Page 40 of Captive
It didn’t take long for another message to pop up.The rooftop. Five minutes?
I’ll be there, I typed, looking up to find Maddie staring quizzically at me.
“Who was that?”
“Alistair,” I murmured, picking up my tray. “Sorry. I need to go.”
“Is everything alright?”
“I hope so,” I sighed, ditching my tray on the conveyor belt before heading toward the stairs that led up onto the rooftop. The Academy tried to provide as many outdoor spaces as possible, probably to keep us all from going stir crazy and killing each other, so why he wanted to meet there was beyond me.
When I pushed open the door to the rooftop, my worry turned to confusion. Alistair was there, looking sharp as ever in his neatly pressed uniform with his long hair pulled back in a low ponytail. When I saw the single white rose in his hand, I faltered.
“Alistair...”
“I’m sorry for the short notice,” he said, taking a step toward me. His expression was as impossible to read as ever, and the mask was only part of it. He came to a stop in front of me, the masculine scent of his cologne filling my nostrils thanks to the slight breeze. “I wasn’t sure…”
I waited for him to finish, but he didn’t. “Is everything alright?” I asked.
“Everything is fine,” he told me, holding out the rose. “There’s just something I wanted to ask you.”
My heart started pounding so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts. Was he going to ask me to the formal? I’d completely given up on hoping that, even after Dean's strange offer. I was sure he didn’t care about things like that, but I’d never seen him like this. Vulnerable, like everything hinged on my answer to what he was about to ask.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He looked down at the rose, and I realized it had a faint glow, like it was bathed in moonlight even though it was mid-afternoon. “I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of letting me escort you to the winter formal,” he said, finally meeting my gaze. He added, “along with Dean, of course.”
“Alistair,” I murmured in disbelief, taking the rose. I realized it didn’t have thorns, even though its stem was too smooth for them to have been caught off. When my fingers brushed the leaves, the familiar tingling sensation of magic spread throughout my fingertips, sending a shiver down my spine. For a moment, I couldn’t even process his question. All I could think about was the rose. “What is this?”
“It’s an eternal rose,” he answered. “It’s said to grow in soil enriched by vampire blood, or so the legend goes. In any case, it never wilts.” He gave me a mischievous smirk. “It’s a bit macabre, as far as gifts go, but they’re supposed to be good luck.”
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I looked up from the flower. “And what do you think?” I asked, having a hard time believing he indulged such superstitions.
His lips curved into a smile, and he stepped a bit closer. “I suppose that depends on your answer.”
My chest tightened like a cage around my pattering heart. He already left me flustered on so many occasions, but there was something different about this time. “Yes,” I said once I had regained the presence of mind to answer. “Yes, I’ll go with you.”
I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more, even though I was afraid to let on just how much I cared about that kind of thing around him. For some reason, I wanted to impress him. I didn’t want him to see me as some weak, silly girl who melted every time the guy she liked came into the room. All I could do was hope his hearing wasn’t sharp enough to hear the truth my traitorous heart was so eager to tell.
His gaze softened, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think there was actually a hint of surprise in it. He reached out to caress my cheek, pushing a strand of hair back behind my ear.
“What do you know,” he murmured, his gaze traveling over me in a way that made me feel exposed, but not at all in a bad way. “They must be lucky after all.”
Chapter 20
Bells
“I told you, it’s perfect,”Maddie said, stepping back triumphantly to survey her work.
She’d saved me by making a few alterations to the gown I’d purchased through her for the formal at one of the only shops in the vicinity. She and the other students had been allowed out on a rare field trip, but even a cadre of armed guards wasn’t deemed sufficient to risk me going out.
Even if the administration had approved it, I wouldn’t have felt safe stepping outside the Academy walls anyway. If the cult’s goal was to make sure I was imprisoned with or without walls, they had succeeded.
For the time being, I was determined to put it aside and enjoy the night with my best friend and the men who had become… something I wasn’t sure I was ready to name, but vital nonetheless.
I studied my appearance in the mirror, barely recognizing myself in the fitted off-white gown that stretched all the way to the floor and hung off my shoulders. The crystal beadwork along the bodice wasn’t something I would have chosen, but maybe that was a good thing. Maddie had convinced me to let her do my makeup, too, and she’d toned it down compared to her bright pastel goth tastes. It looked great on her, but I was pretty sure I’d just end up looking like a clown.
“Okay, you’re right. It’s amazing,” I finally conceded, having to retract my initial doubts when I saw the gown. The entire formal was winter themed, and we were expected to dress according to theme. Maddie looked like a frost princess with her flowing white princess gown and the crystal droplets adorning her light hair.
