Page 42 of Love to Defy You
Alek snarls and pulls me farther down the corridor as Mikhail’s chuckles follow behind us.
If our lives were really on the line tonight, I’d imagine Mikhail would take this banquet more seriously. It makes me feel marginally better, but I’m still alert and ready for anything.
Josie waits for us in the foyer with a glass of champagne in her hand. “Oh, there you are. Come on, you have to see the feast. They really went all out this year.”
She leads us into a ballroom where three long tables stretch across the wooden floor from end to end. Each one is piled with food, and gold candelabras stretch above the displays to cast flickering light on the feast. Bowls of fruits, platters of meat, and bottles of wine fill the tabletops between place settings, and the chatter of the crowd nearly drowns out the classical music playing in the background. There’s got to be over a hundred people in here, but I doubt we’ll run out of food.
Josie leads us to the middle table and scans the place cards for our seats. She spots mine, next to the head of the table, with Alek’s on my other side. As people take their seats, it looks like everyone is sitting boy-girl-boy-girl.
So I shouldn’t be surprised when Birgitta takes the seat across from me, which means the seat at the head of the table is for...
Enzo gives me a wink before pulling his chair out, but he doesn’t sit. Instead, he raises his wineglass in the air, and without him having to say a word, the room falls silent.
Alek places his hand on my thigh under the table.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Feast of Apollo. Tonight is about getting to know each other, so please, relax, enjoy, and imbibe to your heart’s delight.” Enzo sets his wineglass on the table and reaches for Birgitta’s hand. “The Feast of Apollo is a special event, because tonight, we welcome our women into the fold.”
Birgitta beams up at Enzo, and as he speaks, she watches him with blind awe and devotion.
“They say behind every great man is a great woman,” Enzo continues. “And I believe that to be true. Apollo communicated the divine will of the gods through the Oracle of Delphi. Apollo chose a pythia, a high priestess, to be his mouthpiece and to serve him in his temple.”
There’s that word again. Josie said I would be a good “pythia,” but I’m afraid to find out what exactly that entails.
Alek’s fingers curl against the sequins on my sheer skirt, digging into my skin through the fabric.
“Lean on your pythias during your trials.” Enzo’s gaze flickers to me. “Seek their comforting touch, for you will certainly need it.” He drops Birgitta’s hand to pick up his wineglass and raises it into the air. “To our pythias.”
“To our pythias!” the men repeat back as one. Every person in the room raises their glass to join the toast, then drinks.
Enzo finishes his sip with a contented sigh. “Let the feast begin!”
After Enzo takes his seat, the ballroom fills with the clanking of silverware. I reach forward to grab some grapes from the bowl in front of me, but Alek grabs my wrist.
“What?” I ask.
He gives a small shake of his head.
Enzo chuckles beside me. “It’s not poisoned, Aleksandr.”
Birgitta passes a small tray of macarons to me. “Willow, you must try these. They come from my favorite patisserie in Paris.”
Alek releases my wrist, albeit reluctantly, and I lean forward to grab a macaron. I was too nervous to eat anything all day, and now I’m famished.
“Thanks.” I pop it into my mouth, and a zesty lemon flavor hits my tongue.
“Josie’s told me so much about you.” Birgitta’s bubbly voice floats across the table. “I’d love it if we could be friends.”
“Oh,” I say around the macaroon in my mouth. I swallow quickly. “Um, sounds great.”
Becoming friends with Enzo’s girlfriend isn’t a bad strategy. If I can gain her trust, maybe she’ll give me some hints about the upcoming trials.
Birgitta’s sapphire eyes light up, and she leans over to pull on Enzo’s sleeve. “We should do a triple date one night. You and me, Mick and Josie, and Aleksandr and Willow.”
“Sure.” Enzo gives her a tight smile before turning his gaze to me. “You should let Birgitta and Josie take you under their wing. Being a pythia can be a demanding role.”
I arch an eyebrow at him. “How so?”
Enzo leans back in his chair with a wicked smirk. “You’ll find out in due time. But from what I hear, you were born to be a pythia. I believe you’ll thrive if Aleksandr lets you.”
