9781631054099GracefulAcceptanceBeck (10 page)

“No, I don’t suppose
they have, but they’ve never mated two women before either,” Davina reminded
him, winking at him as she took his arm back and squeezed close again.
“Lucky, lucky man.”

They walked directly
to the Veneti home, followed by t
heir parents. Both
the Santuccis and the Sinsters wanted to meet Trevor’s family. With only a day
before the Pronouncement, there was little time for any formal gathering.
Davina was certain, despite Trevor’s reservations, that his parents would be
proud o
f the role he played in the prophecy that
would free his race.

Mr. and Mrs. Veneti
stood outside their home when their families arrived. Trevor’s mother pulled
him into a tight hug and both Davina and Grace took a step back. Davina saw his
father’s sharp e
yes on them. She wasn’t sure how, but
she was positive that he knew of their unique mating.

Bending to one knee
before them, Mr. Veneti took both Grace and Davina’s hands into his. His eyes
bespoke a reverence that unnerved Davina because she felt unworthy
. At the same time, the reminder that she was instrumental
in healing their race humbled her.

He kissed the back of
each of the hands and spoke in a whispered voice, “
Vi
do
il benvenuto nella nostra famiglia. Portate a noi grande orgoglio. La nostra
casa è
la tua casa.
Che tu possa sempre trovare una casa accogliente nella
nostra famiglia.
”

Standing behind them,
Trevor translated, “My father welcomes you both to our family. He says that you
bring to them great pride. He wants you to know their home is your
home. And then he shared the traditional village welcome of
friends ‘May you forever find a welcoming home in our family’.”

Davina and Grace knew
the basic Italian language and while they understood most of the words Mr.
Veneti spoke, the meaning may have
been lost without
Trevor to translate. Getting to know them would be difficult with the language
barrier.

“Do your parents speak
any English?” Grace asked hopefully.

Trevor shook his head.
“No. I wanted to teach them when I learned from the local school bu
t they were not interested. They saw no need.”

Biting her lip in
thought, Davina turned to his parents and spoke in awkward, broken Italian, “
Vi
ringrazio per il cortese benvenuto.”

The murmurs of
approval from Davina’s parents behind them told her she’d c
onveyed the appropriate sentiments of thanks.

When Mr. Veneti rose
to stand by his wife, Trevor began introductions, “
Mamma
e papà,
io
introducono i miei compagni,
my mates, Grace and Davina.” His chest was puffed out and
he stood tall, proud to have his m
ates meet his
parents.

“Girls, these are my
parents, Abel and Dorotea Veneti.” Trevor motioned to his parents.

Dorotea fought to hold
back her tears as she moved forward and lightly touched Grace’s hand. Once
Grace smiled, Dorotea swept her into a hug as m
ighty
as the one she’d given her son only moments before. Next, she took Davina into
her arms and cried. For long moments, they stood close with his parents, and
Davina felt truly welcomed.

Smoothing her hands
along the sides of both girls’ faces, Dorotea
shared,
“
Noi sapevamo. E '
il
motivo per cui lo lasciamo fare. La
Dea, è venuta a noi, promise che sarebbe tornato con le due
donne
del cerchio Magdalena di cambiare il
nostro mondo.
”

Though Davina was
unsure what she’d said, the audible gasps from both
Chiara
and Adelina had her curious. “What did she say?”

Trevor cleared his
throat, obviously fighting back emotion. “My mother said that they knew and
it’s why they let me go. The Goddess came to them and made the promise that I’d
return with the two women
of the
Magdalena
Circle
capable of healing our world.”

Davina couldn’t
believe her ears. It shocked her each time they received affirmation that this
truly was their destiny. These steps drawing them closer to the fulfillment of
the prophecy were layered
with so many people, so
many sacrifices, and yet, she had been blessed with her mates. Truly, she’d
lost nothing and gained everything by following the Goddess’s commands.

Looking to both of her
mates, Davina knew there was no better future than the one
she was now looking at.

Chapter Eight

The morning of the
Pronouncement rose
early,
or likely it was because neither Grace
nor Davina had slept much. As dawn came across the horizon, they were in a
circle more important than any other before this. The
men, each of the mates to the women of the Prophecy of the Seven, stood
surrounding them, on guard for anyone who might try to interfere with their
magic.

Standing at the
entrance to the tomb where the Goddess’s love had been
lain
and from where he had ri
sen to
join her in the heavens, Davina recognized how small she was. Her contribution
today was solely because of the blessings the Goddess had bestowed upon her.
Now here she stood, looking around at these women who had become very much her
sisters. Layla
and Eloise, Gemma, Paige, Amelia,
Sadie, and Grace believed in her. Their belief was humbling as she felt her
usual kick-ass persona fading with the reality of just how important this
moment was to her race.

