A L M I R A

Chapter 20
Almira Davenport

Ashli and Ryker's wedding was nearing and I was rushing to get everything planned perfectly. Everything was ready but the cake. I had a caterer ready, I just had to pay them a visit the night before so they can get ready.

The dresses for the girls were all a floral, lacey pale blue with long, loose sleeves. The neckline wrapped around the neck, and the dress touched the floor. The dresses were tight around the top and flowed freely after the waist.

On the other hand, I was upset with the best man and groomsmen. With less than a week left, they hadn't got their tuxedos yet. I stormed into Calix's office, fuming.

"Oh, she's so cute when she's angry!" Cole teased, snickering.

Calix gave him a look before looking at me and raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, if you think I'm cute when I'm angry, I'm about to be gorgeous!" I hissed, slamming the papers down in front of him. "Care to tell me why when I'm reviewing the list of what's left to do, I see that the groomsmen haven't gotten their tuxedos yet?"

"We were going to do that, soon," Alexander quietly commented, bringing my attention to him.

"Soon?! The wedding is this weekend! You can't expect to have perfectly tailored suits that match the bridesmaids' in one week! So what you all are going to do is get off your little bums and get into that tailoring room or a boutique in town and get yourselves black suits and pastel blue ties, am I clear?" I ordered, glaring at all of them.

Cole stared back at me surprised. "She's fiesty today," He joked, only sending me to a red sighted rage. "You heard the lady, let's go shopping. Yipee." His voice was dry, dripping with sarcasm.

I rolled my eyes and walked out, shaking my head. Dealing with men was like dealing with little boys that didn't know how to lace their own boots or dress themselves.

~-~

The day of the wedding had finally arrived and everything was set up and planned perfectly. All of us girls were getting ready and hyping up Ashli. I slid into the dress and zipped myself up in the back. I took down my hair to watch the loose curls cascade down my back before applying light makeup.

"Mira, I'm nervous," Ashli confessed, holding my hands as they slid the veil onto her head and made sure it was secure.

"It's okay, Ashli. Today is your big day! You're getting married to your soulmate, the love of your life! And in a couple months, you two will have mini you's waking you up at the earliest of hours!" I encouraged, smiling at her. "Every bride gets the nervous jitters. It's a big deal, yes, but it's one I know you won't regret."

"What would I do without you, Almira?" Ashli smiled, hugging me.

"Well for starters, your groomsmen wouldn't have tuxedos," I laughed, remember the scolding they got when I found out how much they had proscrastinated.

"Oh, look at my baby! I don't think I was ever ready for this day!" Ambrielle squealed, walking up to her daughter.

I smiled at their relationship, remember the one I had with my mother. I shivered and shook my head. That was in the past, I shouldn't focus on that right now.

"Thank you, mom. Is everything ready?" Ashli asked, taking a deep breath.

"Yes ma'am! All you have left is for everybody to walk out. The bridesmaids are walking out with their groomsmen, and then it's Almira and Calix, then you my dear," Ambrielle smiled.

I spotted the last bridesmaid walk out and I grabbed my bouquet of flowers before walking out and meeting Calix outside. "Ready?" He asked, sticking his arm out for me.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I smiled, taking his arm. We walked behind the last couple and took our spots, turning to see everybody stand up. Alexander and Ambrielle came, walking their daughter down the aisle. Ryker teared up and I almost did, almost.

Ashli handed me her bouquet and turned to take Ryker's hands. When the ceremony was over, everybody headed for the reception and I walked out with Calix. "I should probably tell you something," I murmured, glancing at Calix as we walked into the ballroom.

"And that would be?" He asked, pulling a chair out for me and I sat down. He sat beside me while everybody got their drink of choice for the toast.

"Don't tell me you don't feel it either. Something is off and I can't place my finger on it," I noted, looking around.

"You're probably worrying about nothing, Almira. You tend to do that quite often," Calix brushed me off before standing up to give his best man speech as we all toasted to the bride and groom, food following afterwards.

I couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. I had to though, for Ashli and Ryker's sake.

Ashli and Ryker stood up and had their first dance. It was cute, beautiful even. I hoped that some day I would get to that point in our relationship. Probably not, but I still had hope, even on the worst of days.

Calix stood up. "Care to dance?"

I took his hand and stood up before nodding. "Why not, might clear my mind," I smiled.

He looked at me for a moment before leading me to the dance floor and dancing to the music with me. I twirled around and found myself back into his embrace,not that I was complaining.

It had started to thunder and rain outside, which brought a little disappointment to us all. However, it bothered me just a bit more than it should have. Everybody was talking and dancing to the music, having a good time. That is until the ballroom windows swung open and Alastor stepped inside with a group of friends.

