Chapter Six-Engagement

I should have been trembling in fear or running away. Instead, I silently walked next to my mother toward the bonfire. Though I appeared calm, I was terrified. Worse, I dreaded meeting Andre again. Would he still be angry with me? The thought almost caused me to stumble, but I pushed it away before the panic rose. I took a deep breath and pushed it out between my lips, knowing I had to stay strong.  

I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them again, focusing on what was happening around me. Laughter, music, and conversations reached my ears. It was all so jovial.

How can people celebrate when I feel so horrible?

“Aurora, are you okay?” my mother asked, wringing her hands together in front of her.

My mouth dropped open as I turned to her. How could she ask that question when she knew the answer? I shook my head, angrier than I had ever been at her.

“Yes, Momma,” I said, narrowing my eyes, allowing sarcasm to seep through each word. “I’m okay. After all, forcing me to marry a man who I don’t even know should certainly earn you an award for Mother of the Year.”

My mother’s mouth opened in surprise. I usually did not give in to sarcasm, but I supposed a forced marriage would make any teenager bratty.

“Aurora, you know that I had no choice,” she whispered to me as we neared the people circling the bonfire. Then she shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. “Besides, it’s tradition.”

I shook my head. She acted as if her words explained everything. Tradition had not even been spoken of until we moved to Timbly Mountain, and my experience with it had already been less than pleasant.

“Maybe I don’t want to go by our family's traditions,” I said, frowning. My mother stared at me with wide eyes. I raised my hand to prevent an argument. “However, it doesn’t mean that I won’t. So, don’t worry, Momma. You won’t lose anything.”

I could tell my mother wanted to defend herself, but Sophia’s voice rang through the air, interrupting. I turned toward her, not wanting to look at my mother’s guilty face.

“Aurora,” Sophia said warmly. Her voice soothed me. I frowned, confused by my feelings. It was strange to both be angry with my mother and want to hug Sophia at the same time.

Instead of trying to reason it out in my head, I turned, placing a smile on my face. I noticed a man walking next to her. The warm smile on his face when he looked at her told me he was close to her. Maybe her husband? He was around her age, but that wasn’t the only thing that made me believe he was with Sophia. It was that he fit with her in a way that could only happen when people were around each other for a long period of time…when their similarities became pronounced, their differences fading.   

He must have sensed me studying him because he turned to me and gazed into my eyes. I blinked, shocked to see his were the exact same color as my own. My expression of surprise didn’t seem to faze him. He gave me a wide smile, the color of his eyes warming to a light gray.

I continued to study him as they walked closer. His hair was streaked gold and brown. The waves fell to the collar of his shirt. His grin was jovial and made anyone near him want to smile or laugh. He was tall with the build of a boxer, but emitted only comfort and warmth. Like Sophia, he seemed too young to have a child Andre’s age.  

They stopped in front of me. “Aurora, this is Gavriel,” Sophia said. Her pride in him was evident as she took my hand and pulled me forward. “My husband.”

His smile widened as he stepped forward and pulled me into a ferocious hug. I couldn’t help but laugh. The hug surprised me, but the embrace was warm and safe. I had no doubt this man would protect me from harm. When I pulled away, he stepped back beside his wife, still grinning widely. I smiled as I looked at them. They somehow fit together perfectly…regardless of how they came to be married. It was heartwarming.

“I must introduce you to my sons and daughter,” Sophia said, an excited twinkle in her eyes. 

My eyes widened as I gasped. “You have more than one child?”

Sophia laughed as she raised her chin. Her pride was evident once more. I could tell she was a loving mother. “I have seven sons and one daughter.”

“Oh,” I said, embarrassed that I didn’t know. I glanced at my mother, wishing she had told me more about Sophia and her family. “I’m sorry. I just thought-“

            “Andre is the oldest,” Sophia said, waving her hand in front of her face, as if trying to wipe away my embarrassment. She looked around the bonfire. “Where is he?” She almost said it to herself, then smiled as she pointed. “There he is.”

Following the direction of her finger, my mouth fell open when I saw Andre laughing as he talked to a group of boys near the fire. His voice was loud and reached my ears. I blinked, surprised to find that it was pleasant and deep. His eyes danced in the light of the fire, but more impressive than anything was his smile. His full lips rose in a crooked grin, making my heart jump. I smiled in relief. He didn’t frighten me when he was happy. As a matter of fact, I could now see how handsome he was.

“The boy sitting beside him is another of my sons. He was born ten months after Andre,” Sophia said with a wide smile.

I jumped as the sound of her voice cut through my thoughts. “I’m sorry,” I said, blushing, “How old is his brother?” I glanced at her, confused.

She raised her brows. “He’s twenty-two,” Sophia said, her eyes twinkling. “Andre just turned twenty-three.” I blushed as she continued. “His brother’s name is Marco, but we call him Marc. His betrothed will be here at the beginning of next year.”

Pity filled me for Marc and his betrothed as I studied him for a few moments. He had the same tall, muscled build as Andre, but his eyes gleamed silver like Gavriel’s. His hair was the darkest black imaginable, probably inherited from Sophia. He was handsome with a square face and a straight nose. His lips were like his mother’s, very full, and he also shared her deep olive-toned skin. I smiled when I saw him give a playful swat to Andre’s arm. They were more than brothers. They were friends.

I blinked, shutting their images out as I looked back at Sophia. She was already scanning the crowd for more of her offspring. Her eyes widened in excitement.

