Chapter 9

The date for the dance came quickly and Kore had made up her mind after a little bit of research.

She knew where Davina was, and she was on a mission to stop this little charade of Davina's. Kore went to her room, warding the place off so anything they did wouldn't be heard. Davina sat on her bed, looking at her nails and acting like she didn't even know Kore was there.

"Let's get this over with," Kore said sternly. "I don't want to be late getting ready for the ball. What do you intend to do with my blood?"

She hummed, "It's quite simple. I'll be healthy. I won't have blood rage."

You won't become a Fallen.

"Within our little exchange, what would I get out of it?" Kore asked, "You get healed but what do I get?"

"You would have an ally in me,"

Kore felt the lie in those words as clear as the difference between night and day. Davina had no intention of going along with her word, and so Kore would do the same. If this wasn't about an exchange of blood, she wouldn't have been as angry as she was now. But since it included Kore losing some of her blood, she had to simmer her anger down and agree.

To any Greylight Heir or Crown, blood was sacred and not something to be freely given.

Kore forced a smile onto her lips, taking a seat down next to Davina and unwrapping her watch from her left wrist. Davina smiled as she only could, forcing the corners of her eyes up as she was happy with what was happening.

The Witch was silent as the fangs sunk into her wrist, not even letting an expression of pain come. With each mouthful Davina took, Kore watched and sensed as her blood entered the Vampire's system and started to take over. The Vampire didn't notice, only relishing in the electric taste of witchy blood.

Kore could see how her blood began to manipulate, spreading throughout Davina's body and slowly overtaking the old blood in her. Blood cells started to morph into other blood cells, destroying the Vampire's and replacing them with duplicates of hers.

"Ah," Davina released her wrist, letting her take it back as she stood up and sighed. "It feels so good. This has been the first time I've tried Royal Witch blood. Such a delicacy."

Kore didn't make a sound, only touching the two fang wounds with a frown. She licked her thumb, rubbing it into the wounds to help heal them quickly before watching it scar up and disappear as she put her watch back on. Kore leaned back on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other. Sipping on a summoned flute of water, she watched Davina turn in place as colour returned to her skin.

Kore felt the beginnings of a headache come along but she ignored it, starting to manipulate her blood inside of the Vampire.

Davina froze, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she placed one hand on her stomach and another on her throat. "What is happening? Kore Greylight, you said that your blood would heal me. That it will make me whole!"

"And it will," she smiled, leaning back onto her arms as she watched her. "It will make you whole... By taking away the part of you that makes you a Vampire, to heal you. But that, not so sadly, means your death."

"You bitch!" Davina tried lunging for her but something stopped her from attacking. She was frozen in place, stiff like a statue as Kore's blood kept her from harming the Witch.

"You lied to me, Davina Knott," Kore tapped a nail against her lip, curling them into a too-sharp smile worthy of a predator. "You lied to me and thought you could get away with it. I'm gonna take away something very special for myself."

Davina looked angry and yet frightened as her muscles tightened in her body and stopped her movements. She could only watch Kore stand up.

"What are you taking away?" Her voice was thin.

Kore placed both of her hands on Davina's face, cupping her jaw. "Your Magic, of course. You made me part with something dear of mine, so I'm taking something of yours."

"You have no right!"

"People keep telling me I have no right to do things." She laughed. "I'm a Greylight Witch, and the only daughter of a Chimera, and the only Witch with Blood Magic. I have a right to Magic and I have a right to all Blood, including Vampires'. I want your blood to make me stronger."

"You have been at this school for months!" she spat. "You could have taken Markus Alastair's with ease!"

She smiled. "I said I want blood, not that I need it. And I want yours! Yes, Markus would have been an easy target but I have grown fond of him recently. You, however, lied to me."

"I lied, and?" Davina said. "Lies are what we Vampires live on, why we are better! We can do things you cannot even comprehend!"

"So can I,"

Kore plunged her hand through Davina's chest, getting through the muscle and bone easily until she reached the barely beating heart. She squeezed, feeling blood drip down her arm. Davina froze completely as Kore drew the Vampire's Magic from within and took it for herself. She shoved Davina's limp form away, letting the Vampire drop to the ground. It turned to ash as she died.

Her hands were covered in blood but she just closed her eyes and concentrated. The Vampire's blood was beginning to be absorbed by her skin, becoming part of her physically and Magically.

"What have you done?" Ruel sounded disgusted and appalled by what he saw, suddenly coming into the room from the secret door to the side.

She just tilted her head. "I never intended for her to die, but it seemed like she was going to betray me. A fitting end, I think."

"You killed her?"

