Hello! I know it's been a long time. That's because I've been trying to get my work taken off of Novel HD, Web novel, and now Soo books. Novel HD took Exposed and seems to be taking the chapters as soon as I post them. But they haven't taken Chapter 26 yet, so since it's been so long, I wanted to go ahead and post the next update and hope that the issue with them will be resolved soon.

The music for the dance in this chapter is inspired by They're Only Human from Death Note: The Musical. I listen to three different versions, so before the dance in the chapter, I'll link the English version, but below are the Japanese and Korean versions.

Japanese

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Korean

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Colton~~

Every damn guest has it in their mind that they want to see, speak with, and prod the Expireds.

         I turn away in disgust, draining a glass of champagne.

The next song begins playing, drawing some of the attention away from my brother and Iris. A small mercy for my nerves now that the risk of someone stabbing them decreases.

Beside me, Percy watches Elisana from where she stands next to her father. Before the ball, I drilled into him that he shouldn't dance with the Tresais's daughter tonight. She needs to be considered the enemy. He doesn't need to get himself attached; especially when his would-be father-in-law wants Jonas punished.

         Vienna comes up to me, two glasses of champagne in hand. She offers one to me, and as I accept it, she says, "You look like you could use it."

         "Am I hiding it that poorly?" The Death Waltz. Stars. I rake a hand through my hair only for my fingers to snag on my laurel wreath. I let out a hiss in frustration.

         Frowning, Vienna hands me her champagne and reaches up to adjust my crown, her fingers tugging gently at my hair. "I'm sure you're doing a spectacular job; it's just that you can't hide it from me."

         I want to talk to him. I want to make sure they're both all right.

         Thinking that not long ago I was prepared to take my brother's throne and kill Iris makes my blood run cold.

         "Beta."

         I turn from Vienna to find Preeminence Moretti approaching.

         "Preeminence," we both say, giving him an equally stiff bow and curtsey.

         "Might I have a word with you?"

         I glance at Vienna.

         She nods. "I'll be fine."

         I return her glass of champagneONLYONWATTPADBENDERand follow Moretti to a set of curtains he draws back revealing a small alcove with only a couch barely large enough for two and a floor candelabra.

         Did Alastair ever have one of his famous escapades in here?

         I try not to grimace, thinking of how filthy this room might be.

         Moretti allows the curtains to fall shut behind us. "I spoke with my son."

         My heart misses a beat.

"He said he'd only marry your sister on the condition your brother lives."

         I don't know whether to suck in a breath, let one out, or—in the extreme case—vomit.

         "Did he speak with my sister about it then?"

         "He only said that she's well. I don't know if he's spoken to her about the proposal, but my Order wants this match to happen, so we've agreed to his condition."

         "But the Death Waltz."

         He waves his hand frivolously in the air. "We're putting them in their place."

         "So, they're to remain your prisoners then?"

Moretti reclines onto the couch, spreading out his arms against the back of it. "No. They'll be released tomorrow."

         "Is he still Preeminence?"

         "If that were up to me, I'd also say no, but it's up to the Orders of Amoria to decide. That is if your brother is willing to fight for it." He sighs. "You're in position to possibly have everything you ever wanted, Beta: the title of Preeminence; and if the Orders agree that your sister's heir can be the future Preeminence, you'll be able to marry your human."

         I take a long drink from my champagne.

         "You'll need to leave tonight though."

         "Why?"

         "We have more plans for the raggioetay tonight."

"What are they?"

"Stay to find out and our deal is off."

         I turn to face the wall to my left so he can't see the conflict on my face. Whatever his plan is, it's bad enough he knows I would interfere if I learned what it is.

         "I know you want to protect your brother and his bride, Beta, but are you willing to sacrifice a future with your human to do it? You'll never be able to know what it's like to call her your wife. To know what your children would look like: if they'd have your hair and her eyes." He smiles salaciously. "And they are lovely eyes."

         I can almost see the future he's trying to paint for me, but it's all imaginings unless I leave behind Jonas.

         I have the chance to make that future real. How can I pass that up? "I have your word my brother and Iris will be released tomorrow?"

         He dips his head. "I swear it as Preeminence."

         "I'll leave tonight then." There. I said it.

