Chapter 43

“Are you certain you’re going to be all right?” Rayne asked me for what felt like the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes.

Several hours had passed, and we were alone in his room within the palace.

To say that things had been a bit unsettled since we’d returned would be an understatement, although I didn’t feel that they’d been too terrible.

At least, not as much as they could’ve been.

I admit that I’d been a little out of it right after everything was said and done.

Not only was I starting to feel the effects of having to rip that crystal out of my collar, but I’d also been drained of energy in fighting to seal my father.

For that, Rayne had carried me back after Emelio was able to open the portal to our home, and I’d been brought to this room both to rest and be patched up by Vishu.

Of course, Rayne also didn’t wish to leave my side until he could be certain I was okay, although he did step into the hallway to talk to his father for about fifteen minutes.

Not that it was a bad thing that he wanted to stay with me.

It made me feel secure about how much he still loved me despite everything that had happened.

After Vishu and Lana tended to my wound, they were also able to check over his, although his wounds weren’t bad at all.

As I’d suspected, that golden glow around us had helped heal some of them, not to mention helped mine enough to where it wasn’t that hard for Vishu to stitch it closed.

Realizing all of this only served to reinforce what I suspected, though I wasn’t quite ready to bring it up to Rayne yet.

The first thing we both needed to do was settle down and get our heads on straight.

“I’m fine now. I feel much better,” I reassured him as I sat on the side of the bed with him standing in front of me.

I was telling the truth. I did feel better after being able to get cleaned up and rest.

Although my collar was slightly uncomfortable, it was bearable, and the low neckline of my white dress did not disturb the bandage covering it.

I honestly was thinking of asking him if we could simply join his father and find out what was currently going on with Lucille, but I didn’t believe Rayne would be up for that just yet.

Not until he felt secure about everything with me.

“You are certain about that?” Rayne pressed.

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Rayne. You know that,” I answered.

Rayne let out a tired sigh, his ears going back slightly as he stepped back and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

The bandages around his left arm were clearly visible due to how his sleeves were rolled up.

“I know I should take your word for it. It’s just been a lot happening recently and has me on edge,” he confessed.

“I understand.” I nodded solemnly, my hands in my lap. “So much has happened since you and I met, and everything that happened there was beyond frightening, but I promise you that I’m fine.

“I might be slightly worse for wear after what happened with that crystal, but I’m already starting to heal, and I’ve gotten my strength back.”

“That’s a relief,” Rayne slightly relented, not moving from where he stood.

“Is something else wrong?” I asked, feeling slightly nervous.

“No,” Rayne breathed. He pushed himself away from the wall, coming over to sit beside me. “It’s not that there’s anything wrong. It’s just been a lot to reconcile now that it’s all over and done with. I certainly was never expecting all of this to be connected all the way back to when Father’s clan was killed.”

“Neither did I. I never would’ve thought that my father was the demon pulling the strings of it all. I’d always thought that he was simply an incubus that wanted to keep messing around in this world,” I admitted.

“It was reasonable to think of it that way. I doubt Father or the other rulers ever suspected anymore to it, and it seems to me like Emelio didn’t either. Honestly, that’s a bit unusual from everything I’ve always known of him. It seems like they’ve either kept him in the dark on a lot of things or he’s been forced to keep quiet about it,” Rayne went on.

“It’s hard to say. Maybe some things needed to play out as they have,” I suggested, although I didn’t really like thinking that.

It sounded too much like our meeting was more for the convenience of the Higher Powers.

Rayne appeared to catch onto my train of thought. “I wouldn’t think too much into it. Even if it was meant to play out this way, it doesn’t mean our feelings are any different now that it’s done.”

“You’re not…worried that things will change between us?” I dared ask.

“Why would I be?” Rayne responded, looking over at me.

I looked down as the heat crossed my cheeks. He still got to me whenever he looked at me like that.

Rayne put an arm around me, resting his head against mine as he continued, “You don’t need to worry about anything. You’re always going to be my Luna, no matter what circumstances ended up bringing us together. Maybe I did rush things with us a little and didn’t expect some of the trouble that came with how you were born, but it’ll never change the fact that I love you.”

“I know you do, and I love you too. I always have.” I hesitated for a moment before deciding that this might be the best time to broach the subject of what happened earlier. “But I wonder now too. It seems like something else was happening when we were there. I feel like they did something more to help us win, even if it seems a little unfair when I think about it.”

