chapter 12
The swamp eventually broke way to a flat desert surrounded by barren mountains, dotted with sparse vegetation that grew denser the closer we got to the capital city. Tall, palm trees lined the dirt road that led to an illuminated cityscape in the distance.
I grew more and more anxious the closer we got. The sounds of music and a bustling night-life filled the darkness, and I leaned forward between the front seats to get a better view. My eyes focused on the glow that cast shadows along the sandy dunes. It didn’t sparkle like Naos did, though. The lights of the city burned orange, reminding me of the bonfire we had at Palace Noire for the dead dark vampires. Maybe that had been Titan’s intention. I couldn’t help but feel the hatred Titan had for Baal radiating off this city in waves of heat.
For some reason I expected there to be armed guards waiting for us at the city gates, but as we approached I discovered I was wrong. Stone walls soared at dizzying heights around the city, separated only by a colossal wooden gate. Our drivers slowed our caravan of steel as we drove through the wide entrance.
Towering buildings of stone and plaster lined the road, and I gazed out the window curious how people lived here. I was met with the same curious expression I had; some children even waved as we passed by, their innocent nature oblivious to the evil in the world that was planning to kill us all.
Above us, connecting the buildings, were lines of drying laundry or banners in a text I’d never seen. Wooden shutters were open to glowing apartments above the street, the smell of aromatic herbs flowing vibrantly from them. It smelled of bold spices I’d never known, and for the first time since becoming a vampire, I craved human food. The scents were so intoxicating, so… fresh that it gripped my senses in ways I’d never experienced.
“It smells amazing here!” I sniffed the air as we drove through a market place, working our way toward the center of the city.
“Yeah, it does,” Arrick agreed, hungrily. My father chuckled quietly at our words, but didn’t say anything except point our driver down the correct roadways that led toward the center of the city.
We passed by colorful booths that sold baskets full of spices, fresh baked breads, candles, and even fruit that looked more alien than anything I’d ever seen. I couldn’t figure out what the boldly colored objects were until I watched as a vendor hacked through the stubborn husk of a round, lumpy red fruit and handed the mushy insides for the customer to try. Visually it looked like watermelon from the inside, but the outside… anything but. I knew we were in an entirely different region, but this city was so different than Naos or Noire that I felt I was on a completely different planet.
“It’s so different here,” I commented as we neared the fortress in the center of the city. “In Noire we had high speed trains, television, and shopping malls; and Naos… well we don’t have any of those things but we have modern comforts,” I said, as we passed under another line of drying laundry. “But, Titan…” I wanted to say I felt like I’d traveled back in time. How could people stand living like this? I’d die without running water and electricity.
“Because Titan never believed Baal had been truly defeated he developed his region in an entirely different way,” my father said, pointing the driver to turn to the right. Another gate stood before us, connected by an interior wall that separated the fortress from the rest of the city.
“Why did he want to be so different?” I looked around, noticing that we had the only cars that I’d seen. I mean, Naos was traditional, but we still had creature comforts.
“The last time I spoke with Titan he told me he wanted a city that was far enough detached from the other regions that it wouldn’t be tainted by them. He didn’t want his people to believe in our falsities. He also felt that such things as television were nothing more than a distraction. I can’t say I disagreed with him on that note.”
“Falsities?” I asked.
“I think what he means is, Titan didn’t want his people believing what we believed,” Arrick explained.
“So, he didn’t want them thinking Baal was dead, or did he mean everything we believe?”
“I don’t know. Everything I guess. It sure looks that way, doesn’t it?” Arrick answered since my father got distracted when instructing the other drivers via the handheld device.
“He sounds kind of stuck up.”
At first I totally agreed with Titan’s views on Baal, but disconnecting your region from everyone else like we had some sort of disease was a little ridiculous. But… maybe in his eyes we were a disease? We’d all fallen into a false sense of security believing the world was safe, growing comfortable in our lavish palaces and Château’s when all along our enemy was rebuilding its army. I might not have liked to admit it, but Titan was right.
“Not stuck up,” Arrick laughed. “I think he just didn’t want his people to grow complacent. From what I’ve gathered, he’s all about battle tactics, and training his legion.”
