“Long has it been since I have taken to war.” His voice was strong and yet calm. “For such a thing is for the young, and young I am not. Thus, as all old things do, I have preferred to rest in peace. But let it be known to any witch, vampire, or even the humans if they dare wander too far, that just because it has been long, does not mean I have forgotten, nor does it mean I am not still very good at war-making. Be wary, friends, for you can live upon my lands, or you can die upon them. The choice is your own. These annoyances shall cease one way or another.”
With that, he turned back to us. We parted for him, and before he entered the door, he spoke out once more. “There shall be a gathering to welcome my new daughter in a week’s time. I expect all of your families to be in attendance.”
Theseus took my hand and led me inside. Hinrik and Matias were in front of us, while Arsiein and Atarah were behind us. I copied everyone else’s demeanor, doing my best to stand as if I were the royalty they were.
“Those witches who arrived were new to the Omeron Coven…and weak. They came knowing they would die, as death was their message,” Sigbjørn said once we were all inside, and they had closed the door. He turned only to face me. “They did not know what they were dying for but believed it was going to lead to the glory of all Wiccan… They believe in the prophecy of the one true daughter of Circe.”
“They think I am this prophecy? But I am a vampire.” I had just learned about it a few hours ago!
“You are a vampire and also a witch still,” he corrected me. “It is unclear what exactly is the root of this rumor. It is clear, though, that this belief is causing witches far and wide to join the Omeron Coven. It is causing them to give up lives to stir trouble. The witches have been persecuted, and their magic has weakened with each generation for centuries. Now an old prophecy has given them new hope, and like a spark in a dead forest, that fire will spread. It is currently spreading.”
“I don’t understand why! Is this because of the magic I did?”
“That is what we must find out. However, you must commit to who you are now, a Thorbørn, and then you will return to your grimoire and figure out who you once were.”
It didn’t seem like a suggestion because it wasn’t. I could feel it.
It was an order.
“Okay,” was all I could say.
He shifted his eyes to the rest of the family. “It has been a long night. Those of you in need of rest, be sure to take it.”
His eyes shifted to Theseus, and I was sure he had said something to him in his mind. Theseus stood a bit stiffer as his father moved to leave, Rhea walking beside him. I watched as they went, and only when they had disappeared down the hall was there a single sound again—that sound being Ulrik exhaling a large breath and falling onto the couch.
“Oh, thank God, I can finally take a breath again.” He placed his hand over his chest.
“You do not need to breathe, you big ol’ idiot!” Proving her point, Melora, his mate, sat on top of his chest, kicked off her heels, and crossed her legs on top of him as if he were part of the couch.
“Whenever Father acts, you need to breathe if only to cut into the deafening silence,” Ulrik shot back, unbothered by his mate and more annoyed with his brother. “Hinrik, Matias, where are you both going! Can’t you see we are having an after-action family wrap-up session here!”
“Did you not hear Father, Ulrik? Those who need rest should rest,” Hinrik snapped from the top of the stairs.
“Oh, bullshit. You are not Theseus. What rest? You’re ditching your family to go mate your mate until the end of the month!” Ulrik teased, laughing at the look on Hinrik’s face, who was ready to curse him.
Matias simply wrapped his arm around Hinrik’s neck and glanced down at them. “You are not wrong, Ulrik. But I have been looking to spice things up this time around. Melora, would you like to join us?”
Melora grinned widely. “Can I?”
At that, the humor on Ulrik’s face dropped, and a low growl could be heard from deep within his chest.
“It seems your mate still disapproves.” Matias grinned. “Oh, well, maybe next time. Such a beauty as yourself—”
“Hinrik, go, or I will kill him!” Ulrik snapped.
They ran off, laughing. Ulrik sat up, all but knocking Melora off him. However, she wasn’t able to sit for much longer as he reached over and, like a caveman, threw her over his shoulder. Turning back to us, he smiled.
“Excuse us. We shall have our after-action family wrap-up later as it seems I need to reeducate my mate on some things. She has obviously forgotten that I do not share!”
From the look on her face, she did not forget a thing. She winked at me as Ulrik took off running with her.
“You would think they would grow tired of this game.” Arsiein sighed, shaking his head.
“Game?”
“Matias is a wanderer.” Atarah giggled, brushing the hair of her wig behind her ear. “Hinrik is a homebody. They are very opposite. Whenever Matias leaves, Hinrik becomes moody. When he returns, they often spend days, sometimes weeks locked away in their rooms. Ulrik being Ulrik, never misses a chance to tease his brothers. Usually, Hinrik teases him back, but when the subject is Matias, he somehow cannot. Therefore, Matias teases with the one thing…Well, one-person Ulrik is serious about—Melora. Melora loves to tease Ulrik and goes along with it. Before long, he will lock her away in his rooms to pay her back.”
“Childish,” Arsiein replied even though he was the one who looked like the youngest out of all of them. His freckled boy-bandish face did not match his serious, somber personality. “If they wish to sleep with their mates, they should just go sleep with them. Why make a show of it?”
“It’s cute. Maybe when we are that old, we will do it, too,” Atarah replied.
Arsiein grimaced a bit at the thought. “I quite like how we are now. When we want sex, I simply say so and go.”
Atarah just exhaled.
“Are you two not going then?” Theseus questioned from behind me. It was the first I had heard his voice in a while.
“Are you asking us to go?” Atarah giggled, looking at me. “And here I thought we would keep Druella company while she studied her grimoire and you old ones sleep.”
That was right.
It took hundreds of years before a vampire had their first sleep. Arsiein was reborn during the French revolution. As for Atarah, from what Sigbjørn had implied and the fact that Theseus did not remember her, she was most likely reborn sometime during World War II. Like me, they were both too young to sleep yet.
“Later today, perhaps,” Theseus said, wrapping his arm around my waist from behind. “But I shall not be able to sleep unless she is in bed with me now.”
“Theseus!” I elbowed him.
“Very well, we shall meet you in the library later. Theseus, we must understand the witch’s motive, so do not keep her too long,” Arsiein said, outstretching his hand for his mate, which she took without question.
“See you later, Dru.”
And then they were gone—correction, I was gone since Theseus picked me up and ran off before I could even get another word out.
“Theseus!” The air rushed, tossing my curls in every direction possible for a good two minutes before I found myself on top of a bed and him on top of me.