Present day, Noravia
"Aether Priestess, the Prince Regent requests a private audience with you," the woman in the scarlet robe informed the one in lavender.
"Consort Vashtra, you do know that as my brother's lover, you can call me by name, right?" Davina reminded the fair headed vampire.
"Of course Davina. Will it be an inconvenience to come right away? Your brother seemed rather anxious about something. He said he had received a strange call from the King." Vashtra informed.
"Lead the way, sister," Davina urged. The woman in scarlet robe held her head down as always. Davina did not support the way in which his younger brother treated the woman he apparently loved. But he was not Belshazzar.
They entered Bernini's personal chamber when Vashtra took her place outside the door. "Aren't you coming?" Davina answered.
"It's not her place, sister," came a voice from the inside.
Davina huffed as she stepped inside, closing the door shut behind her. "You treat her rather unkindly," she accused.
"I do not," Bernini defended. "The way I treat her in public is to keep her aware of her situation, lest I should find my mate tomorrow and she be heartbroken to lose a lover she never completely had." he explained.
Davina looked down and sighed. She knew how it was. She herself was sworn to celibacy and often wondered whether her mate would ever show. She was older than Bernini by centuries. That reminded her of something important however.
"I had some news to give you as it is. I met mother this morning and she told me the wonderful news. The Renaria family tree has been completed and they have realized that over the years most of the branches have died down. There is only one surviving woman, the last Renaria. We need to tell Belshazzar."
The Prince Regent, who wasn't wearing a mask, paled at his sister's revelation. "There is a complication."
"What?"
Essex, London, Present Time
It was already Thursday. Three days had passed between when David asked Aria to marry her and the present. She was still unsure about her feelings. The attraction was palpable. The intimate moments were unbelievable. But nothing could overcome the lump in her heart that he was not hers to begin with. She felt bad for the witch whom he was going to reject because of her. He was consciously heading into this. He wasn't rejecting as much as he was rearing for a rejection by friends, family and what not. Could she be enough for him?
The last three days there were no pains, screams or energy surges. Aria liked to believe that she had absorbed all his excess heat. It wasn't every day that she found her gift useful. She took out her phone time and time again and scrolled down to her best friend's number. She was reluctant to make the call though. She knew that she would need a maid of honour if nothing else. But how was she going to tell Rayne that she was marrying another woman's man?
Aria was sitting at the kitchen counter as David prepared breakfast. He was slated to leave this evening and only return on Monday. "Belly, Belly Bellini, where are you?" a voice came from the front door.
David looked at Aria and paled. Before he had time to react, a raven haired girl bombarded into him giving a punch to his gut. The sound of the punch reverberated through the house. The girl was about to slap him next but was suddenly stopped.
David looked from Aria to the girl and back. Aria held the woman by the wrist and was glaring at her. He saw the girl's wrist getting covered with crystals of ice. "Aria, that's my sister," he confessed.
At the word sister, Aria's expression changed. She looked from David back to the girl and noticed their similarities. They had the same hair and eyes. Other than that they were as different as night and day. While David was chiseled and hard, this girl was round and soft.
Aria lowered her hand and walked behind the counter to stand on David's right hand side.
"I am sorry. I didn't get a chance to warn you," came another voice from the door. He too had similar colouring and even resembled David a bit.
"I am guessing that you are one of his brothers," Aria surmised.
"You must be the lucky girl that made my brother fall in love, don't they make a sweet couple Davina?" the brother asked the sister.
"She is not his mate. I will never accept her even if she is not a human. Especially not now." Davina seethed.
"Don't you have a country to run?" David asked his brother.
"Vashtra can manage for a few days. But there is news for you." he said ominously.
David looked at the grave expression on his brother's face and stiffened. He glanced at Aria who seemed to understand. "You have found her." she concluded.
Prince Bernini took in the human his brother had chosen to marry and admired her strength. He nodded towards her as she closed her eyes and let a single tear fall. There was a sound of thunder outside that drew his attention.
"You can't be sure that it is her," David said in arrogance.
"Actually, we can," the Prince answered. "She is the last." he said in a whisper.
"I refuse. I resign. I reject her." David emphasized each word. "Aria," David spoke in a softer tone, turning to the woman beside him, "My decision remains unchanged. I am rejecting her, probably over phone, but I am doing that." he said.
"David," Aria spoke softly, conscious of the other people in the room with them. "If you ever cared a bit about me, please go and meet her once. I don't want to become a regret that you live with. I can always tell my parents that the wedding got delayed. But I don't want to tell you that I am sorry for falling in love with you because David Bellini, I love you from the bottom of my heart."