Davina reached for
Grace’s hand despite the dar
kness still enveloping
them. Each woman followed her example, and in moments, they were linked in
their circle. Davina began chanting quietly and listened for it to grow in
volume as the words caught around their circle. They were words she was now
familia
r with that resonated out from them. “We are
called. We are chosen. Come to us, Mother of all Mothers. Goddess, we are
yours.”

That same wave of
concentrated power Davina had experienced at the last circle pushed the breath
out of her. As women of the Magd
alena Circle, they
each had strengths of their own. When combined, they were a mighty force,
likely unstoppable. She looked around at the other women. Each
were
transfixed on her. Shooting bursts like
lightning claimed the air around her, the feeling famil
iar but no less intense. They radiated outward to fill the full circle,
stretching towards the tomb just beyond where they stood.

The first colors of
the morning sky were beginning to show as their chanting grew louder. Their
voices melted together in a be
autiful harmony. Davina
swayed to the lyrical tones and found her sisters doing the same. The day grew
brighter, the light fog of morning clearing as ribbons wove through their
circle. These moved swiftly in and around the women.

Davina’s voice rose
above
the others’ chanting as she proclaimed to Mary
Magdalena. “It is as you wish. We have come. We are yours. Bless us, Mother of
all Mothers, and bless our families.”

A loud crash brought
their attention to the tomb. The large boulder that previously stood in
front of the dark opening turned to dust. Shocked gasps
sounded around the circle before they grew silent. Black hooded figures floated
out from the tomb. Only as large as a small child, they were no threat. Davina
sensed no malevolence and she raised her
hand when
the men began to move, halting them. “Do not advance. They’ll leave of their
own free will.”

One by one, seven
hooded figures left the tomb and faded into the morning sky as if they never
existed. Silence fell heavily on their circle as they wai
ted for Davina. She drew her eyes upward, seeking
assurance, and then released the hands she held. As she moved toward the tomb,
the others followed her to walk inside. It was empty just as Davina had
imagined. “We leave here healed. We leave here as the w
omen who will bring on the new generation that will no longer be burdened
with sin.”

It was a peace she’d
never known before that settled over them as they left the tomb and found their
mates. The tears escaping her eyes were not alone. Each sister was ove
rwhelmed by the awesomeness of the moment. With no words to
describe the sensation of the sudden lightness of her spirit, of her soul, each
woman sought the connection to the mate who strengthened them.

As Grace and Davina
stood in Trevor’s arms, Grace’s q
uiet voice said all
that needed to be said. “A miracle has been bestowed upon us this day.”

* * * *

Nervous, Trevor shifted from foot
to foot as he stood in the middle of a small circle formed by hedges. Their
families formed another circle around the he
dges, and
a large crowd stood just behind them. There was no option for a small
Pronouncement since this joining meant freedom for their race. Everyone would
celebrate.

Having the ceremony held here at
his parent’s village was important not only to their r
ace,
but also to Trevor himself. It was a connection for him and for his triad to
his homeland. He knew they’d return to the United States, but he hoped this
gave them a reason to return to his village, to keep a connection to his
parents. He’d been feelin
g as if his part in the
triad was less important than his mates. That changed with his conversation
with Chiara just before he took his place in the circle.

She’d asked about their babies,
and when he could only look at her confused, she smiled widely. “Ea
ch woman in their circle had to be preparing for the next
generation. Tony tells me that
means
they must all be with child.”

When Trevor still looked
unconvinced, she added, “My researcher husband is never wrong. He’s been
studying the Valendite Breed and
its history for
hundreds of years.”

When Chiara walked away from him,
Trevor was stunned. He was going to be a father. Both his mates were expecting
a child. He didn’t know anything about being a father. Shit, his stomach
twisted as his mind mulled over
this news. Did his
mates know? He had to see them, needed to talk to them. Trevor ran his fingers
through his hair, unable to be still and calm himself. He was lost to all the
possibilities—not just one child, but two.

Granger had to hit him on the arm
to
get his attention when he was needed to begin the
ceremony. “You okay?”

Trevor nodded his head.
“Yeah.
I’m going to be a dad.” It felt more real having said the
words.

“Welcome to the club. Seamus is
starting a new circle—the Circle of Fathers—so we can al
l commiserate. Nine months of seven pregnant women.” Granger shook his
head. “Goddess
help
us all.”

Noticing too late that Trevor was
still staring wide-eyed over the news, Granger patted his back and promised,
“We’re all in this together. Relax. Take a fe
w deep
breaths and then get your ass out there. They’re ready for you, brother.”

