Chapter 92
Volik
My aunt calling my mate daughter… This is a moment I will remember forever.
They whisper to each other as I stand behind Nix, looking at the crowd.
“It has been too long,” I tell my uncle, my voice rough.
“Far too long.” He moves to my side as he nods. “We won’t let grief separate us like this again.”
I dip my chin. Unable to respond otherwise, knowing it is my fault we have gone so long. But unable to stop wishing that my brother was here. Wishing my parents were still here.
But even with those whom I miss, I am overwhelmed by how many are here.
Very few of us are connected by bloodline. But… this is my family.
Familia.
I needed this reminder.
Needed these people.
Burnt orchids reach my nose, and I reach for my mate, stepping forward so my body is against hers.
She lets out a watery laugh as she brushes at her cheeks, and I watch my aunt do the same.
“Hello, Aunt.”
She smiles as she reaches over Nix and cups my cheeks in her hands. “You grew, my boy.”
“A bit.” I smirk. “I have also grown into my blood.”
She lifts a brow. “Oh?”
I hold my hand out to the side, and I focus heat into my palm.
I focus a lot of heat.
The warmth is immediate, and when the orange glow follows, she gasps.
“Volik!” She looks from my hand to my face and back again. “I haven’t seen… Not since…” Not since my brother. Not since my mother. She holds her hand over mine, then jerks it back. Because it is too hot. Too hot for her. My mother’s sister. Her wide eyes meet mine. “You have the Fire Touch.”
I nod.
New tears glisten on her lashes. “This is good news.” Then she turns to the gathered crowd and lifts her arms. “Nix has awoken the Fire Touch in Volik!”
Pulses of magic vibrate the ground as my family roars their approval.
Uncle claps his hands together. “Let’s move this party inside!”
Grinning, I spin Nix, wrap my arms around her, and using far more force than necessary, I jump.
My uncle stumbles, and I laugh as we shoot into the sky.
Aunt Bridget pats me on the shoulder as she stands from the table. “I’m going to start cleaning up.”
“Would you like help?”
“No, no. Go be with your girl.” She smiles at where both our mates are sitting, talking in front of the fireplace.
I push my chair back, grateful my relatives filled this castle with proper furniture when they bought it so I do not have to worry about breaking it.
A castle. How cliché.
But when I think of Nix’s reaction, I wonder if maybe we need a castle too.
We have been here for hours. The sun is about to come up. And it has been better than I ever imagined a reunion could be.
My aunt arranged a feast, covering the entire twenty-foot table in dishes. And even though this crowd would not normally eat, almost all the food is gone. And the conversations have been just as plentiful.
We will sit down and talk more formally tomorrow, sharing whatever stories and information we can. Strategizing for the possibility of government interventions. Aligning allegiances.
But that’s for tomorrow. Later today, tonight, whatever the time may be.
Right now, I need to collect my mate and take her to bed.
Nix has been sleeping less and less, but she still needs rest.
The last several nights, we have been working on her self-defense in the evenings and practicing basic knife skills.
Even though tonight has been less physical, it has still been a lot for her to take in.
But since I watched Nix smile for forty minutes straight as she quizzed Barth about portals, I know Nix will say the exhaustion is worth it.
She laughs at something my uncle says, and I stride toward them.
My Flower has never left my sight, but I have been away from her side for the past hour, and that is too long.
“Ah, Volik, here to sweep you away.” Uncle grins at my approach.
He has the slightest sheen in his eyes, and I know it is from the cup in his hand.
Vampires have such intense metabolisms that straight alcohol does nothing to us.
But booze made by a druid… that shit is different. And it definitely works on vampires.
Though in practice, most of us do not drink much. If you get too drunk, you might let the wrong someone get close. And then you could be dead. So, not usually worth it. But fun when it is.
“I am here to save her from your blathering.” I clap my uncle’s shoulder with a smile.
He waves me off, not teetering on his chair, proving he is only a little drunk. “I was just telling her how it was when you were little and still figuring out your gravito. Broken dishes everywhere.” He laughs.
Nix is grinning so wide that her fang is dimpling her lower lip.
I step over to her and use my thumb to pull her lip free.
It would not cause mayhem if she accidentally cut herself here; there are no adolescents around still learning control.
But I would rather not deal with my own inevitable freakout over scenting my mate’s blood in a room filled with predators.
Even if those predators are family who would not attack her, I still would not handle it well.
“Are you tired?” I ask Nix in a quiet voice.
She lifts a shoulder, but I can see the real answer in her eyes.
“You can go upstairs in just a bit, but have a seat first. I have something to share.” Uncle Frio nods to the stone mantel they’re facing. “I know we’ll talk more as a group later, but I wanted to give you this information now.”
I sit with my back to the dwindling fire and hold my palm out toward Nix, dragging her, and her chair, closer, until our knees touch.
Uncle smiles at my controlled use of my power.
When he just keeps smiling, I lift my brows. “Well?”
“We found evidence of a mated pair like yours.” He looks back and forth between Nix and me. “A vampire and a human.”