Give it a chance
1359 Words
S I N
The dinner ended.The tension didn’t.It followed us out of the dining hall and into something lighter—music, movement, conversation meant to soften what had just been decided.A celebration for new beginnings.
New indeed I thought I stayed near the edge of the ballroom, watching.That was easier.Golden light spilled from chandeliers overhead, catching on polished marble floors as nobles moved in smooth, practiced patterns. Laughter echoed—but it lacked weight. It was measured.
My gaze found her without effort.Layla.
She stood near the center of the room beside Noel, her rose-toned gown catching the light with every subtle shift. The fabric traced her form without trying too hard, elegant in a way that didn’t beg for attention—but held it anyway.
Her posture was poised.Her expression calm.But I knew better now.That stillness wasn’t ease.It was discipline.She laughed softly at something Noel said—and that, at least, might have been real. He had always been good at disarming people.
Still—Something in my chest tightened.I didn’t question it.I moved.
⸻
L A Y L A
I felt him before I saw him.A shift in the air.Subtle—but unmistakable.I turned.And there he was.Walking toward me like the room parted without needing to.
Dark hair, slightly tousled, sharp lines carved into his face like they had been shaped with intention. His grey eyes held mine easily—steady, unreadable, but not empty.
Never empty.My chest pulled tight.Stay composed.“I see you’ve met Noel,” he said, voice low.“My best commander,” he added.“Best friend,” Noel corrected with a grin.“Don’t start,” Sin muttered, though there was the faintest hint of amusement beneath it.
Then his attention returned to me.“Dance with me.”Not a question.Of course not.
I lifted a brow. “You don’t ask?”Something flickered in his expression.
“I can,” he said evenly. “Will you?”I hesitated.Not because I didn’t know the answer.Because I did.And I didn’t like what that meant.Still—I placed my hand in his.
“Fine.”
⸻
S I N
Her hand in mine shouldn’t have mattered.It did.We moved into the rhythm without effort.Too easily.Like this wasn’t new.Like this was something remembered instead of learned.It shouldn’t have felt like that.
“You agreed quickly,” I said.
Her gaze lifted. “I didn’t agree to you. I agreed to avoiding attention.”Honest.Sharp.I respected that.Silence settled between us—but it wasn’t empty.She was studying me.
So I let her.
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L A Y L A
Up close, he was worse.Not in a bad way.In a way that made it harder to think clearly.There was something restrained about him—like power held just beneath the surface, waiting, not restless but deliberate.
Dangerous.“You’re quiet,” I said.“So are you.”“I’m thinking.”“So am I.”That almost made me smile.Almost.My gaze dropped briefly—to where our hands were joined—before I forced it back up.
“Do you want this?” I asked.
His answer came without hesitation.
“No.”That caught me off guard.
“Good,” I said softly. “Because neither do I.”
Something shifted in his eyes.Not surprise.Recognition.
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S I N
She didn’t lie.Most people would have.
“Then why agree?” I asked.Her jaw tightened slightly. “Because I don’t have the option of pretending I can walk away.”That landed.
“You think I do?” I asked quietly.
Her gaze sharpened. “Don’t you?”I held her stare.“No.”For a moment—Everything else faded.No titles.No expectations.
Just truth.
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L A Y L A
The music slowed.His hand adjusted slightly at my waist—not careless, not overfamiliar—but steady.Intentional.I swallowed lightly.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“How does the rest of your kingdom feel about this?” I asked. “About you being bound to a human?”
His expression didn’t change.“Some will accept it.” “And the rest?” “They’ll tolerate it.”
“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”“It wasn’t meant to be.”
A pause.
Then, quieter—
“There are those who believe humans are beneath us.Though it isn’t unheard of for a vampire king to be bound to a human it’s happened before in my kingdom.”
I felt it then.Not fear.Something sharper.
“Is that so? ” I said.His gaze narrowed slightly. “Yes one of our most powerful Queens has been a human.”
“No way how did she survive being in your kingdom.” A beat.“Maybe I’ll show you our history one day.” He says
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S I N
“Are you one of them?” she asked.Direct.Unfiltered.My grip tightened just slightly. “No.”Simple.Certain.She searched my face.I didn’t look away.
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L A Y L A
“You don’t trust me,” he said.“No.”He smiled faintly.“Fair.” My lips did betray me this time as I smiled at him.Almost.
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S I N
The music slowed to its final notes.She stepped back.Creating distance.Needing it.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she said. “I didn’t think it did.”
But something in my chest said otherwise.She turned—And I caught her hand again.Not forcefully.Just enough.Her breath caught.Barely.
“Three months,” I said.Her gaze searched mine.
“That’s what we’ve been given.”A pause. “Let’s not waste it pretending.” “I don’t pretend,” she said. “I noticed.”
⸻
L A Y L A
I pulled my hand back.Fully.On my terms.I turned to leave but thenThen—“Layla.”My mother’s voice.I turned.Queen Liora approached, her presence calm but firm.
“Escort him to his chambers properly,” she said gently. “Then you may retire.”Of course.I nodded.“Yes, Mother.”I turned back to Sin. “Come on,” I said.This time—I waited for him to follow. And walked.
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S I N
I followed.
Of course I did.The palace halls were quieter here.Dimmer.The gold gave way to warm stone and soft torchlight that flickered along the walls. Carvings lined the corridors—histories, victories, warnings.
“Sunairi doesn’t feel like your kingdom,” I said.
“No,” she replied. “It wasn’t meant to.Its meant to feel open like a home.”I glanced at her.“And yours?” She asked
“Structured,” I answered . “Very different Everything has its place.”
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L A Y L A
We walked in silence for a moment.Not uncomfortable.Just… aware.
“What happens now?” I asked. “With the arrangement.”He exhaled lightly.
“I don’t have a confirmed answer,” he said. “But if tradition holds…”
I looked at him.“I’ll remain in my kingdom,” he continued. “As heir, I don’t leave it long-term.”
“And me?”His gaze met mine briefly.
“You’d likely come there.”That settled heavily in my chest.
“And Malakai?”
“He’ll stay here,” Sin said. “He’s the eldest. The throne is his.”
“And Seraphine?”
“With him.”
So everything changes.For me.Of course it does.
⸻
S I N
We reached a set of carved doors.Her steps slowed.
“My chambers are further down,” she said. “Yours are here.”I studied her for a moment.
Up close, the details were sharper—the gold flecks in her hazel eyes, the quiet strength in the way she held herself even now.
“You didn’t ask anything about me,” I said.
She met my gaze.“I’m observing first.”
That almost made me laugh.
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L A Y L A
I turned slightly toward him.
“I’ll ask when I decide what matters.”
His eyes held mine a second longer than necessary.Before I scurried off to my room.
- Writer
