by Sable Sylvan
She looked up and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
There was an arch. The arch was made of red roses, a path of pink rose petals leading to the archway, where there was one figure, wearing a red velvet suit with an ivory cream cheese colored shirt and a crimson silk tie. The figure had hair like spun gold, and his eyes were like two bright sapphire-blue topaz gemstones. He was reaching out to her.
Addy walked toward the figure slowly, but it felt like she was floating. She stood in front of the blond man, who towered above her even in her heels, and he placed a hand on each side of her waist. She reached up to his shoulders, not just to reach up to see his face, but to hold her down and onto the ground because she felt as if she would just float away if he happened to blow on her neck a certain way.
The man leaned in and whispered, “It’s time for the ball, my love.”
“Love?” asked Addy softly.
“But of course,” said the man. “Why else would we be attending this ball together? You are my fated mate, after all. I love you, Addy.”
Addy was spinning, not like she was dizzy, but like she was dancing, moving and turning according to a rhythm that she could hear outside of her dream. She hadn’t expected Sage to tell her that he loved her this quickly. She knew rationally that yes, she was his fated mate, but hearing him say he loved her was something else entirely.
“Sage…I love you, too,” said Addy. “I don’t know why I’ve been afraid to tell you. I’ve known for over a week now. I wasn’t sure it was possible, but…for the first time in my life, I’m in love.”
“The first time in your life?” asked Sage. “There wasn’t someone before, not in America?”
“Never ever,” said Addy. “Sage, that date we had at the school dance, that was my first date ever. When I said you were my first, I meant my first everything. I’m so nervous.”
“Don’t be,” said Sage. “You have nothing to be nervous about. Come on.” Sage took Addy’s hands off his shoulders and placed them in his. He leaned down to give her a kiss and then they made their way down the staircase into the ballroom.
Addy had been given a tour of the Scoville Manor upon her arrival with Sage. She hadn’t seen close to every room in the manor, and she certainly hadn’t seen the ballroom yet. It had been in the process of being set up for the party. She also hadn’t met Morten yet. He had been too busy with party preparations to meet with them, but of course, as it was his birthday, their first stop would be to his giant throne, a holdover from the feudal era, to give Morten his present.
The ballroom was full of gorgeous people in beautiful clothes eating delicious gourmet food, engaged in interesting conversations in a bevy of languages, and dancing on the dance floor. Sage and Addy were by no means the first people to arrive at the party, but there was still a bit of a line to see Morten. Of course, being Morten’s grandson meant Sage could break some rules, and so he did. Sage took the package that they had given to the party planner’s assistant off the large table filled with gifts for Morten and gave it to Addy.
“You’re sure you want me to present him with the gift?” asked Addy.
“Trust me, you’re gonna make a heck of a first impression,” said Sage. “Come on.” Sage and Addy cut in line and approached the throne.
Morten Scoville was tall, muscular even in old age, and his blond hair had become a shade of platinum blond that was not quite white, but not yellow enough to pass as ivory. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit that didn’t look fancy, but which read as old money rather than nouveau riche. Next to the throne was a familiar face, with a shock of hot pink hair and a hot pink tie. He was wearing a suit jacket and a black V-neck with a pair of black jeans and a hot pink belt. It was Mace, Bonimolean’s missing freshman, the youngest of the Scoville Polars. When Morten saw Sage approaching the throne, a small smile crept along his face.
“Sage, you made it,” said Morten. “I was afraid I’d have to send Mace out to retrieve you from some Oslo record shop.”
“Of course, I made it,” said Sage. “I haven’t missed one of your birthday parties yet.”
“And I see you brought me a present,” said Morten. “You must be Miss Addison Quincy.”
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir,” said Addy, giving a small curtsy that wasn’t overly formal. “Happy birthday and happy Valentine’s Day. I bring a gift from the entire Quincy family.”
“A gift? You didn’t have to,” said Morten. “I must open it at once. Mace, if you don’t mind…”
Mace nodded and came forward to take the present from Addy and pass it to his grandfather.
