BLAKE

Standing in front of the mirror, Blake loosened his tie for the hundredth time. He had refused to get ready for the Gala with Daniel, declaring that he could get on fine without him and Michael's help. Blake had other options, but everyone was driving him crazy with Damien's smug look that things weren't going well, Adrian trying to get Blake to see things from Daniel's side and their parents for dismissing it as a nothing-fight just like they did when they kids.

What was the most aggravating was Ignacio's disappearance ever since Blake found out about the reincarnation scheme... Blake's first thought every time he saw Daniel was to tell him about the dreams and their shared past, but then he remembered all the terrible things he said and Blake would shut his mouth.

Daniel wasn't listening to reason.

So, he'd never understand something so unreasonable.

There was a knock on the door and Blake peered at it suspiciously. "Who is it?"

"It's Michael and I come in peace."

With a sigh, Blake told him, "Come in."

Alone, Michael stepped inside and he must've had a keen sense because he walked right up to Blake and started fixing his tie. Blake tried evading him, but the vampire assistant wasn't having it. "I'm not a little kid," Blake mumbled.

"You and his highness are both children to me. I'm fifty-four years old."

Blake gaped at the blonde that had always looked the same age as him. Maybe even younger!

"You've never asked." Michael flattened his tie and examined the rest of Blake's dress, fiddling with things here and there. "I'm going to ask that you listen to me."

"Michael-" Blake was ready to sigh and reject him, but the stern look in Michael's face shut him up.

"I hope you'll listen to me because I like to think I've always carried the best intentions for you," he explained, cutting holes into Blake's resolve because he believed in Michael more than most people. Michael said, "I didn't know you two when you were younger, but from what I've heard you two weren't the best of friends."

"You heard right," Blake admitted.

"I can assume you had lots of fights back then and never resolved them. But you're older now, so you two must learned how to resolve your fights and make peace."

"I don't want to fight with him."

"I know."

"I still love him," Blake thought he might need to reassure Michael, hating to think he might believe otherwise. "But I love Adrian too."

"Don't worry so much. You boys will work this out," Michael insisted, squeezing his shoulders. The way he said it almost made Blake believe it... but not quite. A horrible feeling still made his stomach acids squirm.

"Daniel doesn't want my forgiveness."

"I won't speak for the Prince. I won't pretend to know what he's thinking, but I know he loathes fighting with you just as much as you do."

A knock on the door broke the boys apart as they looked over to Ignacio peeking inside. Squeamishly, the demon made a tiny wave. "Hello, hello. I hope this isn't a bad time," Ignacio announced as he waltzed inside wearing a green velvet suit that paired well with his warm brown skin but was a stark difference to his white hair that was styled nicer than usual. He still rocked the long pearl earring dangling right over his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" Blake gawked.

"I'll leave you guys to talk," Michael said, but he hesitated, giving Ignacio a once over, then two or three more times. "Why are you so dressed up? We were given the night off."

"Oh, uh, well," Ignacio crossed his arms, even shyer than before. "Frances asked if I would accompany him. Not as a date or anything. He just had a plus one invitation and bopped me with it, which was quite compelling."

"And you said yes?" Michael went wide-eyed and paler than ever. "Without any blackmail or monetary gain?"

"Um, no?" Ignacio cocked his head, looking more like a cat than ever. "Is that customary?"

Michael didn't answer. He just shook his head and decided to close that door. He muttered as he left, "You are officially the strangest person I've ever met."

He closed the door behind him, taking any lightness with him. Ignacio tensed along with the click of the door closing.

"You've been hiding from me," Blake said.

"I didn't know how to face you," Ignacio said, proving to still having trouble, narrowing his eyes at the wall. "You have so many questions, but I can't answer them all. It... it hurts too much." His voice cracked, a sob at the edge of his sentence.

"Iggy," Blake said while trying to keep from getting emotional and ruffling up his new costume. The press wasn't going to get tear-stained cheeks from him tonight. Blake's voice came out thin and he needed to hold onto Ignacio for strength. "I'm not okay. I'm fighting with Danny and I feel like I'm two people."

