"Motherf-" I swore but Gin was in front of me dabbing something onto my lips.

"Woman!" I growled, "What the hell is that? Bees? It stings."

"Shut up," Gin said, continuing with her crazy antics.

"Pout please." She said.

What the eff?

I pouted. She was now putting on something that smelt really amazing. I bet it tastes amazing too.

"That smells great. Can I taste it?" I asked.

She threw me the meanest glare ever. Gee, why was she so pissed off?

"What's your problem?" I grumbled, which made me lips move and get whatever she was putting on me onto my teeth. I quickly licked it off.

"I need the perfect color," she said, "It has to compliment the dress to the T. Every color I've tried on you so far, looks great. But I don't want great. I want per-freaking-ect."

I was left blinking in her wake as she shuffled away to pull our more boxes of lip color.

"Honestly, how much more do you have in there?" I asked. That was like the sixth box. And they were all big ass boxes. Every single shade of lip color was arranged according to their intensity of color and I knew her control freak-ery ways won't let her have it any other way other than in perfect order.

How did she have the patience to put it all back when she was done?

She tried on another color then leaned back, shook her head, brought a wet washcloth to my mouth and wiped it away neatly. Then she tried on another color which looked exactly like the first hundred she tried on me.

"How about purple?" I asked, grinning.

The look she threw me would have withered Hulk. Okaay, then. No more attempts at humor.

Then she sat down in front of me with her palm holding a lip color, and closed her eyes, I leaned forward, incredulous.

"Are you praying?" I asked, disbelief coloring my tone.

Her eyes snapped open, "Yes. I need a freaking miracle here."

"I'm pretty sure I should be offended by that, but I just want this to end. So I'm going to pray too." I said and I prayed too.

Please let this be the right one. I want to have lips left.

Before I could open my eyes, Gin was applying the lip color on me, I squeezed my eyes tighter. Please, please, please. I won't steal food from anyone else's plate anymore.

I heard a gasp and my eyes snapped open.

"It's perfect," she said.

Oh, thank eff.

"Now that we're done," I said and started to stand but Gin just threw me a funny look.

"Done? We just started. I finished you lips. Now I have the rest of you left."

The rest of me? Oh cripe.

I sat down, cautiously, wondering what she meant. She disappeared into her big ass dressing room where she hid all her tools of torture. I was a hot mess by the time she came back out, I was imagining all kinds of horrible things. But what she brought with her surpassed my expectations. And my nightmares.

I jumped up. "Whoa. No." I said, stepping away and to the door.

She pointed one finger at me, "Sit. Down."

"No, Gin. I would give up my life for you. But this is ridiculous. Very stupid too." I said, backing away.

"Kiki." She warned. My eyes dropped to the wax strips in her hands. Yeah. No way.

"My legs are shaved, those are just pointless. And my hands look fine. There's barely anything on it." I whined.

She gave me a sweet smile. Yeah, I bet Red Riding Hood got that smile before the wolf ate her.

"Then, this won't hurt at all." The hell it won't.

"It's also not necessary."

"Kiki." She said and threw me her Bambi look. I shut my eyes.

"NO way." I said. "You're not doing this to me again."

I peeked one eye open and saw when she pounced.

I ran.

Fifteen minutes later, she had someone plucking leaves out of my hair since I had transported out of the house and face planted into a tree and climbed it because I had no other choice. Gin, meanwhile, stripped me of skin and hair. This woman plucking shit out of my hair was pissing me off because she was totally ripping strands out too. I felt like telling her that they weren't up for adoption.

"I will get you back for this." I warned, "I will get you back real bad."

"Yes, I know, I know." Gin said, rolling her eyes.

I yelped as the girl pulled out another strand, I glared up at her.

"I think she's serious." The girl (I think her name was Helen) said to Gin.

"She probably is." Gin said, least bit scared as she pressed another strip to my leg and rubbed it.

Oh shit.

She ripped the strip free and I grunted. Good thing I'd at least shaved the day before. This would have been a thousand times worse otherwise.

Kiel better effing think I look like Aphrodite tonight.

"You need to wash your hair." She said.

I was feeling grumbly, "I don't want to wash my hair."

