It seemed that even Paige's parents had come back from the vacation because the woman who was giving orders to the servants, was doing pretty authoritatively. The room was filled with the scent of flowers and through the slit in the drapes, Siora looked at the way the table was set up. 

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming closer to her. Due to all the anxiety and all the magic that was stuffing inside her, Siora was sweating even though it was extremely cold. 

It was Paige who came near the drapes and tugged them. "These drapes are so old fashioned," she said. "Don't we have something new?" 

"Paige!" her mother called her. Paige's hand stopped on the drapes and Siora stopped breathing. "We need more sconces for the room. The weather is so dark that it looks as if it is night already! Take these keys and get more sconces for them to burn in the banquet hall and the entry path. 

"Okay!" Paige said and dropped her hands to her sides. "I guess sconces are more important than these old curtains." When Siora heard her receding footsteps, she parted her lips to allow herself to breathe. 

For the next one hour, servants came in and out in a continuous stream as they darted from the kitchen to the banquet hall to the gardens and the stores. They carried vases with lilies and roses and azaleas, starched tablecloth, linens and various types of silverware. The mansion was smelling of exotic food, of roasted meat, sweet desserts and freshly baked breads, while Siora stood behind the curtain waiting like a hawk. 

The hall was now lit up, her magic was pounding so much inside her blood that she wanted to tear down the banners, the linens, break the silverware and shatter the chandeliers that hung over the table with hundreds of candles. To stay hidden with so much magic was becoming difficult with each passing second. Back in Galahar, she was used to using her magic on such days in her kingdom. She wasn't bothered as to what damage it caused, nor was she bothered if anyone got killed, but at least she used to feel better. Her breathing had become ragged, her clothes were drenched in her sweat and she was sure she was stinking. With shaky hands and a trembling body, she took another bottle of cinnamon oil out. Drawing her hood down, she poured the entire bottle on her head, hoping that it overpowered her smell of sweat. "I am so going to kill you, Anastasia," she whispered. "Because of you I am in this condition. You vowed to let me live, but I didn't do that with you. Now suffer the consequences of what you have done to me, bitch!" 

After yet another torturous hour, the guests started coming and the first ones were Ileus and Anastasia. Paige and Kaizan were present in the main hall to receive them. 

"Anastasia!" Paige crooned. "You look gorgeous!" she exclaimed as she hugged her. Lea was also standing right next to her. Both the girls hugged Anastasia and they led her to the living room, where Ookashi and Nate were present. It was the first time Anastasia was meeting the two of them and she handed them a small present. 

"This wasn't necessary," said Ookashi as she warmly embraced Anastasia. Then she placed her hands on Anastasia's shoulders and said, "Adrianna is so lucky to have you. I think no one is close to you in terms of being her daughter-in-law. She deserved nothing less."

Anastasia's throat burned with emotions as she felt a sting in her eyes. "Thank you. I am not—" 

"You are more than you think you are," Ookashi said, shutting Anastasia. She hugged the girl again and in a low voice said, "Now that you are here, please tell my son to get married. He is such a vagabond!" 

Anastasia laughed. "I will agree with you on that part. He is a vagabond and some more." 

Siora, who was listening to all the conversation, whispered, "Find him a bride after I kill him and chop his body into a thousand pieces." 

Nate gave a sweet smile to Anastasia and then the two walked over to the main hall to receive more guests. 

"Isn't Ookashi a mortal?" Anastasia asked as Ileus handed her a crystal of mixed fruit juice. He was trying to stop her from having wine or whiskey. And Anastasia knew why he did that. He had heard in the human realm that the would-be mothers shouldn't smoke or drink. The best part was that the men in her family didn't smoke, but drink—they drank like they were made to drink. 

"She is," he replied as he looked at her with his golden eyes over the amber liquid of his glass. 

Color rose to her cheeks and she managed to stay on her feet even as her knees were wobbly. Her husband could practically entrance her anywhere with his gaze. "Though age shows on her face, Nate looks so young. Doesn't he feel sad that his wife would die soon…" 

Ileus took a sip. He brought his knuckles over her cheek and brushed it softly. He loved it when his wife blushed for him. "It's something Nate was always prepared for. He knew that Ookashi, his mate, was a mortal but he still pursued her to marry him." He leaned over her and kissed her forehead. "When you find your mate, there is nothing you can do other than gravitate towards her or him. It's a choice that is not in your hands, but the choice in your hands is that of rejection. You can choose to reject your mate." 

Anastasia flinched as a sharp, slicing emotion stabbed her heart leaving a burn in her throat. The word 'reject' brought so much pain that it she clutched Ileus's shirt. "I am glad you didn't reject me, Aly."

"And I am glad that you didn't reject me." 

For the first time Anastasia could feel the sacrifices he made in the past to deal with the situation of his home… the burden of his people… of his parents… of his lost sister… Her blood hummed with his love, at the sheer power that she could feel came from him, the lethal beauty of him. "I love you," she said and pressed her face to his chest. 

He wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her scent. "Nate will follow her beyond death…" And a tear fell from her eye. 

Darla and Aidan were the next to arrive. Paige and Lea had fashioned Darla's dress and they were appreciating how the design suited her. Darla showed off her pregnancy in her tight black pants, which hugged her legs until mid-torso. She was wearing a short blouse and a long silk coat over it. They were led to the living room by Lea. 

More guests poured and Siora kept waiting. Her chest was crowded with her magic. There was so much bitterness and heaviness in it, that the rawness that came with it was difficult to swallow. It choked her throat and she thought she couldn't breathe. She clenched her fists over her chest and punched it slightly. She had to push the magic down, she had to breathe, she had to shut the emotions swirling with it. Any time now....

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