Chapter 4: Between Two Fires
983 Words
The black gown hugged Isla’s body like it was made for her. Silk, soft but heavy, tight enough to show her shape but not show too much. She stood in front of the mirror in Adrian’s room, her hand pressed to the spot near her chest where she had hidden the earring Damian sent. She had hid it into the lining of her dress. It wasn’t just jewellery. It was hope. Adrian came up behind her, his dark suit sharp, his steps silent. His reflection filled the mirror. His hands touched her shoulders, fixing her straps like she belonged to him. “You wear fear well,” he whispered.'She didn’t move. Maybe one day you’ll see me wear defiance,' she said. His eyes met hers in the mirror, steady, burning. “I already did. “That’s why you’re alive,” he replied. He held out his arm. It wasn’t a question. Isla placed her hand on it anyway. She knew she had no choice tonight. The ride to the Cross house was silent. Guards surrounded the cars everywhere. Isla’s stomach twisted as they got closer. The mansion was bright, full of voices and laughter. It looked beautiful from outside, but it felt like a trap. That was a place for predators. Inside, everyone turned to look. Whispers followed her.“Adrian,” a woman’s voice called out.It was Vanessa.She came down the stairs wearing a green silk gown, beautiful and cruel. Evelyn followed her behind, but she was calmer, but her eyes cut just as deep. 'So you have finally brought her at last,' Vanessa said, circling Isla slowly. “The ghost bride.” 'Nice to meet you,' Isla forced out.Vanessa laughed, low and mocking, so “She speaks.”Evelyn shook her head. “She doesn’t belong here.”“She belongs where I put her,” Adrian said, pulling Isla against him. His hand rested on her hip, which made her skin crawl. Dinner was long with rich food, but every word at the table was poison. Vanessa teased her. Evelyn watched her. The others studied her like a game piece. Then Vanessa leaned forward, smirking. Do you love him? Or are you just another of his things? Adrian squeezed Isla’s thigh under the table, warning her.Isla’s face burnt, but her voice stayed calm. “Love isn’t words. It’s what you survive.” Adrian smirked, but his eyes stayed unreadable.The table went quiet. Some people looked at her differently. Even Vanessa's smile slipped for a moment.The night dragged on. Isla felt like she couldn’t breathe. Then, as a servant poured wine, their eyes met. Isla froze. It was Damian, her brother. It was him disguised, alive and here. Her chest squeezed. Her hand pressed against her dress, feeling the earring. Damian had found her. He hadn’t left her. Adrian lifted his glass, looking calm, but Isla saw the way his body stilled. He had noticed too.The war wasn’t in the dark anymore. It was right there at the table.The hall was loud. Laughter, music, talk. It hurt Isla’s ears. She sat still, her chest tight. She had seen him. Damian. Her brother. He wore the clothes of a servant with a tray in his hands, head bent down, face hidden. To other people he was just a worker. No one else noticed. But Isla did. She almost cried there. She wanted to run to him, but Adrian’s hand was heavy on her leg. His silence was worse than words. He had noticed too.Food came, more food came, and wine was flowing. Vanessa laughed sharply. Evelyn stared coldly. Others talked about power, money, and blood. Isla heard none of it. Only Damian’s voice in her head. Trust no one. Her hand brushed the earring hidden in her dress. It burnt warm, like a promise.Adrian bent to her ear. “You’re shaking. Why?”“Too many eyes,” she whispered.He chuckled. “Forget them. The only eyes you should fear are mine.”She forced herself to look at him. Pretend to be calm. But her heart screamed.Damian moved carefully around the table. Pouring wine. Bowing low. But Isla saw the rage in him, hidden under his mask, and Adrian saw it too. Then it happened. Damian came near Adrian with wine. Adrian's hand shoots out and grabs his wrist. Room stop. Quiet. Adrian smiled slowly. “Careful. One drop, and maybe I think you are not a servant but an assassin.”People laugh, but weakly. Not real. Damian bows his head lower. “Sorry, sir,” he says. His voice was low and strange. But Isla knows it. Her brother.Adrian let go slowly. His thumb dragged on Damian’s wrist like a warning. His eyes never leave him. Dinner went on, but Isla did not taste the food. Her hands were shaking on her lap. She prays Damian survives tonight.Later Vanessa rises with glass in hand. “Toast,” she says. “To family, to loyalty, to blood.”Everyone lift a glass. Isla too, though her hand was shaking and the wine was close to spilling. Adrian lifts his also. “To loyalty,” he says. His eyes cut to Damian, not Vanessa.The toast is finished. Music started again. People leave the table, moving to the ballroom. Adrian stands. He gives Isla his arm. “Come.” Her legs are very heavy, but she obeys. They walk past servants. Damian closed his eyes; they met hers for a second. His lips move softly to stay alive.Her chest hurt, and her eyes burnt, but she kept her face still.Adrian's hand tightened on her arm. A smile on his face like a mask. He bent to her ear. “The night only begins,” he whispers.And Isla knows the truth. Adrian is not blind. He is not fooled.He waits. He waits for Damian to move. He waits for the trap to close.
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