"I do apologize for not preparing you even though I could see the signs that you were going to learn the truth anyways."

Blake squeezed Ignacio's arms, reeling him back. "These things I can handle. I just have to know the answer to one question..." Creeping closer, Blake whispered so no prying ears could hear them, so even the ghosts of Bellerose castle wouldn't catch on. "Is there any possibility that Edward could come back and stop the wedding?"

Ignacio didn't immediately answer.

And the silence cut like a knife.

All the blood in Blake's body ran thin and he thought he might vomit all over his shiny shoes, if his throat hadn't closed up. "A deal with a demon is a complicated thing." Ignacio carefully strung his arm around Blake's to escort him from the room because Blake assumed the world still needed to turn and despite it all, he still had to go to this ball. "Starting my deal with Henry ended my deal with Edward early, which means I broke our deal and that creates... possibilities."

"Stop talking around it."

"Deals fester a demon's magic, letting them live longer and grander and without care. But I broke a deal and all the magic I was building collapsed too."

"Is that why it took five hundred years for me to be reborn?"

Ignacio nodded. "I must confess to another lie. When I said my powers are restricted to the deal that wasn't true... I just can't do much more than change my appearance and make roses appear." Ignacio did a flourish with his hand and a small red rose materialized. He slid it into Blake's breast pocket with a little pat.

"So..." Blake stared ahead, trying not to remember Edward's fingers around his throat. "You're saying Edward could come back because you broke the deal with him and if he does, there's nothing you can do about it."

"I'm saying I still owe him if he comes back."

The boys found themselves at the top of the staircase and Blake finally met Ignacio's eyes. "I'm scared, Iggy."

Ignacio cracked a smile and pointed two fingers at Blake like they were the horns of a devil. "Which is why you and Daniel should make up, get married and live happily ever after. No problem. You're welcome."

"You are a little demon," Blake grumbled, trying to get a kick at Ignacio before he scurried down the rest of the stairs, but Ignacio stumbled back and Blake's leg went limp.

Walking up to the steps, Frances shook his head with his signature smirk hanging off his lips. Blake had to rub his eyes just to make sure what he was seeing was real. The usually thrown together Frances had been polished into a diamond tonight. Still adorned in black, his princely attire was tailored to his lithe form perfectly. The jacket's trimmings were gold to match his rings and the sash across his chest. His unruly hair had been slicked back too.

Ignacio straightened like Blake just shoved a ruler up his shirt. "Frances?"

Knowingly, Frances dipped his head a little out of... shyness? Blake couldn't believe what was happening in front of him.

"Are you still trying to convince me that you're some sort of prince?" Ignacio teased, playing with one of the ornaments pinned to Frances's chest. Frances watched him fuss with it so fondly, he might as well been looking at his husband of twenty years.

With the same smirk on his lips, Frances took a step back and bowed. Not the over-dramatic bow he made to make fun of the whole ceremony, but one so proper it would've made Michael weep. He said, no sarcasm to be found, "I am Prince Frances Petrovic of the Rose Coven and it'd be my pleasure to escort you to the Sagewick Christmas Gala."

He offered his elegant hand and with twinkling eyes, Ignacio accepted the gesture, being led down the rest of the stairs. Ignacio whispered, "The pleasure is mine."

They must've forgot Blake was there at all, their sights only on the other. Frances laid Ignacio's hand on his arm and with perfect posture, he escorted Ignacio through the hall and towards the exit. It looked like something out of a movie.

Blake couldn't hold the jealous sigh leaving his lips. If Blake wasn't fighting with his own prince maybe he'd get a nice little romantic moment like this. Leaning against the railing, Blake suddenly felt exhausted and wanted to go back upstairs and kick off these pinchy shoes.

"Don't give up," someone said as if reading Blake's mind. He jumped and turned to find Adrian chuckling to himself. "After you get through this Gala, it'll be the calm before the real storm. You're getting married at the end of the week. Worry about that instead."

"I'm compartmentalizing my stress," Blake explained, pushing himself off the railing. "I'm only opening up what I can handle in the moment."

