"I'll thank Tristan for his generosity and meet you outside in a   moment," Raven told Amber as they descended into the anteroom, adding a   moment later as if in afterthought, "Is there anyone that you want to   say goodbye to?"

Amber tilted her head. "Both my niece and nephew  knew that I'd be  leaving the party early, and departing for Europe in  the morning."

It was Raven's turn to grin in delighted surprise. "How utterly prescient of you."

"I  may be old enough to be your mother, but I'm not so senile that  I've  lost my ability to hedge my bets," Amber responded with an arched   eyebrow.

At the word 'mother', Raven's smile tightened almost  imperceptibly.  However, her voice, when she next spoke, was as coolly  amused as ever.

"I'm extraordinarily glad to hear that."

Amber   noted the flicker in Raven's expression, a minuscule curve to to her   own lips. "I'll be waiting in the limousine, then," she said.

Inclining   her head in acknowledgement, Raven turned away a slight bit swifter   than was necessary. She drew in a breath, releasing the tension in her   muscles as she exhaled. Coy, mysterious smile on her lips, she drifted   into the ballroom.

Heads turned in her direction as she   strolled around clusters of people, scanning the room for Tristan's tall   build and dark hair. She spied him in a corner, Aaron at his side, and   was making her way towards them when a man with dirty blonde hair and   startlingly bright green eyes stepped into her path.

"Excuse me,"   he said, a charming half-smile on his full lips. "I saw you earlier  and  couldn't help but wonder--how is it that I don't know the name of  such a  beautiful woman?"

Raven's dark red lips spread in a grin  that she  knew was equal parts wicked and enthralling as her eyes swept  the man's  form from head to toe. "Find me later," she murmured, tossing  a  seductive wink over her shoulder as she stepped around him.

His eyes catching hers from above the heads of the people that separated them, Tristan laughed silently.

"You   can't blame him," he said as Raven approached him and Aaron. "Geoffrey   loves a pretty face, and yours is far beyond pretty."

Raven   accepted the compliment with a smile that was both demure and knowing,   before her features settled into their usual cool, composed expression.   "My companions and I have decided to depart, but I want to thank you   again for your hospitality." She turned to include Aaron in their   conversation. "It was lovely to meet you," she said, her lips curling   into a warm smile.

"The pleasure was all mine," Aaron responded, his countenance mirroring hers.

"You're leaving? This late at night?" Tristan asked in mild concern.

"Rather,   this early in the morning," Raven replied in amusement. "But yes.   Something came up, and you know how it is." She waved a dismissive hand,   reaching up to embrace him. "Sorry for the mess," she whispered in his ear before drawing back.

Alarm shone in Tristan's dark blue eyes.   "Well, if you're sure," he said carefully, wary of Aaron's presence,   oblivious to their double-sided conversation, at his side.

Raven's   lips parted in a smile that was both reassuring and unsettling. "It'll   be fine." She winked at Aaron, who inclined his head laughingly to  her.  "Until next time, then."

"Until next time," Tristan echoed, worry still sparkling in his gaze as Raven turned and sauntered away.

A   blonde head turned her way, and Raven quickened her pace as Geoffrey   made his way towards her. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist,   confirming the suspicion that she didn't have any time to waste.

She   looked up to see the dark-haired man from Tristan's anteroom standing   in her path. His nearly-black eyes stared intently into hers, a faint   half-smile on his lips, as he offered his hand.

"Apologies for not making myself known, before. I'm Chase. Chase Corvus."

Inwardly   rolling her eyes and outwardly smiling engagingly, Raven placed her   hand in his, expecting to exchange a handshake. Instead, Chase lifted it   to his lips, brushing them feather-light against the back of Raven's   fingers. Involuntary mischief curled the edges of Raven's grin, along   with a hint of amused surprise; this might have been fun to explore, if   she didn't have other things to do.

"And I'm in the process of leaving," she responded, though her smile belied the harshness of her words.

"Wait,"   Chase said, catching at her fingers as she began to withdraw them from   his grip. "Can I at least walk you to your ride in exchange for your   name?"

Raven glanced over her shoulder to see that Geoffrey had stopped in his tracks, and her smile widened; at least the man she was exchanging him for seemed slightly more entertaining. "Perhaps,"   she said, tossing the word over her shoulder as she moved away from him.   "I'm Aida," she added, when he fell into step with her a moment later;   she commonly used her childhood name as a casual alias.

"An uncommon name for an uncommonly beautiful woman." Chase flashed her a devilish grin as they entered the anteroom.

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A/N:

I'm really looking forward to seeing the evolution of your thoughts in the comments, darlings XD also, this chapter is at least twice as long as they usually are, so I hope you guys enjoyed that, too! Vote if you did, and have a wonderful rest of your day/night ^w^