A Beautiful Dream: The Dream Trilogy Page 4

  “Well, surprise! I’m a girl, just like my sister, tits and all,” I replied, with a wink and fake smile.

  “You have the mouth of a sailor to boot. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ryan. I hope you will be staying in town for a while? I would love to get to know you better.”

  “That’s not going to happen. If you want to talk to her, then you can do so in front of all of us.” Chase’s tone left no room for argument, and his glare would have sent me back a step or two if it had been directed my way.

  “Well, if that is the case, I would love for you all to join me this evening at my home. I am having a little get-together. The pack will be over for a meeting regarding the treaty, so it would be beneficial for you all to join us.”

  “Wait! What do you mean pack? As in, like, a werewolf pack?” I said, laughing. Next thing you know, they’re going to produce Santa Claus at this meeting.

  “I do not understand why you think the pack is funny. They are hairy, ugly creatures, but they are no laughing matter.” Randall seemed bemused by me, tilting his head to the side.

  “Holy fuck, you’re for real. There is a wolf pack?” I can’t believe this; my mind is reeling with all the shit I have learned today. This was some Twilight shit, was Randall going to sparkle in the sunlight?

  Stevie turned to me and murmured, “We will explain everything, Ry—we just haven’t had the chance yet.” Stevie then turned back to Randall. “We accept your invitation, Randall.”

  “Excellent. Please arrive no later than seven this evening. Until then, I will bid you farewell, Knox family.” And with a slight bow, he turns and is gone like a flash of light. I scan the yard, unable to believe my eyes. It was like he just vanished into thin air. I didn’t even notice Alex approaching me, I was so stunned by Randall’s vanishing act.

  “How you holding up, squirt?”

  “I feel like I should be in a looney bin,” I deadpanned.

  “With padded white walls?” Chase teases, a playful smirk on his face.

  “Yep,” I agreed.

  “I know you must have a lot of questions for us, and we want to answer them all. For your own wellbeing, though, we can’t right now. We have to get ready for this evening’s event. Can you handle waiting a little bit longer?” Alex asked.

  I didn’t really know how to answer that question. I wanted answers, and I had so many questions, but I needed time to process what I had just learned today. So I simply shrugged and nodded in agreement. With that, we all went inside to begin getting ready for an evening with vampires and werewolves—whatever that entailed.

  Chapter 7

  While standing in the shower, letting the water rinse away the day, I couldn’t stop my mind from going over all that I had learned, not only about myself, but my family and even the world as I knew it. I would never have thought that a family could keep such secrets from each other. I finally gave up on trying to piece the puzzle which was my life together, and sighed and got out of the shower. I put my robe on and left my hair in a towel, deciding it was best to worry about my unruly mane later. As I was going through my bags, I realized I didn’t have anything suitable to wear. Or at least I didn’t think so. I’d never been to a party with witches, warlocks, vampires and werewolves. I was just working up the nerve to go ask about the dress code when someone starts knocking on my door. Without waiting for an invitation, the door opened and my sister poked her head in.

  “Jesus, Stevie, I’m not even dressed yet.”

  “Oh please, Sissy, we’re identical twins. I see what you have every day when I look in the mirror!” She snorted at my prudishness, and I let out a huff and waved her in.

  “I have nothing appropriate to wear to dinner, Stevie. I don’t think I can go in skinny jeans and a T-shirt.”

  “No, you probably can’t, but you can wear this,” she said, handing me the most beautiful dress. It’s a deep blue, with a plunging neckline. It had two slits down the sides that stopped just below your panties. When she turned the dress around, I saw that it had no back, and realized that underwear would not be an option in a dress like that.

  “Stevie, there is no way in hell I can wear that. I’m not you. I can’t pull off a dress like that.”

  “Shut up, Ryan! I don’t want to hear that shit come out of your mouth. You are beautiful, and you will wear this dress. Don’t knock it til you try it on. I bought it a while ago and never had a chance to wear it, so I want to give it to you.” I knew by the look in her eyes I wasn’t going to win this argument.