The package was wrapped simply in brown kraft paper, tied with red and white baker’s twine. Morten undid the twine and then carefully undid the wrapping paper, leaving it one piece. Inside was a cardboard box. He opened it carefully.
Inside the box were not one, not two, but three bottles of hot sauce, nestled in a nest of cardboard shavings. Each hot sauce bottle’s label was black, with a picture of a dragon on it, a dragon that resembled the same dragons carved into the ancient Norse rune stones that dotted the Scoville estate. Each dragon was the same color as the sauce inside the bottle. There was the ‘Secret Sauce’ that had brought Alice and Herb together in the first place, a jalapeño sauce that was green and contained lime juice. There was the ‘Awesome Sauce’ that contained fire roasted habaneros, a crimson sauce with a crimson dragon that looked like a stylized Celtic knot on the label. Finally, there was the ‘No Bullshizz’ sauce which had finally been perfected. It was an adobo chipotle sauce with a deep chocolate brown dragon on the label. Below each dragon was the name of the hot sauce and above each dragon was the words, ‘The Feminine Mesquite.’
It was a risky gift to give Morten, especially given his history with Elijah Quincy, the rivalry which had started this whole crazy venture. Now, it was time to see if their gamble had paid off.
“‘The Feminine Mesquite,’ eh? ‘The Feminine Mesquite,’” said Morten. “You know what? It has a nice ring to it. The only question is…what are we going to try this with? Mace, my dear boy, some mozzarella balls, if you don’t mind.”
“On it,” said Mace, before he quickly walked to the buffet.
“It’s been a while since I had a hot sauce that I liked,” said Morten. “Let’s see if my old recipes have stood the test of time.”
Addy wanted to correct him, but it wasn’t the time or place, so she kept her mouth shut.
“So, Miss Addison, have you enjoyed your time at Bonimolean?” asked Morten. “I trust that my grandson has been a good tour guide.”
“Yes, sir,” said Addison. “I can see why Bonimolean’s reputation as one of the best universities in the world has stood the test of time, and consider myself most honored to have been given the privilege of attending.”
“Oh, drop the ‘sir’ nonsense,” said Morten with a wave of his hand. “We are to be family soon, what with the impending nuptials of your two eldest sisters to my two eldest grandsons. Call me Grandpa Morten. And tell me…what do you really think of Bonimolean? I’m interested in your opinion, as an American.”
“All right, Grandpa Morten,” said Addison. “I was worried that the students at Bonimolean would be snooty and stuck up. I was worried that as a rather provincial American girl, that I wouldn’t fit in. I had never even left the Midwest before coming to Europe for this semester. However, I found that I was the one that had prejudged the students. The fancy clothes that the stylist gave me helped with my confidence, but I think that even if I was wearing rags, I would’ve been fine at Bonimolean. Only a few students have given me any trouble at all.”
“Tell me their names, and I’ll have them expelled,” said Morten.
Addison laughed.
“He’s not joking,” said Sage.
“It’s fine,” said Addison. “There have just been a few people jealous of the relationship that Sage and I have.”
“So, you two are dating, yes?” asked Morten.
“You are awfully supportive of your grandsons finding their fated mates,” said Addison. “Honestly, I was a bit worried you wouldn’t approve of me, given that I’m, y’know, your rival’s grandchild.”
“Ah, yes,” said Morten. “Well, my dear, you must understand where I’m coming from.”
“Where you’re coming from?” asked Addison, a hand on her hip.
“Sage and I, as you may have gathered, have a special connection,” said Morten. “I am from another world, another time. The world you live in today is totally unlike the world I grew up in. You see, back then, it didn’t matter how much money you had…you could still see your children pass away before you. Luckily, I never had that happen to me, but my parents were…not so lucky. You see, I was originally the gamma of my clan.”
“The gamma?” asked Addison.
