26. A wedding to plan

26

A WEDDING TO PLAN

A few hours later, I sit on a loveseat in my father's office. Damek is sitting beside me, his arm around me. He's been at my side ever since I was rescued from Prince Lucas and the Nodin Clan and he's made a point to always be touching me. I find it very comforting to be this close to him.

Julien walks into the office with a cup of coffee in his hands. He passes it to me as he takes a seat in one of the oversized chairs. I happily take a sip.

We're waiting for Dad and King Rune to get back. They're on their way and they will fill us in on whatever was found when they get here. For some reason, I'm anxious about the news. If they would've found Lucien, certainly they would've told us already, right?

"Do you think they found Lucien?" I ask.

Julien's eyes light up. "I certainly hope so. I miss him."

"I've never met him." I chew on my bottom lip as I wonder what my older brother is like. I certainly hope they're bringing him home, but I don't want to get my hopes up. "I hope he likes me."

"He'll adore you." Julien frowns. "He always wanted a little sister. Instead, he got stuck with me."

"I'm only six months younger than him," I say, thinking how strange it is that I have a brother so close in age to me. Growing up, I always knew it was a possibility that I had siblings I didn't know about. Part of me is glad I didn't know, I would've wanted to meet them so badly when I was younger.

I'm still upset with my mother for keeping me from my family. It would've been so wonderful to be raised being around Julien. It would've been nice to be around other vampires. I never quite fit in and Mom knew that.

"When is your birthday?" Damek asks.

"July twenty seventh." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'll be twenty four this summer. What about you?"

"April seventeenth. I'll be twenty six."

Julien whistles. "You two are old."

I roll my eyes. "You're only two and a half years younger than I am."

"Which means you'll be thirty two and a half years before me." Julien smiles smugly.

I narrow my eyes at him. "You're really annoying, you know that?"

"Sure do." He leans back in his chair.

I take a sip of my coffee, deciding to ignore him.

Damek's chest shakes with laughter. "The two of you are going to be constant entertainment."

I find myself wondering what Damek's relationship is like with his younger siblings. I don't know much about the Rune Clan yet. I've got six months to get to know my new family, and I fully intend to make good use of the betrothal time.

Is six months enough time to convince Damek's mother to like me?

I hear footsteps in the hallway and a few moments later, the office door opens. Dad, King Rune, and Kaine walk inside. The absence of Lucien is glaringly obvious. Kaine looks at me, but he quickly looks away when he notices who I'm sitting by.

My chest aches.

I never should've kissed Kaine. I did it because I was confused about how I felt, but it wasn't fair to him. At the time, I didn't realize he had real feelings for me. But it must hurt him to see me with Damek.

I wasn't fair to him. I will apologize for my actions, though I doubt it'll be enough.

Julien leans forward in his chair. "Well, what happened?"

For the next half hour, Dad and King Rune go into great detail about what happened at the Nodin Estate. While Lucien wasn't in their dungeons, they found several prisoners that belonged to various families. The Vampire Council has been notified and the Nodin Clan will be facing judgment for their crimes.

Dad and King Rune are both convinced that the Nodin Clan has Lucien. King Nodin, Prince Lucas, and various other members of the family have been taken into custody to await their trial. Until then, all of their properties will be searched until Lucien is found.

"Kaine will be taking the lead on the investigation." Dad turns to me. "That means he won't be available to help with your lessons. But I imagine you'll be busy over the next six months anyway. You have a wedding to plan."

I chew on my bottom lip.

The thought of not having lessons with Kaine is bittersweet. While I've hated the lessons, especially the ones on boring vampire law, I'll miss the time learning about vampires. I'll miss my time with Kaine.

"Will it be okay if my mother is involved in the wedding planning?" I look hopefully at my dad. "I know it might make things uncomfortable for you, but I'd like my other family to be involved. I know my grandfather will wish to attend the wedding, along with my aunts, uncles, and cousins."

Dad rubs a hand on the back of his neck. "You have a very large family, huh?"

I nod. "Succubi and incubi like to procreate."

Julien snorts.

I shoot him a glare. "Just wait until you meet all of my female cousins. They'll likely be the first females you've met that aren't susceptible to your charms."

"Is that a challenge?" He grins. "I accept."

I smile, shaking my head.

He doesn't know what he's in for if he thinks he has a chance with a succubus.

"I have a feeling that the next few months are going to be very interesting," Damek whispers to me.

He's not wrong.

For some reason, the thought of my family coming together is a little frightening but also exciting. I'm ready for the next chapter in my life. And hopefully, with Kaine working, he'll find Lucien. Once he does, our family can finally be whole.

And being betrothed to a vampire prince… well, maybe it's not the hardship I once thought it would be. I can't wait to see what the next six months bring.

The end.