The grand hall stretched out before them from where they stood on the raised balcony. They could see the full length of the room while the crowd danced and milled about below them. The room was a surreal mix of modern red carpet and Victorian ball. Some were wearing the latest designer gowns and looked like they'd stepped out of a movie premiere, while others were stepping out of time machine, with their tight waists and bell-shaped skirts that hid the layered petticoats. Everyone, from what she could see, was strikingly beautiful.
Behind the hum of the chatter in the room, she could hear the gentle yet cheery melody of what appeared to be a small orchestra that was seated on a raised platform just to the left of the buffet tables.
Izzie couldn't help the feeling like she was stepping into some strange Cinderella adaptation as Cassius led her down the curved staircase onto the main floor. Eyes began to fall on them as soon as they hit the bottom step.
"Isabelle, I would like to introduce my cousins, Esther and Myra Lockwood," he smiled at her pointing to each of them in turn, and Izzie immediately felt herself blush.Cousins?So they weren't old flames or potential future ones?Only then did she really look at the two of them without jealousy clouding her vision. There was a distinct family resemblance between them and Cassius that she was only now noticing, they had the same high angled cheekbones and straight-cut nose that he did, albeit a tad more feminine. Then the biggest giveaway of all...The two sets of luminous grey eyes that were looking at her curiously.That colour could not be mistaken.What an idiot she was for letting herself get worked up before checking the facts. What was it about Cassius that made her this way? She gave them a nervous smile, hoping to everything that was holy that they didn't realise what she had been doing as she released her gr
Izzie’s eyes widened as she stared at Myra in horror. Myra already seemed to know the gravity of the situation from the scared look in her eyes. If she was scared now imagine how she would feel if she knew that Izzie was a slayer. Somehow Myra managed to keep a respectful smile on her face despite being face to face with him. He was her uncle after all, she probably wasn't afraid of him more scared for Izzie and what would happen if he found out she was here with Cassius.Izzie kept her back firmly to him, but she could already feel the intense heat of his gaze boring into her. She probably seemed very rude to him right now, but she just couldn't bring herself to turn and face him.It didn't appear that she was going to have much choice, howe
There was the sound of crashes and smashes all around as if a bomb had gone off. Then came the tinkling sound of glass raining down upon the marble floor.Air rushed into Izzie's lungs as the grip on her neck vanished and she had the sudden sensation of falling. Her vision was fuzzy as she was on the brink of losing consciousness. Without warning she hit the hard marble ground, her head cracked down hard. As quickly as she had gotten it, she lost her breath again as the impact knocked the air out of her and she felt a warm wet feeling begin to pool at the back of her head.What the hell was happening?There was a ringing in her ears from the blow to the head and her vision was hazier than ever, as she tried to focus on the domed ceiling high above her. The golden arches that held the ceiling up were just no staying still and the harder she tried to focus the more her head began to throb. She had to force her eyes to stay open as her eyelids tri
Izzie's eyes fluttered open and snapped shut again immediately as the bright light brought the pounding in her head back with a vengeance. She groaned, her hands flying to her head to try and reverse the pressure she was feeling as she pushed her head further back into the pillow.Hold on.Pillow?She shot upright, tremendous mistake as the pounding became more like someone banging a gong inside her head. She forced her eyes open through the pain, though she could only manage a squint. The blurry image of a white room lined with beds came into view. She could hear the beeping and whirring of machines in the distance. At first thought, it appeared like she was in a hospital, but as her eyes began to focus she realised that she wasn't in the hospital at all.She was in a far more familiar room.The Guild's infirmary.She was at the Guild's headquarters.But how?She tentatively reached up touching the back
Izzie just stared at it, her thumbs running across the embroidery of the crest in astonishment.Francis had handed her an Elite issue hoodie.Did that mean she was now....?Opening it up a little further she saw it.Long, shiny and devilishly sharp.The Elite blade.The dagger she had dreams about for all these years.She picked it up with shaking hands it felt heavy and deadly in her hands. The handle was engraved with the Guild Elite Crest and the blade adorned with protection runes."I thought I would personally hand you your new uniform," he smiled, seeing her reaction."You mean I'm - " she couldn't even finish the sentence. She didn't dare say the word in case it was just some horrible prank."An Elite," he finished for her with a nod, "A small show for the service you've provided for the guild.""Se-service?" she stuttered, still mesmerized by the
Cold.It was an odd sensation that he didn't often feel but right now it seemed to be penetrating through all the way to his bones.He was only aware that he was face down against a damn rough surface which he could only guess was stone. There was a damp and earthy scent that hung around giving him a good idea that he was underground somewhere. There was an intense burning in his wrists and ankles that only grew with each small movement as he slowly began to come round. He was aware of the smell of his burning flesh lingered around and there was a soft sizzling sound.He tried to open his eyes but it felt like his eyelids were made of lead.He tried to move but his whole body felt heavy and uncoordinated.What the hell happened to him?Isabelle.Where was Isabelle?He tried to think back to what had happened.Slayers...No not slayers... What had Isabelle called them?...Elites?Yes
It felt like forever before the doctor finally made his way round to her. He checked her notes, shone a light in her eyes and asked her a few questions about how she'd been feeling since she woke up. After ticking the right boxes she was discharged with the instruction to rest for the next forty-eight hours at least and some other mumbo-jumbo that she'd stopped listening to about halfway through. The nurse returned her clothes and belongings that had been brought in with her. The white gown was well and truly ruined, with large dry bloodstains splattered across it and a large tear down the side of it. Her matching white heels were also a lost cause. There wasn't much chance of them being returned now. The clutch bag was somehow intact and mostly clean, though her phone had a rather large crack down the screen but was still usable.There wasn't any option of wearing the ruined
Every part of Izzie's body locked up the moment Brad pressed his mouth onto hers. Her brain completely scrambled, the grief she felt like a lead weight on her chest.He couldn't be dead.He just couldn't be.They were Beloveds, right? Wouldn't she know if he was?Oh, who was she kidding?She was a human, she didn't have the connection to him the way that he had