  Sighing, I got up and took the dress from her, heading into the bathroom to change. Once I finally got the dress on, I refused to look in the mirror, knowing that if I saw what I looked like, I might take it off. When I finally emerged from the bathroom, I looked to my sister, and her mouth was hanging open. A blush started burning its way up my neck. I never wore things like this in real life—only in my dreams.

  “Is it really that bad? I told you I couldn’t pull it off, Stevie.” I was about to take the damn thing off when Stevie grabbed my arm.

  “Don’t you dare! You look beautiful, Ry, and I mean it. I just can’t believe you don’t see how beautiful you are.”

  Her words brought tears to my eyes; my mother always said I was hideous. The only time I ever felt truly beautiful was when I was in my dreams with the guys. They made me feel like a goddess. I only started to view myself as something more than trash when I started to have dreams with Kai and Nico in them. They would always tell me I’m beautiful and my beauty shined from within me.

  “When you grow up hearing how ugly you are all the time, you start to believe it,” I whispered, my head hung low. Stevie grabbed me by the chin and lifted my head so we were eye to eye.

  “You will never look down at yourself again, do you hear me? I will not have it. You are a fucking coven heir, Ryan! You look down to no one. –Tonight you will hold your head high and handle yourself like the royalty you are. Do you hear me? If you don’t, they will see you as weak, and you will become their prey. Always keep eye contact and never let them know how they make you feel.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying, Stevie.”

  “If they know you are scared, they will prey on that weakness. The Knox coven is the strongest in the world, and we cannot be seen as anything other than that. If you have to fake it til you make it, that’s what you will do. Randall may seem harmless, but he is not, and neither is the pack. We must show strength in the eyes of our enemies—you understand?”

  It was clear there was a lot more to what she was saying than what I knew, but I was going to try the whole “fake it til you make it” thing, starting now. I gave my sister a tight smile and nodded.

  “Okay, now let’s do your hair and makeup!” She said with a clap of her hands. Dear Lord, save me now.

  ∞∞∞

  An hour later, we were walking out of my room to get the boys and be on our way to Randall’s little gathering.

  “Yowza! Look at you two. Ryan, you look absolutely beautiful.” Chase was such a charmer, but his words gave me a small boost in confidence. I refused to let my family down. I was going to make them proud tonight.

  “You both really do look great, but if we don’t hurry up, we’re going to be late, and that will be a problem,” Alex said while holding the front door open.

  ∞∞∞

  After a forty-five minute drive through forest and gravel roads, we approach two massive iron gates held up by huge brick pillars. On top of the pillars sat two gargoyles whose grimaces were just plain creepy. Alex pulled up next to an intercom and hit a button. After a moment, a man’s voice came over the speaker.

  “Cane Manor.”

  “Alex Knox, from the Knox coven. We have been invited here this evening by Mr. Cane.” I can hear the distaste in Alex’s voice when he says Randall’s name.

  “Yes, sir, please drive through.”

  No sooner had the man finished speaking then the gates opened and we drove through. The drive
way has trees lining the drive all the way up to the house. As we get closer, I saw a fountain in front of the house, its presence creating a roundabout for drivers. The fountain itself is a beautiful work of art. It had four horses rearing up, almost like they were fighting. The horses were shooting water from their mouths, spotlights were pointed at the fountain. It was clearly the centre piece of the front yard.

  The house—I mean, it wasn’t even a house, more like an estate—was huge; it reminded me of the White House. It had the same four big pillars out the front, windows were scattered all over the front of the mansion, there was an American flag placed on the roof as well. The White House seemed more welcoming then Randall’s mansion though. The entrance to the home had guards stationed outside of it. Or at least I assumed they are guards. I was a bit nervous about coming here before, but now I was about to burst out of my skin from nerves. I mean, who has armed guards at the door besides pop stars and presidents?

  Alex finally eased the car to a stop, and he and Chase started to climb out. I grabbed Stevie’s hand.