“That’s right, ranked third in the clan,” said Morten. “However, the war broke out when I was in my twenties, and both my older brothers enlisted in the war. After all, noblesse oblige, as the French say. Nobility is obligated, and in this case, obligated to serve their country in what proved to be the greatest conflict this world has ever seen. It was World War 2, and my family, like many others, lost people…including my two older brothers.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Addison. “I had no idea.”
“Neither of my older brothers had the chance to pursue their fated mates,” said Morten. “They died without ever finding their true loves, passing on their legacies. I vowed that no matter what, I would try to help other shifters find their fated mates…and that’s why I have this grand ball every year. Why else would I have it on Valentine’s Day? It’s not really about my birthday. My birthday is actually in July. It’s about finding true love…and that goes for all my grandsons, not just the alpha. I care about everyone, from the alpha to the omega, finding their fated mates. The world we’re living in is changing swiftly. In a generation or so, maybe clans and alphas won’t matter anymore. Or, maybe they’ll matter more than ever. One thing won’t change, and that’s the importance of true love. I was once in Sage’s place, as a gamma, so I can identify with his role in the clan. I can identify with Clove and Herb as I’ve been the beta and the alpha, and even with Basil and Mace, because although I was never a delta or an omega, I also never thought that I’d be the alpha.”
Morten let out a sigh and gave them a smile. “That’s why I’m not mad. I could never be mad at any shifter finding their fated mate. Sometimes, Fate plays strange games. Now, if I’m not mistaken, Mace is back from the koldtbord.”
Mace came back, and they opened the sauces and tried them with the mozzarella. Every last sauce got Morten’s approval, and Sage and Addy were shooed away to go and frikkin’ dance!
Chapter Thirty-One
Sage and Addy hit the dance floor. What Addy had been so nervous about before now came easily. With Sage’s hands on her waist, her hands on his shoulders, she trusted him to lead as he spun her in small circles. Between dances, they talked to their friends from Bonimolean, including Minerva who, of course, looked stunning, with her two dates, Julio and Nia. They had even made polite small talk with Georgina.
“You know, you look like a red velvet cupcake in that suit, complete with cream cheese frosting,” said Addy during one of their waltzes, brushing her hand on the crimson velvet lapel of his suit before giving his tie a playful tug.
“Is that your way of saying I look ravishing?” asked Sage.
“Is it working?” asked Addy.
“No frikkin’ way,” said Sage. “Remind me never to wear this again.”
“I think you look so handsome,” said Addy. “You always do…but why do you insist on wearing those bad boy clothes?”
“If you haven’t noticed, I get a lot of unwanted attention,” said Sage, shrugging a shoulder toward Georgina.
“You’d get unwanted attention if you wore a paper sack,” said Addy. “You have to face it, Sage. You’re not only frikkin’ handsome, you’re a Scoville, and no matter what you wear, people are gonna look. I can’t believe you wear those tacky graphic t-shirts, though.”
“Hey, I don’t pick it out,” said Sage. “Sabine styles me, too. I just always ask for the same uniform of black shirts, black jeans, and some alternative looking items. I told her I wanted a wardrobe that’s mix…”
“…And match,” said Addy with a smile. “Me, too. I guess I can let it slide…as long as you promise to dress up for me sometimes.”
“How about a compromise?” asked Sage. “I wear what I want when I want at Bonimolean, but when we’re in Fallowedirt, you can pick out my wardrobe. I’ll even wear pink, white, and yellow. Sound good?”
“It doesn’t sound good. It sounds great,” said Addy. “I can’t believe that you and I aren’t biting each other’s heads off like I thought we would be. I can’t believe I was so blind to it before. I guess you and I are a perfect match, even if we make an odd couple.”
After some more dances together, Sage and Addy were free to do whatever they liked, as they’d met their social obligation and had more than a dozen dances together.
“Come on,” said Sage. “I want to show you something.”
“But won’t people notice we’re missing from the ball?” asked Addy.
“Who said we won’t be going back?” asked Sage. “Trust me. It’ll just take a moment.”
“All right, all right,” said Addy. “But let’s bring Mace.”
“Mace? Why?” asked Sage.
“We wouldn’t want people to talk, now would we?” asked Addy.
