"What is that?"
"What is what?"
Giselle hid an exasperated sigh, convinced that Fabio was doing it on purpose. She had asked the same question twice now and each time, he'd pretended not to hear her. The observatory was wider than she thought it was—the curved glass pane that stretched over them both was enough proof—but worse than being wide, it was impossibly 'echoey.' This meant that if Giselle cursed the arrogant King under her breath, he would surely hear her. She sighed again, slumping into the small couch.
"Are you going to ask your question, or just keep sighing like a distressed goose?" His back was to her as he studied a dog-eared, browning parchment, possibly a map. It would be so easy to throw a vase at him. Fabio seemed to bring out the worst in her so far; never had it ever crossed her mind to attack another so viciously. His back muscles tensed as he turned, his face half illuminated by the candlelight. "Well?"
"The thing that looks like a ball. I've never seen that before." Giselle said, pointing to the round object on one of the tables near the shelf.
Fabio took it in his hands and walked towards where she sat, turning it in his large hands. "This—is a globe. A representation of the worlds as we know it. It was a gift from a Terran merchant a long time ago. My father passed it on to me, he didn't fancy…knowledgeable trinkets."
Giselle reached out to touch the globe still in his hands, slightly in awe. "It's not a trinket, it's beautiful. My astronomy may be rusty but I know beauty when I see one." she pointed to the handdrawn land mass on the globe. "This is Montegnera, I could recognize it from maps. And Ravathorne looks smaller here, even Terra. Ah, I miss that place. You must remember that I studied there for some time, it is a beautiful realm. I miss it sometimes."
When she looked back up, Fabio's eyes where on her, expressionless but not exactly cold. She hated how unreadable he was. "Yes, I believe you mentioned it." He replied simply. "Whoever embossed this globe created an accurate masterpiece." their short conversation ended as he placed the object back on the table.
Silence permeated the room for a second although not unwelcome. She wringed her fingers, working up the courage to change the subject.
"Is that what you wanted to show me?" Giselle said finally, rising from where she sat to walk leisurely across the room. "All the places I would never see again?"
Fabio tutted, his words like a hiss through closed teeth. "Do you believe me to be that cruel?"
You have not given me cause not to.
Silence, again.
"Come here."
Giselle's legs trembled violently as she walked but she knew it wasn't out of fear. He watched her shaky gait and the girl felt her cheeks flame up again. A steady hand settled on the dip of her waist, holding her in place. Giselle swallowed. What in the gods name was he doing? She didn't try to fight his grip, however, there was no use fighting a King, much less the Black Wolf himself.
"Have you ever used a telescope before?" He asked, tinkling with the brass device with one hand.
She shook her head side-to-side, gazing at the cylindrical instrument with interest.
He continued speaking, a far away look in his eyes, "Well, today is your lucky day, then. There is nothing more humbling than staring into the vast sky and admiring the stars and the Moon herself. Many of us forget we used to be dependent on the map in the heavens to guide us when we roamed the forests." He guided her to the instrument, quaking the dials to adjust it to her height. "Take a look."
Giselle hesitated, then leaned forward to look through the small end of the telescope.
She gasped—squinting even more as if unsure of what she was seeing.
What was a mere dust earlier as they gazed through the curved panes was now the clearest, most vivid specks of light in the endless black sky. The stars twinkled brightly, some more than others while a few clustered together in a strange pattern.
"Oh my! It's so lovely, like a pattern, it looks like an arrow!" She exclaimed, pushing stray hair behind her ears.
"Ah, you found Sagitta, the Archer." Giselle looked up to see Fabio's beaming face. "It can be quite dim, especially at this time of the year. You have a keen eye, Giselle."
She flashed him a small smile then looked down at her feet.
He continued, his tone shifting to a softer lilt, "Sagitta was a powerful alpha warrior, according to the legends. He fell in love with the daughter of the Moon, Astreya, and begged the goddess for her hand but was refused repeatedly on account of his mortality. In the end, he made a deal with the Moon herself and was said to pass through a thousand-and-one trials to be with the woman he loved." Fabio's gaze fell from the open dome until it rested like hot coals on her face. "The very last trial proved to be his end but Astreya pleaded with the Moon to place him in the sky for all eternity so that they could be together. The Moon accepted and today, we see the Archer in the stars."
