Forever Original | Alaric Saltzman

Chapter 46

Hilda dwelled on what'd 'been left unsaid for a thousand years.'

She had always wondered why Tristan never sought her out. How it was possible that they had never crossed paths in all her travels. What was this big secret? What would she learn tonight?

She slipped in a tight-fitting, floor length sapphire gown with thin straps running comfortably over her shoulders and a lower than normal cleavage. The sapphire necklace that Tristan had given her, years ago, hung around her neck. She had found earrings to match, and had curled her hair delicately, putting a bit more effort into her makeup than usual.

She was nervous. She had been tempted to call Alaric, but that might just cause a different problem. Instead, she resorted to only listening to music and her own heartbeat, which thumped faster each hour as the time to go to the Davilla Estate approached.

Hayley had selected a magnificent off-the-shoulder red dress that flowed freely down to her feet. The hybrid had elected to wear a pair of high heels, but Hilda had merely asked Freya to adjust her dress magically so that she didn't need to wear more than a small wedge. She wanted to take advantage of the fact that she was just a bit smaller than the average Strix vampire so that she could hide behind them and see Tristan before he saw her.

She walked into the party on the other side of Elijah. She and her brother had elected to not wear a mask over their eyes, which had been an implied potential addition to their outfits. Hayley had brought a dark one that was attached to a small stick, and as they entered the building, the hybrid held it up. The Originals knew they'd easily be recognized, and there was no point in attempting to conceal their identities.

The attendees were all donning the fanciest of suits and gowns. Caterers with masks that covered their entire faces were moving around with champagne and finger food. Music filled the main room and beyond, with burlesque dancers on a front stage and suspended in the air. They had on flapper dresses, though significantly more revealing. Several of the guests were already feeding on some of the humans that'd been brought in for their pleasure.

"Why are they all staring at you?" said Hayley quietly as they got into the main hall, seeing that nearly every vampire was now looking at Hilda, and even more at Elijah.

Elijah half-smiled and led the two toward the bar across the room. "I'm kind of a big deal around here."

"They're all part of your sireline," deduced Hayley.

Elijah nodded. "Most of them, tragically, yes. You see, Hayley, I wanted to assemble minds curious about the world and eager to improve it, along with the time and circumstance to do so. My desire was to create an elite brotherhood devoted to a new, better civilization. It was naive. Eventually, I was forced to abandon them once I realized I'd cultivated a legion of ego-maniacal sociopaths."

Hilda snorted a bit, taking a drink and sipping it carefully. She looked back over her shoulder and frowned. "Marcel," she muttered, making Elijah and Hayley turn around. Sure enough, Marcel Gerard was in his best suit, and in the company of Aya, a very familiar face.

"He's going to be initiated," said Elijah lowly, and Hilda narrowed her eyes at Aya, who seemed completely carefree.

As the music continued to play, Elijah offered Hayley his hand, pulling her to dance. Hilda moved through the curious crowd, many of whom were still looking at her intently. She slipped behind several people, and scanned until she concluded that Tristan was not in any of the main downstairs rooms. Perhaps, he was awaiting elsewhere to make a grand entrance. That wouldn't be too far-fetched.

And she was right. The music changed suddenly,a nsd several of the caterers came out with trays of champagne, all with a single butter knife beside them. Hilda was behind a group of taller vampires, and looked up at the main staircase as Tristan descended.