Chapter 49

ROSE

The sun had set some hours ago when we heard them arriving. Aric, James, and Grace raced through the woods toward us.

Selene and I were in the sitting room, curled up in front of the fire with books while Demetrius and Orion were in the barn where they had recently set up whiskey barrels.

I could hear them sipping their new drinks and giggling like a pair of teenage girls.

We had slowly slipped into a rhythm of life since the twins had left to tour the world after their coming-out party, and Aric and James had left to study neurobiology in California.

Demetrius and I had decided to move back to Poitiers with Selene and Orion. Without my children around, the nights seemed to run together, and I was unable to distinguish them.

Selene and I read many books and went on week-long hunting trips. Demetrius and Orion started project after project: horse racing, whiskey making, carpentry, etc.

They kept busy, but I did sense in Demetrius the same longing and loneliness that I was feeling.

It was common, and we all went through it after almost six hundred years of living with our children.

To see them leave to find their own lives, their own partners, and have their own children, broke and warmed my heart at the same time.

Venus and Henry were getting very close, and it was obvious to me that they would be wed by the end of the decade.

For Phoenix and Alexander, it was different. Alexander, being a prince, was very busy, and I knew his general superiority toward all vampires was not something that Phoenix liked about him.

However, he did seem quite taken with her, constantly seeking her out and inviting her to visit his various houses around the world. She would make a good queen one day.

She was smart, fair, and fiercely loyal. But I wasn’t sure if being queen was something that she actually wanted.

My thoughts often drifted to Eleanor as well. I clutched tightly to the memories I had with her. She had grown so fast, and yet, when she died, she had still been so young.

She had truly made my life happier and much busier. Sometimes I tried to imagine her grown, with her golden-toned skin and blue-green eyes.

She’d be a young woman now. I imagined her with a husband and perhaps already a child, tiny, with her eyes. I liked that fantasy.

As a human, she could have so many more babies than I could. I imagined her with a big family.

When we scented Aric and James approaching, Selene and I exchanged grins, overjoyed to see our sons again. I could hear Demetrius and Orion already greeting them in the backyard.

I launched myself over the sofa and landed in the foyer just as Demetrius and Orion burst through the doors behind our sons. Aric and James strode in, dressed in light modern clothes.

Behind them came Grace, tall and slender with her blue-black straight hair pulled back in a traditional straight braid entwined with blue leather.

James maintained one hand at the small of her back as they entered the foyer. Aric’s sapphire eyes sparkled as he grinned at me.

“Mother,” I embraced him in my arms.

“This is unexpected,” I replied, pulling back, gazing at my son’s face. “But very welcome!”

He grinned at me. “James and I thought it was about time we stopped by,” he told me, glancing at James, who was still in Selene’s arms.

“Come in,” I waved him in, grinning at Demetrius, who came to place his hand on the small of my back and kiss the top of my head. I knew he was just as happy as I was to see Aric.

We settled in the living room with glasses of AB positive. After downing our first few drinks, James put some music on, and he and Aric settled in to tell us about their latest adventures.

Grace spoke quietly with Selene. It was now official that she and James were finally going to be wed. Selene could not stop grinning.

Demetrius sat with his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders, hugging me against him. I listened gleefully to my son’s tales all night.

When the sun started to rise, James and Grace insisted on sharing a room, and Aric was keen to return to his old music room. I accompanied him there.

“We’ve missed you,” I told him. He cast me a small smile, walking slowly around his room. His fingers balanced lightly on the ivory keys of his grand piano.

“How have you been?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you since the twins’ party.”

“Well enough,” I tell him. “I miss having my children around.”

He stepped toward me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “You know I’ll always be around for you, Mother. You just have to let me know.”

I gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Aric, but I’m not decrepit quite yet,” I said playfully.

He grinned at me. “I was thinking of staying here in France for the next couple of years,” he said softly.

I grinned. “I’m happy to hear it!”

