There, nestled in the trees, was a home that had been spread throughout five large maples and oaks. The light wood of the building gleamed in the moonlight that reflected in the two front windows. A winding walkway started from the far edge of the woods and curled up toward the large porch. Her hand fluttered to her heart, she couldn’t breathe through the love that engulfed her. It was far smaller than Ashby’s rambling creation had been, but it was stunning.
“I know you’re not at home in the palace. I know that this is where you’re happiest, that this is who you are. I told you I’d bring you to the woods as often as I could, but you’ll require a place to stay when you come here, somewhere safe, a home.”
“Home,” she breathed. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she turned slowly toward him. “How? When?”
His fingers caressed her cheek. “I started it after Caleb took you in the hopes that it would help to keep me somewhat calmer. It didn’t work very well but it kept me a little preoccupied and from going insane. Jack, Ashby and Daniel have been working on it lately, and I’m told that William hobbled around giving orders.”
Aria laughed as she shook her head. She turned back to the tree house; she could barely breathe as she tried to take it all in. She was loved, so unbelievably loved. That love was in every nail, in every piece of wood, in every drop of sweat that it had taken to put it all together. It was amazing, she loved it, but she knew one thing above all else...
“Wherever you are will always be my home.”
His arms wrapped around her and turned her within them. He kissed her briefly before lowering himself to one knee and holding out a small black box to her. She could only gape in astonishment as he opened the box to reveal a small emerald ring inside. “Will you marry me Arianna?”
For a moment she couldn’t find her voice, she could only open and close her mouth like a fish as her heart raced and tears of joy burned her eyes. “I thought you didn’t have to ask.”
Oh how she loved that grin, loved to see it on such a regular basis now, loved how it lit his eyes, and revealed that dimple in his cheek. “Is that a yes?”
She nodded eagerly and burst into joyous laughter as he leapt to his feet and wrapped her in a massive hug and kissed her soundly. She wiggled her fingers as he slid the ring on, it was a little big but she didn’t care. “I thought an emerald suited you better than a diamond.”
“I love it.”
He cradled her face as he kissed her again. She melted against him as his tongue swept in to take possession of her mouth. Her legs encircled his waist as he lifted her up and held her against him. She barely felt him moving as he carried her up the walkway and into their home.
***
Aria hadn’t taken the time to explore the night before, or at least Braith hadn’t given her the time to do anything but explore him, but now she relished in every square inch of the rooms. There was far more detail than she would have thought to put into a home in the trees. Daniel must have helped with the details as some of the intricate carvings in the doorframes and cabinets were a work of art.
She smiled as she ran her fingers over the cabinets within the kitchen. She closed the door on some bread and as her stomach rumbled at the sight of it, she wondered how much longer she would feel hunger for something other than blood. She wasn’t certain if she would be leaving here a human, wasn’t certain if she would even be leaving here at all. It seemed like a perfect time to make the change, to throw caution to the wind and have eternity, but she was terrified of losing this bit of bliss they had just discovered together.
Her whole life had been nothing but arduous and now that it was going so well, she was contemplating her own death, and no matter how she looked at it Braith was right about one thing, she was going to die.
The delicate carvings in the cabinets were ivy leaves she realized as her fingers lingered on them. That had to have been William’s suggestion; he knew how much she loved the way the ivy grew through the trees in some areas of the forest. Thoughts of Max and her brothers saddened her. They had already lost her father, she didn’t know how they would survive her loss too, especially William, if she decided to do this and didn’t survive.
Aria sighed as her fingers slipped from the cabinet. She had no idea what to do. It was one thing to die for a cause; it was another thing to risk her life when it wasn’t entirely necessary. At least not yet.
She could wait a few years; maybe even wait till she was twenty five. It was an age she’d never thought she’d hit anyway, it would be nice to see it.
However, if she waited a few years she wasn’t sure she’d have the courage to do it, and what if she accidentally became pregnant? She’d never take the risk of leaving her child behind by doing something that may very well end her life.
She’d thought this decision would be easier, but now she was completely torn. Why did she have to become reasonable and concerned about consequences now? She wished her father were here so she could talk to him and seek his guidance in making this decision.
I have vampire blood inside of me; she clung firmly to that thought. I’m stronger than most, more stubborn. I will survive, I will.
She traced over the swirls within the soft green countertops as she studied the open, airy kitchen. They hadn’t run electricity from the palace and Aria was glad of that, she much preferred the flicker of the lanterns hanging above her. It was warmer, cozier with the mellow radiance that lit the picturesque home.
She felt Braith’s eyes on her before she spotted him leaning against the doorframe. Her toes curled as her mouth went dry. His eyes were still hooded with sleep and his dark hair was tussled across his forehead. He had taken the time to throw on a pair of pants that hung low on his hips, revealing the hair that ran from the waistband and up to his belly button before flaring out slightly at his chest. The hard ridges of his abdomen flexed as he crossed his legs and scanned her with the same hunger she was certain had just been in her gaze.
He was far more delicious looking than cake, she decided firmly. And he was hers. The thought caused her hands to clench as possession shot through her. He would always be hers, no matter what she decided.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s incredible.” There was a sly gleam in his eyes as her gaze raked him from head to toe. His full mouth curved in a predatory smile. “Everything is perfect.”
“I’m glad. You must be hungry.”
Her stomach rumbled eagerly at his words. “Guess I am,” she told him laughingly as she placed a hand against her belly.