than good. But I couldn’t help feeling that there had to be a better explanation than the one he was using. Wasn’t there?
Yet, there was another message Nicolae was trying to send tonight that wasn’t meant for the public at all, and this one I did agree with. Every remaining member of the Vampire Royal Family would be present during the statement. We would stand beside Nicolae showing our support and strength in hopes that Baal would see it. Clinging to the optimism that Baal would see he had not defeated us. We still stood tall and would never give up.
I turned from the balcony and headed into my closet to prepare for the evening. A long, shimmering, blood red gown hung from my floor length mirror. A flowery lace strap covered one shoulder giving the dress an appealing asymmetrical look. I hadn’t wanted to fuss much so I allowed my hair to fall in natural curls down my back. It had been a while since I’d worn it down and I was surprised to see how long it had gotten.
There was only one part of my attire that I really gave any consideration; whether or not I should wear the stones, and I decided against it. As far as I knew, Baal wasn’t aware I had them or could control them, and that wasn’t a card I was willing to reveal quite yet. Undoing the clasp at the nape of my neck I set the stones inside my jewelry box and closed the lid. Unlike the stone found in my bedroom in Naos, these didn’t need a special case to keep them from affecting anyone. These stones were different, maybe I had something to do with that, maybe not, but no one seemed to be bothered by them. Unless, of course, I wanted them to, and there was only one monster alive that I wanted to use the full power of all these stones on.
A heavy layer of makeup helped make me look less ghostly than I really did. A dark, smoky eye drew attention away from my sunken cheeks, and ruby red lipstick gave fullness to my thinning lips. I almost looked like my old self.
Almost.
A gasp escaped me when I exited my room to find Robin and Arrick waiting for me. She looked exquisite in a floor length, red, mermaid gown with a black ribbon tied delicately around her waist. Her hand was draped over Arrick’s as he held it before him like a true gentlemen. His jet black suit, matching red shirt and tie were flawless.
“You two look amazing,” I said, shutting the door behind me and taking Arrick’s free hand.
Robin smiled more sweetly than she had in days, and it warmed my heart. We took the back way to the throne room, not wanting to run into any news reporters along the way. Tonight Nicolae would do the talking, and that was just fine with us.
Arrick released us to open the heavy door that led into the throne room. I clasped Robin’s hand and realized I’d never seen the throne room at the palace before. I wished my first visit to the room had been on better terms. I took the lead when Arrick pulled the door away from the frame and directed his hand inward. Robin followed, not falling more than two steps behind. I smiled inwardly, enjoying my friend’s closeness. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight, the need to protect her swelled in my heart.
The doorway opened into the center of the room. Massive chandeliers dangled dangerously from the ceiling; three on each side, one considerably larger than the others was in the middle of the room. The floors were a warm gold marble, swirled with grey and flecked with shimmering silver. Stone pillars towered along the walls between floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows. The throne room held a sense of antique beauty with a modern elegance. I walked in farther taking in the images in the glass. A red rose, a starry night sky, the goddess Nyx and the Noire crest were among the elaborate designs. The moonlight penetrated the vibrant colors making the windows appear to glow in a rainbow of hues.
My feet reached the red carpet that was centered down the room. A row of guards were holding back a throng of reports who were grumbling to my right. Their cameras flashed and flickered as they shouted questions out at us. Red lights winked on their video