“His legion?” I whispered the question when my father and our driver jumped out of the SUV to meet several guards at the gate of the fortress. I guessed they only defended this gate and not the other, although it was so incredibly tall only a giant could get past it.
“Yeah,” Arrick whispered back, his attention focused solely on the group of guards with my father standing in front of the SUV. “In one of our meetings before coming here, your father said he suspected that Titan has been gathering an army in secret.”
“Really?” I was a bit surprised, suddenly realizing how the other generals from the dark ages could see how Titan was acting suspiciously. Building a secret army was a little shady, but then again, that could be a good thing. A secret army meant forces Baal would never see coming.
“It would work in our favor if it’s true,” Arrick said. “I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense. Each region personifies their king. Nicolae has always been about technology and enjoying the luxuries of being respected as a king. Your father has a deep admiration for history and embracing education; that’s why so many in the region focus on honing their craft and becoming the best at what they do. Titan was engrossed by his thirst for revenge on Baal and his belief that he wasn’t really defeated. It makes sense that instead of developing his society socially, he concentrated on building his forces and training them for the war he knew would someday come.”
“Wow.”
I was not only impressed with Arrick’s insight, but the obvious truth in his words. It did make sense. It was scary, but it made sense. If it weren’t for Titan being paranoid that Baal would return, there wouldn’t be a secret army to fight against him. That is if he agreed to fight with us, which I didn’t see why he wouldn’t. If he hated Baal as much as everyone thought he did, then we were as good as gold.
After the guards instructed us where to park our vehicles, I jumped out of the SUV and clutched Arrick’s hand as he stepped up beside me. We followed close behind my father, as the guards we’d brought with us picked up the rear. The gate into the citadel was slammed closed behind us as we entered into the piazza. Massive torches lit our path as we followed the sentry who guided us.
I squeezed Arrick’s hand tighter as I sensed the waves of nerves bounding off my father. Each step closer toward the citadel, the stronger they became. It wasn’t fear, but he was definitely uncomfortable about being here. Could he be uneasy about seeing Titan? I suppose if I hadn’t seen someone for well over one-hundred years I’d be a little uneasy too; especially if the last time I saw them I accused them of being stark, raving mad.
Scantily clad servants joined us as we were led through a catwalk that looked down upon a covered courtyard blanketed with lattice and bright blooming flowers. I’d seen them before; their glowing, white blossoms were unforgettable. I never would have thought that such a beautiful flower could grow in the middle of the desert.
Arrick and I were directed to a suite that looked out over the courtyard, with my father in another a few doors down. We were instructed to wait in our rooms until Titan was ready to meet with us. It was nice that we were being given rooms, but something told me it wasn’t because Titan wanted us to be comfortable. My father ordered our guards to stand watch at our doors, and Titans guards stood watch at either end of the corridor. I gave them wary glances before following instructions and entering the bedchamber. My father gave a nod of encouragement before I shut the door behind me.
Just as I was about to unload a barrage of questions at Arrick, servants marched boldly into the room. They deposited armfuls of clothing onto the bed, unfolding them to reveal white robes. One servant carried an ivory tray, laden with small crystal cups about the size of a lime, and a fist-sized wooden vessel surrounded by what looked like crackers. They pointed to us, and then to a table on the floor that was bordered with shimmering pillows, trimmed with brightly colored beads. Repeating the action again, they shouted words I’d never heard spoken and Arrick nodded like he understood. He guided me to take a seat among the pillows, and I did so, reluctantly.
I didn’t come here for a snack! When were we going to speak with Titan?
I purposefully pinched my arm to distract myself from my irritation, and to keep from clutching the stone for comfort. We were coming here to ask for their help and losing my temper would certainly not help. Sensing my feelings, Arrick leaned into my neck, kissing the delicate skin that bounded above my pulsing veins. I was anxious, and my heart always hammered wildly when I was anxious. His kiss immediately calmed my nerves unlike any pinch ever could, sending the growing passion between us to alight inside me. When the servants finally retreated I found myself locking lips with the sexy man beside me. Several minutes passed by before I peeled myself away from his delicious lips. The more time we spent together, the harder it was to hold back. I knew Arrick was the one, but now wasn’t the time to give in completely to our desires. I’d already decided that until this war was over, the lust between us would have to be satisfied with good, old-fashioned making out.