She pressed a hand to her heart, and looked up at me with mock surprise, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I start the sentence with 'does your Majesty wish to'?" she asked. I glared at her. The rest of the next ten minutes went with me plotting the World's death and Gin ripping my muscles and bones out with those damn wax strips of hers.

When she was done, she had me ushered into her bathroom, because apparently my hair products wouldn't do any good and hers were the best for the job. What job was she even talking about? I slumped into her bathroom, grumbling. I took the longest effing bath ever, using up all her hot water.

When I walked out with one towel wrapped around me and the other wrapped in my hair (her towels are soft as eff, I'll give her that) she chucked her phone aside and grinned at me, looking excited. Sad, but excited.

"Who were you messaging?" I asked, getting ready to wrestle the damn phone away from her if I had to.

"What's more important," she said, "Is that this was finally delivered." She pointed to the large ass box covered with wrapping paper. I sighed in relief. "It was supposed to be here yesterday. I thought it wasn't going to get here."

My eyes flipped back to her, "I still haven't forgotten. Who were you messaging?" I asked.

Her chin raised a notch and she said, "It doesn't really concern you."

I felt slapped.

Right across a boob.

She winced when she realized what she said and immediately stood. I held up a hand indicating she better wait one effing minute before saying anything. Wisely, she shut up.

"One, I'm not asking because I'm curious or want to indulge in gossip in which case that fact that it doesn't concern me would be a good reply. I'm asking you because I effing care. I'm going to let what you just said slide because I know you're hurting." I said, with a glare.

She took in a deep shuddering breath and apologized. I nodded and she came forward to hug me. I hugged her back and whacked her on her tushy for the comment she had made. She sniffled and apologized again.

I sat down on her bed and looked at her as she wiped away a tear. My heart hurt. I wish she would just tell me what was going on, so I could help her. And I told her so. She just shook her head and pulled out my dress that Derek had got me and sat down next to me, rubbing her fingers against the softness of the dress.

"Do you think maybe that I would also blood with someone?" she asked and I stared at her surprised.

"Is that...what you want?" I asked, because I had never ever thought that she felt that way. She had always been happy exactly the way she was, dating a few guys maybe messing around a little. But she had never wanted anything serious.

"I want...what it signifies." She said.

I turned a little, "And what's that?" I asked.

She shrugged, her fingers messing with the silk of the dress, "You know? The forever-ness of it. How you encompass their entire world so much that they only have eyes for you."

"You don't need to be blooded for that. You can be in love too."

"Love fades." She said with so much conviction that it shocked me.

"Gina," I said slowly, "Being blooded doesn't take away my choice. I chose to be with him. I still notice other guys. They just don't make me feel like Kiel do."

Gin shook her head, "You're only saying that because you don't know what it's like for us. How it feels when we feel lust for others we have no right feeling anything for."

"I shouldn't be feeling anything for Kiel either. God knows how this is going to end."

She huffed a small laugh. "If it ends badly and you have a chance to go back in time and change that would you?" she asked.

I thought about it. Then shook my head, "No. I wouldn't change a damn second." Except I'd probably tell him I want to be with him as soon as we blood, rather than what I had originally done.

I cleared my throat and asked her the question that scared me the most.

"Is this guy a Vamp? Is that why you wanted to be blooded to someone?" I asked.

She snorted, "I'm not as brave as you. No way am I ever getting with a Vamp unless I'm blooded with them. It's too risky." She said.

Okay, that ruled out any Vamps I knew.

Who else was left? The whole damn lot of others.

"Is this guy a...Shifter?"

Her eyes widened, "What? God, no. No offence, but they have claws and stuff." She shuddered.

I didn't say anything, because I was wondering why that had her shuddering.

"So...this guy is a Normal?" I asked.

She threw me a dirty look, "He's a Witch."

Yeah that's what I thought, I just needed to hear it from her.

Before I could ask anything else, like whether I knew this bumhole, Gin had me in her web of make-up. I was asked to put on the dress and when I slipped it on, I felt like an effing angel. A red one. I couldn't wear a bra, not with this dress being an off shoulder. I could wear a strapless bra but it would show at the back. So I shut up and dealt with it. I could wear an underwear though, thank God.

"The girls look like they're ready to pop out and say 'Cuckoo'." I said, looking down at them. Gin's eyes flicked to them for a minute before she looked back down at what she was holding.

"They look great, shut up."