The room became quiet when I said that. Rayne remained as he was, and I didn’t feel him tense up. It was like he’d been expecting me to mention this.

“You had a dream about them too, didn’t you?” he guessed after a few tense minutes.

That perked my ears. “Them? Do you mean one of the Fates?”

Rayne wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear me say that. “I thought you might have, although I felt like it might’ve been dangerous to mention it before.”

“I felt the same way. It was like something within me knew I shouldn’t speak of it,” I acknowledged.

“They probably felt that it was too dangerous if we did, so they made sure we could sense it,” Rayne suggested.

He let me go, shifting to face me. “But I had suspicions of it when you mentioned Sionn’s name. Our family is the only one he interacts with, and even then, that’s usually from a distance. When you mentioned him, I knew there had to be much more going on that we didn’t yet understand.”

“I believe that, and I believe that it’s also how we were able to banish my father.”

“Well, what they did helped make it possible.”

I looked down again, my hand drifting to my lower belly. The reality of what I was convinced was the truth felt a little overwhelming.

Rayne’s gaze followed mine, and he gently laid his hand over my own. “It’ll be all right, Luna,” he promised. “Even if they didn’t forewarn us, we’ll take care of them and give them a good life with us.”

“You already knew?” I asked.

“I suspected it after what happened, and I had Emelio confirm it to me when we arrived back.”

“Does anyone else know?”

“Only Father for now, and that was because Lumae and Emelio felt that he needed to.”

I managed to look back at him, noting how calm he appeared. Yet, I could see in his eyes that he was a little conflicted.

Not that I could blame him.

We had been told when we’d met that I wouldn’t be able to have children for a long time. Now I was suddenly having one and for what seemed like convenient reasons outside of us.

“Are you certain that you are okay with this?” I had to know.

“I’ll be fine.” Rayne breathed another tired sigh as he sat up a bit straighter. “It’s not what I expected, but it’s not like I’m against it either.

“I’ve just been worried about whether you’re ready for it. They did drop this on us without any real warning.”

“I suppose I don’t have a choice, but it’s not that bad,” I admitted. “It’s not like they’ll come into the world like I did, and your bloodline should be stronger than mine, so they won’t truly be like me.

“I just hope they’re accepted.”

“They will be, and so are you, especially now that we can say you helped banish your father for good,” Rayne pulled me into a loving hug. “No one truly dislikes you here, Luna, and now we can ensure they all know the truth and you can live peacefully with me and our child.”

“You’re really taking this well,” I noted as I pulled back a little to face him.

Rayne let out a frustrated laugh, hanging his head with his ears back. “I don’t believe I have a choice, though I will admit to you that it’s a bit overwhelming when I allow myself to let it sink in. I guess I still need a bit more time to completely digest it.”

That made me giggle. It was so cute to see him become slightly flustered.

“You are right, Rayne. Things will be fine, even if both of us are a bit nervous about this.”

“Wouldn’t be unnatural if we weren’t?” I suggested.

“True. Father said the same,” Rayne acknowledged.

A resigned smile crossed his face as he touched my lower belly. “Besides, what matters most to me is that both of you are safe and sound now. I suppose the only thing left in all of this mess is to handle what needs to be done about the Belgan House.”

I was feeling relieved now. At least he appeared to be taking things well, and I would gladly accept the distraction from talking about this pregnancy much more for now.

“Do you know how that is to be handled? Did Lord Jekia speak to you about it?” I inquired.

“Only a little, but I think he’s waiting to be certain you’re okay before he completely addresses it.”

“I do know that Lucille and Hailia are still here, and I believe Emelio has kept Camille’s body hidden for now.”

“No doubt they’re looking to keep the whispers about things at bay until they can be addressed,” Rayne answered.

“I’d imagine it would be quite delicate to take care of this, especially if Lucille wasn’t truly involved. The Belgan House is also one of the premier matchmaking houses, not to mention it has always sounded like Madame Camille was highly revered,” I commented.

I slowly stood up, making sure that I’d be steady on my feet.

I was beginning to feel a bit restless now and needed to move around a bit.

Rayne quickly stood with me, holding my arms. “Hey, don’t do anything too quick. You don’t want to fall,” he reminded me, looking as concerned as he sounded.

I gave him my most reassuring smile. “I’m fine. I’ve been feeling a lot better and I’m tired of sitting.” I stopped as my stomach growled, my smile turning slightly embarrassed. “Although I am rather hungry too.”