"That was…very sad." Giselle felt a small pang in her heart at the thought of the star-crossed lovers ending up together. "Sagitta seemed like he would do anything for his lover."
She had an inkling why his voice felt even more forlorn when he spoke about Sagitta. Genevieve, it had to be.
There was a cold draft of wind, seemingly out of nowhere. It licked through the room, blowing out a few candles. Giselle shivered.
Fabio silently draped a cloak he grabbed from a nearby couch, wrapping her in it until she was almost completely bundled up.
"Thank you." Wild hair fell over her eyes and she blew it away only for the stray strand to return. Warm, firm hands tucked them behind her ears, the solid warmth lingering. Giselle could feel the warmth spreading, sizzling through her limbs, down her throat and all the way down to her unruly heart. The realization hit her like lightning. Could she be— Impossible.
The cold air wasn't the only thing that changed in the room; it was now hot. She could feel it everywhere, in her skin, under her fingertips. It was tension, ice-cold tension.
"Giselle, I–"
There was suddenly no space between them. Now inches from her face, blue eyes was all she could see and cedar was all she could smell. His breath was warm against her cheeks as he leaned in, drinking her in; she could hear it in his sharp intake of breath.
Then his soft lips touched hers and it was even more warmth. He was towering over her, leaning closer and closer until their chests were crushed together and she could hear their frantic heartbeats merging as one. Fabio deepened the kiss, sucking her lower lip which she instinctively opened with a soft gasp. His hands came to rest at the small of her back—he wasn't in a hurry, it seemed.
They kissed under the starlight for what seemed like forever until the need for air pulled them away.
Fabio was still too close, his pupils blown wide as he stared down at her. It was like he was seeing her for the first time.
In her chest, Giselle's poor heart thumped wildly.
"I apologize–"
"Fabio, I–"
The coldness returned almost as suddenly as it left. "This was a mistake. It can never happen again."
Giselle nodded dumbly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She almost got whiplash from how sudden the switch from warm to cold was.
"Yes. I…agree. Maybe you shouldn't have sent for me."
"I am the King, I can send for whomever I choose whenever I wish." Fabio started to walk away, then turned back. "Oh, and as for tomorrow night being the masquerade ball—you must be on your best behavior, as usual. It will be your first public official appearance in a while, many important people would want to speak with you. Especially the King of Ravathorne."
Giselle thought about the frigid conversation she had earlier with the vampire monarch and shivered despite the cloak covering her. What could this man possibly want with her?
"You're dismissed. Good night."
She nearly tripped over the oversized cloak as she sprinted to the door.
Later, as she crept to the room Fabio confined her to, it dawned on her that this was her first kiss. Fabio now owned all her firsts, even part of her soul was his to do whatever he wanted with.
***
Somewhere in the cover of the night, two shadowy figures lurked in beams beneath the hallways of the palace, conversing in soft tones.
The first shadow had been waiting for quite some time, yet he didn't seem anxious at being caught. Perhaps he was too overconfident, or maybe just used to the thrill of night. The second shadow was different, this one was more cautious in their step, more calculating. Their boots barely made a sound on the floor yet they restrained it even more.
The other was impatient, hands seemingly itching at the thought of committing evil.
"Is everything in place?"
"Yes, everything is ready, my Lord."
A dark smile, a flash of red. "Good, and what about the Countess of Hensbury? Does she know her duty well?"
"She had it memorized and recited before me, sire."
"Excellent. Then this phase is complete."
"What if it doesn't work the way we expect it?" The other shadow asked, their voice shaky with dread and something else. Guilt?
"You mean, what if they suspect us, or worse, what if your identity is revealed, correct?"
"Y-yes, my Lord. What then?"
Fangs glittered in the near darkness.
"Then…in that case, Dorian, you will leave this place and begin the next phase of our plan." the vampire shot him a paralyzing glare. "Do you understand?"
Dorian, the cautious shadow, attempted a smile but it fell short, coming off as a grimace instead.
"Yes, my Lord."
"Now, this is the plan for tomorrow's ball—"