Testimony of Children (Alice Gray Book 2)

31

I was losing the fight with the zipper on the back of my dress when a knock on the door gave me an excuse to yield graciously.

Stephen entered dressed in a smart tuxedo that had obviously been tailored for him. His dark hair was styled into a quiff, instead of his usual artful rumple.

As my eyes bugged out of my skull, it took more effort than it should have to lift my bottom jaw. Crap, was that drool?

Moving around me, he drew up the zipper, fingers lingering on the skin of my back, gently tracing along the top of the bodice. My hair was piled on top of my head in what I hoped was a whimsically tumbled look. Stephen rolled an escaped curl between his fingers.

Almost afraid to breathe, I held myself tense. I could feel the heat of his body so close to mine. His breath caressed the back of my neck, sending tingles from my head to my toes. We stood there for so long, that I was convinced that Stephen would turn me so that we could embrace.

When nothing happened, I turned myself. Stephen didn't move.

He traced his hand down my arm gently until his hand held mine. His deep blue eyes were intense with desire. I closed mine, certain that he was about to kiss me.

His hand left mine, and I felt the absence of his body. Confused, I opened my eyes to see that Stephen was at the wardrobe, his back to me.

Feeling like a fool, I ignored my raging hormones. If this was how he wanted to play it, I could pretend that nothing had passed between us too.

He turned, holding a beautiful claret coloured velvet cloak. "There's nothing I want more than to be with you again, Alice. But I won't take advantage of you again. When you can forgive me, and your heart and mind are made up, then say the word. I'll be there in a heartbeat."

I gulped. Unsure what to say, I gave the smallest nod of acknowledgement.

I hated to admit it, when eager prickles of lust were agitating me out of any sense of composure, but he was right. I wanted nothing more than to follow my yearning heart and bask in the familiar warmth of our shared desire, but I was vulnerable.

Stephen was the one person who I knew how to love. It would be so simple to fall back into our relationship, finding contentment in the ease of our intimacy. In the midst of all the complex cultures and politics of the real world, I longed for our old nine-to-five careers and stable social life.

Of course, that had never been real for the man standing before me, in his tailored suit and London residence. I, on the other hand, had been living in blissful ignorance. A pang of sadness scattered the tendrils of lust that had almost taken hold of my reason. Who knew that I would regret the loss of our mundane lifestyle quite so much?

True to his declaration, Stephen kept a careful distance. It was obvious our willpower wouldn't stand up to many more of these heated exchanges. But when he shook out the cloak and draped it over my shoulders, I knew he cared and it warmed me inside more than his mother's cloak could ever do.

"Will I do?"

His look, full of the promise of passion, was answer enough.

A brisk knock signalled Emily's arrival. Again, I had to remind myself to blink and close my mouth before I caught bugs in there.

She was stunning in a black wide-legged Stella McCartney jumpsuit that was the perfect combination of elegance and professionalism. From the front, the smooth lines of the silky fabric on her lithe figure made her look like a model. The back was cut away and covered in intricate lace. A pair of black suede booties with three-inch heels completed the outfit and brought her height level with my own.

The intricate braids that were wrapped around her head like a golden halo accentuated Emily's perfect bone structure. She wore no makeup, and its absence only added to her striking beauty.

I thought back to our first meeting in a rundown old warehouse. Even then the violence of her actions contrasted oddly with her delicate beauty. I was still learning just how unique Emily was.

For a moment I regretted the extravagance of my own outfit, but I shook it off. I was damn well going to make the most of this experience. It might be the only formal ball that I ever got the chance to attend.

That said, when the three of us piled into Stephen's Prius, I couldn't help but regret that we weren't going to arrive in more style.

"It's not a party for us, Alice. It's work. And you've got a lot to learn, in not a lot of time," Emily said, noticing my despondence.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, politics. Come on then, educate me."

We had all learned our lesson during the last couple of days over not fully sharing information, and I was actually glad of the distraction. It had gone dark two hours ago, and the vampires hadn't finished with me.

Now that I had admitted my feelings for Stephen, I was dreading seeing Thomas again. What if he could tell something had changed with those vampire super senses of his?

I had to keep reminding myself that I hadn't committed to a relationship with either of these men. I didn't owe them anything. No matter the truth of that, I wasn't comfortable with this intensity of feeling for two different men.

And tonight I was going to be on a date with somebody else.

How the hell did things get so complicated?

Shoving all that down to be dealt with later, I focused my attention on Emily as she tried to impart enough information to keep me out of danger. I needed to avoid making another mistake like the favour that got me into all this.

The gala was one of the most exclusive events in the paranormal calendar. It was timed two days before the winter solstice so that the representatives of each group could petition for the magical deeds that they were unable to perform for themselves. That way, arrangements could be made and payment or trades organised before the solstice – the night when power was most easily accessed and therefore greater feats accomplished.

Witches in particular benefited from the solstice because it was a natural phenomenon. The coven transacted the majority of its trade at this event, bringing in a large part of their yearly income.

This was a side of paranormal life that I had not considered before. It brought the strangeness of the real world right back down to the regularity of commerce. Luckily that was one subject that I was well versed in already thanks to my training in accounting and business studies.

Unfortunately, the same was not true for the complex politics that I would have to negotiate. I was floundering in a sea of names and I couldn't swim. If that wasn't bad enough, a tornado of history was sweeping through to gather me up and push me under.

I was in deep shit, and we all knew it.

Uh oh! Will Alice be able to negotiate the party politics? Not to mention Thomas and Stephen in the same room...