This broke the tenseness in the room, and Rayne laughed slightly.

“It has been a while since you’ve eaten, and that probably isn’t good for you right now,” He took my arm. “Come on. We’ll get you something to eat then find out what Father wishes to do.”

I returned his smile. “That sounds good.” I also gave him a firm hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I always have and I always will,” Rayne promised.

A gentle flutter went through my heart as I kissed him. It was so beautifully familiar and carried that feeling of home.

Yes, it would all be okay.

Even if I was nervous, I was also becoming excited.

Even if we hadn’t been expecting it so soon, it felt good to know that we could have a family of our own.

The palace was quiet as we stepped out of the room, heading to the dining hall. The shadows outside of the windows were getting long, and I could hear the sprites singing in the trees.

It felt a little odd how calm it all was, like waking from a long nightmare and finally realizing that you had been dreaming the entire time.

I spoke as we came into the foyer. “Did your mother and siblings leave?”

“I don’t believe so. Mother usually stays with Father when things need to be dealt with, so she’s probably there. As for Rin and Selenia, I couldn’t say, although I would think that they’d want to be involved with all of this however they can be,” Rayne answered.

“I’d imagine Rin would want to be, and probably Aurora too, but I wonder if Selenia might still be a bit young to help deal with this,” I commented.

“Perhaps,” Rayne allowed. “But that decision is ultimately up to Father and her.”

“Aside from that, she is old enough to understand these things, so it may be advantageous if she decides to be a part of the resolutions we come to.”

We stepped into the dining room as he spoke.

The windows were open, allowing the cool breeze to drift through and keep the room comfortable.

We stopped as we saw that Rin and Aurora were already in there.

They were seated at the table, talking quietly to each other, though Rin looked up as we entered.

“Hey, good to see you’re both up and about,” he stated.

“We thought it would be a good idea to move around and have Luna get something to eat so that she can get the rest of her strength back. But I’m surprised that it’s only you two in here. Is something else going on that I missed?” Rayne asked him.

Rin shook his head. “No. Everybody’s just kind of been meandering for now.”

“Father wanted to wait a little longer on us talking to Lucille and Hailia about that stuff with Madame Camille, probably so that we could be sure Luna’s okay,” he explained.

“Makes sense,” Rayne said. He guided me over to the table, pulling out a chair near them for me to sit down.

“Go ahead and sit here. I’ll have the Dolls fix you something.”

“We may as well have them do so for the four of us. I don’t know if or when Father and Mother will join us,” Rin admitted, standing with him.

“Are they still at the palace? He didn’t mention them leaving,” Rayne inquired.

“Yes, they’re here, but they’ve been in a meeting with Lumae for the last half hour,” Rin answered.

I looked at Aurora as the two headed to the kitchen area, still talking about all of that.

“Have you seen Selenia?” I asked her.

“We saw her earlier and she said that she was going to contact a few of her friends to make certain things are okay in the towns. I’d imagine there may be a bit of panic with Camille and Lucille missing, so Lord Jekia allowed her to take care of that since she knows some of the girls quite well,” Aurora explained.

“Makes sense from everything I’ve heard. She and Rin were the ones who helped us a lot with those rumors.

“Well, them, Sherry, and the foxes,” I corrected.

“We all wanted to help when we realized what they were putting you through, although I admit that we never expected how deeply all of this went. To be honest with you, I thought that the issues with the demon were done and over with when the Golden Queen was killed. I never would’ve imagined that he was also connected to you,” Aurora admitted.

I looked down, feeling a bit nervous. “That doesn’t…change much, does it?”

“Of course not,” Aurora assured me. “What he’s done has nothing to do with you, and it’s obvious that you were being used just like everyone else, at least from what I heard from Rin.”

She stopped for a few seconds, looking slightly puzzled. “What I don’t understand is why he went through all of that trouble with you to give that demonic queen a body. He obviously did have ample choices throughout the centuries here, including the Golden Queen. I wonder if he switched his attention to you as a backup when she was killed.”

“I couldn’t say. I never knew him before all of this, and he’d never done anything to show me that he was even interested in me before,” I admitted.

“Hate to say it, but it was probably all part of his plan. If he could catch you off guard, then he could use you easier,” Rin spoke up as he and Rayne returned and sat with us.