“There are my twins,” she said, pointing toward two teenage boys throwing a ball back and forth as they moved closer to us, glancing at me occasionally. They looked remarkably like their brother, but their eyes were a vivid green. The tallest one had hair cut close to his head, while the other kept his hair long, like Andre’s. Besides their heights and haircuts, I could find no other differences. Sophia’s voice cut through and I glanced back at her. “Luc and Tamas are nineteen. Luc is the one with short hair.”

I nodded and Sophia smiled. She looked around again and pointed at three more teenage boys. One was about seventeen and taller than the boys surrounding him. He had the build of a football player, his hair was a mixture of chocolate and black, and his eyes were deep brown. Sophia pointed at him. “That is Luca.” She pointed at another boy who seemed to be about sixteen. He had black hair and the same color eyes as Andre. He seemed quieter than the rest as he watched his brothers, a soft smile on his face. “And that is Bo.” Her eyes landed on the last, who seemed to be about twelve. Her smile became more tender. It was obvious he was her baby. His chocolate-brown hair curved around his ears and toward his olive-toned face. His eyes were wide, silver, and fringed in long, thick lashes. “And the youngest is Stefan.”

I smiled. It was obvious that her sons made her proud, but what about her daughter? She had yet to point her out.

“You said you had a daughter.” I looked at Sophia, seeing her already scanning the crowd, finally pointing to a younger version of herself. The girl was about fourteen and danced jovially around the fire, her black hair whipping around her in the wind.

“Her name is Mirella,” Sophia said, smiling at her. She turned back to me. “She is very happy you are in the family. She is tired of being the only girl.”

My heart warmed as my smile widened. How could I not be at ease? Sophia and her husband emitted so much love, it seemed to swirl around, infecting everyone around them. She reached forward and cupped my cheek.

“I am very happy to have such a beautiful daughter joining our family,” she said, then sighed as she looked at Andre. She lowered her hand and wrinkled her brow, as if worried about my reaction to her next words. “Now, we must get you over to Andre so we can announce the engagement.”

My smile faltered as I looked at him, gasping when his eyes met mine. Thankfully, no anger flowed from them, only an intensity I could not identify. Sophia grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. For a moment, I considered running. Then he stood and walked toward us. A smile stretched across his face, showing even white teeth and small dimples. How did I not notice his dimples before? For some reason, my heart began to race.

When he stood in front of us, his smile widened as he glanced at Sophia. “Hello, Mother,” he said, then turned to me. “Hello, Aurora.”

I frowned, trying to understand why anger didn’t mark his face or voice. Instead, he seemed almost…affectionate. I blinked in surprise. “Hello, Andre,” I whispered, afraid the angry man he had been during our first meeting would make another appearance.

Sophia sighed, relieved that we seemed to be on good terms. She looked at both of us and sighed again, as if the first one had not released all the tension she held in her body.

“Well, it’s time to announce your engagement,” she said, smiling.

Andre surprised me by grabbing my hand in his. I frowned at the jolt of electricity that shot into my skin and almost jerked my hand away. He grasped it tighter, lacing our fingers together. Oddly, he jumped slightly, as if he had felt it too, but held my hand firm as we began to walk toward the bonfire.

As Sophia walked in front of us, Andre leaned close to me, whispering, “So, have you decided that it wasn’t so nice to meet me yet?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I think I had decided that before you even left the motorhome.” I raised one of my brows. “Of course, that was before I knew I was supposed to marry you.”

His smile faltered and he almost looked ashamed. “I’m sorry about that.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know your mother hadn’t told you.”

I frowned. “If I had known, would you still have been angry with me?”

“I wasn’t angry with you, Aurora,” he said and gazed at me with seriousness. “I was angry at the tradition and I was just letting you know that.”

I nodded, understanding. “I think we have the same feelings about that,” I whispered. “I don’t like the traditions, either.”

He smiled and gripped my hand tighter. “Well, get ready,” he said, looking at the bonfire. I followed his gaze and saw his father standing there. “You’re about to participate in one.”

A tremble shook me. He squeezed my hand in reassurance. I looked up at him, confused and relieved at the change in his attitude. He smiled, appearing as nervous as I was. “It’s okay,” he said with a shrug, taking a deep breath. “It’s not the wedding yet. It’s just words.”

Is he trying to convince me or himself?

I swallowed hard and looked up into Andre’s face as we stopped next to Gavriel. Sophia stood to his other side, and my mother stood beside her, nervously looking at me. I knew she was afraid I would bolt. Instead, I just gripped Andre’s hand tighter as everyone in the crowd gathered around us.

Gavriel cleared his throat and smiled. I swallowed as I looked around at the faces surrounding us. All of them were strangers.

“We are here to celebrate one of the happiest times in our family,” Gavriel said in a calm, deep voice. “Marriages and births are blessings. Andre and Aurora’s marriage will be just that…a blessing. So, tonight we celebrate Andre and Aurora and the continuance of our family!”

Cheers broke out.

A moment later, the long, low howl of a wolf broke through the air, causing me to jump. A hush fell over the crowd and Andre’s hand tightened on mine. But as soon as the howl began, it ended.

“Is that a wolf?” I asked with wide, terrified eyes. The memory of my nightmare came unbidden to my mind.

He smiled, but it was weak. He stared toward the forest. “Don’t worry. They rarely come here.”

I frowned as I followed his gaze. When a deep chill covered my body, I unconsciously moved closer to him. A tremble shook through me, making him glance down, his brow furrowed.

“Don’t worry, Aurora,” he whispered with a grin. “I won’t let them get you.”

I forced myself to smile. In my mind, I heard a voice call my name.