Don't Let Me Be Yours - Alec Volturi

5. Just a Dance

"Excuse me," I said abruptly, turning to face Aro and Carlisle, "Would you mind if I joined the rest of the party?"

Asking for permission was the right move; Aro agreed readily. "I wouldn't want to keep you from enjoying the festivities," he said.

"Thank you," I said politely before glancing at Carlisle and Esme. They both gave me smile of encouragement, which I greatly appreciated. They know how much I disliked being the center of attention.

I was glad to be out of the stuffy mezzanine; even descending the staircase felt good, being rid of all of the stares. I knew my half vampire, half human make up made it difficult for people not to ogle - it isn't a sight most vampires see throughout their entire existence - but compassion on my end didn't make the situation any less uncomfortable.

Once I made it to the ballroom floor I melted into the crowd. The last think I wanted was to be seen or bothered. In fact, if I could spend the rest of the night planted along the wall I'd be perfectly content. I didn't mind being a wallflower; I could pass the time in peace being lost in my own thoughts.

I was about three-fourths of the way across the ballroom, walking in the direct of the far end of the left wall, when I was interrupted.

"Excuse me! Miss!" I heard a man call from my right.

Not wanting to be rude, I stopped and turned to see who was calling for my attention.

A tall, lean man with sandy waves styled in a handsome, short crop smiled down at me with warm, albeit red, eyes.

"Yes?" I asked, surprised by the dashing man.

"If you don't mind," he said, his voice confident, yet kind, "may I have a dance?"

"Oh! Uh, sure," I agreed, taking his extended hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied before gracefully leading me into a dance.

The other pairs on the dance floor swirled around us as they deftly moved in sync with the music which filled the room and resonated off of the high, vast ceiling.

"This is nice," I said to my dance partner as he gracefully led me through the dance, our posture mirroring one another; one of his hands was placed on my waist and the other, his left, held mine. The experience was completely new to me; I'd never shared a dance with someone before.

"I couldn't agree more," he smiled. "May I ask what your name is?"

"Sure— um, Indigo," I said, settling on my given name. "And you?"

"Finnian," he answered.

I gave him a slight nod in return; I knew I was acting a bit like a wet rag, but I struggled to find anything particularly interesting to say. In that moment, all I could think about that my immediate surroundings. The beautiful music, the warm light that filled the room, and my dance partner.

"It seems like we've captured Prince Alec's eye," Finnian said, breaking our silence.

I cast a glance over my shoulder to see what he was talking about.

Alec, though still surrounded by fawning guests, had his gaze fixed on us as everyone carried on their conversations around him; some still tried to speak to him despite his clear lack of interest.

For a moment my eyes met his, and even thought the moment was fleeting, being caught under Alec's lofty gaze was mortifying.

"Hm. Curious," Finnian mused.

"He could be looking at anyone," I offered, although even I had a hard time believing it. Of course he was staring at us; I had a pulse.

"Yes," he nodded in agreement."Although...it is uncanny how his eyes seem to follow us around the room."

"What an odd coincidence," I insisted.

"Truly," Finnian replied, humoring me.

For the remainder of the dance, I spent a considerable amount of energy resisting the urge to glance at Alec. I didn't want to run the risk of making eye contact; I didn't think I'd be able to bear the weight of it.

As soon as the song came to a close, I excused myself and attempted to make a swift escape to the edge of the dance floor, out of the line of sight of the prying eyes. Finnian, however, was quick on his feet and followed me as I tried to melt back into the crowd.

"Indigo!" he called after me as we pushed our way through the crowd, "Wait!"

I stopped walking and waited for him to catch up, solely so he wouldn't draw anymore attention to me.
People were beginning to stare. "Yes?" I asked, growing exasperated.

"Indigo," he said again when he caught up with me, "Would you like to get a drink with me?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," I managed to say before I was cut off.

"Pardon me," I heard another man say from my left.

Finnian watched the prince, dumbstruck, as he approached. I looked on with chagrin as even more people began to stare. Even the Queen was peering over the railing of the mezzanine at us.

"Your highness," I replied, forcing a smile as heat rushed to my cheeks.

"Prince Alec," Finnian greeted him with respect.

I gave the men a blank look, unsure of what to expect next. The whole ordeal was a nightmare unfolding right before my very eyes.

"It looks as if the lady is trying to leave you, Finnian. It isn't polite to follow a woman without invitation," Alec said haughtily with a cold smile. He was the same height as Finnian, but his mere presence was a force to be reckoned with.

I kept my face as blank as possible and tried not to the think about the plethora of partygoers that had quieted down and were leaning toward us, not-so-subtly to catch the entirety of our conversation in the din of  the ballroom. "It's fine," I tired to assure him.

"It's not," Alec said with conviction, "and I won't stand for it."

Oh, wonderful - a drama queen, just like his father.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Alec," Finnian said. They seemed to be more familiar with each other than I originally noticed.

"Regardless, I won't have it in my home," Alec said, continuing to railroad Finnian. Alec turned his attention to me. "I beg for your forgiveness."

"This is all a bit much, your highness," I said. What kind of game was he playing? Was he just razzing a friend? Because I didn't enjoy being the butt of the joke. "I'm gonna go now. It was nice meeting you Finnian."

"Wait," Alec interjected with authority as I turned to walk away. I stopped to see what else he could possible want.

"Please," Prince Alec said to me with smoldering eyes. "Dance with me."