| |
Freya was smiling charmingly as she was carrying another flute of bubbly champagne. Astrid furrowed her eyebrows.
She will get drunk in no time if this keeps going on, she mused as Astrid took the new flute from Freya.
“You know, I will not be around forever to look after you when you’re drunk like this, Freya. I’m worried for you,” Astrid said with concern in her voice. She sipped on the champagne that got Freya scowling at her. Then, Freya waved her hand dismissively. Astrid arched her eyebrow.
“No worries, mitt søskenbarn! I can handle my liquor, you know that! So, who’s on the phone? I see that you’re stressing out after that one phone call away. Are you having a lover’s quarrel? My, my... mitt søskenbarn! You didn’t tell me that you have a lover!” Freya exclaimed happily.
Her voice projected loudly in the ballroom. Some whispered and mumbled as Freya was laughing wholeheartedly. Astrid sighed softly as she was rubbing her temples. I don’t know why I even bother to help you when you’re drunk... she mused while a smile was plastered on her lips.
“Will you keep it down, Freya? It’s not what you think. I got a phone call from my work and I have to leave Norway tonight. Not that’s not true, I need to leave now,” Astrid said, stressing on the word now so that Freya knew she was in a hurry. Freya frowned as she gripped Astrid’s arms tightly and brought her face closer.
“Do you have to? Can’t you leave tomorrow, mitt søskenbarn?” Freya asked, pleading with her big, round eyes. Astrid closed her eyes and shook her head. I wish I could but when His Holiness decreed, you can never go back from that, she mused.
“Unfortunately, no, Freya. I can’t. It’s the top priority and I will be picked up in 20 minutes. I have to go now,” Astrid replied, checking on her wristwatch. She only got another 15 minutes before she will have to depart for Romania. She hugged her cousin as tightly as possible while whispering sweet promises that Astrid would be visiting her often.
When Astrid was stubborn, her cousin was much worse than her. Thus, Freya was carrying Astrid to meet with her father—Mr. Olsen—who was known to Astrid as Uncle.
Seriously, you’re killing me with your demands, mitt søskenbarn! Astrid thought dejectedly as she was smiling when she saw her Uncle arching his eyebrow when both of them made their way toward him.
“You shan’t leave until you tell my dad goodbye. He only sees his niece once every 3 years,” Freya complained, dragging Astrid across the ballroom. Every suitor in their proximity was inching away as they were nervous to see Freya’s determined face. Astrid chuckled softly.
“I wish I could visit more but I’ll try to do better next time. After this work is done for,” Astrid promised as she was looking at her Uncle’s familiar head. “Here it goes,” she whispered under her breath as Astrid was smiling at her Uncle.
Surprised to see his niece, Mr. Olsen was looking at Astrid up and down. Then, he narrowed his eyes as he knew that his niece was there to say goodbye.
Work. She’s always away at work. Perhaps I should have her quit her job and stay in Norway for good, Mr. Olsen mused before greeting Freya—his daughter—and Astrid.
“Astrid? Are you going away again?” he asked while arching his blonde eyebrow. Astrid smiled sheepishly at him. She hugged him, promising him sweet nothings before she made her way to exit the ballroom and went home to pack her belongings.
Astrid took her usual; her leather suit, daggers and crossbows, a handful of arrows as well as hemlock that she needed to coat the arrows with. She packed the weapons in their special casings that Weapon Master made for her.
I think Uncle already knows what my schedule will be like, Astrid thought to herself. She slung her backpack on her shoulders and waited for the private helicopter to pick her up to depart for Romania.
*****
UGH, I DON’T KNOW WHY I have to attend weddings, was the first thought that Aaron had when he was looking at the decorations that took place around the ballroom. It was nothing serious since his cousin, Alina, was married to a new fledgling.
Her husband is named Kyle Conti and he’s Italian. Aaron didn’t know why she did that. He sighed before his mother was staring at him. Aaron smiled at her before Gabriel nudged Aaron’s arm with his elbow. He turned to look at his cousin.
“Will you come out or not? We have to go now! I think I heard some screaming,” Gabriel whispered before Aaron was looking at him. This cousin of his was not having the best day since his mate disappeared after that fire in Sicily and they have been searching for her—well Gabriel has been relentless in searching for her and right now, he was having a feeling that she was near.
How can she be here of all places in the world and just appear after that tragedy in Sicily? Aaron thought before he glared at his cousin.
“Will you cut it out? It will be over soon,” Aaron whispered to him before Gabriel was cursing at him. He smiled before Aaron clapped with the other guests who attended Alina’s wedding as she was married for eternity.
Good for her, Aaron thought as he sighed. He had been waiting and wandering the earth for 250 years to find his mate, only to find that his mate was someone from the other side of the war. Gabriel had already found his mate, telling all about it to his mother so that left Aaron in the dust. And his mother would not shut up about it.
“Aaron, where are you going?” Aunt Carla asked as he was looking at Gabriel, who was rushing toward the balcony to go out into the pine forest of Lacul Rasu before he smiled.
“I want some fresh air. I see you later,” Aaron said before he ushered Gabriel to the garden before they slipped away. Aaron knew that his mother would be killing him later if she knew what Gabriel and he were up to in the pine forest in the middle of their cousin’s wedding. But Aaron did not care for Gabriel foreshadowing something bad will happen.
“Come on, we don’t have much time,” Gabriel said as he was vampiric speeding across the forest as Aaron was following him. He can be restless when he wants to be, Aaron thought of his cousin, smiling when they came across the fire that was burning the only village that stayed close to the ruins that could bring them to the sanctuary that had been founded by their ancestors’ centuries ago.