I huffed as she moved towards me and flicked my hair back and stilled, her eyes landing on the side of my neck.

"What?" I asked, wondering what she was staring at with a pale face.

"You have a..." she continued to stare.

What could possibly be on my neck?

Oh shit.

I slapped a hand over it and stalked to the mirror. Two small dots were still visible from where Kiel had fed from me.

"When the hell did that happen?" she asked, coming to stand behind me.

I narrowed my eyes and said, "Shut up," when she looked like she was going to laugh.

How had I not noticed this before? Probably because I'd never really looked and my hair and clothes were always in the way.

"I can conceal it," she said, sitting me down spraying my hair with something and massaging her fingers into the slightly damp strands.

"Okay." I said.

"Now shut your eyes and stay still."

I sighed and shut my eyes.

Sometime later...

"You can open your eyes now." She said, I opened my eyes and looked at her. She was wearing a hot black short dress that was strapless. Her hair was free and cascading down her back in dark curls. She was putting something onto her eyes.

"Go check the mirror." She said, looking into the small hand mirror she had with her.

"I don't think I want to," I said.

She threw me a glare and I held up my hands, "Fine, fine." I said. Then I stepped towards the full length mirror. My eyebrows raised. Whoa.

She had done the smokey eye thing. The red dress was doing wonders to my dark hair that was also lose and wavy and super shiny. Only my ears and neck were bare. I had something to fix that. I looked at the mirror again. My lips were the perfect shade of red that matched the dress without looking bad. I turned right to left to look at my profile. I looked good.

"Thank you," I said to her and she waved her hand at me.

I went to my room, carrying Kiel's present with me and pulled out my black heels, after placing the gift carefully onto the bed. I pulled out the black stone rose chain and earrings and put them on. Red and black. Exactly the way he liked it.

I grabbed a black clutch I had and walked to the present I had bought. Big ass present, might I add. Murmuring a spell, I pressed a finger to the present and gold lines spread across it like some kind of X-ray and the box started to shrink. Yes.

When it shrank to the right size, I pressed a finger to it again. It stopped. I picked it up. It now fit in the center of my palm. I smiled and placed it carefully inside my clutch. I couldn't give him the present in front of everyone because well it was too big and I didn't want to draw that kind of attention to the gift, because it was something personal to him. And no one else could see it, and so it was going to be hidden inside my clutch until I found the perfect opportunity to give it to him.

Then...something had me materializing a gun in my hand. Just in case. I couldn't keep this inside the clutch. I could however...

I walked to my closet and pulled out the gun holster that I could strap to my thigh. It had come as part of a Halloween Costume that Gin had bought for me. I don't even want to tell you what costume comes with a gun holster strapped to the thigh.

I placed the gun into the holster and strapped the holster onto my thigh. Dropping my dress, I grabbed my clutch.

Time for some action.

--

--

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, with Gin at my back.

"Go get 'em, tiger," she said. Throwing her a grin, I stepped towards the three Vamps who were apparently part of the Welcoming Committee. Aunt Glinda was on my left, Gin on my right.

One of three Vamps stepped in front of me, his hood up. We had our own capes on and hoods up. The Vamp in front of my dropped his hood and I stilled when I noticed the scar that stretched from his eyebrow to the tip of his jaw. I met his eyes, head on. His eyes however, dropped down from mine. I blinked at the intense way he was staring me down. This dude was not checking me out. Something was going on.

Suddenly he stilled and his eyes stopped dead on my right thigh. Where I had my gun strapped.

He opened his mouth to say something, when a hand dropped on his shoulder.

Derek pushed the guy aside and grinned at me, "They're fine. Let them through." He said. He was wearing a suit. He looked hot. I snickered.

Grinning back at him, I started to step closer, but the scar dude stopped me with a hand on my elbow.

I could feel aunt Glinda getting pissed off. Oh cripe.

The scar dude looked at Derek and said something in his ear, too quiet for me to hear. Derek's eyes snapped up to meet mine. Before he looked back at the scar guy.

"They're fine." He repeated. Reluctantly, the scar guy stepped away, tossing me a look of distrust. I raised an eye brow at him, but he was already pulling his hood up. I walked into Derek's arms and he hugged me back. He patted my bum and I laughed, smacking his arm. Gin stepped forward when I moved back and hugged him with a "Hey there, ugly."

