Her entire way back to her home, to the Halas house. She was blushing, but she hid her face with a fan, so her father wouldn't notice. As they rode in a carriage.
"Daughter, why do you have your fan out?" Robert asked, a quirked eyebrow raising.
"I…I don't know what to say about Jake and his appearance. It- it makes me furious that the king could believe such words from a criminal," she tried to sound hateful, but she couldn't put the act fully on after their kiss. Making it seem her blush was her anger.
Her act was faulty, but it was passable for her father, as he nodded. "Yes… But he spoke under the Pact between One and Five, and it didn't kill him. So it must be somewhat true." Robert's hand became a white knuckle fist as he remembered the Blood Ball; he was there that night, that dreadful night. But he was 10 at the time, yet the memories were still seared into his brain.
Elena didn't know what had happened that night; her father never talked about it.
Soon they arrived home, Leo helping Elena out of the carriage as she smiled and saw Lily waiting for her at the front door.
"My lady, how was it?" Lily said in a polite voice.
She froze, looking at her friend, a slight blush creeping up as she remembered his kiss. Lily's face took on a slightly confused form.
"My chambers, now," Elena spoke quickly, Lily's widening, as Leo and Lily followed them to Elena's personal chambers.
Lily closely followed Elena as they hastened to her chambers. Lily could tell something had happened.
As soon as Leo and Lily entered her chambers, and Elena closed the doors for Lily knew that something major had happened.
"Well? What happened?" Lily asked, as Elena's composure fell apart completely, showing how excited and nervous she was, as she squeaked out. "We kissed."
Lily and Leo looked at her, their minds processing her words and where she was just at. She was at the royal palace, and she kissed someone?
But Lily's mind concluded before Leo's, before his thoughts were even close to what had happened, as Lily squealed as well, "You kissed him!" Her face twisted with excitement.
Elena nodded sharply as blush settled on her cheeks. Leo looked at the two girls, wondering what was going on. "Uh, who did you kiss?" he said lightly, not knowing what was even going on.
Lily hugged Elena as she squealed out to answer Leo, "She kissed Jake!" Leo's mind broke.
How did he manage to get there? By what means were you able to see each other? How was it?" Lily asked, in rapid succession.
Elena blushed as she looked away from Lily's gaze. "Jake went there under a clause of The Pact of One between Five. He cleared his family's name from rumors of his father killing Henry." Lily's eyes became somber as the topic of Henry's death came up again.
"He was able to walk free out of the throne room… he snuck in there," Elena said, a slight chuckle as she remembered how he appeared in the throne room.
Lily nodded as Leo's mind finally put itself back together. "How were you able to see each other? Weren't there many other nobles and people?" He asked.
Lily nodded in agreement. Lily wanted the juicy stuff and also to change the topic of Henry.
"Well, after the gathering, I uh… we hid behind a column." Elena's voice got quieter as she saw her friend's hungry eyes.
"Well? How was he?" Lily asked, her eyes desired to know every detail from her friend, as Leo looked on in silence.
"I-It was nice… felt right… soft" Elena blushed harder at the memory of the kiss. Leo raised his hand to try and stop Lily putting pressure on Elena, but flinched at her gaze.
"Anything else?" Elena avoided her friend's gaze… "We uh kissed again and I um… we admitted that… we do have feelings… also he called me his fox," She spoke quietly. Lily's eyes started to sparkle.
"His fox?" She said, her voice teasing her.
Elena regretted telling her friend this. As Leo finally built up courage and spoke. "Uh, Lily, I suggest you give Mistress Elena some room to breathe."
Lily sighed as she realized he was right, and she backed away from Elena. "You don't know how many years I have been waiting for you two to finally kiss, and I missed it," Lily muttered, Elena's eyes widening.
"W-What?' Elena stammered.
~~~~~
Jake sighed as he walked down the old halls, which were made when the underground city was first mined out. They were over 400 years old. He leaned against the walls as he looked down at the closed door. A meeting he was supposed to attend.
But his mind drifted off to the memory of Elena and her soft lips. His mind could only think of that moment, and not the meeting he knew that he should join very soon. But he needed a logical mind, and it wasn't clear. He growled not at the memory, no, he loved it. He growled because he wasn't used to something that could easily distract him.
He took deep breaths, as he looked at his feet, he tried to think of just his feet, just feet, something that could not have his mind remembering the moment he cherished. He needed to focus on the meeting.
"Fuck," he muttered.
Dan, one of his bodyguards, also a lycanthrope bear, was a wall of a man as he looked to Audrey, a tall human woman with the right side of her face hidden behind a flat silver mask. Her silver hair tied back in a ponytail, as she shrugged, looking back at Dan, she wondered the same thing.
What had caused their boss to act like this?
"Boss, you uh okay?" Dan asked, his deep voice rumbling the air.
"Yes and no," Jake said, as he stared at his feet. "By the gods, why," he muttered, punching the wall softly.
Audrey shook her head. As Shawn walked up to Jake and shouted. "Oi, you fucking mutt, get your head in the game." His voice was a slight comfort and also added humor.
Jake chuckled at his friend, "You're right… Punch me," Jake said, standing up.
Shawn didn't even need a reason why as he punched with all his might into Jake's stomach, and air blew out of Jake's lungs, and he bent over, clutching his stomach, as his mind briefly wondered if this was what Huston felt when he had punched him. After that brief thought, his mind finally got under control.
Audrey facepalmed, and Dan chuckled. "Thanks," Jake wheezed as he stood up straight and turned around. As he took a deep breath and his mind became a fortress once again.
His eyes avoided any hint of red that could remind him of her, as he walked through the doors, entering a meeting. A meeting of the 5 crime families. He opened the doors, his suit neatly set, as his tail was held high, and his ears alert, listening the the dying murmur as multiple pairs of eyes landed on him.
A large rectangular stone table was in the middle of the room, and 5 people were already sitting down, with 5 other chairs empty, used for guests. His father was sitting on the side near the end of a table where a massive chair sat.
Multiple guards stood around the room. Each head was allowed 3 guards as Dan, Shawn, and Audrey followed Jake, as he looked forward and took the seat at the head of the table. His friends/guards took positions behind him. He looked at each head of each family along with their guests.
Malia Kanmis, head of the Kanmis family, Valmor Vorris, head of the Vorris family, Gregory Stone, head of the Stone family, and finally Aries Malanor, head of the Malanor family.
His eyes lingered on Malia and Aries longer, though.
The Malanor family only rose to power a year ago, replacing the now fallen Talis family.
"Let the meeting begin," Jake spoke, his voice attracting all. All knew he was the one who called the meeting, a rare feat for an heir.