Chapter 6: Untried

“So. Do you want to talk about it?” Ella asked.

Ilana made a face and drew her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around them as she explained. “Eagan’s just an annoying idiot. Nothing to talk about.”

Ella rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t asking about him. You know damn well I mean Theron.”

The dryad looked away. “Theron’s Theron.”

“Ilana, I’d have to be blind not to notice something’s going on and even then I’d probably still notice.”

Drawing random little designs with her finger on the edge of her dress, Ilana shook her head. “It’s nothing important.”

“Yes it is. Now tell me.”

--

“You mind explaining precisely what you were thinking in there?” Alex demanded hotly, glaring at Theron.

“Nothing,” the were-lion muttered.

“That’s exactly the problem! You weren’t thinking. Threatening guests at a ball? The ball that you’re in charge of security for? It’s very obvious that no thought went into that!”

“He wouldn’t leave her alone!” Theron growled, before looking away again.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I understand that. I know how you feel but you really could have handled it better. Besides you know her as well as I do. You know how touchy she is about accepting help. You need to be careful with her.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Oh for the love of God! We’ve been having this damn conversation since the middle of last year. Just make a move.”

“No.”

“Damn it Theron! Doing nothing isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

“How do you know?” Theron snapped without thinking.

“Oh I wonder.”

Theron winced. “I didn’t mean that, I meant…”

“Do you remember what you told me last year? Watching this is painful. And you’re getting worse. This is going to start affecting other aspects of your life.”

“I know. I know. It’s just…If it gets awkward because she’s not interested…”

Alex sighed. “Then I’ll talk to her. Ella will too. We’ll keep the awkwardness to a minimum. And that’s the worst case scenario. You should be thinking positively.”

“I’ll try.”

“Then let’s go back inside before people start gossiping.”

--

“There’s nothing to tell,” Ilana replied.

“You could tell me for how long for starters.”

“Three months into last year,” The dryad said, hiding her face behind her knees.

“For that long? Then…Wait is that why you got into the shot for shot contest with Alexander over New Year’s? That’s bad Ilana. Why haven’t you said anything?”

“I don’t want to screw things up.”

“You won’t. You might be surprised.”

“I doubt it.”

Ella sighed. “You could try.”

Ilana shook her head.

“Alright. We’d better go back inside. And I’m not done talking about this.”

The dryad made a face.

Ella grinned and said “That’s better. Having you be all depressing is weird.” Ilana returned the smile with one of her own.

In a better mood, the two girls re-entered the dance hall, Ella making a bee-line for Alex. Ilana hesitated when she saw Theron beside him but Ella reached behind, grabbed her wrist and dragged her behind her. “We’re back,” the girl announced.

Alex chuckled. “I can see that.”

Ilana and Theron stood awkwardly, neither one meeting the other’s eyes. Alex rolled his eyes and said “Theron why don’t you take Ilana for a turn around the dance floor instead of the pair of you just standing there, looking stupid.”

“Shut up Alex,” Theron grumbled, but offered his hand to Ilana, face slightly red.

The dryad looked down at his hand, then up at him before smiling and taking the offered appendage. Ella watched them with a smile. Feeling a tug on her own hand, she looked up to find Alex dragging her out onto the dance floor. Once they had moved away from Theron and Ilana, who weren’t looking at each other again, Alex and Ella both said simultaneously “That idiot!”

Exchanging a startled glance with one another, Ella asked “Who are you calling an idiot?”

“Theron. He’s being stupid about Ilana again. No matter how many times I tell him to do something, he just ignores me. And then gets horribly jealous like you saw with Eagan.”

Lips twitching as she fought a smile, Ella said “So Theron likes Ilana then?”

“Since first-year. It’s getting damned annoying.”

Ella couldn’t stop it. She began laughing.

“What’s so funny?’

“Theron. And Ilana. The pair of them. They’re both idiots!”

“Why is Ilana an idiot?”

Eyes bright with merriment, Ella replied “Because she’s liked Theron since last year.”

Now Alex was chuckling. “You’re serious?”

Ella nodded, still giggling.

“I honestly had no idea,” Alex said once he regained his composure. “She hides it much better then Theron. He’s about as obvious as a black bear on the tundra.”

“We should go tell them.”
“No. It’s their business. We stay out. They’ll find out soon enough.”

“But if it’ll make them happy…”

“You don’t mess around with other people’s relationships. Things get messy that way. And I owe both of them that courtesy after they left me be.”

“What do you mean?”

Alex grinned down at her. “They didn’t tell you that I was in love with you.”

As he’d known she would, Ella blushed. “Oh.”

“Oh indeed.”

“Jerk.”

Laughing again, the vampire led them off the dance floor.

“Why did you stop?” Ella asked, not quite admitting that she’d been enjoying the dance. His head is big enough, she thought.

“Because Kayne is giving me the look that means he wants us.”

“There’s a look for that?”

“Yep. Remind me and I’ll teach it to you.”

Shaking her head, Ella followed him over to where Kayne, looking rather stiff, stood beside two impressively dressed figures. “Alex, Ella, may I present to you my mother and father?”

Giving a deep nod, Alex replied “It would be an honour.”

“My father, Cyril Higgins and my mother, Adelina Higgins. Mother, Father, this is Alex Donovan and Ella Davies.”

“A pleasure,” Mrs. Higgins replied, offering a hand gloved in black silk to Alex. The vampire took it and brushed the back of it with his lips, while Mr. Higgins took Ella’s hand and did the same, making the girl blush.

“Your work with the council has been quite impressive,” Cyril said in a tone that almost sounded bored.

“Thank you. We still have much left to accomplish,” Alex answered.

“Really? What more could you need to do?” Adelina asked with a soft laugh.

Alex gave her an enigmatic smile. “I would hate to bore you with the details. Business is so boring, and boring has no place at a ball.”

“Of course. Oh. I believe I see old friends of ours. Will you excuse us?”

“Certainly. Enjoy yourself.”

Mrs. Higgins smiled as she took her husband’s arm and walked across the hall. As soon as she was out of earshot, Kayne sighed. “I’m sorry about that Alex. They ambushed me and wouldn’t leave me be until I introduced you. They’ve been trying to pump me for information since they found out I was involved with the new vampire council. Suddenly started talking to me as if nothing had happened.”

The vampire shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I was expecting something of the sort. And they’re not the first to try and get our plans out of me. Besides I had your warning about the way they are.”

“You mean they’re always like that?” Ella asked, surprised. “I thought it was just an act because they were in public.”

Kayne’s smile had a bitter edge to it. “My parents always keep up their façade. Even in private. They’re ambitious, ruthless and elitists but they hide it well. The only time I’ve ever seen their real emotions was when I told them I wasn’t going to continue on to the private psychic academy and was coming to BU instead. They were quite angry. If I wasn’t an only child they’d have disowned me then and there. Too bad for them.”

Ella was about to say something but Alex gave her a look. “Well if they keep trying to get info out of you, send them to me. I can deflect them,” Alex said.

The psychic’s smile turned malicious. “Oh no. I’m having fun. This is the first time I’ve had the upper hand with them and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest. I just thought I’d better let you know that they’re sniffing about.”

“Then I’ll leave you to handle it. Now I’m sorry, but Ella and I were in the middle of a dance and as she was upset that we stopped, I had better make it up to her.”

“I was not upset!” Ella protested as Kayne laughed and Alex pulled her out onto the dance floor again.

Alex only chuckled.