“You think so?” I asked.

“It’s a dirty tactic but would work for what he wanted, especially if he considered you a backup for his plan, although I still can’t say I get why he allowed it all to drag on for so long.”

“Did he honestly have that much of a grudge match against our father for whatever twisted reason?” Rayne wondered.

“Hard to say,” Rin shrugged. “We’ve always heard that the Fallen tend to be twisted, and he wouldn’t be any different. Maybe he was even pissed off because Father survived back then and continues to do so.”

“Well.” Rayne shrugged. “It’s not like we have to keep worrying about it now, and we’ll probably never know all of those answers.”

“What’s important is for us to move forward and try to clean up what’s been left over, including figuring out where we may have been unknowingly influenced during our lives.”

“You believe that was happening?” I asked Rin.

“Hate to say it, but it was probably happening even way back before Rayne and I were born. It’s not like the situation that brought us into the world was any kind of normal,” Rin admitted.

“It doesn’t matter what led to it. You and I are both here and there’s nothing different about either of us,” Rayne contended.

“I’m not complaining about anything or still dwelling on what was said for so long,” Rin swore. “I’m just stating the facts of it and you know it. Even the stuff with my father leaving feels like it was all part of it now. I wonder if he sensed that something more was happening and he didn’t want more trouble to arise between him and Jekia. That demon very well could’ve been trying all along to use our mother to turn them against each other.”

“But it obviously didn’t happen, even before Sage left. Lord Jekia has always accepted you and has always said that Sage was his closest friend,” Aurora pointed out.

“Very true, and we’ve always stood by the notion that everything happens for a reason. Even if he was trying to force hands all this time, we came out on top, and that’s that,” Rayne stated.

Rin looked like he was studying Rayne. “You know, you seem pretty laid back now. I can’t remember you being like that since we were little kids,” he commented.

“You think so? I don’t feel like I’m acting any differently,” Rayne responded, looking genuinely surprised.

“Maybe it’s just my observation. We are twins, so I feel like I know you better than anyone else,” Rin stated.

“Remember that can go both ways,” Rayne warned him.

The Dolls were coming out with plates of food for us by then, quietly setting them in front of us and fixing drinks before retreating back to the kitchen.

Aurora looked at me as they did. “Out of curiosity, Luna, are you and Rayne going to be staying where you’ve been once all of this is settled, or will you two stay here at the palace?” she asked me.

“Rayne hasn’t mentioned wanting to do anything different, so I suppose we’ll return to the glen,” I answered.

“There’s no need to. The glen and cabin are a good home for us and we’re close enough to here for us to avoid any real issues, although I may have to add space to it soon,” Rayne added.

That perked Rin’s ears. “Why would you have to do that?”

I wasn’t sure if I should say anything.

Rayne had told me that my pregnancy was only confirmed to him and Lord Jekia, and I wasn’t quite ready for a big announcement yet, even if I couldn’t avoid it that long.

Rayne was a bit evasive with his answer. “I have my reasons that I’ll get into later. There’s no need to right now.”

“Don’t give me that! It’s obvious that you’re not telling us something!” Rin countered.

“It’s not anything we need to talk about right now,” Rayne stated.

Emelio appeared near us before Rin could continue the argument. “Now, now. There is no need for any more issues, and things will be spoken about at length in due time,” he told us. “For now, we’d like your presence in the Northern Parlor once you are finished with your meal. Lord Jekia wishes to move on with clearing up the issues of what has happened.”

“I guess we can do that,” Rin complained.

“I’d like to hear all about what happened there anyway, considering you wouldn’t allow me to be part of it.”

“I know you wished to offer your help, but it was much better suited for you to remain here and ensure that this palace was safe for your mother, sister, and Beta,” Emelio reminded him. “That was equally as important.”

“It was, especially after what happened when we were kids. Thanks for doing that, Rin,” Rayne spoke up.

Rin backed down, resigning himself to this. “I guess so, and it’s not like I liked the idea of them being alone.”

“Very good,” Emelio smiled at us. “If you do not mind, I will wait here with you while you finish up, then we’ll move along. I trust you are okay with this too, Lady Luna?”

I returned his smile, trying my best to act confident. “Yes, I am. I’d like to get through this too and make certain that everything is handled the right way.”

“And we will,” Rayne assured me. He gave me a quick kiss on my cheek.

“Go ahead and finish up, then we can handle this and move on.”