         Moretti again waves his hand in the air, signaling me to leave. "There will be a car waiting for you."

I give him a shallow bow and turn to the exit. This may not be an honorable decision I'm making, but it is the right one for me.

When I place my hand on the curtain, he says, "Do enjoy the ball, Beta. You wouldn't want your brother to realize you're missing too early."

         My shoulders tense, and I push back the curtain. From here the dance floor is only a few feet away, and dancers waltz past me. I've heard the song many times over. It will soon reach its end. 

         I straighten my jacket. What are they going to do to Jonas and Iris that they need me out of the way?

         "Colton." Vienna comes over, grabbing me by the arm. "What was that about?"

         I glance back at the curtain, knowing Moretti is still on the other side. "I'll tell you later."

         She cocks her head but smiles. "In any case I'm glad you're back. The next dance is one of my favorites."

         I arch a brow. "Let me guess. The Preeminence-si Illex Cae?"

         "Yes. So we can't miss it."

         I slide my free hand into hers and press a kiss to it. "Then I shall not deny you."

         I set my glass on an empty tray as we walk past Erik who stands with Rydersin Torellae's Veil. I nod at him with a slight jerk of my head, a signal to join us. He turns to one of the Veil, her black hair pulled back in a bun, and holds out his hand.

         Knowing he can figure out his dance partner on his own, I continue walking with Vienna as the current song comes to an end, and as we turn to step out on the dance floor, I give Percy the same signal.

         Once we're far enough out on the floor, Vienna and I position ourselves about three feet from each other.

Erik arrives, almost dragging the Veil with him. He lets her go when they're next to Vienna, and Erik steps beside me.

         The Veil looks disgruntled. "I don't dance."

Erik just stares at her.

         "You should have asked Rydersin."

         "I didn't want to ask Rydersin, Meilin. Besides you must have spent a lot of time observing balls. You probably know this dance after watching it so many times."

         Beyond Meilin, I spot Torellae speaking with someone I'm almost certain is a son of the Order. Since he looks only vaguely familiar, he probably isn't set to inherit a title, otherwise I'd have him committed to memory.

Across from me Vienna's eyes widen, a moment before I hear, "Might we join?" Jonas.

         I turn finding my brother and his fiancée. They finallyONLYONWATTPADBENDERmanaged to separate themselves from the crowd then.

I narrow my eyes at their chipped laurel wreaths.

"I'd like nothing better." Erik throws them a smile that manages to simultaneously be arrogant and charming.

         Jonas steps in line with me on my right, Iris standing across from him as Percy and—I let out a grumble under my breath—Elisana make their way over. I told him not to dance with her. Didn't I?

Does no one on either planet listen to me?

The two of them stand on the other side of Erik and Meilin.

Across the dance floor other groups of eight form.

         As we wait for the music to start, Iris lets out a shaky breath. What was she screaming about yesterday? What did they do to her to elicit those noises? For how long did she scream?

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         But I can't ponder that for long because the music begins, the notes of a xylophone sounding as if they are tip toeing in the air around us.

         I bow to Vienna as she dips into a curtsey. Arm raised and bent at a ninety-degree angle, I step toward Iris as she moves toward me, Erik and Elisana mirroring our movements. Up close, I scan her face and what's exposed of her arms for injuries but find none.

When we step apart, the others take their turn, and once they return to their spots, we all circle our partners, the back of my hand grazing Vienna's. My eyes are locked on hers as a piano and violins come into the song, picking up the pace of the music. A smirk curls her lips, and I wouldn't mind pulling her off the dance floor and into that alcove.

A second later, though, I remember my deal with Leorus Moretti. What will she say when I tell her we have to leave tonight? How do I begin to tell her Moretti has plans for Jonas and Iris that he won't disclose because they're bad enough that he knows we'd interfere?

         Returned to our starting positions, Iris and I lock arms, and we all but yank ourselves toward each other in order to use the momentum to send us into the other's spot. After us, Jonas and Vienna do the same, grasping each other by their Marked arms—Jonas's carved up by Vienna.

         She saved my brother once upon a time. Would she now leave him to his fate tonight?

         The four of us circle each other, moving toward our original positions.

"I'm surprised you're participating in this dance," I say to Jonas.

