Page 39 of Fallen Star

Dean comes up behind me and slides his hands around my waist, pulling me against his chest. He drops his mouth to my neck and bare shoulders, leaving hot kisses in his wake. His lips are close to my earlobe, sending shivers up my spine. "It's not that serious."

I twist to face him, our mouths inches apart. "Meeting your whole family for the holidays? That's serious."

I don't have a family. Haven't had one for so long I've forgotten what it feels like. Dean has a huge family, and they're royalty. It's a bit much.

"My brother owes you his life and already adores you. Ari knows you saved Fen, so she's been dying to meet you. Asher and Varis are coming back from the island just for this, and they're bringing Kayla, Tavian and Arias, Elias's twin brother. Iris and Elias will be there. You've been wanting to meet him, right?"

I nod. "That's true. But you just listed a lot of names I'm likely to forget." My nerves don't usually get the better of me, but this time they have. After everything we went through in stopping Levi and my mother, after losing her again, and losing any chance of seeing my father one last time, after destroying the Star of Nirandel and finding out the truth about myself… I needed time. Dean invited me to stay in his Pleasure Palace. Even offered to rename it, which made me laugh. It was a tempting offer, what with my mansion totally destroyed and all. But I wasn't ready to relocate to an entirely new world.

Iris's Uncle Sly offered to let me stay at The Black Lotus for as long as I wanted. I took him up on the offer, and I did a lot of thinking and sleeping and soul searching. I also spent time with Dean, but in normal ways. We went to eat and took in some shows. We discovered a similar taste in movies and plays. I spent time with Iris, though never got to see her fiancé since he was busy being a prince and all. Seems there are a lot of those to go around—princes that is. I'm still a bit in awe that I've found mine.

I know his family has been wanting to meet me, and I've put them off for months. Until now.

Now it's the holidays, and I'm ready to figure out the next chapter of my life. Apparently that includes meeting Dean's whole royal family at High Castle for a Winter Solstice celebration.

I step back and spin, showing off my new dress, hand sewn by his tailors, to conform to Inferna dress code. "How do I look?"

His eyes fill with desire, and I push him away playfully. "You'll ruin my makeup," I warn.

"Later, I plan to ruin that dress too," he threatens, and a thrill runs through my body in anticipation.

He is definitely a lover I have not grown bored of. But no wonder, given he is the Prince of Lust. It's a title well-earned, but doesn't do him justice, to be honest. There's so much more to him than desire. I've fallen in love with his mind, his heart, his very soul.

And yes, I now believe vampires have souls. I've met too many good ones to think otherwise. I still have the memories of what happened to my parents, of course, and they still sting, but that wound is finally healing after all these years.

I guess I can thank my mother for that, despite everything. And Dean.

I hold his hand as we cross over to the mirror Sly gave me for my room in the Black Lotus. He places a hand on it, and we transport into High Castle, a lavish medieval style estate that includes touches of modern life. A strange mix, but one I appreciate, as they use magic to replicate plumbing and some modern comforts.

I clutch his hand as we make our way to the banquet hall, and when we enter, I suck in a breath, transfixed. A huge table carved from stone edges the large room, with the king and queen at the head and chairs placed around facing the center, where a fire burns in a hearth and a live orchestra performs a haunting song.

The king has a large white wolf at his feet and is wearing a crown and red velvet robes. He smiles when he sees us, waving. His wife, Queen Arianna, sits beside him with a small dragon perched on her shoulder, dressed in similar style to him, her dark hair gleaming under the candlelight. The table and walls are strewn with holly and candles, the bright red berries contrasting with the forest green leaves. Red and green satin bows hold it all together, and in the corner the largest Christmas tree I've ever seen is set up and decorated with crystal balls of silver, and white candles that seem magicked to not melt.

Dean's other brothers are sitting around the table, and other members of their households I've not yet met are milling about talking, laughing and partaking of the massive feast. Every kind of cooked meat, fruit pies, vegetable casseroles, loaves of freshly baked bread, and candied dishes adorn the space, as well as bottles of wine and, I presume, blood. I'll have to make sure Dean steers me toward the wine. I made the mistake once of grabbing a glass I thought was wine and turned out to be blood. Not a mistake I want to repeat. Like…. Ever.

Fen stands when we approach, hugging Dean first, then me. "I'm so glad you both could make it."

"Thank you for inviting me," I say, unsure if I should curtsy or what? I look to Dean for guidance but he's no help.

"Alex, this is my wife, Ari."

The queen smiles and her baby dragon chirps and then hops over to me, sniffing my hand. "Yami likes you," she says. "That's a good sign. And we owe you so much."

Ari is beautiful, and clearly happy to be reunited with her husband at last. Fen offers us the seats near him, and we join them. Dean fills a plate for me and offers me wine with a wink, as if he's reading my mind. Then he leans over and points out all his relatives, telling me their names and reminding me about stories he's told to help me put faces to all them.

When Iris and Elias arrive, I breathe a sigh of relief. She smiles and heads straight for us, taking a seat at my side and hugging me. "I knew you'd come."

She introduces me to Elias, who is just as handsome as she described, and he and Dean share a meaningful look.

The festivities continue, and I meet other uncles—Ace the inventor, Zeb, Prince of Gluttony, Asher and his Druid partner Varis, and important members of the family. Too many names to remember, too much family to track, but it occurs to me this could be my family someday. Dean and I have talked about it, about where our future might lay, and neither of us imagines being with anyone else, but we're in no rush. There's time. Especially if what Queen Sky said is true, that I won't age, nor will I need to be turned to enjoy an immortal life.

Iris and I have more in common than one would have thought, each with our mysterious genesis into this world.

As we feast, drink and enjoy the entertainment, I settle into this feeling of being surrounded by a new kind of family and friends.

At one point Elias stands and pulls something out of his pocket. A sprig of mistletoe. He holds it over Iris's head and prepares to kiss her when all hell breaks loose. Literally.

She jumps back, toppling her chair in the process and spilling wine everywhere, then pulls out one of her daggers from… I'm not even sure where, and proceeds to slash the poor green sprig apart.