Chapter 19
Maris~8:00pm
Maris' body went still for a minute before she thrust her chest and straightened her gown, hoping she was actually looking beautiful in the dress.
"Hel-" she spun and her joy was cut short when she met the gaze of somebody different. "Lo..." She completed the word and had a quick once over at him.
He had on a peach suit and a great body. He towered above her, a smile playing at the corners of his thin lips the color of her pink lip gloss.
"Hello..." He drawled, his smile growing wider as he took her hand in his palm and raised it to his lips. "My lady." He left a kiss on the back of her palm and her insides clenched.
"Uhm, hi." She tittered, not having a knowledge of who the god in front of her was. "Do I know you?"
"Yes." He nodded, showing off his single dimple. Maris couldn't help, but to mirror his contagious smile. "The guy whose butt you were admiring."
"What?" Her smile was now replaced with a frown. She snatched her hand from his in a not so nice way and held it to her chest. "I'm so sorry about that day, I was dazed. I had hit my head and-"
"It's okay." He cut her rapid talking short in between laughs. "My name is Tristan."
"Maris." She replied quickly then squinted her eyes at him. "Where are your bunny like teeth?"
She bent her head a little to look into his mouth and got a mental slap from her subconscious. She pulled her head back and cleared her throat.
"Forgive my manners." She apologized with poppy dog eyes.
"No, it's fine. They weren't real, my baby sister made me play dress up and forced me to put them on." He pointed and Maris chuckled, using the opportunity to steal a furtive glance at Logan. "Would you like to dance?"
He held out his hand to her again and she chewed on her bottom lip, while staring longly at his hand. There was a conflict in her head. She didn't know if she actually wanted to dance or if she wanted to stand here alone to keep stealing glimpses at Logan.
"You don't dance?" He arched a brow, his hand still hanging.
"I do." She replied.
"Then let's dance." He offered again and she hesitated for some minutes before kicking the bucket in her head and placing her hand in his.
She was so little compared to Tristan. Her hand was like that of a three year old in his. He pulled her to the dance floor alongside other people slow dancing and placed a hand on her waist.
She felt a burning sensation at the back of her neck and involuntarily glanced over her shoulder to see Logan's eyes piercing into hers. It sent chills down her spine, but she ignored and returned her gaze to Tristan.
"Your dress is beautiful by the way." He paid a compliment to her and she swallowed down a smile before saying a quick thank you. "So, what brings you to the Oberon kingdom?"
"Uhm..." She racked her brain for what to say. "Here with Logan."
"Cool. Are you guys a thing?" He asked as they swayed to the rhythm of the music.
The question tied her stomach into knots and rendered her throat dry. She swallowed a ball of saliva and tittered, rubbernecking at Logan. She flinched when he threw stare daggers at them and squeezed a foil with all his might. His legs moved and drew closer to her and Tristan.
"You good, sunflower?" Tristan held her chin and turned it so she could face him.
"Yes." She gulped.
Her eyes widened when she saw Logan standing behind Tristan with a fierce look. Quickly, he tapped Tristan's shoulder with a clenched jaw.
"I'd take her from here, thank you." Logan stated then threw his legs forward and forced himself in between the two. "I said," he started through gritted teeth when Tristan didn't release his hold on Maris. "I'll take her, thank you."
Tristan stepped aside and gave him a curt bow. Logan clutched her wrist gently and began to pull her away from there.
Her stomach rumbled.
"Logan, stop." She cried as her stomach threatened to eat itself whenever they passed a delicacy. "Wait."
"Why?" He gave her a low growl.
"Just stop. I wanna-"
"You wanna what?" He halted and spun his head so fast she feared he was going to break his neck. "You wanna dance with Tristan?"
"I just-"
"Want to grab his ass cause you admire it?" There wasn't a sign of joy in his eyes and Maris found this a bit fascinating. Was he jealous?
"What?" She furrowed her brows. "No, I'm hungry."
"Oh." A faint blush of embarrassment kissed his cheeks and he let her wrist go. "Wait here."
She watched as he made his way across the room, back to the meals they had passed and packed a tray of food, which he returned with.
Maris jaw dropped at the sight of the food and her eyes cowed before saying, "Do you think I'm some kind of glutton or tank?"
She scanned the food and her fingers involuntarily twitched towards the food with a gnawing stomach.
"Maybe." He giggled. She held back her hand, slightly feeling offended with her hands cradling her stomach.
He led them out of the ball room and into a path that was graced with shrubs on both sides. Maris marvelled at the sight in front of her and her eyes glistened.
"Wow!" She exclaimed, raising her index finger so a butterfly could balance on it. "This is beautiful," she whispered and took a step forward, causing it to fly away.
Fire flies settled on a grass few metres from them and she took in a lungful of oxygen around her, loving the scent of flowers.
"You like it?" He asked, watching her with love.
"No, I love it!"
They sat on a bench and he put the tray in between them.
Before he could say jack, she attacked the lap of a juicy chicken in the tray and slurped up the juices, chewing her mouth loudly like she was eating a bubble gum.
Her stomach still felt empty and she helped herself to more food.
"Why am I so hungry?"
"Two things are living in you."
Maris stopped, a bone hanging out of her mouth. She sucked on it noisily before freezing again.
"Am I pregnant?" She asked. "Did you have your way with me?"
Her expression soured and he shook his head profusely, saying, "No no no. Not that."
*************
"So why are all these people after me?" Maris asked, wiping her hand with a napkin and sipping from her cup of water.
"They want what the devil wants, Maris." He removed the tray from their middle and moved closer to her so the side of their legs and hands could touch. It ignited a spark in Maris and she gulped.
"My virginity?" She joked between laughs, but stopped when she saw Logan didn't find it funny. His face hardened and she cleared her throat. "The devil's nudes?"
"No, something greater and I'm not going to let them get to you." He held her hand in his and gave it a light squeeze.
"What's that?" She questioned.
"What they need for a certain ritual." He answered and she tensed, hair standing on her nape and arms.
"Am I going to die?" She questioned, hands becoming clammy and jittery.
"Never!" He raised his voice a little as he cupped her cheeks. "I'll never let that happen."
He pulled her to his chest and rubbed her back with his jaw resting on her head.
"Besides, you are actually strong." He sounded playful. "How did you save yourself from that mad man."
"He's a mad man?" She freed herself from the comforting hug with widened eyes.
"Yeah, he had offended Zeus and was struck with a lightening bolt that didn't kill him, but affected his brain." He explained.
"Alpha!" A guard called from the entrance of the garden and we spun. "The queen calls for you."
******
On reaching the queen, Maris' heart had already pounded a trillion times as she felt her throat drying up. Why was she so nervous?
"Hello, son." The woman who Maris would totally believe if she was introduced as Logan's girlfriend hugged him with a radiant smile. "Hello," she started, scanning Maris from head to toe. "What's your name, human?"
"Maris." Logan answered for his consort with a grin.
"Hello, Maris." The queen jutted her chin and Maris did a curtsey bow.
"You look beautiful, ma'am." Maris complimented on the whine ball gown that adorned the Queen's body and brought out the curves she had passed down to her daughter.
"Thanks." She forced a smile and a servant with a tray that had two drinks passed. "Drink, please."
The servant bowed and stretched the tray to the queen. She picked the two glasses and extended her arm to Maris. Maris slowly took the drink from her, feeling anxious.
"What's that?" The queen frowned and pulled out Maris' hand.
"I was born with it." Maris answered and the Queen's face turned red with anger coursing through her veins.
"You!" She pointed at Maris and everybody's attention drifted to the both of them.