“I take it the kiss worked?” Arrick asked, breathlessly. “I could feel you getting frustrated.”
“I think you know the answer to that,” I replied, smirking before the last haze of lust faded away. “What’s going on? Why are they making us stay in these rooms?”
“My guess is that Titan doesn’t entirely trust us,” he said flatly, rising from his seat to inspect the room. “You should probably eat, there’s no way to know for sure how long we’ll be here.”
“Eat what?” I asked, confused.
Arrick strode back to the table on the floor before me, and lifted the lid off the small wooden pot. An aromatic aroma of sweetness was released and I peered inside to see its contents. Mushy, red jelly jiggled as I adjusted my weight, bumping my knee into the table.
“What is that?” I stuck my finger in and looked at it curiously. It smelled marvelous, but it looked absolutely disgusting. Dark, crimson globules squished between my fingers as I inspected it.
“It’s an ancient traditional dish made of pig’s blood, berries and organs,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Ewe!” I flung the gunk back into the pot and searched for something to wipe my finger on. I might have been a vampire, but that didn’t mean I’d eat organs!
“Don’t knock it till you try it. I hear it’s actually quite delicious,” he smiled at me, grabbing one of the crackers and popping it into his mouth. I watched as he made his way over to the bed and examined the clothing that had been laid out for us.
As if on cue, hunger began to build inside me. I was going to have to eat, soon. I stared at the open container and swallowed hard. I didn’t want to eat it but I knew I’d have to. Plus, if we were going to be here a while I’d need my strength. It was hard enough to control my temper when I wasn’t hungry; it would be even worse if I didn’t eat. I gave one last glance over to Arrick, wishing I could feed from him. I knew I could if I really wanted to, but it was really just for emergencies. Drinking from him left him weak, and we still didn’t know the situation here yet. Plus, my father was just down the hallway and drinking from Arrick would make my longing for him uncontrollable.
I lifted one of the wafer thin crackers and dipped it into the jar, wiggling it around to coat the edge. As I pulled it out and brought it to my lips I kept trying to tell myself that it was just strawberry jelly, but that really didn’t do much considering I didn’t eat strawberry jelly anymore. To my surprise the revolting concoction was wonderfully tasty. I grabbed another cracker, dipping it generously into the mixture and popping it into my mouth before making my way over to the bed.
“I’m guessing we should probably change?” I asked, lifting up the sleeve of the robe on the bed, rubbing the delicate fabric between my fingers.
“That was my guess too, but I’m not too happy about it,” he said, leaning against the wall and glancing out the window with his arms folded across his chest.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think you’ll look great in it,” I joked, holding up the tunic-like top in front of him and imagining him in it. The fabric was a creamy off-white, and slightly sheer. I imagined the sight of his tan muscles threatening to burst through, and my cheeks reddened.
“Is that so?” he asked, a seductive grin pulling at his lips. He looked me up and down, heaving a heavy sigh before turning back to staring out the window.
I shrugged my shoulders deciding to tease him instead of giving him an answer. Snatching the beaded tunic off the bed, I snuck behind a screened panel and began to undress. It was significantly warmer down here than in Naos and I was eager to change into something cooler. Arrick paced the room, peering through the windows as I undressed. Draping my sweater over the top of the screen, I stepped out of my pants before pulling the beaded tunic over my head. Nervous that the stone would be visible, I looked down to see that it was hidden behind the beaded trim on the neckline. Whew! The top was thin, but a bit itchy, and it was long; fitting much like a short dress. Going down to mid-thigh, I felt it was long enough to skip the pants. They’d only make me itchier than the top did, but at least I was cooler. A knitted sweater probably wasn’t the best choice of attire, and it didn’t help that, as far as I could tell, this place didn’t have any air conditioning.
