It was sort of a backhanded compliment, but I took it because fuck, I’d never imagined this reality existed for me. Since I’d been convicted, I’d assumed I’d cursed myself for good one way or the other. I’d sacrificed a lot that day in the name of my queen, and I had to wonder if the stars had always been planning to hand it back to me. Because as I mapped out our relationship together, I could see the tests we’d faced. From fighting to stay together even when it was against the law, to facing Seth’s wrath when he discovered us, to the day Kylie had exposed us and I’d made my choice to protect Darcy instead of dragging her down with me.
Blue had always stood against anyone who went against us, she’d even demanded I claim her in front of the world knowing my status would destroy her. And I had to think that me finally submitting to her wants and letting go of the control I’d tried to hold onto might have been the final test. I’d stood with her in this hall, declaring her as mine while she declared me as hers in return despite the fact that we knew it wouldn’t be easy, that we knew the world might turn on us. But instead of the life I’d expected to be handed because of that, the struggle of watching Darcy be ridiculed by the press, and the possibility of her losing support from her subjects, the stars had decided on a different fate for us. And hell, I hated those twinkly assholes sometimes, but their gifts certainly did go some way toward making up for their bullshit.
Darcy was pulled away from me across the room, accosted by her own swarm of rebels and I kept meeting her gaze, not even really hearing what the guy in front of me was saying.
I had trinkets, pins and badges all over me, offerings from the rebels like I was some sort of god they wanted to worship, and Darcy was gathering a large pile of gifts that seemed to be a mix of anything the rebels could come up with either with their magic or from their own possessions.
At some point Geraldine appeared with a buffet made up entirely of ring-shaped food, all of it sprayed silver, from doughnuts to bagels, party rings, to onion rings.
One of the Kipling brothers who’d worked on my court case stood near it all, looking at it in horror like it offended him somehow, but I had no idea why, though he looked more interested when a tray of large cakes were brought out which had silver rings marked on the icing.
I lost all interest as Tory appeared in front of me. She’d changed into a fitted red dress and had painted silver eyeliner onto her eyes.
“We’re playing dares,” she announced, pointing over at the Heirs and a group of the Oscuras, including Dante and Rosalie.
“Is that an invitation?” I asked, swaying a little as I stepped toward her. Oh shit, drunk feet.
She reached out, pinching both of my nipples and twisting hard enough to make me snarl. Then she turned and ran away with a wild laugh, darting back to the others and I realised I was the subject of her dare.
“Well, I’ll fucking dare you…I mean, play dares, and then you’ll see, because I’ll be the dare king-” I slurred a little then my eyes met Darcy’s again as I found her surrounded by a circle of adoring fans. She bit down on her lip and beckoned me over to her.
I shot forward, but didn’t see the table in front of me so I went flying over it, crashing to the floor and taking down three chairs with me. But I didn’t let that slow me down for long, knocking aside the hands of the people who tried to help me up as I scrambled to my feet, finding Seth sitting on a chair in front of me with a plate of food on his knees, wearing bright red cowboy boots that matched his hat.
“Where’d you get those?” I balked.
“Where’d I get what?” he frowned then barrelled on. “Oh by the way, I came up with another nickname for you: Professor Not Shamed,” he announced excitedly. “Isn’t it great?”
“No,” I grumbled. “I wanna be something good. Why do you have to bring my shame into everything, Seth. Why?”
“Because of your shame.”
I growled. “And now it’s gone. And I’m not even a professor anymore, so call me something that I am.”
Seth assessed me with narrowed eyes like he was thinking really hard on it. “Vamp-ring-eyed-drunk-asshole?”
I gave him a flat look. “I hate you.”
“Nah, you don’t. Okay, okay, I can do better. I’m gonna name you The BFV – The Big Friendly Vampire. It encompasses your bigness, your friendliness, and your Vampiness.”
“Since when am I friendly?” I scoffed, though I guessed this nickname wasn’t so bad.