         "It is named after Preeminences. I hoped Leorus would find the humor in it."

         I'm about to abandon my brother. And Iris. But if I don't go, I won't be allowed a future with Vienna. He'd understand. Wouldn't he?

         He would leave me, right?

         "Moretti said Gwen is holding up." I had to get that out. He deserves to know. To have that small comfort when I disappear in the night.

         He doesn't have time to respond before I'm switching places with Vienna, twirling her under my arm, her black dress swirling around her.

         Moretti said there will be a car waiting for me and Vienna. Does that mean he's decided which Order we will be visiting first? Has he planned everything out or is it up to us?

         The violins sound as if they're playing in zigzags as I grasp Meilin by the arm and trade places with her as Erik and Vienna do the same. Neither looks comfortable being that close to one another, let alone touching.

I know if it were Erik in danger, Vienna would leave, but she likes Jonas. She always has. I do think she might refuse to leave.

         From the ends of the rectangle we form, Percy, Elisana, Jonas, and Iris spin in toward the center, the music sounding as if its swirling around them or as if they're the ones creating the music. Each key of the piano feels like the paranoia beating inside me at the thought Vienna is going to refuse to leave.

         But she came all this way. Would she stop now?

         Elisana and Percy loop around us, Elisana returning to my side. The Tresais's daughter and I face each other, my hand coming to lay on her waist while the other takes her hand. The fingers of her left hand are close to my neck, and I can't help if my imagination runs wild with thoughts that she'd be the type to strangle someone in their sleep.

         Of course, I have no basis for that claim.

         "Beta."

         I only nod before I lead us into a waltz, spinning us out of the formation in a diagonal. Though I can't see them, I know, based on the dance's pattern, Iris and Erik waltz together. I'd pay good money to know what thoughts are running through their heads.

         I twirl Elisana under my arm, and she falls back into the waltz, her steps never faltering.

         When we hit the farthest point to which we're meant to travel, I grasp her by the waist and lift her, using the momentum to turn us around.

         What would my cousin do if I just . . . let her fall?

         Best not to explore that thought while her father watches.

         The moment her feet softly touch the ground, we slide back into the waltz, and I spin her under my arm in three sets of turns until we're back in formation with the rest of the group.

         The refrain from the beginning repeats, this time the notes shaper as we repeat steps from earlier in the song. Percy and I grasp each other by the arms, pulling ourselves together to switch places. I meet his eyes. I want to know if he's wary at all of Elisana or if he's allowing lust to cloud his judgement.

         But I can't ask that here, and I can only watch her as we walk around our small quartet. Once we're away from this place, I'll ask Vienna her thoughts on the Tresais's daughter.

         As the music sounds as if it peels back, Percy and Elisana press their palms together and push off each other. Vienna and I do the same. Then Erik and Meilin followed by Iris and Jones.

         When Vienna and I come back together, we're in our spots for the coda of the song and have formed a circle with our group instead of a rectangle.

         I pull her against me, the bodice of her dress pressing into my chest. Tell her.

         I hardly ever feel winded from a dance, but at this moment it's like I can't breathe. I lean toward her ear, my chin brushing hers. "We have to leave tonight." I feel heavy as if I'm falling.

         Pulling back, her eyes are wide. "What?"

         But I can't answer because the drums begin, signaling we must launch into the final waltz or raise suspicion among my family when they'd crash into us.

         I twirl her under my arm, our steps at once heavy and light. I don't how to tell her Jonas and Iris are in danger. But for only one night.

         That's all.

         Just one insignificant night that somehow means everything.

         I tighten my grip on her, and together we spin. We're only a few steps from the end. Only a few steps before she demands the truth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse my brother and Iris locked in a waltz. What is in store for them? Is my happiness now to be at the expense of their own? For so long it was the other way around.

         So then is it so wrong to chase after that which I want most when my brother did the same to me?

         I hold Vienna closer, spinning us before I lift her in the air as the song comes to its thunderous end.

         She stares down at me, her chest rising and falling. I slowly lower her as the rest of the many leads across the dance floor do the same with their own partners.

"We're leaving? Is the Order letting Jonas go?"

My heart twists. She thinks we'll all be together.