He moved back to his bed, sitting down. “So, James and Grace, huh?” I pushed.

He snickered. “Yeah, Grace and I would never have worked out. I’m happy for them.”

I nodded in agreement. “James has been infatuated for decades,” I agreed. “Is there perhaps someone else out there for you?” I asked.

Aric glanced at me, his lips pursed, then he shrugged. It was a conversation we hadn’t had often, though it had begun to weigh on me.

Most purebloods had already met their future partners before they turned four hundred years old, considering how small the pool of possible purebloods there were out there per generation.

However, Aric had never seemed to incline toward any of the young pureblood vampire females that had been dancing around him.

Even on his four-hundredth birthday, he showed no desire to be wed to anyone.

I had thought he and Grace would possibly end up together, but they never committed, and James’ affection for her was also obvious.

Seeing the twins already almost matched had me considering my son, five hundred years old in a few decades and still single.

It wasn’t a conversation that we had often because it made us both a little wary and nervous.

I wanted him to be happy with someone, but I knew I felt that whoever he would one day choose was going to be someone very special and, quite possibly, someone unseemly.

“I don’t know. Maybe. It depends on what she wants,” he replied. My eyes widened in surprise. I’d never gotten that answer before.

“So, there is someone?” I pressed. He gave me a short nod with a wary smile.

“Yes, Mother, there is someone, but I’m not sure how it could work yet. I just know that I care about her, and I think, I hope, she does too.” He suddenly looked a little sheepish.

I had never seen him looking so nervous. He ran his fingers through his hair lightly and chuckled.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” he said.

I nodded once. “Of course. You can bring her over for us to meet her,” I murmured.

“She, uh, she doesn’t fit in with this family well,” he said quietly.

“Is she a turned vampire?” I asked, curious to know more. “If she is, you know I don’t care, Aric. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

He smiled at me. “If she accepts me, I’ll bring her over to see you, deal?” he said. I nodded and ruffled his hair like I used to do when he was young. He batted my hand away, snarling.

“Deal,” I agreed and moved toward his door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he said smiling. I nodded in agreement.

“Sleep well, my son.” I closed his door and hurried down to my room.

Demetrius was lying on the bed, his shirt off, wearing dark sweatpants low on his hips. He grinned at me when I entered.

“Hello, beautiful.” He was by my side in seconds, his face buried in my neck, his arms winding around my body. I leaned into him, and my heart beat once.

He pressed his lips against my cheek and breathed out a heavy sigh. “I love you,” he whispered softly.

“I love you,” I replied pulling away enough to wrap my arms up his back and hug him against me. His skin was smooth and soft, and I could faintly smell the scent of the blood we’d drunk on his lips.

He was staring down at me with wide red eyes.

Slowly he stepped back and drew me to the bed. He tossed me down gently and crawled over me, quickly pulling my dress off over my head.

He pressed his lips against mine, pulling me up into his arms as his hands traced up and down the side of my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist.

He pulled me closer to him, so our torsos were flush against each other.

His hands slipped behind my back, one tracing slowly up to my neck, where he pulled my head to one side so he could have better access to my throat.

The other moved down, cupping my buttocks, squeezing slightly, and steering me toward him. He entered me slowly, his hand on my bottom, controlling the speed.

He traced open-mouthed kisses up my throat as he thrust ever so slowly into me.

We moved against each other, me wrapping myself tightly around his body. He thrust inside me, squeezing my ass and raining kisses down my face, throat, and chest.

I let out a little moan of pleasure, and Demetrius lifted his head to kiss me.

“I’m so lucky to have you,” he murmured, moving his hips ever so slowly but every time hitting against me perfectly.

He moved his lips to my throat, and I felt his fangs break through my skin. My head fell back in ecstasy, and he thrust into me harder.

He sucked my blood greedily, and I gasped with pleasure as he dragged me against him one last time, and we came together.

Demetrius pushed me back down on the bed and rolled over me, grinning. I buried my face in the crook of his neck.

“I love you.”