"She would have killed me sooner than be my ally," she said.

He drew a dagger from his belt. "You killed her!"

"She just wanted to use you, manipulating you with her tainted blood."

"What would you know about what she would do?"

"Blood Witch here!" She rolled her eyes. "I more or less absorbed her and her Magic."

"You said that she is dead!"

"And she is, but when Vampire dies, a fragment of them remains, their Magic, and I absorb hers," she finished. "I am not sorry that I killed her. She tried to trick me out of my blood for nothing. Because I can tell you hate being controlled just as much as I do, I'm giving you a choice."

Ruel tucked his dagger away, but his fists were clenched by his side. "What are the choices?"

"You can come over here and take my blood, Davina's blood, and have a part of her in you, never enough to turn you or make you a Fallon but still, and you can leave Iscariot Institute and just live," Kore offered. "Or take the blood offered and stay at the Institute, attend the Key House and get to have your own life still."

"Is there another choice?" He asked.

"If you have a better option, tell me,"

"You killed Davina Knott, you killed my mistress and by Vampire Law, you became my mistress," He took a step forward, quickly coming close to her as his eyes wandered to her face before dropping to the ground. "I could stay and serve you."

"Serving is all you've known, isn't it?" she asked, a dissatisfied sound leaving her when Ruel nodded. "You were forced to become a slave to someone, and I find that rather distasteful and disgusting. I don't want or need a servant or slave."

He looked rather shocked by that, almost becoming panicky.

Kore continued with a raised eyebrow. "A valet is a different matter."

"A royal personal assistant?"

"You'd be allowed to leave whenever you want. But if you want to serve me, that's how I would prefer." She nodded once. "A companion and helper rather than a slave or servant. Would that be a better option?"

He nodded stiffly, suddenly dropping to kneel before her. "A much better option, thank you." His voice was hopeful and certain for the first time since this conversation of theirs. "I've only known forced servitude, and it is pleasant to serve with a choice."

She sighed and crouched down, balancing to lift his chin so he could look her in the eyes. "Do you want her blood for yourself?"

He quickly shook his head. "I rather not have a reminder of my time."

She nodded. "I need to have a word with Headmaster Iscariot later, and sort our situation out."

And she did, Ruel would stay the night at the dormitories so she had time to sort out his admission to the school and everything.

)()()(

Surprisingly, out of both Kore and Annaliese, Kore was the only one that knew how to paint nails. She painted Silas' nails as Annaliese was curling Kore's hair.

"I don't understand how you can do anything with them, Kore," Silas snided as the Witch slowly painted his nails a deep blue. He was going to wear his uniform but he preferred some colour.

Kore drew out a hand, flexing her fingers as the shimmering black nail polish made her inch-long nails look brilliant. She smiled as she went back to finish Silas' short nails.. "Well, I've had nails on for a couple of years now. One of my distant cousins liked nail stuff and she used to practise on me."

"Hmm," Annaliese said, swatting the side of Kore's head. "Keep still or I'll burn you by accident."

"Don't want any burns," she agreed. "They're a pain in the ass to heal."

"When are you doing your makeup?" Silas asked. "You can't take too long. The party is gonna start soon."

"I'll do it while my hair sets,"

As time went on, both Sirens went back to their own dorms to put on their outfits.

Tsar lay on her bed, watching her as she slipped her dress on.

Her dress was a beautiful cool grey, hinted with slight hues of blue as it hugged her form. The skirt dropped to a tea length, stopping around her calves. The neckline was her favourite bit. As the dress was a halter neck that attached the two panels of fabric to the choker-type neckline, the dress didn't need sleeves or a high back to accent it. Her lightning scar was on show, alongside a hint of cleavage between the panels of the neckline.

The bite marks from the fox had faded a lot, turning an even lighter lilac colour that reminded her of jewels more than scar tissue. It was only six large scars, barely a centimetre each as there were two sets of canines on the outside of her wrist while a single set sat on the inside.

She sat at her desk because it also worked as a vanity table at times, trying to accent her bottom eyelids in a grey-black liner. Her hair was piled into an artistically created messy bun, the purple and grey creating a strange pool of colours and shades as Annaliese had intended it to be.

"Come in," she said. Kore was trying to finish up her makeup. It was simple; a light smokey eye that consisted of a light lilac base with a silver highlight but both glittered beautifully.

Markus came in, dressed in his uniform but he had swapped out the tie for a brooch ribbon bowtie, letting his family crest show on it.

"I'm almost ready," she said, lining her lips in a plum tone that made her smile pop. Through the reflection of the mirror, she saw him holding a box. "What's that?"

