Forbidden Blood (36 page)

T
HE FOLLOWING NIGHT, it was an hour after sunset,
and Arianna had yet to see any sign of her uncle and aunt. They should have made an appearance by now. Checking with the kitchen, she found they’d requested first dinner in their room again, which would not do. They could not hide in their room forever—most especially, not on this night.

Emerson was set to arrive in just over an hour, and their presence was an absolute requirement for this visit. Not only because it was their duty to deliver the news about Naya, but instinct
also told her that Emerson would not arrive alone. Councilwoman Vanderbilt thought her son was going to be the future king, and she would want to hear the news in person.

Bound and determined, Arianna marched upstairs and knocked on the French doors to Uncle Marek and Aunt Celeste
’s bedroom. She could hear movement coming from the room, but it was several seconds before Arianna heard footsteps getting closer. Finally, Uncle Marek opened one of the doors.

“
Thank you, Hans—” His eyes widened.

She had rarely come to their private space in the past.

“Arianna, what are you doing here?”

She squared her shoulder
s. Despite the fact they had been hiding out in the bedroom like children, they were still the King and Queen and the people who raised her.

“
Uncle,” she said, “you and Aunt Celeste need to be ready in an hour. Emerson and his mother will be here soon. Councilwoman Vanderbilt phoned last night, and she made it clear they are expecting an update on Naya and Emerson’s courtship.”

Aunt Celeste came
to the door with an alarmed look on her face. “But we cannot possibly see Emerson and the councilwoman.” Aunt Celeste tugged on Uncle Marek’s sleeve. “Whatever will we tell them? Oh, Marek, this is all so sudden. I’m not ready.” She put her head in her hands and started weeping.

Arianna was taken aback. Her aunt was quite literally a mess. In all the years she
’d lived with them, she had never seen her aunt without her hair styled and makeup applied while dressed in clothes perfectly selected for every occasion. Tonight, her aunt’s hair lay uncombed and limp on her shoulders. She was without a speck of makeup, and she was still wearing her pajamas. If Arianna had to presume by the smell and wrinkles, her aunt had not changed since the night Naya left.

Guilt rose about springing the information on them, but
Arianna reminded herself that it was their own fault they were unprepared. They were the ones who had locked themselves in here for the last few nights.

“
I’m sorry, Aunt Celeste.”

Her aunt
looked up as she spoke.

“B
esides Councilwoman Vanderbilt, you also received a call from Councilman Hutton. The Council is questioning your absence since your return to the States. They are also insisting on news about Naya and Emerson. At some point, you will have to tell Emerson and the Council that there will not be a betrothal.”
You can’t hide forever
, went unsaid.

Aunt Celeste put her head in her hands again with a cry of distress.
“Oh, why us?” She looked back up at her husband. “How could she do this to us? We should have never let her volunteer or go out with her friends to do who knows what.” She let out a snort of humorless laughter. “Well, I guess now we know what she was doing, don’t we? Unmated and with child.” Aunt Celeste pursed her lips and shook her head. “A shifter child no less.”

Their attitude shocked Arianna. She couldn
’t believe her aunt would say these things. Was she implying they should have stopped Naya from ever leaving the house? Naya was an adult and capable of making her own decisions. If her parents had not treated her like a child and if they’d actually explained the existence of shifters and how they would like her to stay away from them, maybe Naya would not be in this situation. The very thing they’d wanted to prevent, they had ended up causing. They didn’t understand that they were partially responsible for Naya’s condition. Instead, they were putting all the blame on her.

Now
, Arianna understood much more about Naya. It was no wonder she’d spent time with humans. Naya didn’t see being the next queen as a privilege. With all the pressure her parents and the Council had put on Naya, it was a huge responsibility. She had been willing to forsake her own happiness by mating with someone she didn’t love and who didn’t love her. They hadn’t even taken notice of Naya’s displeasure with the situation. Even after everything Naya had been prepared to do for them and the vampire species, they’d acted as though she was the selfish and ungrateful one.

Arianna
’s heart filled with sadness for Naya. She could only hope her aunt and uncle would come around because Arianna truly believed Naya cared for this Vaughn, or she would not have been with him in a sexual way. And Naya was about to be a mother. With pregnancy rare among vampires, Naya was probably happy about her condition, and her mother and father should be delighted to become grandparents.

Careful to control the emotions on her face, Arianna said,
“I know you are unhappy with the situation, but waiting will not change anything. If you don’t feel comfortable telling Emerson and the Council why the betrothal will not happen, then do not tell them the reason. This is your right. You are, after all, the King and Queen.”

Uncle Marek sighed and said,
“She’s right, Celeste. We can’t leave everyone to speculate. We need to address some of these issues. We’ll worry about Anaya and what to do regarding her situation at a later time. First, we must tell everyone the courtship is over, and there will be no betrothal.” He turned to look at Arianna. “Thank you, Arianna. What time will they arrive?”

“Nine
o’clock.”

Uncle Marek nodded.
“We will be ready and downstairs in time.” He closed the door without waiting for Arianna to respond.

