by Anna Santos
I nodded, astounded at how well-informed she was.
“So angels have a higher probability of giving birth to boys,” she summed up. “William explained it to me,” she added. “I…asked him to. He’s been extremely helpful and a good friend.”
“Okay, so you’re doing your best to get pregnant. Now you need to stop stressing about it, calm down, and let it happen.”
She sighed for a long time as she put down the pregnancy test and folded her hands. “I also feel guilty for wanting to have a kid so much.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“Well, the boys turn into gargoyles at the age of eighteen. They’ll have to wait for a long time, or not, for a rejected soul to be mated to them. I…feel guilty about having to make my child experience something like that. If I have a baby, I’ll expose him to a curse.”
“Well, humans also procreate knowing that their children will eventually die,” I said to her. “I mean, we all have expiration dates, so we’re all somehow cursed with mortality.”
“That kind of makes sense,” she mumbled.
“You might have a girl. That would be a bit better, right?” I tried to cheer her up.
“I guess. Gargoyle girls may choose their mates among gargoyle men or by kissing a rejected soul they love. But I don’t really care if it’s a boy or a girl. I just want a baby.”
“Let’s focus on getting you pregnant for the time being,” I said, grinning and rubbing her shoulders.
It didn’t cheer her up. Her shoulders slumped. “Who am I kidding? It’s not that easy to get pregnant and that makes me even sadder. I want it to happen as soon as possible.”
“You’re really young, Camille. You have time.”
“I don’t have a lot of time,” she whined, eyes laced with grief. “I want to get pregnant, so I can spend a lot of my life with my son or daughter. I don’t want to get pregnant when I’m close to ascending, which sometimes happens. We don’t get a lot older than this,” she explained, gesturing to her appearance. “We can pass by humans, we can have normal human lives, but we will eventually ascend and…I would like to spend as much of my time with my children as I can. Well, I know that after having the first, it’s unlikely I’ll be able to have a second, but I want to get pregnant. I want to make Jacob happy. He waited a long time for me. He’s ready to be a dad and to have a family with me.” Tears began falling down her cheeks.
My eyes prickled with emotion. It was sad and beautiful at the same time. Unable to contain my tears, I hugged her to comfort her.
Then, it hit me. I would experience the same pain she had if Cedric and I survived the trial. Thinking about having kids while I was only eighteen was absurd a couple of weeks ago. It was still a bit farfetched. I was so young! Yet, she was right. If I was going to be with Cedric, we would be mates, and he would most likely want kids sooner rather than later.
“I’m such a crybaby,” Camille grumbled, hiding her face against my shoulder.
I rubbed her back. “No, you’re not. I understand why you’re sad. Do you want me to call Jacob?”
“No. He gets extremely sad when I start to cry every time the test is negative.”
I caressed her blonde hair.
“He always tells me that it’s not my fault. But I know he feels that it’s his fault because he’s the male, and I would have had a better chance of getting pregnant when I was a werewolf and wasn’t mated to an angel.”
“It’s no one’s fault,” I assured her. “It’s a genetic problem. It’s not even a problem. It’s the way the creator of angels found to control the gargoyle population. Have you tried in vitro fertilization?”
“It’s against the rules. The conception must occur when angels make love. It would be a heresy to try differently because it must be the product of love.”
“It would still be the product of love because you’d be doing it for the love of having a family. You wouldn’t love your baby less because an ovum was fertilized with the spermatozoon inside a test tube to form a zygote.”
She blinked with furrowed eyebrows, perhaps because of the use of so many scientific terms.
Camille explained, “They have their beliefs, Aria. We’re not one to question them. Besides, it’s God’s decision to gives us a baby or not.”
I was going to refute that, but I decided to shut up and nod. She didn’t need me talking about genetics and theology to make her day even sadder.
“So no baby?” I asked, looking at the test on the floor.
“No baby,” she confirmed, grabbing the test and throwing it into the garbage bin. Then, she got up, dusted off her clothes, and tied up her hair.
I straightened up as she wiped away her tears.
Camille looked at the mirror and fixed her mascara before saying, “Let’s go have our first how-to-train-your-wildfire class.”
I smirked at her joke, only to add, “First, you need to eat. You need to be strong and healthy if you’re planning to be a mom.”
CHAPTER FOUR
ARIA
The tension could be cut with a knife or a chainsaw—whichever one would be faster to make it easier to be there. Dad was staring at Cedric with his scrutinizing eyes that seemed to ask, “Who are you and what do you want with my child?” Or maybe it was with the, “I have a shotgun and I’m not afraid to use it” look. Thinking about that, Dad would probably get that written on one of those shirts with funny punch lines that he and I loved. He would definitely have one like that if it meant it could scare away any possible boyfriends for me.
My dad was a nerd, make no mistake. He was the one who’d introduced me to superheroes. I’d grown up watching Star Wars, building LEGO Star Wars Death Stars, fighting with laser beams, and attending comic book conventions where I was dressed as Princess Leia and he as Chewbacca. He did a pretty good imitation of Chewbacca’s noises. I was an only child, and he didn’t have a boy to play with him, but I pretty much covered that and made my dad my best friend and the proudest and clingiest dad in my neighborhood.