He stayed quiet for a second, watching her finish her lipstick before he came over, "I might have an obscure request."

She laughed, putting her makeup stuff away before turning to him, "I've heard of some obscure requests in my life, I doubt this will top the first fifty."

He opened the box, showing her the content.

A black tourmaline crystal sat in the box, known for ridding one of negative energy and being a universal cleanser for Witches who wore it. The crystal was smoothed into an arrowhead shape, a silver chain going through the tiny hole drilled into the crystal.

"It's pretty," she said, "What's this about?"

He looked her in the eye, taking the necklace out of the box, "The Prefects have noted minor activity in the Fallens recently. A few have tried to get into the school. This would...bring me peace of mind if you wore it. You understand what would happen if a Fallen bit you, correct?"

"Yeah, it would die."

"And you would become a Fallen."

Kore snorted, "Blood Witch here. That wouldn't happen. My ability would precede any Magic that tries to take over me, including any Vampiric or Arcane Magic."

He hummed. "This is a precaution. Please."

"Since you said please so nicely," she turned her back to him, letting him put the necklace around her neck. The stone rested in the middle of her sternum, stopping right before her cleavage started. "Hmm. It is pretty... Right, if we don't leave soon, we'll be late."

She stood up, grabbing her heels before she sat down again. She had to bend down awkwardly to try to strap her heels on, trying not to flash Markus as the fabric panels of her dress would bend a little if she bent over.

"May I?" Markus asked, gesturing to the heels.

She gestured vaguely, sitting up straight as he kneeled and helped her put her shoes on. She felt like Cinderella as he slipped the strappy platform heels on and wrapped the large ribbons of fabric around her ankles.

Kore could have done this herself, with Magic or not, and he knew it. He didn't have to help her but he chose to. A bit of humility was a rare and wonderful thing to see in royalty, putting subjects before themselves. She didn't expect to see it in him.

He created two equal knots, one on each ankle before helping her to stand and test them out.

"Hopefully you do not have to take them off when you're dancing," he smiled.

She rolled her eyes, "Not this time."

He glanced down at her chest, looking at the stone, "The necklace looks good on you."

She grinned, letting a tone of royal arrogance come over her as she grabbed her sheer silver shawl, "I know."

)()()(

Within the first half hour of the ball, she was bored.

Silas wrinkled his nose at her. "Why don't you dance then?"

"Because these songs are boring too?" She looked into her non-alcoholic drink, frowning. "Unless it's gonna be the Quickstep, I'm not interested in dancing."

Not everyone at the ball was eighteen and it was against school rules to have alcohol on the premises, even if she snuck a bottle or two into her room.

"Quickstep you say," Silas grinned, suddenly holding a hand out and bowing an inch. "May I have this dance, Princess Greylight?"

"You know the Quickstep?"

"I am of the Torren family, I know all of the dances," he stated. "What do you say to a dance?"

She smiled, passing her clutch and shawl to Richard when he gestured that he'd take them, before placing her hand in Silas's. "Fine."

"Everyone!" Silas shouted happily. "If you would all evacuate the dance floor, Kore and I would like to do the Quickstep!"

"I did not agree to this!" she hissed lowly at him.

Silas sent her a smirk. "You agreed to a dance. This is a dance."

"With an audience!"

"Oh, come on," He grinned. "I bet you've done a lot worse than dance in front of a group."

"You better be good at Quickstep, otherwise I'm gonna kill you," Kore said, shaking her nerves off quickly as the music started.

"I'm brilliant."

They started to sway to one side and the other, letting them get into the groove of the music before Silas led the pair into the dance. She took a step back with her right foot, then her left and again her right, and suddenly they were twisting and swaying as they gathered momentum.

The music accelerated quickly, letting them get into the sway and beat of it as they moved around the ballroom with natural ease and grace. As they got used to each other, their moves were as smooth as silk as they leaned this way and that. Even with her in high heels, she danced like she was barefooted, uninhabited by anything but the fun of the dance and the energy it gave her.

"Doing well, Silas," she winked, her dress swaying around her like tainted moonlight as they went around the ballroom in unison.

"As are you, Princess," he laughed when she rolled her eyes, and neither of them ever faltered.

They crossed the length of the ballroom with short, sharp kicks and steps, getting to the other side with a hop and leap somewhere between. They matched speed, never getting out of tune as their steps kept up to the song.

There were several more turns in the song, including them going across the room along with small stops to show off footwork near the middle and end.

Slowing as they neared the end, they abruptly ended but the song continued, as the dance was finished.

Everyone clapped as they came off of the dance floor, now letting everyone go back to their little box step dances.