He hugged her back with a "Hey there, fatty."

I rolled my eyes. He was not ugly and she was not fat. They were both definitely crazy though.

Derek grinned at aunt Glinda and whispered (a little too loudly) that my aunt was hot and that I should've warned him. That put a smile on my aunt's face and I threw a beam at Derek as aunt Glinda and Gin stepped forward. The others who came with us were also going through that weird security check thing. Did that guy have X-ray eyes?

"He's been real broody." Derek told me and I raised an eyebrow at him, as he led us down a corridor.

"More than usual," he added and I smirked, so ready to see him. It felt like it had been ages. Derek opened a door and I stepped into a ball room. An honest to God ball room. There were millions of Vamps all dressed formally but they didn't have their capes on.

"It's an off-cape occasion." Derek said to us and a waiter came to collect our capes. I handed my cape over as if I was handing over the armor that would save my life.

"Hot." Derek said in my ear and I grinned up at him. "Too bad you're mated."

I rolled my eyes at him and he grinned at me cheekily. His eyes seemed to say, go find him as he tilted his head towards the crowd.

I laughed and squeezed his arm in thanks, he seemed to understand because he grinned. Throwing a meaningful look at Gin who immediately got around to distracting Glinda as I slinked away silent like a ninja. I stepped through many people who were consuming something red in wine glasses and seeming a little surprised to see me when I whacked into someone. A big ass someone.

"Hey there, kid."

"Denzel!" I squealed, grabbing him into a hug. He looked good in a suit. I looked around as Fee slipped through next to him and wrapped me in a hug tight enough to crack my ribs.

"Woman, I have missed you." I said to her.

She leaned back and laughed, "It's so good to see you."

Denzel's head slanted to the side like he was listening to something, "Looks like your lover boy has found out that you're here."

My heart beat sped up as I thought of Kiel. How had he found out? Then I glared at Denzel for being so loud. I bet even the pillars here had ears. He winked at me and dragged a protesting Fee away.

"Later," I mouthed to her.

Then I went back to looking for my mate. When heat travelled up my spine, I turned around to see my mate slipping through a group of giggling women, his eyes travelling the room hungrily. When they landed on me and our eyes met, I stopped hearing anything expect my heart beat that pounded in my ears. I watched as Kiel's eyes shifted from bright violet to full black and back to violet and his form flickered, seeming to grow a little bigger. A hand on his shoulder had him taking a steady breath, his eyes closing for a second before they snapped open.

I threw Jet, who was standing behind Kiel with a hand on his shoulder, a grateful smile. A small smile lifted his lips. Kiel shrugged his best friend's arm off and he started towards me, his eyes raking down, taking in what I was wearing. My own were tracing his form. While he had a suit jacket and a black shirt on inside, but instead of pants, he had on jeans. That little rebel. My eyes traced his legs again and he was wearing jeans that outlined-

I took a deep breath in, distracting myself from his looks. I met his eyes as he stalked over to me. But everybody was staring so I got my face to take on a small friendly smile. When he stopped a few feet away from me, I said, "Happy birthday, young Master Fang,"

I almost snickered and he seemed to guess I was making fun of him, because his eyes narrowed a bit, before he said, "Thank you."

I grinned at him and stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. His hands were around me the next second. Other pairs of arms were around me and I heard Derek shout, "Group hug!" right in my damn ear. I winced, then looked up at Kiel and smirked.

"Happy birthday Red," I whispered, hoping what I said couldn't be heard by the ruckus that Derek, Gin, Fee and Denzel were making wrapped around us as well.

Kiel's arms dropped down to slap away Derek's wayward hand from my butt as he threw his youngest brother a glare. Derek grinned cheekily at him before all of us moved away from one another. We'd drawn a lot of eyes. My smile faltered when I met Will's eyes, because he had a gleam that scared the crap out of me. He tilted his head to the left and my jaw clenched. An arm on mine had me turning to look into Gin's eyes. Right behind her was my aunt. I pulled the others closer.

"Aunt Glinda, these are my friends," I said proudly and introduced Kiel, Derek, Jet, Denzel and Fee. Exactly in that order. Derek walked right in and gave her a hug. Her eyes widened but she returned the hug. When they leaned back from one another Denzel, Fee and Jet introduced themselves.