"If that's what you want." Adrian was dressed a little like a Grampa, obviously embracing retirement with his sweatpants and loose plaid thermal. It just made Blake smile.

"What will you be doing tonight?"

"Maybe some light reading. Might sleep earlier than usual. You know, go wild."

Blake's grin was cut short as Daniel shouts bounced through the hall. Following close behind Michael, Daniel strut from the second floor. "If we're ready, let's go. We're going to be late for our own event."

Daniel stopped at the top, narrowing his glare at Adrian. His anger infected Blake, seeping into his skin and making him red hot all over. Out of instinct, he crossed his arms. "Are you asking me? Or are you demanding me, your highness?"

Rolling his eyes, Daniel threw his hands up in total defeat. "Good lord. You may have never dated anyone before, but you sure know how to fight." He stormed right past Blake towards the bottom floor. "The bachelors of the world should thank me for ridding you of the dating world. I shudder to think about the amount of psychic damage you'd do to an actual boyfriend."

Blake's face burned hot as he clenched his fists by his side to keep them from sparking, but the lights flickered anyway. Daniel's wording gnawed at Blake's patience. Actual boyfriend. Actual lover. Blake might actually throttle him. "And even though you've dated, you suck at fighting because everything you say just makes me angrier."

Michael was right.

They only knew how to fight like a couple of children. 

"Blake," Adrian whispered and grabbed Blake's shoulder, holding him back. "Cut him some slack. He's the host of the Gala. That's a lot of pressure on his shoulders."

It took everything inside of Blake to keep from rolling his eyes. Frances didn't share the same restraint. He rolled his eyes with his entire being, shedding some of the princely pretense. "I'm so glad we're riding separate. Iggy, I've rented us a mustang."

"Now that I do have practice riding."

"Not with me." Frances winked.

"I guess I'll meet you at the car," Daniel told Blake. The man moved and rested like he was made of tension. Nothing short of a wrecking ball could make Daniel bend. Closer to the door, Daniel suddenly stopped. He turned and the softness in his eyes surprised Blake, hitting his heart like cupid's arrow. Daniel made Blake so weak with such few words. "Don't forget your coat. It's only going to get colder tonight."

Blake nodded, only now noticing how gorgeous he looked in his princely garb. Unlike Frances's black and gold uniform, Daniel practically glowed in a creamy white. His embellishments silver, shining like diamonds and looking twice as expensive. So pretty Blake's fingers itched to reach out and touch, but he curled his hands into fists.

Eyeing Adrian for only a moment, Daniel's frown deepened, but he didn't comment. He left behind the others. Alone. The string tying their hearts together went taught and pinched Blake's chest.

"You should forgive him, Blake," Adrian had the gull to say.

Blake gawked. "You're defending him?"

"I just understand him." He reached down, combing Blake's hair. "You're so precious and if I thought isolating you would help you, I'd do it too. The wedding is only a week away. He's stressed and acting out."

"Still, he hasn't apologized. I shouldn't have to be the one to forgive him. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Calm down," Adrian insisted and cupped Blake's face, holding him gently inside his two gigantic hands. He leaned in close, keeping his voice low in attempt to soothe his charge. "Calm down. If you think he shouldn't get off so easily, maybe it'll be a good idea to test him?"

"Test him? How?"

Adrian smiled, leaning back as he slipped the rose out from Blake's pocket. "I might be retired but allow me to help you once again, sir." He touched the rose to his lips, hiding a small chuckle that Blake didn't quite understand, but Blake listened to every single word his former bodyguard said, wondering if his plan were even possible.

#

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Double update~ And next week we'll be at the Gala. Nothing ever bad happens at parties in books, right? Haha. We're also close to a couple of Frances chapter. You guys check Frances out this chapter? My boy has some moves. Delphine would be proud. I mentioned it on twitter, but the REAL romantic hero of this book and The Golden Rule is Frances and you can't change my mind. Lol. 

Don't forget to like and comment on the chapter! What did you think about Blake's conversation with Ignacio? Did it answer some of your own questions? Will Blake and Daniel ever stop fighting? 

If you like this book, check out my other stories!