“Your turn,” I teased Arrick, making my way toward the window, hoping there was a cool breeze to be had. He rolled his eyes, pulling off his shirt and it took every ounce of self-control to keep from launching myself onto him. The plain tunic looked as attractive on him as I thought it would. It clung to his pecs, and strained around his biceps. Like me, he skipped the pants, choosing to keep his jeans on, not that I minded. He did look amazing in them.
“What now?” As much as I wanted to try and relax, I couldn’t help being anxious. We came here for a reason, and the more time we spent not talking to Titan, the more time Baal had to prepare another attack. We needed every spare minute we could get. Everyone was trying to play it cool, but I knew they were as anxious as I was. Who knew when Baal would make his next attack? We needed to be ready.
“We wait,” he replied with a heavy breath before snacking on another cracker. I dropped myself onto a pile of pillows, folding my arms and frowning. I was never a fan of waiting. After a few more turns around the room, and staring out the window, Arrick finally joined me. We finished off the jelly-like spread, and spent more than an hour talking about the city.
Arrick did the best that he could, telling me what he knew and answering the countless questions I had, but he really didn’t know that much. What little facts he knew about Titan were limited only to the memories my father had of the place. He had shared as much as he could remember during meetings before we left, and during the ride here, but since arriving I hadn’t seen him. I stuck my head out in the hallway a few times, but his door remained closed. Arrick questioned our guards and they confirmed my father was still inside and no one had gone in. It was both relieving and disconcerting. A tiny part of me was hoping my father had been speaking with Titan all along, but if he was waiting just as we were there was really no telling how long we’d be here.
After what felt like another hour I was on the verge of barging out into the hallway for the tenth time when the door flew open and Mikel, one of the King’s Snake, entered.
“Come with me,” Mikel said in an irritated tone.
“Where?” Arrick questioned, just as I was opening my mouth to say the very same thing.
“Apparently they’re ready to speak with us,” Mikel answered, growling.
“It’s about time!” I barked out. Mikel nodded his agreement, and Arrick clapped me on the behind as we made our way out into the hallway. My father stepped out of his room as well, and I gave him a quick hug. “Why did they make us wait?”
“Just his way of showing me who’s in charge down here; he always did have a flare for the dramatic,” my father said, with amusement in his voice. It surprised me really; I’d have thought he’d be just as annoyed as I was.
“Great,” I groaned as we made our way through countless hallways. Unlike back home, Titan wasn’t adorned with fancy portraits and paintings, nor lined with extravagant rugs and fragrant flowers. Instead, the walls were cold plaster with the only artwork in the shape of swords, arrows and decorated shields. Arrick was right; they were all about fighting down here.
Several long hallways, and numerous turns later we entered a throne room unlike any other. The ceiling rose above us at a dizzying height, completely covered in glass, revealing the splendid night sky. However, it wasn’t the shock of the stunning ceiling that surprised me most, but something else. Entering the Titan throne room was like walking into a tropical forest. It was like the Noire blood bank, but a hundred times more plants. This throne room looked more like a giant greenhouse than any throne room I’d ever seen. The leafy foliage of the plants was bigger than my head, and covered every wall. Had I not known better, I would have believed we had stepped outside, but the floor was paved stone, and tiny sections of the wall were visible between the vegetation. Winding vines swung from plant to plant, making me half expect to see a monkey pop out at any minute. Massive blooms protruded from cracked clay pots that were hugged by even more vines. Had the vines not been there, I suspected the pot would crumble to pieces. The floras weren’t delicate in any way; their petals didn’t whisper silken softness. Instead, they looked almost harsh, like a flower version of a maul. The petals jutted out in all directions like a cactus’ barbs. Guessing it probably wasn’t safe to touch, I kept my distance, deciding to stand beside a small winding tree whose trunk twisted like mangled fingers. Tufts of greenery topped each ‘finger’, giving the illusion that several trees were planted there and not just the one.