When Kiel stepped forward, I held my breath, but before I could see what they said, I was pulled away by an arm on my shoulder. Then the feeling of being pulled through a small hole rushed though me and I gasped for breath. Someone had just transported me from the ball room. Ready to snap I turned and met Will's eyes.

"You don't have to pull me," I said, shrugging his hand from my shoulder, then looked around at the deserted corridor he had transported, "Or transport me to some abandoned corridor."

He held his hands up in surrender. "You owe me a date," he said, grinning.

A blub flickered in my head slowly. "You sent Malcolm." I said.

He gave a small shrug, "I may have pointed out the benefits of maintaining good relationships with the other Heirs."

Somehow, it sounded like he meant something not nice. "Thank you." I said, for the lack of anything better to say.

He nodded, "I'm glad you called me."

What did that mean?

"You're the only one I could think of-"

He stepped closer before I could finish, cupping my cheeks in his palms, "You're the only one I can think of too."

Holy fudge skittles.

"I meant, you're the only one I could think of to help me in that situation." I said, stepping away from his hold. His eyes held disappointment.

"Why won't you give me a chance?" he asked.

I shook my head, "I just don't see you that way," I said.

"Why not?" he asked, stepping closer. Damn he was tall.

I stepped away because I didn't like how close he was getting. "I just don't." I said.

"And the date won't mean anything to you?" he asked, his hands had fisted by his sides and gold sparkles fled from them.

"No," I shook my head.

"Is there someone else?" he asked, his eyes swirling with gold. His anger however, wasn't rousing anything in me except maybe for this to be over soon so that I could be with Kiel.

"It wouldn't matter even if there was," I said shaking my head. I turned to leave when he pressed against me, his fingers wrapped uncomfortably around my arm.

"So there is." He asked, looking down at me accusingly. As if I didn't have a right to like someone. As if it was any of his business.

I pulled my hand out of his grip, I tried to at least, but he was too strong.

"F-"

"Is there some problem here?"

I turned to look at one of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was tall, with dark hair that fell to her waist and brown eyes that reminded me of someone. Her high cheekbones and arched brows made me think she was someone who would've been Queen. Past tense, because now while she was still beautiful, her eyes spoke to a sadness that seemed to ripple through her and age her in a way only experiences can. She looked strong and fragile at the same time, tall and tired.

She wasn't, however, dressed for the party/celebration thing. She was in a bath robe with her eyes fixed on Will's arm. Will slowly unfurled his fingers from my arm and stepped back, a flash of something I couldn't name glowed in his eyes before he turned and walked away.

I sighed, rubbing my arm where he'd held me. I turned to the woman and grinned.

"Thanks," I said, holding my hand out, "I'm Kiera."

When the lady took my hand she didn't take it in a shake, she took it like I was handing her something precious. With both hands she curled her fingers around me and closed her eyes. A feeling of serenity took over me and everything around me turned black.

I could hear voices...some familiar, some unknown but they all tugged at my heart. I heard screams and cries of relief, laughter and pain and people whose voice I sometimes knew and sometimes didn't, expressing every other damn emotion on this planet. And suddenly it was over and when I opened my eyes the lady was gone.

What in the name of smurf...

"Kiera?"

I swirled around and sighed when I saw that it was just Kiel, Denzel, Derek and Jet. They were walking towards me like avenging angels and for a minute I almost snickered at their determined expressions. I held my hands up, "Hey, I'm okay. Wipe those expressions off your face. You're starting to scare me." Not really, but if someone saw they were going to think that these four were going to hurt me or something.

I looked around and realized no one was going to see us in this abandoned corridor. Trust Will to find some sort of deserted place and leave me like that. Ass.

Kiel was in front of me in a second, the tip of his thumbs pressed against my jaw gently, to lift my head up as if to examine me for any injuries. My arms raised to press against his biceps and I tugged at his arms. A reminder, that Denzel was amongst us. His jaw clenched in understanding and aggravation, but he dropped his arms.

"You just disappeared with Will, the food spill," Derek said, peering at me over Kiel's shoulder.

I threw him a weird look for that random rhyme and sighed, "It's nothing. We just rehashed a conversation that we've been having forever and I think I finally got through to him." I would appreciate a round of applause right about now.