At
nine o’clock sharp, Hans showed Emerson and his mother into the foyer. Arianna had been right about the councilwoman. As Emerson’s mother handed her coat to Hans, Emerson glanced around before sending Arianna a secret smile. She still couldn’t quite believe he actually cared for her. Despite everything else happening around her, she felt like the luckiest female in the world. She hadn’t told Emerson of Naya’s situation since they had only been able to speak on the phone, but she had been able to tell him about her aunt and uncle calling off his and Naya’s courtship.

Arianna returned his smile as she heard her uncle and aunt coming down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Councilwoman Vanderbilt turned around
, and Arianna schooled her expression. Aunt Celeste’s hair and makeup were done, but she was pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Uncle Marek looked weary.

Everyone greeted each other properly, but Emerson
’s mother paused when she got to Arianna.

She narrowed her eyes and studied Arianna.
“You sure are a beauty, aren’t you?” the councilwoman said to her.

Arianna was confused at the direction of the
councilwoman’s thoughts. “Thank you, ma’am.”

She took a step back and scanned Arianna
’s body. “A little on the slender side. Your hips are not as wide as your cousin’s, but they should do fine to carry sons.”

Arianna was speechless
. Did she know Naya was pregnant? And why was the woman concerned with her body? “Thank you?” She was uncertain if this was an insult or a compliment.

“Look at those purple eyes.
You truly are a Kensington, aren’t you?”

“
Why yes, ma’am. My father was Uncle Marek’s younger brother.”

She smiled and patted Arianna on the cheek.
“Yes, I know, dear.” Then, she turned around and addressed everyone else. “Shall we begin?”

Arianna gave Emerson a quick questioning look. He shrugged in response.

Uncle Marek said, “Yes, Glenda. Why don’t you come into the sitting room? We will have Hans bring in some refreshments.”

Uncle Marek glanced at Arianna. She gave a slight nod
, and he let out a breath of relief.

Arianna thought she saw Emerson
’s mother watch her from the corner of her eye, but when Arianna glanced at her, her eyes were directed at her uncle and aunt.

They went into the sitting room and seated themselves. Emerson and his mother took the
love seat directly across from the sofa where the King and Queen sat. Arianna was the last to be seated in a chair adjacent to both the sofa and love seat, and she realized Emerson’s mother had not asked about Naya’s absence.

How odd.

After they were seated, they waited for the food and drinks to be brought in before anyone spoke.

Uncle Marek cleared his throat.
“Emerson, Glenda, thank you for taking the time to come here tonight. Emerson, I know you’ve been courting Naya for the last few months, but I am afraid nothing can come of it. Something has come up, and we cannot allow Naya to mate with you.” He held up his hands. “This is not Emerson’s fault. Our opinion has not changed regarding him. There are new extenuating circumstances preventing a betrothal.”

“
What is the meaning of this? I do not understand,” Emerson’s mother said. Her words were cross but held no real heat behind them, and her facial expression did not show anger. It appeared as if she was forcing herself to frown.

Her uncle and aunt were too involved with themselves
to notice.

“
I’m sorry, Glenda,” Uncle Marek said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Please tell the rest of the Council we will give them more information as soon as we are able. I don’t have any answers to give you right now. My mate has been in some distress lately, so I would like to keep this meeting short.”

Aunt Celeste managed a weak smile when all eyes turned to her.

“Very well.” Councilwoman Vanderbilt stood.

Uncle Marek and Emerson followed.

“Thank you for inviting us and telling us in person. We’d best be on our way.” She looked toward her son. “I’ll get my coat and head to the car. Please don’t take too long, dear.”

After Emerson
’s mother left the room, Aunt Celeste stood and said, “I’m going back to my room.” It was as if she’d completely forgotten Emerson was standing there, or perhaps, she just did not care. She walked past without a proper farewell.

Uncle Marek seemed to be at a loss. He stood and stared into space.

Arianna approached him and said, “I will see Emerson out if you would like to tend to Aunt Celeste.”

Her uncle appeared not to hear her.
“What a strange encounter. I thought, for sure, she would be outraged and demand a Council meeting,” he said as if thinking out loud.

Arianna touched his arm
, and he looked at her.

“
Oh, yes. Thank you, dear.” He absentmindedly patted her shoulder and left the room.

As soon as they left, Emerson closed the distance between them
. He drew her into his arms and placed a tender kiss upon her lips.

“
What is going on?” Emerson asked her.

“
You must promise not to speak of this to anyone.”

“
You have my word.”

“
Emerson, did you know shifters existed?”

“
Yes, although I have never personally encountered one. Why?”

She sighed.
“In Uncle Marek and Aunt Celeste’s”—she struggled for the right word—“overprotectiveness, they never told us shifters existed. Quite frankly, I’m amazed they ever let us leave the house.” She shook her head. “At any rate, Naya met a shifter somewhere when she was out with her human friends, and now, she is going to have his baby.”

Emerson raised his brow.

“Uncle Marek and Aunt Celeste are quite beside themselves. Now, no one knows what is going to happen. Naya was—is very upset with her parents. She actually left when she found out everything they’d kept from her, and she hasn’t come home. She won’t answer any of my phone calls either.”

“That
explains a lot about Naya. No wonder the King and Queen called off the courtship.”