You must understand, I was his little girl, and he was not expecting me to have a boyfriend before I was thirty. Even then, he would probably think it was still too soon. Besides, I’d never displayed any kind of interest in having one. He wasn’t prepared to have his daughter dating a grown man with a gorgeous smile and stunning blue eyes. It was rather a shock to him when he realized that Cedric wasn’t a young boy lacking social skills like myself. Cedric was so gorgeous that he made other women turn their heads to stare at him as he passed by. I had already made peace with that. I wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it. Cedric was oblivious to them anyway.
My worst nightmare was happening. My dad didn’t like Cedric, and he was doing his best to let that show.
“What do you do for a living, boy?” my dad asked him after a staring contest.
“I work with security,” Cedric replied nonchalantly.
“I thought you were studying and that was how you met Aria,” my dad said, raising an eyebrow and narrowing his brown eyes.
The curiosity monster had been poked now.
Cedric stared at me, not knowing what to say to that. We should have probably covered a plausible excuse to explain our relationship to my parents.
“We met at a summer course, Dad. Everybody can attend those, even graduated students.”
“Oh, so do you have a degree? What’s your major?”
It was my turn to narrow my eyes at Dad. He was being biased against Cedric. He didn’t need to be ugly to be smart. There were plenty of hot and smart guys in the world.
Then, it occurred to me: Did Cedric have a degree from a university? He was a gargoyle and also the future king of his kingdom. Did he find time to get a degree?
Cedric answered my dad, “I’ve finished a master’s degree at the London Business School. I’m planning to pursue another master’s degree in International Business Negotiation at the Sorbonne.”
Dad retorted, “Why pursue another master’s in business?”
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“Because I own a company, so I have to keep myself well-informed. Also, managing so many soldiers is a hard job, and I need to have more than muscles to handle most situations.”
Dad frowned, folding his hands over the table. “Soldiers?”
“They’re a security force; however, they trained to be soldiers before being sent to the real world to face the constant perils.”
“Yes, the world is becoming a dangerous place.”
“It has always been,” Cedric stated, leaning back in his chair.
I felt extremely proud of him. He knew how to handle my dad. It was a relief.
“So…you work out a lot,” my dad observed.
I was pretty sure that it was meant to be a question, but it came out more like a statement. I could have face-palmed myself with embarrassment.
Cedric replied with a grin, “We need to.”
My mom intervened. “Studying in London must have been nice, to learn about other cultures. It also explains how you speak English so well. With a bit of an English accent, if I might add.”
Cedric smiled at her. She didn’t seem to be taking my relationship with a boy as hard as my dad. She had been friendly when she’d greeted Cedric.
“I speak several languages,” Cedric said.
I was sure that it was true. Although, I also knew that he didn’t need to since angels understood all the languages and could be understood by people no matter what their language was.
Mom probed further, “But you were raised in France, right?”
“Yes, I was born here. I attended school in London, though. It was my parents’ choice.”
“Let’s talk about something else,” I proposed.
“Let us get to know the boy a bit better,” my dad complained. “So how old are you?”
That was the golden question without a doubt. I froze, staring at my dad. I was afraid of what he was going to say next after Cedric’s answer. Speaking of that, I had no idea what Cedric’s answer would be.
“I’m twenty-two.”
“You do know that Aria just celebrated her eighteenth birthday, don’t you?”
I grinned painfully at my dad’s words. There it was, the reason why he’d asked Cedric his age.
“Yes, but she’s really mature for her age,” Cedric replied.
My happiness at his answer was short-lived.
Dad retorted, “Yes, but the point is that she is still extremely young, and I hope you understand that she’s here on holiday.”
“Dad!” He was being rude.
“What?” he asked me with his mischievous Sith Lord face. “It’s true!”
“Aria will most likely attend Stanford or MIT for a major in biology. She isn’t sure yet. She could also have a shot at Juilliard if she decides to perform at the audition.”
It was my mom’s turn to brag about me. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“Really?” Cedric asked, turning to look at me with a proud smile on his face. “I didn’t know she was so good at playing the violin. I’ve heard her tuning it, but she’s never performed for me. I want to listen to you play.”
I nodded with a timid smile. Butterflies were bouncing against my stomach because I was feeling extremely nervous but also happy to introduce Cedric to my parents. I wanted them to like him. If we were going to stay together, they would have to like him. It would make things much easier after I dropped the bomb: Mom and Dad, I’m married to Cedric and I’m not coming back home. Oh, and there’s more—I’m an angel. Do you want to see my wings?
“And do you play any instruments?” my dad asked.
“Dad, stop being a snob,” I demanded, shooting daggers at him with my eyes.
“I’m not being a snob. I’m curious about the boy,” my dad countered.
“I play the piano,” Cedric answered.
I found myself melting deep down inside. That had been another thing I hadn’t known, and it was making me feel even more thrilled about being his mate.
“My mom made sure I learned it. I can also play the guitar. Yet, I don’t have much free time for hobbies these days.”
