The Fall Ball
Chapter 57

(Rose)

Raymond and I talk a little more. He said that he would stay close to me the rest of the weekend, so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the new gift. He says it will take awhile to get full control over my powers, but with focus and training I will be fine.

I turn and I see that Ash is walking over to us. I smile at him; he comes up and wraps his arms around me and k****s my forehead. He pulls away and holds my hand.

“So what is it you two are talking about? You seem to be very lost in conversation.” Ash asks us. I look to Raymond; I’m torn between telling him or not. What if it freaks him out?

“Well, I gained a new gift.” I say to him.

“Ohh? What gift is it this time?” He asks me with a smile on his face.

“I don’t think it’s a good one, and I wish I didn’t have it.” I explain to him.

“Any gift from the goddess must have a reason for it.” He tells me while squeezing my hand.

“Well, the gift of mind reading. I can hear all the people around me, without even trying too. And some of these women have some very mean thoughts about me.” I tell him. I watch as the smile falls from his face.

“So you can read minds?” He asks and I nod at him. “So what am I thinking right now?” He asks and I shake my head at him.

“It doesn’t work with a vampire close to me. Raymond explained that the goddess gave this gift first to a wolf so that they could replace a traitor in the pack. But the goddess made it so that we can not hear the thoughts of our main enemy, vampires. At that time she explained that it would cause problems with fate.” I tell him.

He looks at me like he is trying to believe me, but I don’t think he does. “Raymond, would you step away for a moment. So I can prove that I’m telling the truth.” I ask, Raymond nods and walks away.

As soon as he is away, I get a rush of thoughts. “No way she can read minds. That seems like a curse, not a gift.” I hear from Ash.

“It feels like a curse…” I say to him. Shock shows on his face. He goes to say something but I grab his hand and start to walk through the crowd. We walk up to the King and Queen.

“Here comes the beauty that will be taking my place. I hope she is a fast learner.” I hear the Queen say.

“I can not wait to fully understand Rose and what she is. I am so happy for Ash.” I hear the King say.

We stop in front of them. And they both smile at us. “Are you having a good time?” The queen asks me.

“Not really. And thank you for calling me a beauty, and I will try to learn as fast as I can to lead the kingdom. And I would like to understand myself better too. And Ash and I are both so happy to have met one another.” I say to them.

Their mouths fall open in shock.

“How did you know what I was thinking? And I meant no harm in it, I just want you to be the best you can be.” The Queen says to me with a small smile.

“You gained a new power.” The King states to me. And I nod at him.

“Well, that is going to be a complicated gift.” The king says to me, while looking at Ash. Raymond walks up to us, which quiets down all of the commotion going on in my head.

I am positive I am going to have a constant headache with this gift.

“We will be fine; you will just have to train and focus. You have plenty of people around you that will help you.” Lilly says to me. She sounds a little tired. “Are you okay?” I ask her. “Ya I am okay, just feeling tired.” She tells me.

“So are we ready to do the kingdom run?” The king asks me, pulling me back into the conversation.

“Yes, I think it is about time,” Ash says with a smile. I was really excited, but now I’m not as excited. There are going to be a lot of voices in my head.

“Rose, I can run along beside you and Ash. I can keep up, and that way you can enjoy the time and not hear everyone’s thoughts.” Raymond says to me.

“Oh thank you, I was just thinking about the headache I was going to get.” I say to him with a smile.

“I think that we should do a little training on gaining some control over this power tomorrow before the festivities start.” Raymond says to me.

“Yes please, the sooner I can get the voices under control the better,” I say to him.

We talk more about what time and where we will do the training tomorrow. It is decided that we will train after breakfast in the field of flowers.

“I need all members that are going on the run to come over to me so that we can have a briefing on what is expected.” The Kings voice booms through the crowd. Everyone files around.

“We have guards around the perimeter of the kingdom to watch for safety. We have a few vampires staying in the forest. They are meant to be there, so do not be alarmed. Ash will lead the pack run tonight. And as Rose does not have her wolf currently, she will be riding on Ash’s wolf, Aspen.” The king says to all of us.

“As for my Queen and I, we are going to turn in for the night. So please enjoy the rest of your night. There will be food and drinks as long as you all decide to stay up. We have staff that are scheduled to be sure that you all have a great time.” He tells us.

The crowed erupts into cheers, “Party all night!!” Someone yells. The king smiles.

“Party all you want, but remember that we have more festivities planned for tomorrow. And no fights. My guards will not ask questions, you will be placed in the dungeon until tomorrow morning, when I can deal with you.” He tells us all.

“Now enjoy yourselves.” He says while turning and walking away with the Queen.