Darkling by Mima Sabolic Page A

grinned and opened his hand to reveal a red rose bud.
    “What poor vase did you wreck?”
    “So young, and yet so dead.” He looked at the flower, ignoring my gag.
    “It’s not dead until it dries.”
    “You think?” Something glinted in his eyes.
    I didn’t know what he meant by that. “I don’t like flowers taken from the garden. By picking it you kill it, and it can retain its beauty only until it dries and dies for good,” I said.
    After a couple of minutes, he broke the silence.
    “I am that flower,” Set said, quietly, fixing the rose bud in my hair.
    Okay, now I got the whole flower metaphor.
    The intensity of his gaze calmed a little, and even though I was enjoying this little exchange, I didn’t think it was serious. His peculiar interest in me still remained a mystery.
    “Apius.” It was Doris.
    “Lazar,” he nodded, reverting to nonchalance.
    “I didn’t know you guys knew each other.”
    “Ditto,” he returned.
    Doris grinned and handed me a glass. “Where did you disappear to? I looked everywhere for you! You’ve got to try this cocktail.”
    It was turquoise and purple, and as I was studying it, Set muttered his apologies and walked away.
    “Where did you find him?”
    “He found me.” That seemed to be good description of our association.
    The cocktail was very tasty.
    “I told you.” She winked, seeing my approval.
    She took my hand again, insisting that I should meet some more of her friends. I didn’t mind her dragging me all over the place. I felt nice and safe in her presence. Maybe that first champagne was helping, but overall, I was having a good time.
    Two other dolls, Mia and Bryn, completed Doris’s trio. Mia seemed a little too snobbish for my taste, but Bryn seemed like a tender and quiet person, even a little insecure. They both were very polite to me. Apart from them, there was a guy named Tyler, whose hand Doris also took, though nothing seemed romantic about it. She apparently really liked holding hands.
    That night she made me smile and laugh a lot, which I was thankful for. I really needed it—I had to stop being self-conscious in that place. No fear, no embarrassment—nothing but easy enjoyment.
    We exchanged cell phone numbers and promised to see each other soon. Saying our final goodbyes, she kissed me on the cheek, and, feeling me freeze a little, offered a big reassuring smile.
    Filled with positive emotions, I strode the hall back to my suite. Turning right I walked right into something huge and black.
    “That’s the second time.”
    I stared in shock up at Andrei Belun’s frown-free face.
    “What do you mean?” Then the memory of kick came back, and I barely held down a grin.
    “You bumped into me yesterday, in the dining room.”
    Was that him who I bumped into while avoiding Set’s eyes?
    “Sorry,” I said confused.
    “Not at all.”
    He stood in front of me, blocking my way. His dark, moss-green eyes were piercing. His gaze was so intense, it felt like he was reading all of my childhood memories and made me shift on my feet. The pressure in my chest grew; he wasn’t moving and I couldn’t take my eyes off of his. And then, suddenly, he broke the gaze. Looking at something in my hair, his eyes stiffened. Belun’s fingers touched the rose bud. He stared at it.
    “Symbolism of vampirism, if I got it right.”
    “Fleur du mal.” His voice quiet, still looking at the flower. “I’ve already seen this one.” Then he looked at me again in quite a different way. It was as if he had found something in the rose bud that unnerved him deeply, and I was the messenger. He stepped aside, letting me pass.
    “Goodnight,” he said, and left with the flower in his hand.
    Okay, that was about all I wanted to experience from the two of them. It was enough that I was living among vampires; I didn’t want to get between them as well. I had neither a death wish nor the bravado for something like that.
    Back in my suite, I removed my makeup and, trying to