“You have to play for me one of these days,” I said, excited.
“It’s a deal,” Cedric said, smiling at me and placing his hand over mine. It was an innocent gesture, but it made me assess my parents’ reaction carefully. My dad was about to say something when his phone rang. I sighed with relief when Dad got up, apologizing, and answered it.
“Don’t worry about George, he’s just making sure you’re okay to date Aria,” my mom said. “He’s actually really friendly.”
She must have liked Cedric, to say something like that.
“That’s all right. If I were him, I would probably do worse. You did a fantastic job in raising Aria. She’s a captivating young woman with her heart in the right place.”
“That’s sweet of you, honey,” my mom said, definitely liking Cedric.
My dad came back with a friendlier face. “That was Steve. He got us some tickets to go to the Louvre. Actually, it’s a two-days’ pass. Do you want to come with us, darling? You can bring your friend along. I would really like to spend some time with you.”
“I would love to.” I squealed, genuinely enthusiastic. The Louvre was among the places to visit in Paris I most wanted to see, and I hadn’t been there yet. Besides, I’d been missing my parents, and I wanted to spend extra time with them.
Then, I looked at Cedric and lost my smile. “Can I?” I asked him, unsure if I was allowed or not. Not sure whether he would like to go or not, either.
“Of course,” he answered with a smile, reassuring me. “But I’m afraid I have some other business to take care of, and I won’t be able to go with you and your parents. I would have loved it, though. Too bad I have a meeting with Jacob.”
“Oh,” I whispered, a bit less excited. It would have been fun if he was there with me, and we could explore the Louvre and look for the most interesting things of the several exhibitions. I would have liked to share that moment with him.
“We can take pictures of you and me making funny faces next to the Mona Lisa,” my dad said, trying to cheer me up, no doubt.
I smiled at him and nodded.
He added, “And pretend to be a scary mummy at the Egyptian exhibition.”
I reasoned with him. “Dad, I’m not a kid anymore. We have to behave properly inside the Louvre. I don’t want us to be kicked out.”
My dad teased me. “Oh, relax and live a little.”
It was amazing how he always made me feel like a killjoy. He was the one who should act mature, but it was always the other way around. My mom didn’t mind; she would actually laugh at his immature behavior. He had a young soul, as the saying went. In my opinion, he didn’t give a damn about what other people thought about him. That was one of the many reasons why I loved him to death. Plus, everybody at school thought I had the coolest dad. It was true, he was.
“What time are you planning to leave to go to the Louvre?” Cedric asked.
“We’re waiting for Steve to let us know once he’s arrived,” my dad replied.
“I could have taken you to the Louvre,” Cedric said.
“My brother-in-law is a taxi driver. He wants to show us the Arch of Triumph before we go to the Louvre,” my dad explained.
The Arch of Triumph? My day was getting better and better.
My father’s phone rang again.
“It seems like everybody wants to talk to you today,” I joked.
“What can I say? I’m a popular guy,” he retorted.
I giggled.
He got up. “You better come with me to answer this phone call. It’s your sponsor, darling,” my dad said to my mom, and they left to go somewhere quieter to talk.
The word “sponsor” left me intrigued. Philippe’s name popped into my mind. I was probably overthinking it. It was too early for him to be up. Vampires slept during the day and came out at night.
Cedric’s words brought me back
to Earth. “You should start preparing your parents for the fact that you’re not leaving Paris, nor are you attending any American university.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, his implication lost on me.
“If we survive the trial, and I’m confident that we will, you can’t leave my side. Our home will be here and in my kingdom in the other realm.”
I pondered his words with a blank stare as I put my ice cream spoon in my mouth and sucked on it.
“I can’t be away from you, Aria,” he declared, probably concerned about my silence. “And if you love me…then you’ll want to stay with me. Besides, we’ll have a lot of duties as rulers of the angels and gargoyles.”
“And my science career?”
That was all that was bothering me. Did ruling at Cedric’s side mean that I wasn’t going to continue studying and couldn’t go to the university?
“What science career?”
We’d never talked about my hopes and dreams. I took my time to stare at him before I enlightened him. “I want to be a cancer researcher and search for a cure.”
“I’m sure there will be plenty of other things you’ll be able to do when you’re a full angel. You’ll have a lot of cool powers, and you don’t need to be a scientist. It’d be a waste of your time.”
I furrowed my eyebrows, swallowing to alleviate the tension in my jaw. Angels could be thickheaded.
My heart sank. I put the spoon in the ice cream bowl and pushed it away from me. I was no longer in the mood to eat dessert.
“Come on, Aria. There are thousands of people looking for the cure. Who says you’d be the one to find it? And, if you truly want to learn about science, you can study here. There are plenty of facilities in Paris. You can help William with his own research.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” I grumbled, watching my parents coming our way.
They were smiling, and Dad looked more relaxed.
I was the one who was tense now. However, I wasn’t going to spoil their happiness with my grumpiness. I was going to suck it up and put a smile on my face. But if Cedric thought that we weren’t going to talk about my future career any more, he was dead-wrong.
