A Fall of Secrets (A Shade of Vampire #15)(18)

The shifters approached the table with the girls, pulling back chairs for them to take a seat first, before sitting beside them. I was glad to see Theon seating himself at the head of the table. A part of me kept expecting him to climb up to my balcony.

The witches began to serve the feast deftly with their magic, placing all of the vessels in the center of the table and serving everyone. I could barely remember when I had last eaten, but I had no appetite now. Even though the food looked delicious, I shook my head when my mother beckoned me over.

“Later,” I mouthed.

My mother shook her head. “Now,” she mouthed back.

I sighed and obeyed her, climbing down the steps. I took the plate she had prepared for me before hurrying back up to the balcony to eat. As soon as I’d taken the first bite, I was glad that she’d insisted. Having food in my stomach eased my nerves.

Shayla ascended the stairs toward me, holding a plate in her hand, and sat down next to me to eat.

“So do you know what’s going to happen now?” I asked.

“Your mom said that she spoke to Jeriad. Apparently that’s all the dancing that will be done today.”

I widened my eyes. “But Theon hasn’t even danced with anyone yet.”

Shayla shrugged, brushing aside a strand of her brown hair as she began to eat. “It seems that one hour of dancing was enough for this introductory ball. Apparently, all the dragons who danced have chosen a lady each, and now the second stage is to whisk them away somewhere on the island to talk in private, without distractions.”

“Oh… And then after that?”

“I don’t know,” the witch replied. “I don’t think Jeriad explained the next step to your mom…”

I stayed up on the balcony with Shayla for the next hour or so. We both finished our meals and then sat on the bench by the piano, watching as the dragons and their partners finished theirs. Soon, the shifters began helping their ladies out of their chairs and leading them across the hall toward the exit.

I stood up and walked to the railing for a better view. Surprisingly, Theon seemed to have left already. Perhaps he’d left early. I was still puzzled by his behavior.

Well, that was over much sooner than I thought.

This more than suited me though. Now that the stress of the ball was over, I found my exhaustion returning—the plate of food I’d just eaten likely contributing to it.

I bade goodbye to Shayla and made my way down the steps. My mother was standing by the table talking to Corrine. Putting an arm around me, she planted a kiss on my forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy,” I muttered.

“Go to bed now,” my mother replied. “It seems our work here is done.”

I gave Corrine a hug. “Thanks for helping with this.”

“No problem.”

I waited for all the ball attendees to exit the hall before leaving my mother and following after them. I wandered down the tunnel toward the main exit, brushing my hands along the rough walls. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had almost reached the last stretch of tunnel before the main exit when a deep baritone voice came from behind me.

“Princess.”

The dragon prince stepped out of the shadows.

“Theon,” I gasped.

He stopped a couple of feet away from me, his amber eyes boring into mine.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“O-okay.”

“Who do you believe is the most worthy maiden?”

His question took me by surprise. “Most worthy maiden,” I began. “Hm. That’s really a tough question. There are, uh, so many worthy maidens.”

His thick eyebrows furrowed as he scrutinized my face.

“Why aren’t you mingling with any of them to just see for yourself?” I asked.

A smile curled the corner of his lips. “I don’t… mingle as freely as my comrades do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t just dance or talk with anyone.”

I frowned. “Then I’m not sure how you will ever find yourself a partner. If you don’t—”

“My comrades are now seeing the worth of each of the maidens before suggesting whom I ought to grant a private meeting to. I just thought that, in the meantime, I would ask you for your opinion.”

Oh.

A wave of relief washed over me.

“Well, as I said, that’s a tough question for me to answer. I think you’re better off just waiting for your comrades’ feedback on the girls.”

“Very well,” he said, stepping away. “I’m sorry to have held you up.”

“T-that’s quite all right.”

I was taken aback by his courteous behavior. It left me feeling almost guilty for expecting him to try something with me. As he turned around and began walking back down the corridor, toward his apartment, I realized that perhaps he truly was a gentleman. I hadn’t detected him trying to lure me in. Although his very presence was intimidating, he had acted anything but dishonorably.

As I left the Black Heights and began racing back toward Caleb’s and my mountain cabin, I couldn’t help but feel happy for the girl who would eventually end up with him. He would make her very happy indeed.

Chapter 13: Sofia