When the guards finally broke away and my father marched further forward on his own, I was able to see Titan in all his glory. He sat atop a throne made of solid gold, but its beauty in no way took away from his brilliance. As my father reached the steps leading to the throne Titan stood, reaching nearly seven feet tall with broad shoulders and a bare chest exposing rippling, tan muscles. Titan was wearing nothing but dark brown pants, adorned with a thick, leather belt and tall brown boots. His pecs flexed in time with his tense jaw, and tattoos clawed across his flaxen-haired chest like a tiger mauled him furiously. The unyielding, harsh expression set on his face told me that no tiger could have ever gotten close enough to him to do that. Leather bracers wrapped around his forearms and as he adjusted his weight the hilt of a broad sword revealed itself as it hung from his hip. Now I knew I had really gone back in time.
Shockingly, my father bowed to Titan, and by his reaction I noted that I wasn’t the only one who was surprised. I’d never seen my father bow to anyone. It was always the other way around, but maybe he was just trying to show his respect? The rest of us followed his lead and knelt before Titan whose surprise turned into amusement. I bit my lip to keep my sigh of annoyance from exposing itself. I looked up to see his dark sable eyes scanning us with intensity as we rose to our feet. Titan swept his long, chocolate dreads over his shoulder before resting his hands on his belt. An air of arrogance and superiority emanated from him without restraint. My normal reaction was to sneer at him, but from what I’d been told, and the pure power that was evident in the curve of every muscle, the multitude of displayed weapons and his colossal size, I knew that he had every right to demand such reverence.
“Welcome to my home,” Titan’s voice roared with a deep baritone as he pounded his heavy fist against his flaxen-haired chest. My father offered the same greeting, pounding a fist against his chest before joining each other’s forearms.
“Thank you my friend. Time has treated you well,” my father commented as he and Titan gave each other a one-armed hug. My shoulders slumped as the tension in the room dissipated. I thought for a moment that Titan wouldn’t be very welcoming, but he and my father were getting along rather well. Arrick and I stood off to the side waiting for an introduction and just staying out of the way in general.
“Of course it has, old friend,” Titan agreed as his ego inflated. “Shall we get down to business? I hear your visit isn’t because you so dearly miss my company?”
“Regretfully, no,” my father said, a smile playing on his bearded face until the truth of our visit sobered him.
“I suspected as much,” Titan said, taking a seat on his throne and gesturing for my father to approach. “Our last encounter didn’t end favorably. I must admit, when I first heard of your arrival I did not believe it.”
“And I did not believe you would receive us.”
“Now that I have, tell me what brings you.”
My father took a heavy breath and pulled on his beard before he began to speak. “Baal has returned,” he said, getting straight to the point. There was no time to dance around the subject or break it to him gently.
Titan’s reaction was microscopic and if I hadn’t been so intently focused on him I might not have noticed it. The lids of his eyes fluttered ever so slightly, and his top lip flinched upward into a brief snarl before relaxing. He raised his hand to silence my father from further explaining, and adjusted himself in his throne.
“It is just as I have always predicted it would be, is it not?” an aggravated tone made his words come out as a growl.
“It is,” my father answered flatly. “He has attacked my region, and that of Nicolae’s. Many lives, both vampire and human, have been lost.”
“Why are you here and not striking back at your enemy?”
“We have come seeking your aide, Titan. Baal is stronger than he ever was before. Without your help I fear we may not survive another attack.” Fear quivered my father’s words. I’d never witnessed him expressing his fear of Baal so openly. I knew he was afraid, but he’d masked it so well until now. I’d never before realized its intensity.
“What do you expect me to do?”
“Fight with us. The only way to destroy him is to unite.”
Titan nodded, rubbing his fingers along the arm of his throne. “Did I not speak those same words to you during our last encounter?”
“You did, and I pray to the goddess that I would have had enough sense then to listen to you.” Titan smiled, pleased with my father’s response.
“You always were a stubborn old fool.” Hearing Titan call my father a fool made my blood boil, but it was my father’s chuckle that cooled it back down.
“I’m still a fool old friend, and you’re still a pompous ass.”
“At least I’m a good looking pompous ass,” Titan retorted with amusement. “Now tell me, why should I invite war to my people? We’ve enjoyed peace since the end of the dark ages. Baal has targeted you, not I.”
“Do you not think he will come for you once he has devoured our regions?” my father’s upbeat tone was suddenly gone.