My face morphed into one of fear and fright as Alastor and I made eye contact. I shivered, chills running down my spine. This wasn't good.

"Almira, darling! It's been a while, wouldn't you say so?" He teased. His voice brought back memories of dark rooms and broken bones. It brought back the memories of my screams and cries for help.

I didn't say anything, I just stayed in Calix's arms, praying that I was safe.

"Well, I thought I'd give you a small gift of my own. Congratulations, what Emily and Ryan?" Alastor joked, looking at his men.

I glared at him and suddenly his group sped through the ballroom, grabbing necks and biting on them. Alastor sped towards me and took me out of Calix's arms, biting into my own neck. Screams of pain and agony were echoing through the ballroom, mine included.

Calix pushed Alastor off of me and I stood there, swaying. I faded in and out of conciousness as everybody ran around in a panic. Alastor called off his men and vanished, and soon Calix was standing in front of me. "Hey, hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, no, no, no, no, I'm fine! Totally fine, no, no, I'm fine," I reassured, still swaying.

"Really? Because you're repeating your words, you look pale, you're bleeding profusely, and you look like you're about to topple over," Calix remarked, looking at me skeptically.

"Yeah, you might want to catch me," I mumbled before being consumed once again by the world of darkness.

~-~

I could hear people talking around me, but I didn't open my eyes. "So she's going to be okay?" I heard Calix ask.

"Yes, your majesty. Lady Almira will live, but it's a miracle with as much blood as she lost, I'm surprised she's even stable," An unknown voice replied. They mumbled something before I heard a door open and close.

"So, let me ask you this, Calix, what does this mean to you?" Cole questioned.

"What do you mean, what does it mean to me? Are you asking what I'm going to do about this?" Calix countered.

"Yes, in a way. Alastor got to Almira once again. I'm beginning to think you're losing your game. Maybe shoving her away is distracting you more so than you thought?" Cole responded.

"No, it's not. It's for her own good," Calix hissed.

"Brother, are you blind? It's not about her when it comes to this! You say it benefits her but look at her! She's in the infirmary because she almost bled to death! How is that for her own good? How is that protecting you?" Cole criticized. He had a point, I thought.

"I don't need you to tell me how to treat her, Cole!" Calix yelled.

"I didn't ask if you needed to, Calix! You're hurting her. She's getting hurt because of you! I know the pain of your other four mates and your whole curse has affected you more than imaginable, but she is number five! She's here for a reason, Cal. Stop shoving her away, get over your fear of losing her, and show her what she deserves before your grief gets her killed!" Cole exclaimed, his breathing out of order.

The room fell silent before the door creaked open and then slammed closed. Footsteps made their way towards me and I couldn't do anything but lay there. I felt sparks and tingles run across my forehead and cheek before I realized Calix was tucking a piece of hair out of my face.

Soon, Calix left the room and I was left laying alone with nothing but my thoughts.

~-~

"Remember, don't do anything stressful, and try not to do too much of anything. Take it easy and come back in a week or two for a follow up. Other than that, you're free to go!" The doctor said, helping me up. I dusted off my dress and Ambrielle took my arm, walking with me.

"You know, I only have a wound on my neck, it's not like I broke my back and legs," I teased, smiling at her.

"I know, but still. How about we go visit the flower garden? You used to visit that place a lot when you first got here," Ambrielle suggested, smiling cheerfully.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Ambrielle led me out to the garden, opening the doors. "Here we are!"

"Thank you, Ambrielle. So, tell me, what happened after the whole bloody wedding?" I asked, looking at her.

"We rushed the injured to the infirmary and got everybody to safety. Ashli and Ryker are out on a honeymoon, so they'll be back soon. Although, Calix has officially declared war on Alastor and Wryler," Ambrielle explained, looking at me for a reaction.

I was surprised but kept it concealed. Alastor had it coming, but this only meant things were going to get a lot stricter and harder for me around here. I took a deep breath and let it out, kneeling down on the ground to smell the flowers.

"I was awake part of the time of that makes sense. I could hear but I couldn't see," I started. Was I prepared to hear the answer to the question I was about to ask? Did I even want to know or did I want to find out myself? "Cole and Calix were talking about me. Is Calix ignoring me because of something I did or because of him?"

Ambrielle took a moment to answer before picking a dead flower and restoring life to it with magic. "His other four mates had a huge impact on him. He's a complicated 'fella, that's for certain. I can't tell what he's up to, but I can tell he cares. He may be bad at showing it right now, but I can tell you that everything he's doing is what he thinks is in your best interest. He may be wrong, but he's trying."

I didn't say anything to that. What was I supposed to say? He has issues and right now, I can't fix them, I only make them worse. I just hummed in response, trying to keep my attention on the flowers.

~-~•~-~