Velvet Ribbon Novels & Stories

Roland asks, and I heave the most exasperated sigh I can manage without choking on the remnants of my bacon. "Then you tear off your bracelet, it's extremely simple." He frowns, but nods. "Here!" Heleos calls, tossing me a spool of quarter inch wide velvet ribbon as I turn to him. "Let's get to it, we've got a lot of ground to cover." Each of us stood no more than a foot away from the others in the center of the foyer, as I wound the ribbon around our hands and wrists. Lifting my free hand, I held out a pen to Heleos.

I reached for the ribbon and looped it through the top left hoop. “That’s it,” grinned Loretta, watching my progress in the glass. I squinted and moved the ribbon through the other holes, crisscrossing it over her back before tying the loose ends together in a bow just above her buttocks. “Will you pull this out later?” I asked. “Or do you intend to cut it?” “Dunno,” she replied. “Might just leave it in.” She looked over her shoulder into the looking glass to examine her back. Then, apparently quite pleased, she slipped on a shiny black robe, its red stitching forming the shape of a tiger.

There was no card, just a heavy piece of vellum with a single letter embossed in gold: T. Inside was a gown that made my breath catch. It was black, but not a boring black. It was made of midnight velvet that seemed to absorb the light around it. It had a high neck and long sleeves, but the back was completely open, a deep V that went down to my waist. It looked like armor. It looked like power.

“Do I still look like a princess?” “You don’t just *look* like one,” Vincenzo said, his voice soft and brimming with tenderness. “You *are* a princess—the most beautiful and bravest of them all. And that pink ribbon? It’s not just a pretty accessory. It’s what holds your invisible crown in place, the kind only princesses with fearless hearts can wear.” Helen’s smile trembled with emotion at the gentleness of his words, while Lily adjusted her pink ribbon as if she truly settled a crown, clutching Bubu tightly.

The margins held more truth than the center ever had. My gown was shadow-silk, woven from the Labyrinth's deepest passages, fabric that didn't reflect light so much as consume it. Violet thread against the gold and amber of the season, the mark of someone who'd learned that visibility was vulnerability and that the most dangerous position was often the one least observed. I found my circle at the festival's edge.

“You two know about snow-velvet dye?” Elijah nodded proudly. “We saw it in a book. It says it comes from your northern place and it’s very rare.” Then he added with a tiny frown, “We need the right aura to mix it.” Caleb pushed his hands forward, as if ready to work already. “We can do it, Uncle. We’re smart.” Vincent snorted softly, an amused sound I hadn’t heard from him in years. “That much is true.” Then he turned to Myra. “Do you want to go?”

At this point, I was fully willing to show up to the museum in Alex would've loved that. Reaching the last dress, I unhooked it from the hanger and held it up in front of me. It was a short slip-like dress, the color being a wine red. The neckline was a low v-neck and the back had fallen quite low with thin straps to hold the material up. Unlike the other ones, this one was simple. It was also the only one that I thought matched me the most. I just wasn't sure how it'd look on me. Taking off my clothes, I unzipped the

“In our traditions, I will now join our two families as one. He held up a beautiful gold ribbon with purple that ran along inside the gold. The crowd was quiet as they watched. Luna Nina came to stand next to him. Carefully, he wrapped the ribbon first around my father’s wrist then mine. When he was finished, the ribbon made a circle with our hands all together. I thought I was imagining it at first but when I looked up, it was obvious the others felt it too. There was a warmth coming from the ribbon. We all looked at each other not sure what was happening. Before we knew it, the ribbon began to glow. It was a light that matched the moonlight. Without warning, the ribbon stopped glowing. Onc

They’d spent the last hour scrolling, debating, vetoing, and finally settling on a theme that felt right. Black and crimson as the base—bold, powerful, unmistakably vampire. Silver and deep violet as accents—nodding to Liora’s shadows and Seraphina’s precision. Leather and charcoal gray for texture and edge—Ravenna’s influence. Crimson, silver, and deep violet woven into every piece. And the wristbands—custom leather cuffs, each with intricate vampire fang designs embossed in silver and deep violet thread, charcoal gray backing, crimson stitching. Subtle. Symbolic. Undeniable.