“He will not; that is why I chose this region. He is not stupid enough to traverse our deserts. And even if he were, he knows not of where I am. Unless you have told him?”
“You and I both know Baal will stop at nothing to exact his revenge. I hoped I could say the same of you.”
I knew my father’s intent with his words the moment he spoke them. He was hoping that Titan would want to claim his vengeance on Baal for poisoning his wife. A glossy sheen of unshed tears covered Titan’s dark eyes as they looked away from my father and stared off into the distance. My heart ached for him. I couldn’t even imagine the pain he’d gone through. If the same had happened to Arrick, or anyone I loved, I’d wait until the end of time for retribution.
“I will reflect on your request.” Titan finally announced after moments of silence. Pleased by his reply, my father slapped a fist to his chest. “Now, come! Let us celebrate this reunion. We have much to catch up on. I’ve called a feast in your honor.”
“We look forward to it.”
“Good.”
Without even a glance in my direction, Titan and his guards left the throne room. Arrick towed me along as he stepped forward to speak with my father. “That’s it?” Arrick questioned, clearly exasperated. “He won’t even give us an answer, and he expects us to celebrate?”
“It’s called politics, Arrick,” my father answered, clasping him on the shoulder. “Titan is testing us. He needs to know he can trust us.”
“Forgive me, your majesty, but do we really have time to play his little games?”
“The real question is, do we have time not to?” Arrick shook his head, clearly disappointed in his first impression of Titan. “I expected this to happen.”
“You did?” I interjected as we pushed through the throne room doors, making our way back through the maze of hallways.
My father nodded. “He pleaded with us all; swearing in the goddess’ name that Baal wasn’t dead and none of us believed him. We said he was blinded by his thirst for vengeance.” My father took a breath, before continuing. “We turned our backs on him, refusing to aide him in his search. I thought he was going mad.”
“Do you think he’ll help us?” I kept the panic I was suddenly feeling from exposing itself. What would we do if Titan refused? Would our region and Noire be enough to stop Baal? I squeezed Arrick’s hand for comfort and knew we needed to come up with a plan B.
“I believe he will. He just needs to forgive me,” my father answered as we rounded the familiar hallway of our bedchambers. “Now, get ready for the feast.”
“Do we have to go?” I wasn’t really in the mood for celebrating anything. I just wanted to lay in bed and think of ways to either convince Titan to help us or come up with other options.
“Yes,” his voice was stern. “This feast isn’t just about celebrating. He wants to get a feel for us. It’s our chance to build trust.”
“Why doesn’t he trust us?” I knew I was giving him the third degree, but nothing was going how I expected. I had thought Titan would be jumping at the chance to help us kill Baal, but instead he was holding old grudges and wanting to throw a party. It didn’t make sense.
“Because!” my father suddenly snapped. I jumped back in surprise, swallowing hard at the mountainous vampire in front of me. His eyes searched my face, and he pulled back. “I’m sorry, Claire.”
“It’s okay,” I replied as my heart returned to a normal pace.
“In Titan’s eyes I betrayed him all those years ago. I know him well. To him, I am almost as guilty as Baal by refusing to help.”
“He can’t blame you for that. You thought Baal was dead,” I said, trying to plead his case and ease my father’s guilt.
“No… he can. If our roles were reversed and your mother had been poisoned, I wouldn’t rest until Baal’s body was burnt to ashes. Had Titan refused to help me, I would have considered it a betrayal. I just hope that he can forgive me.”
“He will,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure I was right. I didn’t know anything about him, and from what little I’d learned he wasn’t very forgiving.
“We shall see. Now, get yourselves ready. If Titan wants to feast, then feast we shall.”
“Okay.”
I gave him a weak smile and headed into my room. I didn’t like how things were going, but making Titan happy was our only option right now. If he needed to know he could trust us then that was what we had to do. I would do whatever I could to impress him, to show him that we wouldn’t turn our backs and that we wanted to kill Baal as much as he did. Sure, I thought he was being childish, but I could see how much it had to hurt when no one would stand by his side. When his wife lay poisoned by Baal and no one offered to help him fight his wife’s attacker. As much as I hated to speak ill of my father, I could see how Titan would consider that a betrayal.
