CHAPTER 23
Aria fiddled anxiously with the sleeves of her shirt. Braith quirked an eyebrow as he grabbed hold of her hands and held them within his own. “It will be fine.”
She gulped and managed a small nod as Braith opened the door to his newly fixed and refurnished apartment. The furniture was a deep forest green now and the carpet had been replaced with a gleaming wood floor. The apartment had been beautiful before, but more masculine. It was more feminine now and she suspected that Melinda had had a big hand in picking out the furniture and the colors.
“I thought you would like to pick out the paintings,” Braith told her.
She nodded as she glanced around the bare walls. She hadn’t put much thought into what the apartment would look like, or how it should be decorated. She’d been too consumed by her grief and uncertainty. As she glanced at the walls now though she itched to cover them with some of the beautiful paintings and artwork that Daniel had created since moving into the palace.
Braith pulled the drawing of the two of them free of his coat. Tears burned her eyes but she kept them suppressed as she took it from him. It would be the first thing she put on the wall. A subtle knock on the door reminded her of what she’d been so nervous about just moments ago. She rolled the drawing back up and placed it on the desk.
Braith opened the door to William, Daniel, and Max. If she still had a heartbeat she knew it would be thumping riotously in her chest. The stillness was a little unnerving, but nowhere near as unnerving as facing the three of them. Braith grabbed her hand as she started to fiddle again.
She was concerned they’d be mad at her, not because she was a vampire now, but because she hadn’t told them she was going to do it. She worried that Max would resent her. He’d been doing so much better, but she still didn’t know how he was going to react to this news.
William, finally free of his crutches, grinned at her as he swooped into the room, lifted her into the air and gave her a crushing hug. He dropped her down and seized hold of her hand, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she wasn’t human anymore. “Nice ring.”
“I’m glad you approve,” Braith commented dryly.
Aria smiled shyly at William as he grinned at Braith and twisted her hand within his. Max and Daniel came forward to hug her and offer their congratulations. She went to fiddle with her hands again but thought better of it as Braith shot her a look. She didn’t know how to tell them, did she just blurt out, ‘oh by the way I died?’ Or perhaps the, ‘I’m not a human anymore’ approach would work better.
“I uh…I’m…” the words died in her throat, she couldn’t stop her gaze from going to Max.
His forehead furrowed as he stared at her questioningly. Then his forehead cleared as realization dawned in his eyes. “A vampire.”
William and Daniel’s heads snapped toward her, their eyes perused her. Braith took hold of her hand and enfolded it within both of his. “You did it?” William asked.
Aria winced at the upset in his voice. “I didn’t know I was going to,” she told him. “And then I found the drawing that dad left behind for me.”
“What do you mean?” Daniel’s blue eyes narrowed on her.
She filled him in on what she’d discovered in the banquet tree. “I really didn’t go out there with the intention of this happening,” she told him.
She shifted uneasily beneath their intense scrutiny. “You’re ok though?” William worried.
It was a little disconcerting but she heard the difference in William’s heartbeat as he circled around her. His pulse sped up; there was a faint knock in it as adrenaline spurted through him. It didn’t entice her, but she was unsettled by the fact that she could even hear it to begin with. It was going to take her awhile to get used to all the new sights, sounds, and sensations her new status offered her.
Braith slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side as he seemed to sense her discomfort. “I’m ok,” she assured William.
“So I guess this means we do have some vampire DNA in us.”
“I would assume so,” Braith confirmed.
“Max?” Aria inquired nervously.
His gaze focused on the window behind her. Her fingers clenched on Braith’s back as tears burned her eyes. Please, she pleaded silently. Please don’t hate me again. He finally looked at her, and though it was sad, he offered her a small smile. “I’m glad you survived. I’m happy for you,” he assured her.
A low sob escaped her as she released Braith and stepped forward to hug Max and her brother’s again. Another knock on the door drew her apart from them. Melinda poked her head in; she scented the air before she broke into a brilliant grin. She flung the door open and bounded across the floor to them. Free of the cloak of her father’s oppression, and her separation from Ashby, Melinda had turned into a lively, exuberant woman.
William shot her a disgruntled look as Melinda elbowed him out of the way, seized hold of Aria’s hand and jerked it toward her. Aria’s eyes widened as Melinda released a joyous squeal. Ashby had entered behind her and now stood beside Braith, grinning in amusement as Melinda began to prattle on. “We have so many plans to make! So much to do! It’s going to be amazing!”
“I’d actually like a small ceremony,” Aria told her.
“A queen’s wedding can never be small!” Melinda retorted.
Aria cast Braith a pleading look as his sister began to propel her toward the sofa. He jumped forward, smiling pleasantly at Melinda as he extricated Aria’s arm from Melinda’s death grip. “We can do both,” Braith placated.
She knew that arguing would be pointless, Melinda was right, and if she still got to have the ceremony she wanted she didn’t see what difference it made as long as she got to marry Braith.