Kiel seemed to get what I was talking about but he suddenly stilled, his eyes dropping to my arm, exactly where Will had held me when I was leaving just now. Was there a bruise?

"Kiera and I will see you guys soon." Kiel said, his voice having gone quiet and deadly.

The three other boys stilled as well and Denzel raised his eyebrows. Derek and Jet shrugged their shoulders as if it was nothing much and ushered the Shifter away. But he was still trying to look over his shoulder like the curious peek that he was. I scowled at him, but the two other darling boys had him by the arm and wouldn't let him go.

"What did he do?" Kiel asked, turning to stand in front of me, he was so tall and so close that it felt like he was looking down at me and I was staring up at the Eiffel Tower or something.

"Um," I said, unsure of which part of what Will did Kiel was talking about, so I figured I'd just give him the whole summary of sorts.

"Well, I had called him last night after calling you and asked him for a favor to come to you birthday. Happy birthday by the way, or did I already say that? Anyway, he said that if he got me through, I had to go to a movie and dinner with him and that if I still wasn't interested in him then he'd leave me alone. So I said okay, since I had no other choice and free dinner sounded great," I stopped to take a breath.

Kiel had his arms crossed and was still staring down at me, impassively. Good or bad?

A muscle ticked near his forehead. Bad. Definitely bad.

"Anyway, so the Malcolm came and sort of spoke slash argued Glinda into it. Oh, I also used my super cute face to tilt the matter in my favor." I looked up to see if he'd laugh.

Another muscle had started to tick. I should probably wrap this up quickly.

"Anyway, so we're here and Will sort of pulled me aside and told me that I owed him a date and I cleared it out with him that I felt nothing for him and the date would be pointless. He got a wee bit pissed and may have caught onto my arm while I was leaving. But some super cool hot lady came and scared him away. It was really epic."

I stopped and looked up at him. For some time, he didn't say anything and I was wondering if he was doing the proverbial letting me sweat thing when he finally spoke.

"Why did you agree to his condition, Kiera? You didn't have to come today."

"Honestly, I can't believe you just said that I didn't have to come today," I threw him a wounded look, "And the condition slash manipulation is moot so I don't se-"

He was pressing a finger against the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut and I stopped talking, guilty. It was his birthday and I was stressing him out. Happy time now.

I looped my arms around his neck, clutch still in my hand and said, "I can't wait for you to see the gift I got you."

He stilled and his eyes snapped open as I leaned back to look at him.

"You got me something?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

I smirked, "Didn't think I would turn up empty handed did you?"

"Is it big or small?" he asked, undeterred.

I thought about it and just said, "Yes." Since it was big, but right now it was small. Ingenious right?

The mystery seemed to become more interesting in his eyes because he straightened and I was pulled off my feet. I yelped a little and held on tighter. His arms banded around me and I felt safe. Home.

"Don't think I have forgotten," he said and I cocked my head, wondering what the head he was talking about, "A bruise is forming on your arm."

I turned my arm to look at it and shrugged, "Whatever." I said. I was rid of him and I didn't care.

Kiel set me down carefully, his eyes burning me, "He put his hand on you Kiera. No man should ever do that to a woman."

I blinked and realized that he said it with a fervor that told me that this was a strong principle that he believed in. I nodded at him letting him know that I'd heard and understood what he was saying. And also that Will was an ass.

"Now come on," he said, a smirk lifting his lips, "I want your first dance."

I laughed and followed him, my fingers twined with his. When we got to the hall of course, our fingers left each other, reluctantly. He sent me a heated look that seared through me, before stepping over the threshold into the room.

"I don't really know how to dance." I whispered to him.

"I do." he said and led the way. People automatically moved aside to let him through, many wished him and most stared at me-curious. At least I hope what I saw on their face was curiosity and not I'm so hungry.

I was about to ask Kiel if this was a smart move but I stayed silent. It would be weird if I asked that since we were only 'friends' and only 'friends' don't care about what the others think because they know that nothing was going on. My spine straightened. Even though that wasn't the case with the two of us, I had to make them believe that it was. Okay, this logic was making sense in my messed up head.

When the music started, Kiel slid me into his arms. One of my hands were in his and the other was on his shoulder. The hand he had on my back, burnt in the best way possible and I resisted the need to press myself closer to him.