I headed to a water basin that stood on a small, mirrored table and bent over to splash the cool water on my face. The stress of the evening was wearing me out, and it had only just begun. I needed a pick-me-up if I was going to paint a smile on my face and celebrate.
Patting my face dry, I turned to see Arrick inspecting more garments that had been laid out on the bed for us. An irritated sneer was creasing his otherwise handsome features. Since we were alone I didn’t hide my eye roll or my groan of annoyance. I was fine wearing what I had on, but like I’d already learned, when someone sets clothes out for you it usually meant you had to wear them. Not wanting to disappoint my father, I made my way to the bed and picked up the offending garment that Arrick had dropped back onto the mattress.
“I’m not wearing that,” he said, thoroughly annoyed. I couldn’t help but smile. I’d never seen him so irritated before. He stomped his way over to the water basin and began splashing his face. I didn’t want to change either, but if putting on this getup would bring us one step closer to making Titan happy then I was going to do it.
I pulled my hair up into a tight, slick bun and ducked behind the dressing screen once again. I was happy to find that the dress they’d given me to wear wasn’t itchy at all. In fact, it was silky. The purple fabric caressed my skin like a rose petal, wrapping around my chest before crisscrossing on my back and coming back around to drape around my waist into loose pants that swayed around my lower half like a full skirt. It was a little puzzling to put on at first, and I had to readjust the off-the-shoulder straps before I had it on correctly. Golden beads were sewn into the fabric like jeweled flowers that splashed around the bodice.
The beading caught the warm glow of the oil lanterns in the room and sparkled with dazzling brilliance as I stepped in front of the mirror. I turned around to survey the fit, making sure I wasn’t revealing anything I didn’t want seen. Vampires had a naturally open view on nudity, but now that I was building my relationship with Arrick I felt differently. I didn’t want anyone looking at me but him, and when I caught him eyeing my hungrily in the mirror, a blush burned its way across my cheeks.
“Stop,” I said with a smile, even though I loved seeing him look at me like that.
“I don’t think I can. You look amazing.” He strode across the room with purpose and held me at arm’s length so he could get a better look. “I think I hate Titan a little less now.”
“Liar!” I playfully poked him in the stomach.
“No, I’m serious.” He spun me around in his arms, hugging me against his chest so we were both looking into the mirror at our reflections. “If you have to dress like this every day that we’re here, I’m not sure I’ll ever want to leave.” A giggle escaped me as I twirled myself in his arms to face him full on. Before a single breath could escape me, he locked his lips to mine. I was as breathless as always when I pulled our lips apart.
“Well, I don’t have to worry about losing my temper tonight,” he admitted.
“Like you’d ever lose your temper. I thought that was my job,” I smiled seductively at him before reaching for my shoes.
“It’s true. I’m having a hard time being patient. I had all these preconceived notions of the type of king I thought Titan would be, and after meeting him…”
“A little disappointing?” I finished for him, knowing exactly how he felt.
“Yeah. At least I have you to distract me throughout the night.” He trailed a finger across my jaw line before dropping a kiss on my cheek.
“Arrick,” I chided him playfully, “we’re supposed to spend the night trying to get Titan to join our side.”
He shook his head at me, a smile pulling at his luscious lips. “You’re all I’ll be focusing on.”
He offered his hand to me as he leaned against the foot of the bed. My hand disappeared in his as I allowed him to pull me to him. I fit snuggly in his arms, letting the warmth of his body and his masculine scent help me forget my worries. I let my heart focus on the positive. We were in Titan, and although he was being difficult I had to have faith that he would help us.
My head rested on Arrick’s shoulder, and I gazed out the open window at the night sky. Expelling a deep breath, I released all my irritation and doubt, letting only positivity in as I sent a silent prayer to the goddess who watched over us all in the starlit heavens. A shooting star streaked across the sky, and I leapt excitedly from Arrick’s arms to point it out. It was a sign, wasn’t it?
“Better make a wish,” he instructed, standing behind me with his hands resting on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and wished for the only thing in the world that I could ever wish for. That Baal would be defeated once and for all.