He looked around from the middle
of the circle where he now stood awaiting his mates. Everyone most important to
each of them was here today. While they believed threats to be
nonexistent anymore, there was still security. Given the
number of their race gathered, it made it that much more important that they be
protected during the ceremony. First thing in the morning, everyone would
return to his or her lives. Spread out, they
would
always be safer. So for now, Trevor would savor this time that they were joined
together to celebrate his Mating.

The older women of his mother’s
gardening club had scented the grounds with lavender and other herbs
traditional to the Pronouncement.
Tiny lanterns hung
from nearby trees to brighten the surrounding area while the early evening glow
of near-twilight, the traditional time for a Valendite Pronouncement, brought a
slight chill. That wasn’t why he shivered though when he looked across the ci
rcle.

There stood his mates. They
couldn’t be more beautiful, or more opposite. Both swathed in the traditional
red dress of a Pronouncement, their styles spoke to each of their natural
beauty. These women completed him as if they each filled a different n
eed. He was living every man’s dream, as Seamus had joked
earlier, with two magical women as his own. Trevor was a lucky man.

* * * *

Grace took in several deep breaths
as she looked around at all of the people gathered. She wished she had the
outgoing,
exuberant nature of Davina, or the laidback
attitude of Trevor. She was sure they weren’t nervous in this spotlight.

“Gracie, once you enter the
circle, all those around you will fade to the background and it will be just
you, Davina and Trevor,” her moth
er reassured her
from where she stood behind. Chiara looked her usual stately self, sheathed in
a green dress with sparkling jewels Grace could never pull off. Chiara took
Grace’s hand and squeezed softly.

When Davina stepped to her side,
Adelina and Valen
tino behind her, Grace’s powers
tingled like electricity as she thought about what was to come. The
Pronouncement meant they would transfer their powers and share the essence of
who they each were.

Music began playing, and Grace and
Davina turned their ga
zes to where Trevor stood.
Trevor’s handsome features would never fail to make her knees go weak. His
sharp cheekbones that always held the neatly trimmed stubble said bad boy,
while his sweet eyes and shaggy curls gave him a softer edge. He was a melding
between Davina and Grace’s personalities. The perfect fit,
the perfect blend.

They moved towards him slowly,
side by side, with their parents behind them. Grace felt the pull towards
Trevor and imagined it would always be like this. She didn’t like being s
eparated, and when she saw him, her body propelled her
nearer. Grace focused on pacing herself so she wouldn’t run.
Goddess help
her if she tried because the heels Eloise had brought for
them to wear were ridiculously high.

She focused back on Trevor. He w
ore the traditional clothing of the Valendite
Pronouncement. It was odd to see him out of his usual jeans and leather boots.
She knew he wouldn’t like wearing this clothing and wondered if maybe he felt
out of place too. His sand-colored linen trousers and
the off-white shirt draped from his body. It was too loose to admire his
well-toned muscles, but Grace knew the feel of his rugged form underneath.
Trevor kept the shirt collar purposefully unbuttoned to expose his neck as a
sign of his willingness to giv
e himself to her. Damn,
even
that made her shiver
in anticipation.

What was wrong with her hormones?
The thought crossed her mind moments before she heard Davina’s voice in her
mind.
“
Baby hormones.”

“What?” Grace forgot to be silent.
The shock of Davina’s
words had her heart thundering.
She was certain she would collapse.

“Grace, my Grace, it’s all right.
I feel it too but we’ll get through it together.”

“
You too?”
This time, Grace spoke through their mind connection.

Davina simply smiled and nodded.

Final
ly,
they reached the place where Trevor stood. Both of their parents placed their
hands in Trevor’s before they moved to join the others on the circle’s
perimeter. Grace took in the moment, the reality that for the rest of her life,
Davina and Trevor would
be there with her. For the
rest of their time, this is how it would be—the three of them surrounded by the
people who loved them. She placed her hand on her stomach and remembered the
others yet to join them.

The women of the
Magdalena
Circle
called up th
eir powers and summoned a swirling mist to surround them.
Grace listened to the quiet chanting around them as Trevor raised his voice
loud enough for all those gathered to hear, “I am honored to make this
Pronouncement on behalf of Davina, Grace and myself
.”

Then as was custom, Trevor kneeled
before her. He bowed his head in a show of his respect for his mates. After a
moment’s pause, Grace carefully followed him down onto her knees, taking
special care not to catch her heels in her dress now gathered benea
th her. Davina joined them on her knees next. Once both
were settled, they held hands, a symbol of the unbreakable link between them.