He led the way and I just...followed. His eyes raked down my dress and when he met my eyes again, they were glowing. Suddenly the volume of the music hit the roof and I winced as the Vamps around me, yelped and slapped their hands over their ears. Kiel just leaned forward and murmured in my ear.

"You look so beautiful today. You have no idea how much I want-" he stopped just as the volume of the music was back in control. I was really curious as to what it is that he was about to say but I didn't ask. I couldn't. And funny how he didn't slap his hands onto his ears and leaned forward to whisper in my ear as if he was expecting that small...volume control problem thing.

Someone cleared their throat and I looked up at Jet. He was looking at Kiel.

"Your father is calling you." He said. Kiel stilled and his eyes flitted to me and went back to Jet. Jet nodded and placed his arm on my back, in a very protective gesture. I rolled my eyes at Kiel. He swept a finger over the wrist of the hand that he was still holding and he left. Derek was next to me before I could blink. He looked...determined. Confused too.

He dragged me along towards the buffet table. Then he loaded a million sugery sweety food onto my plate. Jet just stared at him, then sighed and waited, albeit impatiently. Then when Derek handed me the plate and Jet reached over for something on my plate but Derek shook his head at him. I raised my eyebrow at Derek but he was looking at my plate as he said, very seriously, "Eat."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I'm no hungry." I said.

Derek snorted, "You're lying." Yes I was. I'm always hungry. But why was Derek being so serious all of a sudden?

Suddenly a need to eat hit me. Less because of hunger and more because of instinct. I stilled, wondering what the hell was going on. Then, I started stuffing my face. It was always good to listen to your instincts. Derek kept loading stuff onto my food and only glared back at me when I growled at him that I was full.

"You need sugar." was all he said.

"I have enough to run fifteen miles." I said.

"And if you need to run twenty?" he asked. I huffed.

"Load more." I said. I don't know why I was listening to him, but something told me that I would need it.

Jet just stared at both of us and started becoming stiller by the minute.

Once I was ready to be rolled out of the room Derek sighed and said he had to be somewhere.

"Do you like cars?" Jet asked, ushering me forward with a hand on my back.

Um. "If it looks pretty, sure." I said, just to irritate him, since according to a man, his car was more than looks bleh bleh blah, that was bound to annoy him. But Jet's red eyes just glinted and he said.

"Oh yeah. It's pretty."

I was ushered out towards the entrance of this bigass palace/lair/thing where the security/scar dude had stopped us. Many of the guests had followed us, curious. When we stopped outside, I saw Master Alexander, Kiel's father standing with a hand on Kiel's shoulder, as Kiel stared at something. I stood on tiptoe to see what the hell the commotion was all about. But too many people were crowding Kiel and his father and whatever was in front of them with 'Ooh's' and 'Aah's'.

"Sometimes I seriously hate being small." I grumbled.

"It's a Mustang." Derek whispered excitedly in my ear. I looked at him wondering where he had come from, but he was acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Like he hadn't just made me eat enough to feed three small villages. Fine. I could act like nothing was wrong too.

"Oh." I said and Derek and Jet stared at me. "What?" I said.

They looked at each other, "Did she just say Oh?" Derek asked. Jet nodded and they both smirked at each other. They then, half carried, half dragged me to Kiel's side and I stared at the most beautiful automobile I have ever seen. Screw a Hummer.

"Oh," I said, awe coloring my voice, and Jet grunted a "That's better."

Then I frowned. The car was black with red streaks on it.

"The color is all wrong," I whispered to Derek, "It's supposed to be the opposite."

It should've been a red car with black streaks. That was what Kiel would have loved. I shook my head, disappointed in whoever chose the car's color.

Derek snickered and nudged me, when I looked up he pointed discreetly at something. I followed his index finger to meet hot violet eyes. I blinked wondering why he was looking at me that way.

Kiel murmured something and it was lost on me with the din that this car was causing. I blinked. Did he seriously expect me to hear that?

"He says, 'You're right.'" Derek murmured in my ear.

"Oh." Then, I straightened, "Of course, I'm right."

Kiel smirked at me, before his expression cleared as his father turned to speak to him, having been distracted by a guest before this.