         I place a kiss against her lips to silence her. I can't risk any of my family overhearing her. "In private," I murmur, my month brushing hers as I speak.

         Slipping my hand into hers, I lead her into the alcove the Preeminence brought me to. I'm thankful to find it empty of the Preeminence or any couples who wanted to steal a few moments alone.

         She takes in the room. "What's going on, Colton?"

         If I'm not honest with her now, how do I expect us to spend the rest of her life together?

         I place a hand on the armrest of the couch Moretti sat on. "The Order has given their support to our petition."

         The change in her is immediate. Her face lights up, her hands coming to her mouth. "Colton . . ."

         "There are naturally conditions," I continue. "The first is that the rest of the Orders agree. The second is that Gwen marries Alastair."

         Her hands fall. "Does she even want to?"

         "She would for the prestige." Not because she likes him. "And the last is that Jonas and Iris don't know that we're leaving."

         "Why?" She steps toward me. "Are they not going to release them?"

         I dig my fingers into the couch's fabric. "They will tomorrow. But they have something planned for them tonight."

         She catches the darkness in my words. "Then we can't leave."

         I feel my heart plummet. "If we don't, the deal is off the table. We won't have the chance to marry."

         She bites her lip, and I can see the conflict in her eyes. "But he's your brother. Can you really leave him behind?"

         I draw her against me, and she rests her cheek against my chest. "He would do it for Iris," I say.

         "But that's them. Could we forgive ourselves?"

         "I'll never forgive myself if I don't do everything I can to be with you."

         She looks up at me. "They'll be free tomorrow night?"

"That's what the Preeminence said."

         "And Erik? Will he be here?"

         "I don't know." Even if he is, the Order seem to have Erik's hands tied enough that he won't interfere.

         Her hands tighten into my jacket. "We have to, don't we?"

         "If we want to marry, then yes."

         She nods. Once. "Then we'll go."

*****

As the ball draws near its end, we slip away, making our way to our respective rooms, and after I finish packing my bag a servant knocks on the door to collect it.

A few minutes later, I leave my room, meeting Vienna in the hall near the stairs. We're both still dressed in our ball attire to not raise suspicions.

"Are you ready?" I ask her.

"For you, yes."

         Outside a car like the one we arrived in a few days ago waits for us.

         I open the door for Vienna, my heart pounding. She steps inside and lets out a rather nasty swear that if I wasn't so nervous, I would probably be impressed with. I quickly duck my head under the door.

         None other than Percy sits at the end of the car, leg crossed over his thigh and arms spread out along the back row. "I hope you're both having a lovely night."

         I grind my teeth. "What are you doing here, Percy?"

"Jonas gave me orders to keep an eye on you. Remember?"

         Vienna's fingers tighten around the headrest of a seat. "How did you know we'd be here?"

"I overheard you dishing out your plan like some monologuing villain."

         "If you heard us"—I step fully into the car—"then you know the Preeminence said he has plans for Jonas and Iris. Shouldn't you stay and protect him?"

"My Preeminence gave me orders."

         I shut the door behind me and reluctantly sit. "And what about the newly-found love of your life?"

         My cousin rolls his eyes. "Again, the Preeminence gave me orders. I'm not going to disobey them because of a woman I barely know." He shrugs. "So shall we get this adventure started?"

         I suppose this means Vienna and I won't be having a grand romantic escapade. Not with Percy staring at us like a chaperone who is convinced we'll spoil each other's virtues the moment we're left alone for only a second. Really that would be quite impressive if that were possible. He'd have to admit that.

The car begins to move. When I shut the door, it must have been a signal to the driver that we're ready to depart. Is it still too late to toss Percy out?

         I don't know how long the first leg of our journey will be, meaning I don't know how long the three of us will have to sit staring at each other.

It is a small consolation that of all my cousins in the Order, Percy is by far the best storyteller. After all, we could have been stuck with Bently this time like we were in France. And everyone knows Bently has no flair for storytelling.

Truly, I suppose, it's a blessing to be stuck with Percy.

Maybe blessing isn't the right word.

It's a mercy.

Because if it were up to me, I'd choose none of my cousins, and Vienna and I would be alone for the first time in what feels like months.

But no. The Society must always be watching.