“Fine, fine, but then we’ll go on this little field trip,” said Sage. “I can’t believe my little frikkin’ brother is gonna be my chaperone.”
Once they’d snagged Mace, they headed outside. It was cold but the many layers of Addy’s dress kept her warm. Of course, Sage gave her his jacket.
The grounds of the Scoville Manor were expansive, surrounded by natural barriers that meant there was no need for some great stone wall. There was a mountain range lining the back of the estate, and a large river acted as a moat around the front of the estate. While the back “yard” of the Scoville Manor was made of large rolling green hills, there was also a forest of tall pines leading up into the mountains.
The grounds of the Scoville Manor were covered with a sprinkling of powdery white snow that was growing slowly but steadily. There was only a crescent moon on this Valentine’s Day night, but a series of what looked like glowing mounds of snow lined the way into the forest, along two paths. One was thin, for strolling groups, the other wide, to accommodate horse-drawn carriages.
Sage, Addy, and Mace grabbed three cups of warm hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and sprinkles and got into a carriage. There were blankets in the carriage, enough for all three of them, but as Sage and Mace were polars, they didn’t need blankets, so they gave theirs to Addison.
“This is abso-frikkin’-lutely magical,” said Addison, looking around at the estate. She looked up at the crescent moon and at the snowflakes falling on the trio, illuminated by moonbeams.
“What are those?” asked Addy, pointing at the glowing mounds of snow.
“They’re snow lanterns,” explained Mace. “We just put them in for the event. They’re waterproof LED stakes containing an LED lantern. They’re battery powered.”
“We?” asked Addy.
“Grandpa put me to work this semester,” said Mace. “What, you think I get to lounge around in my room playing piano like Sage? No frikkin’ way.”
“What the heck did you do for him to pull you out of Bonimolean for the semester?” asked Addison. “You will be back next semester, won’t you?”
“You won’t believe it,” said Sage. “Are you gonna tell her, brother, or am I?”
“Fine, fine,” said Mace. “But don’t tell any of your sisters…especially Savina.”
“Especially Savina?” asked Add
ison. “Ooh…do I sense an inkling of a crush?”
“More than an inkling,” said Sage, but Mace shot him a look. “Fine, fine. Are you gonna fill Addy in or what?”
“I sort of…took the private plane on a joyride,” said Mace.
“More than sort of. You nearly crash-landed into the Norskehavet,” said Sage. “I was afraid we’d have to send out the Kystvakten and the Sjøforsvaret.
“The who in the what in the where?” asked Addy.
“Sorry. The Kystvakten is the Norwegian Coast Guard. The Sjøforsvaret, the Royal Norwegian Navy. The Norskehavet is the Norwegian Sea, between Norway and Iceland,” said Sage. “He’s lucky he landed in Reykjavík. We found him eating lamb hot dogs on the dock.”
“Yeah, because my favorite kæstur hákarl joint was closed,” said Mace.
“Keester what?” asked Addy.
“Kæstur hákarl, it’s a vile dish,” said Sage. “You don’t wanna know what’s in it. Trust me.”
“It’s fermented shark,” said Mace.
“It tastes like ammonia,” said Sage. “I’ll stick to our country’s reinsdyrsteik, thank you.”
“Reindeer steak?” asked Addy.
“Exactly,” said Sage. “You’ll be speaking Norwegian in no time.”
“And don’t worry, none of Santa’s reindeer shifters get made into steak,” said Sage.
“Ha-ha,” said Addy.
Addison looked around as the brothers talked. They were nearing the woods, which were well lit by lanterns. Various people were wandering the woods, looking at trees. Many of the trees were missing bark and had been carved.
They entered the woods, which were brightly lit on the side toward the house and not as brightly lit on the mountain side. There was a large clearing in the woods, with more food and beverage and people strolling. There were rune stones around the clearing, and some people seemed to be reading them. Addison finished up her hot cocoa and left the tin mug in the container for empty mugs, a small wooden barrel, and was helped out of the carriage and out onto the snow by Sage.