He handed Kiel something and Kiel's palm fisted over it. When Kiel's father asked us to all step back so his son can take his new ride for a spin, I realized he'd handed Kiel the key. All of us stepped back as Kiel walked over to his new Mustang and slid in. When a beautiful girl headed towards the passenger side seat I stilled. Who the hell was that?

My eyes widened, it was Katie. Holy shit, she looked amazing. Her hair was lose and glistened in the dim light, the black strapless dress she was wearing accentuated her curves beautifully.

Butinstead of getting into the car, she stilled and her shoulders slouched and I winced wondering what happened. When she turned, her eyes met mine and glistened with both hatred and tears. I watched surprised as she continued to glare at me and then she turned, her hair whipping over her shoulder as she walked away. I met Kiel's eyes through the window, but he was already looking away. Three seconds later he was zooming away. I felt like I should hold onto my skirts so that they don't fly off.

Derek and Jet were whooping and I think they were going to start jumping. I threw them a look through narrowed eyes and as if in unison they both pouted. Then I just looked around wondering what I was to do now. When aunt Glinda came to stand next to me I looked up at her with a choir boy smile.

Just when it looked like my aunt was about to unleash a verbal fire breathing dragon on me I heard the sound of the Mustang returning. Derek gasped and Jet swore, wondering what the hell was going on I turned to look and my jaw dropped.

Every single person standing around us went silent. Even Glinda (which is a hard feat, trust me, I know). When the car pulled up I didn't know where to look. At the wrecked vehicle that was sending up smoke of at Kiel who was getting out of the vehicle as if absolutely nothing had happened.

He jogged up to us and threw Derek his phone and the keys.

"Call John, ask him to come down and fix it." Kiel said, and for a minute he met my eyes and I saw something flicker in them. Regret? But soon he was facing away and looking at his dad.

"Thanks dad, I love it." he said in the flattest tone I had ever heard and walked away.

Awkwaard.

Master Alexander however didn't seem to think so. He just clapped his hands once as if in joy, and started to usher us all back to the hall.

"I have an important announcement," he said.

More surprises? Oh, joy.

We all trudged back into the hall and I had a bad feeling in my stomach. Like when I ate something bad and my body had finally found out about it. Had I eaten anything bad? I don't think so.

I pressed a hand to my stomach and gritted my teeth.

I'm not going to throw up. I am not going to throw up.

I could feel the reassuring weight of my gun on my thigh, and that offered me a measure of peace.

I held on tighter to my clutch and aunt Glinda looked at me worried. We reached the hall and Master Alexander called Kiel up onto the raised platform in the room (that I hadn't even noticed before). Katie joined them. My stomach churned again. Just when my aunt looked like she was going to ask me what's wrong, Kiel's father started speaking.

"I would like to thank everyone who.."

Blah blah blah.

I looked to my left and stilled. In the shadows, standing against a pillar was a crying Gin. And in front of her was Will.

My blood boiled. Was he the guy? The reason she was crying?

When she fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him down and kissed him smack on the mouth, my suspicions were confirmed. Oh, it was him alright. I waited to see what he would do. He kissed her back for a few seconds before removing her hands from him.

That. Bum. Hole. He asked me out while he was with her?

That son of a...

Someone stepped in my line of sight and I couldn't see them anymore.

I started to move through the crowd and towards them, my palms heating with the injustice that was being done to my friend. Had he hurt her? Had he hit her? I'm going to kill him.

That was when I heard words that had me stilling.

"..announce my son Kiel's and Katherine's wedding. Their engagement will be held today..."

I couldn't hear anything else as my heart stopped beating for a second and my ears started ringing in shock.

Marriage? Engagement? What. The. Hell.

I looked up to meet Kiel's own wide shocked gaze.

Was this it? Were we over before we could start?

He stepped forward and his father stopped speaking, shocked at Kiel's interruption.

"I won't get married to her." Kiel said.

His father cleared his throat, a flash of anger glinting in his eyes.

"And why's that?" he asked.

My heart thudded in my ear.

"I'm already mated." Kiel answered.

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I hope you liked that. :D it's about seven thousand four hundred words and bound to have a lot of mistakes. As usual, I'm sorry about that. Tee Hee. :D The song is Kiss me by Ed Sheeran. I reallly like it and it's all I've been listening to. :D But if it doesn't upload onto wattpad (because wattpad is being buggy again :P) check it out anyway.