  “Why are there guards?” I whispered.

  “Because he is the vampire King, not just a king—he is the king.” My face must look like a mask of horror, as she gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’re here with you, Ry. You are not alone. No one will harm you. If they even look at you wrong, let us know, and they will be taken care of. We may be young, but we are not weak. You are not weak.”

  With that, said she slipped out of the back seat to join the boys. I took one last deep breath and did the same. Chase offered me his arm, and I linked mine through his and gave him a nervous smile. He patted my arm and gave me a wink. Alex and Stevie led the way. As we approached the stairs leading to the front door, I start worrying I might trip and break my ankle. I was never any good at wearing heels, but Stevie insisted I wear them because, “Converse were not acceptable to wear with a dress.” I felt like everything was on display: my back was bare; my breasts were just barely covered. The slits up the sides were making me worry if a gust of wind came, everyone would be able to see the G-string I had on.

  As we reached the top of the stairs, Alex gave the guards a curt nod. The guards opened the two massive wooden front doors, and immediately I am assaulted by classical music and voices and laughter. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. The foyer is beautiful. There are wooden floors throughout, with stunning furs lying on the floor. I had a brief pang of sadness for the animals that had worn those beautiful skins in life, and hoped they had not been killed simply for their fur. I loved animals and found value in all life.

  As we neared the end of the hall, Alex and Stevie made a left turn into the main area, where the people had gathered. As Chase and I rounded the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks. There were people everywhere! The women were in ball gowns that looked like they were from the 1800s, but they made them look so glamorous and relevant to this era. And though the dresses were elaborate, no clothing could dull their radiant beauty. They were flawless.

  The men wore tuxes like Alex and Chase, but there were cravats and elaborately embroidered vests and all manner of colors and fabrics. The men were just as beautiful as the women in their own way. They knew it, too—you could tell by the way they sauntered around the room like they owned it. A server passed by with a tray full of champagne, and I grabbed one, thinking the alcohol would calm my nerves. Just as I was about to take a sip, a hand snaked around me and nabbed the glass right out of my hand. I froze, and the stranger came around to face me—it was the man from the woods.

  He stood there, calmly sipping my champagne, a smirk on his unreasonably handsome face. My breath caught in my throat. He looked delicious when I saw him earlier today, but now, done up in his tux, he was a whole meal. Gone was the lumberjack-looking hunk and hello, Mr. Sexy. His hair was slicked back out of his face, and my God, those chocolate brown eyes! They could peel the clothes off any woman. He had a five o’clock shadow marking his jawline, and he made not shaving look like a new trend. His tux fitted him like a glove and showed his well-defined muscles. Chase broke the tension-filled silence.

  “Jax. What can I do for you this evening?” Irritation was clear in his voice. Jax. I was irrationally pleased to have a name for my mystery lumberjack.

  “Chase, I didn’t realize you were in town. Did any of the others return as well?” he asked, his eyes never moving off me.

  “We’re all here, Marshall, so I suggest you take a step back from Ryan and remove your eyes from her, before I do it for you,” Chase snapped.

  “So, she’s yours then?”

  “That is not of your concern now, is it?” I could hear the underlying threat in Chase’s voice. Why did my cousin not like Jax?

  “When you bring a stranger onto my lands and you have no claim on her, it becomes my business. She doesn’t smell like one of you.” My hackles rise as they continue to speak about me like I’m not even here. Rude much?

  “As you can see, jackass, she is Stevie’s twin sister. If you can’t know that from looking at her, then you’re more fucked in the head than I thought. She has just as much right to be here as you do, pup.”

  “Pup?” Jax let out a throaty growl. “Boy, I am no pup; I can assure you of that.”

  I knew things were getting out of hand when Chase grabbed my arm and started pulling me behind him. I don’t know why he felt so much anger toward Jax, and I didn’t think now was the time to ask. I yanked my arm from Chase’s grip and stepped between the two brooding males that looked like they were about to tear each other apart.

