“Whatever plans you have for meeting our newest sister are going to have to wait till after Wednesday’s final exams.” Nathen said. “You also can’t forget that your eighteenth Birthday is in three months. We have to be back by then, because you’re to be presented to the Court.”
Nathen was sixteen to Asher’s seventeen, his features were on the softer side. They also contained more hints of their mother. Their mother was in the shape of his eyes and mouth. His hair was cut close at the side and back but kept ear-length on top. The tight black coils of hair on top glittered with thin bands of gold. His eyes were outer rings of brass with inner rings of white. The brass of his eyes was glowing slightly, a hint at the emotions he was trying to control.
Kassandra smacked her forehead upon being reminded of her birthday banquet. Being the Princess of Vampires, her eighteenth birthday was of great importance to the Kingdom. Because now she could find her fated mate. The royals and wealthy of the Vampire species would all be clamoring to find out if her fated mate was one of their eligible bachelors.
Luckily for her, her father was a staunch follower of the Moon Goddess. This meant he would not force her into a political mating. Kassandra would be allowed to wait till she found her fated mate. Her parents had both expressed that they didn’t care too much about the species of her future fated mate. They just asked that whoever was blessed to be her fated mate would treat her right.
“That’s right. Our sister is becoming a woman.” Bryce said in a teasing voice to Daniel.
Daniel and Bryce were twins and, like her, their facial features looked a lot like their mother’s. However, they had just enough of their father in their features to keep them from looking completely feminine. Kass only had their father’s high cheekbones. The twins were only fourteen, so they still had a softness to them all children have. Before puberty starts to slowly chisel it away, as they are shaped into adults.
“I don’t want to be left behind either.” Cathal said from behind Kassandra. “You have to take me too!”
Kassandra whipped around and stared down into the eyes of a twelve-year-old Cathal. His eyes were inner rings of white with outer rings of dark gray. He had unruly ear length curls that were mainly black, but liberally sprinkled with thick bands of white. In Cathal’s eyes, Kassandra could clearly see angry determination. It was written all over a face that was mostly their father. Only the shape of his eyes and mouth was their mother’s.
‘Goddess help me.’ Kassandra pleaded mentally. Her dual-colored eyes open wide. The inner rings of white, surrounded by outer rings of black, shimmered with her emotions.
The tears she could not shed from her eyes physically, were being shed in her mind. Inside her mind, there was now the image of a sea of tears. It reminded her of a scene in the animated, ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ movie she watched recently. Her cousin sister Cerebella had convinced her to watch it with her one night. Right after they had gotten drunk off a bottle of wine Cerebella had snuck from her parents’ cellar.
After the dreams she had that night, she decided never again would she watch that movie. The splitting, brain scrambling, headache, accompanied by violent bouts of vomiting the next morning, dad Kassandra emphatically vowing never to drink again for the rest of her life.
“Fine.” Kassandra said, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “Fine. I’ll take you all with me.” She said, then added. “After the finals.”
“Don’t forget about Bella. You forget to tell her something this big and….” Asher’s warning trailed off as he watched the change in his sister’s expression. Kassandra’s eyes were open wide with imagined horror and her mouth twisted with a grimace. “Yeah…you get it.”
“You better go tell her now…the sooner the safer.” Nathen told Kassandra while looking down at the ground.
The twins and Cathal all three looked at Kassandra with serious expressions and nodded their agreement in unison. This only proved to Kassandra, just how formidable their sister cousin had proven to be over the years as they grew up together.
Cerebella had lucked out of having to have a banquet for her eighteenth birthday. While Bella was a princess, being the daughter of the King’s sister meant she was only a minor princess. This meant Bella was able to avoid a lot of the royal hoopla that Kassandra, as the King’s daughter, was forced to endure.
The siblings were all distracted with their discussion and failed to notice that the doors of the study had opened behind Kass, Asher and Nathen. While the twins and Cathal were standing in front of them, their older siblings were much taller than them, blocking their sight to the doors. The twins were five foot ten, and Cathal was even shorter at five foot seven. Asher was taller than Kassandra by two inches, while Nathen was only taller by an inch.
Sebastian and Stephanie came out to find their children discussing Kassandra’s birthday banquet, and their new sister. The King and Queen looked at each other silently. Their mutual expressions seemed to say the same thing, ‘Should have known.’ They listened to their children as they continued to make their plans. Both were wondering when they would all notice. Not surprisingly, it was the three eldest of the group who noticed first.
Each of them had suddenly realized the change in the air behind them. A tingling sensation went down their spines, letting them know they were being watched from behind. The only thing behind them was the doors to their father’s study. Knowing this, it meant the only ones that could possibly be behind them were their parents.
Feeling guilty and caught red handed, the eldest three faces twisted into grimaces of guilt. The younger three stopped talking as soon as they noticed something was wrong with their older siblings. The King and Queen gave each other knowing looks now that they had caught the attention of their children. King Sebastain let out a throat clearing sound.
With great reluctance, and dramatically feeling that the world was ending, the three older siblings slowly turned around. Seeing the sharp looks in their parents’ eyes, Kassandra and Asher let out uncomfortable sounding laughs, while Nathen gulped audibly. The twins and Cathal decided to hide behind their taller siblings in the hope they would go unnoticed.
Their hopes were immediately dashed by their mother’s words. “All six of you, in your father’s study. Now.”
In single file fashion, from oldest to youngest, they all trudged into the office as slowly as possible. Once they were all inside, they sat on the couch as directed by their mother’s pointed finger. The King and Queen came to stand in front of the fireplace, looking at each of their children silently for a moment.
Then, with a heavy sigh, Stephanie closed her eyes and pinched the upper bridge of her nose. Sebastien, feeling her frustration, placed his hands soothingly on her shoulders. Taking her hand away from her face, Stephanie looked up into the loving eyes of her mate. There was an apologetic twist to his lips. It amused Stephanie enough for her to give him a half smile, while an equally loving look shined from her eyes.
It was inevitable that they would have to tell the children about Alora, they just hadn’t expected to explain so soon. Stephanie put her hands over the ones Sebastian had on her shoulders. Then with a nod to each other they focused their gazes back on the children.
“As you all have probably overheard, while listening *inappropriately* at the door, your father has a daughter with a female he was with before he met me.” Stephanie explained and scolded at the same time.
“So…you were in a relationship before you met mom?” Asher asked with a note of confusion in his tone.
“Not…exactly.” Sebastian said while taking one hand off Stephanie’s shoulders to rub the back of his neck.
His discomfort about this subject is clear in his voice and expression. He looked down at his mate with a question in his eyes. He didn’t know how much about this subject she would be comfortable with having shared with their children.
Stephanie understood the question in his eyes. She was grateful, for the amount of respect he just showed her with that one look. “Cathal, although the youngest, is already twelve and going through puberty. He took a class on it last year and is currently onto the species anatomy portion in his science class. The rest are older and Kass is days away from being able to find her fated mate.” Stephanie went up on tip toe and kissed Sabastian’s cheek. “Thank you for asking my opinion first. It’s okay to explain in a bit more detail.” Then after a momentary pause she added, “Just not too graphically.”
Sebastian returned her kiss to his cheek with his own to hers. “You’re my mate. My partner in life. I’m not the only parent to these children. It is also my honor and blessing to give you the respect you very much deserve, my darling light.”
They smiled as they lost themselves in each other’s eyes. At least until the moans, groans, and protesting mumbles from their children started at the public display of their affection.