Chapter 44: Chapter 44
Chapter 43:
Sanaya’s P.O.V
“Have you packed everything?” My mother handed me a steaming mug of coffee as she took a seat at the edge of my bed.
“Yes…I think so.” I sighed but gladly accepted the coffee and took a gulp of it, burning the roof of my tongue. I couldn’t help it; I was stressed!
“So…I might be able to help but is this just a ‘little outing with friends’ like you told me or is it something else.” My mother raised an eyebrow at me and I knew very well that she already knew this was no outing with friends.
“It’s Lancelin’s coronation.” I confessed.
“Ah!” Mother exclaimed. “So that’s what all this preparation is about! Oh dear! You’re going to a coronation! Show me what you’ve packed. You’ll need the best dresses you can get your hands on.”
“I’m very sure Lancelin has that covered, mother.” I paused to look at her face. “You seem awfully fine with me engaging with an Incubus…” I told her suspiciously.
“Well, I always wanted a nice man for you and Lancelin seems like a nice man.” She shrugged innocently before adding. “And Acelin has vouched for him.”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you and Acelin plotting something behind my back?”
Trust the charming, charismatic older brother to be the one charming my mother. As my mother laughed and immediately got into all the details of how her and Acelin had become fast friends ever since I began working for him, I realized just how much of a difference he has made in my life. If it weren’t for Acelin, Lance and I might still be strangers and he had also been the mediator to inform both parents about mine and Lancelin’s relationship. I really needed to thank him for being the father I’d lost too young and for going to the extent of befriending my mother and ease her into the supernatural world. Although I was a bit annoyed at his nosiness, I was also very glad I had him by my side as family.
My mother helped me pick out a dress to wear the next morning when I would drive to Sanctium, where Lance would be crowned King of all Incubi. It was a dark pink silk dress that reached my ankles and hugged my figure in all the right places but was elegant, not trashy. The sleeves were full and made of lace of the same colour. I chose white heels to go with them along with my mother’s pearl earrings. When everything was set and ready, I went to sleep beside my mother, in her room and we spend most of the night talking about my father, missing him terribly.
But there were no tears shed tonight. We remembered him with love and joy for all the things he had done for us. My mother even compared him to Lancelin and told me that he had the same look in his eyes when he looked at me, as my father had when he used to look at my mother. And that was when I knew that I had her blessing.
Now all I needed was Lance’s parents blessing and everything would be fine in the world.
******
“Martin!” I gave him a hug which he returned awkwardly. “Where had you been these last few days? So much has happened! Did you kno-”
“Lancelin got shot? Yes, I’ve heard and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to support you.” Martin said with a sad smile. “I’m not myself these days. I guess I cared more than I let on.”
Standing outside my apartment complex at five the next morning, I registered at the back of my mind that Martin had called Lance by name and not Sire, but I quickly dismissed it as a slip of tongue as he mentioned Tanya’s engagement.
I’d only received the invitation two days ago, when Lance was leaving for his castle in Sanctium to get things in order before his coronation and it had me worried at how fast she was moving on from Martin. She seemed happy when I met her later that day and she hasn’t mentioned Martin even once, even though he hadn’t showed up to work for an entire week. Maybe Tanya had accepted her fate? It was sad that neither Lance nor I could do anything to help her and Martin knew about it too.
“Let’s get going.” I told him as he got my bags into the trunk. “Are we the only ones travelling?”
“Yes.” He confirmed, opening the passenger side door for me. “The Sire asked me to escort you only. It’ll take about an hour and a half to reach our destination. The portal is a bit farther away from the castle.”
“And how do we find the portal?” I asked him.
“It’s a tiny distortion in time and space about a half hour drive from here.” He gave me a small smile. “I can’t tell you exact position or location since its top secret.”
“Okay.” I nodded, although I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t tell me. I was going to be travelling with him all through the journey and I knew my way around New York and its surrounding areas quiet well. So I would recognize where he was driving me anyways.
But I realized almost two hours later, when Lancelin was gently shaking me awake that I had fallen asleep about ten minutes into the journey and had missed the entire ride and the journey through the portal.
“Wha-how?” I asked Lance while rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“It happens to most humans on their first portal shift.” Lance kissed my forehead lightly as he helped me out of the car. “You should be able to stay awake after the second or third time.”
“Damn!” I frowned and yawned, stretching my arms and wrapping them around Lance. “Morning handsome.”
“Good morning gorgeous.” Lance kissed the bridge of my nose. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you these past few days.”
“Me neither.” I told him, getting up on my tippy toes so I could kiss him when someone cleared their throat from behind us.
Breaking away from Lance I found almost his entire family standing in front of a magnificent castle. An actual freaking castle!
It was made from white stone and was about five stories tall with several high towers and domes. The windows were large and made of colorful glass and the balconies were huge. I turned around in awe to take everything in.
The castle was surrounded by lawns and fountains on all sides with a forest at the back. There were thousands of beautiful flowers and the architecture was brilliant. The fountains were carved from marble and each had a unique statue of some angels and children. The car I came in stood on a carved path made of gravel and it looked very much out of place in this world removed from time. On either side of the path were several Victorian style lamps that when lit, would make the scenery even more beautiful.
“Wow.” I felt breathless as I turned to look at Lancelin.
Despite all the beauty around me, he was undoubtedly the most gorgeous sight for my sore eyes. Today he wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath and dark blue trousers. His hair was gelled back in his familiar hairdo and yet, he seemed different, his power seemed to push harder against my senses. Was it because we were no longer in our dimension?
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Amber came to stand beside Lancelin. “Well, don’t faint yet because you still haven’t seen the inside!” She said cheerfully.
“I won’t.” I smiled at her when another red haired woman caught my eye.
For a second I thought I actually might faint because the woman was none other than Valleria Eustein, Lancelin’s mother. And then she came to stand in front of me, her power and age apparent in her grace and they way she carried herself.
I looked at Lancelin over the Queen’s shoulders, pleading him with my eyes to come and save me. But he just smiled and waved before stepping back from us. When I turned back to the Queen, I realized that she had witnessed the exchange. But instead of getting mad, a small smile bloomed on her face.
“I apologize for my behavior that day,” the Queen spoke gently, much to my astoundment. “I was not myself. Would you like to take a walk with me?”