.
Alexander frowned. "Jane..."
I kept my face blank. "I need some air."
"Jane!" Alexander yelled after me, as I gathered the bottom of my dress and walked hastily out of the ballroom. I could barely see through the tears streaming down my face as I searched for somewhere private to gather my thoughts, only to stop dead in my tracks when I heard two familiar voices deep in conversation. Lilith and Phoenix's.
I hid behind a pillar, hoping that they hadn't noticed or heard me approaching them. At first, I wasn't really listening, just catching snippets of words and phrases, But then something in Lilith's tone caught my ear. She was speaking in a hushed, urgent voice, while Phoenix was nodding seriously, his brow furrowed.
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Lilith asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
My curiosity piqued, and I leaned slightly closer as I waited for Phoenix's answer.
Phoenix put a hand on his chest. "I gave him the invitation myself like you asked, but I didn't stay long enough to know wether or not he read it."
My heart beat a little faster with the thrill of hearing something I wasn't supposed to.
Lilith tutted her disapproval. "He probably threw it away like he normally does with invitations." She growled in frustration. "But why did he bring her? Here? To my home? Parading her around as if she were a prized possession?"
Phoenix, looking a bit defensive, exhaled heavily. "She is a blood servant, Lilith...do not speak as though she has real meaning in Alexander's life. She is purely there only to provide him her blood."
"Well, if his intentions were to upset me, then he has succeeded." Lilith uttered, her voice tinged with frustration. Her fingers drummed an anxious rhythm on the pillar beside her.
As guests passed, I pretended to be engrossed in a rose bush, while straining to hear more. The tension between them was palpable, and my mind racing with possibilities. The more they spoke, the more intrigued I became.
"She can't possibly be his blood servant, Phoenix." Lilith said, shaking her head. "I looked at her neck, and there were no bite marks to be seen."
He leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck, a gesture that screamed discomfort. "None that you could see...some may very well be hidden underneath her clothes."
Lilith stiffened. "I don't know your meaning."
Phoenix' hand reached out, covering hers, a silent plea for forgiveness. "Forgive me for what I'm about to say, but bite marks don't necessarily have to be on the neck. Us males love to suck on the inner thigh of the opposite sex. The blood flows more easily there. You should know, you love it when I lick every drop that escapes your body, my love." Phoenix said quietly, intently.
My brows rose.
My love? My stomach churned. This was big. My thoughts raced , a mix of dread and anxiety swirling in my mind. I knew I should walk away, pretend I hadn't heard anything, but my feet were rooted to the spot.
Lilith gasped. "Phoenix! Not here while Alexander is in the next room."
Phoenix groaned. "Why do you insist on caring about Alexander's personal affairs anyhow? You know yourself he does not care about you. Not in the way I do."
"We've been over this many times, Phoenix. I know your feelings for me, but I wish you would stop." Lilith whispered, barely audible. "I am engaged to Alexander."
"You ask me to stop my feelings for you, but you are the one seeking companionship from me every night, is it not?"
"That ends now." She snapped. "Whatever this is between us, ends tonight."
Phoenix shook his head. "I can't do that."
"Why not!?"
"Because I love you, Lilith, and I'll never stop loving you." He said, his voice earnest. "I have accepted the fact that you will never be mine, and that hurts me more than you'll ever know. I also know that you have an attachment to Alexander that I will never understand, but know that I would never hurt you like he has done tonight."
I watched as Phoenix drew closer to Lilith, his stops slowing until they were face to face. A soft smile played on her lips, mirrored by the line in his eyes. They leaned in, their foreheads touching briefly in a tender gesture before their lips met. I watched as her fingers traced the line of his jaw, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. Their kiss was unhurried, a silent conversation of affection and connection. Around them, the world seemed to blur as they shared this intimate moment. The kiss ended slowly, their faces lingering close as they exchanged a few quiet words.
I felt a mix of emotions watching them - joy for their evident happiness and a pang of something almost like envy at their closeness. But I was also consumed with guilt on Alexander's behalf for witnessing his fiancee's unfaithfulness. I tore my gaze away and swallowed hard, backing away slowly, with my heart pounding in my chest, when suddenly my back hits something hard. I twirled around, my eyes wide with shock and disbelief when I see Alexander. His face was expressionless. "Jane?"
"Alexander." I could feel the colour rising to my face, my cheeks burning with embarrassment for being caught eavesdropping. "How long have you been standing there?"
His expression hardened, a mix of anger and betrayal. "Long enough."
I cleared my throat to break the awkward silence. "I was on my way back from the...lavatory when I got...lost...which is how you've come to find me here...outside...hiding..."
His lips curled into a smile. "Word of advice, Jane, do not lie to a vampire. We are like living lie detectors. It's almost impossible to outsmart us."
I grinned. "You're not living though, are you?"
We share a little snicker, when suddenly Lilith appeared, alone, with a look of worry on her face. She hesitated, wringing her hands. "Alex?"
"Lilith." He greeted, his voice steady but cold.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice trembling.
He looked down at me and smiled softly. "I was looking for Jane. I wanted to make sure she was alright after the scene you created inside."
She sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "It was a misunderstanding. I apologise if I have embarrassed you this evening."
Alexander nodded in satisfaction, then asked. "Phoenix left for the evening?"
She avoided his gaze as she nodded. "Yes..."
"Do not lie for me, Lil, he knows that I am here." Phoenix appeared next to Lilith, wiping off her lipstick from his lips with his handkerchief.
Panic set in Lilith's eyes. "Alex, it's not what it looks like."
Alexander shrugged. "Lilith, I do not care. In fact, I am relieved more than anything that this has finally come to light."
Her body began to shake, small tremors turning into full-body tremors. Her shoulders hunched as if she were trying to fold in on herself, to disappear from the overwhelming reality.
Phoenix frowned. "You knew?"
He nodded once. "I have known for a very long time."
She looked at Alexander, her eyes wide with desperation and pain. "But…"
He cut her off. "It comes with no surprise when his scent is all over you every time I see you."
Lilith clutched at her chest, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. The mask she had worn for so long was shattered, revealing the raw, unfiltered agony underneath.
"Please, Alex..." She whimpered, her voice breaking. "Whatever it was with Phoenix, it's over. I promise."
Alexander scoffed. "Do not take me for a fool, Lilith." He motioned to Phoenix' face. "Clearly, it isn't."
Lilith stepped forward, her face full of fury. "None of this would've happened if you had brought your blood servant with you."
His eyes narrowed. "Who I bring to social gatherings should not be of your concern. You brought your companion with you, I brought mine."
Phoenix wrapped his arm around her waist and planted a soft kiss on the side of her head. "Well, if that's not a blessing, I don't know what is."
She extended her fangs and hissed at Phoenix. "Get off me!"
"I wish you both the best." Reaching for my hand, he leads me away quickly. "Come along, Jane. We must take our leave. It's getting late."
"Alex?" Lilith yelled, pleading.
Halting his steps, Alexander turned halfway and raised his brow in question at her.
She hugged herself tightly, rocking back and forth as if seeking solace in her own embrace. "I know that I do not deserve it, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and to give me a chance."
Alexander tensed his jaw and glared coldly at her. "You forget, Lilith. I have no heart. You are the one responsible for that."
Without a backward glance, Alexander leads me out of the party and out of the palace, in complete silence.