Page 17 of Angels Don’t Date

My chest panged as I went past them into the shadows of the castle corridor. The cameras were there, videoing my entrance. The two guards fell in behind me, framing me in my sparkles. Look at me! So sparkly, so pretty, so idiotic! I walked into the grand hall, the two staircases lined with my suitors, the red carpet under their feet reminding me of the velvet couch in the library. I’d never gone back to get the blood out.

On the table between the curve of the two staircases, was a large, glass-cut vase, filled with red and white roses. I’d gotten the memo. I would give a red rose to the contestant I liked best, and a white rose to the one I liked least. Richard was the top on the right side, behind the werewolf and the fairy. On the left were the elf, the incubus, and the devil.

The devil grinned at me like I was playing into his hands. Pity I couldn’t vote him off along with the angel. I’d give the red rose to the fairy, and the white to the angel. That way I didn’t have to go around.

I stood there while Pearly White greeted the audience and then I took a white rose and a red one out of the vase. It was deathly quiet as I turned and walked towards the stairs. My heart beat faster and faster as I put my foot on the first step, up, and up, and up, until I reached the fairy, Monterose Fellicci. I hesitated and then handed him the red rose, before passing him and Rafe to offer Richard the white one.

Pearly White and the camera people gasped. Were we shocked that I’d vote off the person who had saved my life so romantically? I didn’t care. This was my life, not a show! Richard took the rose with a slight incline of his perfect head, mischief in his blue eyes, and then I turned and walked back down, as stately as I could, heart pounding so fast in my chest, I felt like it was going to break my ribcage.

“Well, Princess! That was unexpected. Why did you vote off the angel who saved you?” Pearly White asked, shifting us so the cameras could get a good line on my face.

“He never should have been here. I feel bad for him, stuck on a dating show when he’s not the type of angel who would ever marry someone who didn’t share his angelic blood. I appreciate him saving my life, but I only want serious contestants on here. I’ll always be grateful for what he did,” when I wasn’t hating him for killing Mini, “But it’s time to face reality.”

“Ah. Well, you’ve heard the princess!” Pearly said, turning full on the camera with his disturbing smile. “Now it’s your turn to be heard. Audience votes count for sixty-five percent of the results, so make your votes count! We’ll be right back after a word from our sponsors.” He winked at the camera, and then it was my turn to grab his arm.

“What do you mean, the audience votes count for sixty-five percent of results!? This is my life! The audience doesn’t get to choose my life for me!”

He looked down at my hand and then back at my face. “It was in the contract you signed. You didn’t read it carefully enough, but people never do. You should ask the Devil what other surprises are in the fine print. Devils always read the contracts.” He took my wrist like it was a slimy snake, removed it from his arm and turned to yell at a camerawoman.

I stood there, feeling all nauseous and shivery until the devil came up, giving me a delighted smile.

“Princess. It is a pity about the fine print, but Pearly White’s contracts are extremely fine. Did you know that he’s the sole profiteer of this show? That was in his fine print. You have rights to share your bits on your own platform, as well as the other contestants, or they wouldn’t be on.”

“Yes, I did check that part. The voting section was very convoluted, so I skimmed.”

“You’ve learned so much from this little debacle. I take it you’ll never skim something before you sign again.”

His dark eyes danced with amusement before he turned and took a glass of champagne off a tray, sipping it while he returned to his place on the stairs.

Rafe the wolf laughed loud enough to get my attention while he sneered and pointed at the angel standing on the steps above him.

“She rejected you! I knew she would. You’re just a virginal angel who doesn’t know what a woman wants.”

Excuse me? Who said that? And even if Richard was vile, I’d never talk about his personal life like that.

“She’s a virgin,” the fairy said, sniffing suspiciously at the red rose. “Haven’t you seen the way she reacts around Banus? Or rather doesn’t react.”

I really didn’t want to hear this conversation. Except it was good to know what they thought of me, and they weren’t keeping their voices down low enough that a vampire wouldn’t be able to hear them.

I tried not to notice the way Rafe’s lip curled as he looked at me in a way that was absolutely objectifying. How could they talk like that right in front of me? It made me wonder what they said about me when I wasn’t there.

Richard cuffed the wolf on the back of the head. “So sorry,” he said as he tucked the white rose behind his ear. “Your head was in the way of my elbow.”

Rafe scowled at him, but kept his snarling to a minimum.

“Smiles, everyone, except the angel, you can look devastated. More devastation, less boredom! You’re hopeless. Five, four, three…” Pearly White beamed at the camera. “And we’re back! After tallying the final votes, we have the results in. Staying on the show, we have Monterose Fellicci, the princess’s pick. Second, we have Banus, the charming incubus who proved his excellent conversation skills during this week’s romantic stroll. Also staying is the wolf with the most, Hughenot Raferty, whose charm is as unmistakable as his pectorals.”

Pearly summoned a deathly serious expression. “Now, ladies and gentlemen, for the final count. Who’s going home? Is it the Elf, who sadly tends to blend into the woodwork, the devil who must miss his casinos he talks about them so much, or is it the angel, the one who saved her, but the one our princess rejected? Do you think she has a chance to truly win his heart in spite of his angelic nature?”

His smile became diabolical as he opened an envelope that I could clearly see was blank. “Leaving us this week is the Devil of Wonderland! Thank you so much for coming on our show. Staying on another week is Richard the Lion, and Zander Spinnera. Now the devil will dance with our princess, one last chance to say goodbye.”

The devil’s expression remained amused as he offered me his hand and I let him take me on a spin around the grand hall.

“You’re happy to be going home,” I said, examining his features.

His smile sharpened. “Indeed.”

“Why did you come here in the first place? You were too obvious to actually be peddling your casinos. What do you really want?”