  “My name is Ryan. As you already know, Chase is my cousin. I don’t know why you two don’t like each other, and at this point in time, I don’t give a shit.” I then turned to Chase and said “Dial it down a notch, big guy. We just got here, and I don’t want to get kicked out. Let’s go get me another glass of something to help me get through this, okay?”

  Chase gave me a stiff nod while still pinning Jax with a death glare. Just as we were turning to walk away, Jax put a hand on my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your evening. It’s just that you don’t have the same scent as the others. You are different, and in this world, different can be dangerous.”

  Chase was standing beside me, seething, ready to throw the first punch if Jax didn’t let my arm go. Noticing Chase’s discomfort, Jax let his hand slide off my shoulder.

  “Look, dude—”

  “My name is Jackson Marshall, but my friends call me Jax,” he said, smiling.

  “Okay—Jax. I just got here, and I don’t know a lot about what the hell the others do, okay? So if you could just back off and stop freaking smelling me, that would be great.” With that said, I turned on my sky-high heels and headed out to find my sister. Tonight was going to be a damn long night if this shit kept up.

  Chapter 8

  After leaving Jax and finding another server, Chase and I grabbed a glass each this time and made our way out to the back patio in search of Stevie and Alex. I couldn’t help but stop and take in the yard. It was like a fairy tale. There were candles along the ground, lighting up the pathways. A fountain sat in the middle of the yard, a twin of the one out front.

  Small shrubbery bushes lined the paths, and a dream-like white pergola sat at the end of the pathway. I never thought vampires would have a yard like this. I spotted Stevie in the pergola with a few others. I could only tell it was my sister because she was wearing an off-the-shoulder yellow dress—she stood out like Big Bird. That was Stevie—she loved being center of attention.

  As we were walking toward the pergola, I once again had the sensation of being watched. I scanned the yard, but no one was looking our way. I knew there were lots of people here, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that a predator was lurking in the shadows.

  “There you two are! We lost you as soon as we got here,” Alex said, shaking me out of my inner thoughts.

  “We got stopped by that dick Jackson Mar
shall,” Chase grumbled, still tense from the encounter.

  “What the hell did he want?” Stevie snapped.

  “To ask about Ryan and why she smelt funny.”

  “Shut up! I don’t smell! He’s just weird. Hot, but weird.” I swear I heard a growl coming from the forest as I spoke. This paranoia was ridiculous.

  “Stay away from him, Ry. His kind doesn’t like us.” Alex always had to be so cryptic.

  “Actually, that reminds me—you told him your name and then said ‘but you already know that.’ How would he know that, Ry?” Chase asked.

  “I met him earlier today, when I took off to clear my head. He was in the woods,” I replied sheepishly, feeling like I had done something wrong. How was I supposed to know who to talk to and who not to?

  “That fucker was on our land? What the hell?” Alex hissed.

  Stevie shushed him. “Now is not the place to worry about this. We don’t know how far Ry wandered; their lands do back onto ours. She could have crossed the boundary. We need to find Randall and sort out whatever he has to tell us, and then let’s get the fuck out of here,” Stevie said with a grim look.

  With that done, the four of us went in search of the vampire king.

  After making our way back inside and maneuvering through the crowds of people, Stevie lead us down the hallway near where we entered. We stopped outside a large wooden door. Alex knocked and we waited to be invited in.

  “Enter!” a voice shouted from behind the door.

  Alex opened the door, and we all filed in. The room was decorated in rich browns and maroon, with oil paintings in elaborate gilded frames. The fire was lit, and above the mantle there was a portrait of a woman in a lavender gown, with a small hat atop her head. Her face was fanned with black curls and her skin was luminescent, even in a painting. She had the most rich and vibrant violet eyes. They reminded me of Nico’s. I heard someone cough and turned to see Randall standing behind a massive oak desk. Behind him were floor to ceiling windows that perfectly framed the view of the forest and mountains. He waved us over to the other side of the room, where there were two couches and two single chairs that looked more like thrones than living room furniture.