Chapter 17
1322 Words
Sanaya’s P.O.V
There was an air of authority around the woman. It was in the way that she walked, the way every head in the party turned to her, and the cunning tilt of her lips as she deliberately ignored the gasps and woos.
Her dress was sleeveless, exposing delicate shoulders. The sweetheart neckline was just decent enough to entice, to seduce. The gown hugged her narrow waist before flaring into a floor length skirt that flirted with her ankles while having a slit long enough that exposed one slender leg that stretched for miles. Her gown was all black with tiny crystals glittering all over the material. Her midnight black hair was pinned to one side and the delicate curls hung loose to her lower black. Her smoky eyes were a gorgeous emerald, like two gemstones glowing from within and her lips were painted an exquisite bright red. Anyone could’ve mistaken her for a goddess; her beauty was just as potent…and yet, there was something about her that didn’t quite fit right.
What I immediately noticed however, was that both Acelin and Lancelin had taken a protective stance in front of me and that the enticing woman was heading straight towards them with a slight upward tilt to her lips.
“You weren’t invited!” It was Amber Rose that stood in front of the woman as she was a few feet away. Her back was turned to me so I couldn’t see her expression but her voice held venom. I didn’t think it was possible for polite, elegant Amber to have so much hate inside her but her voice said otherwise.
“I don’t need invitations to go where I want, Amber dear.” The woman spoke with a delicate smile on her face, but her eyes turned a darker shade of green. “Or has being away from court for so long trifled with your memory? I’m far older and higher in rank than you, Amber. Remember that.”
“And I hope you haven’t forgotten my rank then, Asmara.” Lancelin spoke then, his voice was low but there was no mistaking the authority in it. I had never heard Lancelin use that voice before.
Asmara’s lips curved into a smile that was equally seductive and cunning. I don’t know how the woman pulled it off but she looked even more stunning doing so. “Of course I haven’t forgotten who you are, Lancelin.” Her voice turned low and husky as she spoke his name, like a lover’s whisper in the dead of the night. “And I hope you haven’t forgotten who we used to be once.”
Lance moved forward with lightning speed, as if to strike her but within a blink of an eye, Acelin was in front of him.
“We’re amongst humans, brother.” Acelin told him with a hand on Lance’s shoulder and a smile pointed at some curious onlookers. “Cessabit, frater. Tranquillitas.” (Calm, brother. Calm.)
“Specto, karus?” (See, beloved?) Asmara flipped her glorious curls behind her shoulder. “The former Prince of Byzantium has a point.”
“Et illa meretrix, de Praga non esse debet cautus quid loquitur.” (And the former w***e of Prague should be more cautious of what she speaks.) Acelin spoke in fluent Latin, making it a bit difficult for me to understand his accent, all the while smiling politely at Asmara.
Wait…did he just call Asmara a w***e? My mouth nearly dropped open at polite, elegant Acelin using such degrading words for a woman but I dared not get in between an immortal fight. Asmara was obviously insulted by the way her emerald eyes sparked fire, but she only gave him a polite smile in return.
“Ah! What a sight!” Asmara clapped her hands together, making her diamond bracelet catch the light and scatter it in every direction. “Don’t we all love it when a brother supports another brother in everything, even though he should be the rightful heir to the throne?”
My mind would’ve gone blank with misunderstanding if the three powerful Incubi in front of me hadn’t burst out laughing. Their laughter wasn’t heartfelt, seemed forced and sarcastic, but to outsiders, it would look like we were having a good time.
“Back to your petty manipulative games, I see.” Amber shook her head, a sardonic smile on her face. “Just leave, Asmara. No one wants you here.”
“Are you sure about that?” I didn’t like how Asmara’s beautiful face turned cunning and a smile formed on her face. Apparently no one liked the way she smiled either.
However, before anyone could stop her, Asmara went over to the refreshments table and picked up a champagne flute and a spoon and banged the spoon on the glass to get everyone’s attention, as if she didn’t already have it.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” Asmara placed the spoon back on the table and raised her glass. “A toast to my dear friend, Amber Rose for the successful launch of her new makeup like ‘Glitter in the Dark’! As some of you might or might not know, I’m Asmara Milano, one of Hollywood’s top interior designers and I’ve recently decided to shift to New York! So a month from now, I’ll be throwing a housewarming party and everyone present here is invited. Please help me settle in New York and make me feel welcome by coming to my party!”
There were several gasps from around the room as soon as everyone heard her name but the surprise soon turned to cheers and welcome greetings as several people surrounded Asmara to get to know her better. Even I was surprised that I hadn’t know until now that I was looking at the elusive, camera-shy brilliant interior designer, Asmara Milano, who has been rumored to have designed the houses for some of Hollywood’s top couples and even sports personnel.
Now I understood that the reason she stayed out of the limelight, just like Acelin, Lancelin and Amber, was because she was an Incubus. But why show up now, so suddenly? And why were all three Incubi in front of me looking like they were ready to murder Asmara in cold blood?
From across the room, Asmara was laughing and talking pleasantly with the other guests but occasionally she would look in our direction, her eyes tainted on Lancelin and her lips tilted up in a sly smile.
“Manipulative, as always.” Acelin muttered under his breath. If I hadn’t been standing so close to him, I wouldn’t have been able to hear him at all.
“She knew she’d be safe once people knew her identity.” Lancelin turned to Acelin, making a circle with just the four of us. “She’s planning something big.”
“Why does she want to move to New York so suddenly?” Amber asked the question that had been on my mind as well…along with a thousand others. “She was fine in Australia but then she decided to move back to Los Angeles three years back and now she’s moving to New York? What the hell does she want?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Acelin said in a low tone, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Lance’s coro-”
Lancelin’s phone began to ring before Acelin could finish his sentence and immediately Lancelin’s face turned tense. He picked up the phone and listened to whoever was on the other side quietly before hanging up with the words, “We’ll be there soon.”
“Who was it?” Acelin’s voice had turned serious, his face drawn in tense lines. And when Lancelin spoke next, I knew instantly why both brothers looked so pale.
“Mother is waiting for us at ReefWood HQ. She wants to see both of us.”
- Writer
